Messenger's Dawn

by Lior Akerman

  Without feeling it coming, it was already evening, and Mike realized he had not eaten anything all day. He was not planning on staying in the office, he was too tired and all he wanted was to get back to his apartment, have a shower and go to bed. He decided that that night he would not wake up, he would not answer the phone or the door. Maybe this is just a nightmare, he thought. Mike fell asleep easily, ignoring the unusual coolness in his apartment. The night passed in relative peace. He dreamt of his childhood in Jerusalem and remembered the nights when his mother Miriam would disappear and wander through the streets for hours. A couple of times he looked out the window and saw her returning early in the morning in the fog of the forest beneath their house. He never quite understood why she returned at these hours from the direction of the Abbey of the Dormition church that was located on the hill opposite them but he was not too concerned about it either since his father would tell him that everything was fine.

  “Mom is doing what she needs to do,” his father would say.

  In his dream that night, Mike saw something new. He saw his mother Miriam rising from the valley, out of heavy fog and a bright light behind her. She was wearing a long blue dress and sandals, her head covered in a red scarf. In her hand she was holding what looked like a stick. When she neared the house, it became clear that she was holding a parchment scroll rolled up and tied with a brown string. She approached him as he stood at the entrance to their home and that is when he noticed he was no longer the young boy who grew up in the Mishkenot Shaananim neighborhood in Jerusalem. He was his current age, a grown man. She took his face between her two hands and kissed him on his forehead. Without saying a word, she passed him the scroll and disappeared into the house. Moshe (Mike) Yehoshua hesitated for a few moments and looked at the parchment in his hands. He slowly untied the string, unrolled the scroll and started to read the text that was written in it:

  Behold My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and he shall be very high.

  As many wondered about you, “How marred his appearance is from that of a man, and his features from that of people!”

  So shall he cast down many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for, what had not been told them they saw, and [at] what they had not heard they gazed.

  Who would have believed our report, and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?

  And he came up like a sapling before it, and like a root from dry ground, he had neither form nor comeliness; and we saw him that he had no appearance. Now shall we desire him?

  Despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and accustomed to illness, and as one who hides his face from us, despised and we held him of no account.

  At the bottom of the parchment there was another verse, in different writing:

  “And these are the last words of David; the saying of David the son of Jesse, and the saying of the man raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet singer of Israel.”

  Before Mike got the chance to wonder about the significance of the verses in the parchment, daylight broke and woke him up. The dream slipped away from him and all at once he was thrown back to his frozen apartment. Mike opened his eyes slowly, got out of bed and went to wash his face. He could not stop thinking about the dream and what it meant.

  After drinking his morning coffee and eating his regular breakfast, he got dressed in his long thick blue robe. He needed to put on something warm. He went over to his computer and searched for the words he remembered from the text he had found on Google.

  The first text was from Isaiah 52, the final verse was from Samuel 1, Chapter 22.

  Mike spent the next few hours reading articles and interpretations about these two texts. All of the commentators and scholars were in consensus that these texts described the Messiah that would rise from the descendants of David. He would appear to be a regular man, sickly and suffering from ailments and illness until his greatness and mission would be revealed. The more he read, the more excited he became. Cold sweat covered his forehead and neck. Either something was happening here or he was losing his mind. Fear took over him and he started to tremble. He jumped up out of his seat in panic, knocking his chair over. Mike went to his room, got dressed quickly and rushed outside. He had no intention of staying alone in his apartment. The heat, humidity and noise outside helped him forget the drama he was in just moments earlier. Chelsea Park on the eastern bank of the Hudson seemed like the perfect haven for him.

  9.

  Iran, Bazargan, July 25th

  It was a bright night and as they had on so many nights in recent years, Samael and Charnbog left the house. Igniting Takshan’s old Nissan pickup truck, Samal drove north on Bahazan St., towards Route 32, crossing the town. They continued on the dirt road heading out of the town to the east, towards the big gas station north of the road. They continued driving slowly on the dirt path that headed into the mountains, until they no longer could see the lights of the town.

  The two brothers had driven on this path many times before and were well acquainted with it, mainly in the dark. This time however, they were not alone. Haider and Ardashir had decided to finally find out what their stepbrothers were up to. They sneaked after them and followed the old pickup with Haider’s car. They found it very difficult to keep up with them on the dirt path, since they could not turn their lights on and had to manage with just the moonlight. The Nissan pickup sped on the winding path, heading southeast. After a long drive, the vehicle suddenly turned south and sped forward along the water pipeline.

  Haider and Ardashir realized by now that they were heading on the one way path leading to the Shah Ganbari artificial lake, created as a result of the building of the great dam. A few kilometers later they saw the huge lake in front of them. The moon reflected off the water and Haider’s old Peugeot hardly managed to keep distance from the pickup. The path along the water canal suddenly swayed to the right and headed south, while the canal continued eastward into the lake. Surprisingly, the Nissan pickup continued at full speed on the path along the canal, straight into the lake and the lights of the vehicle were swallowed by the water. Samal and Charnbog disappeared.

  Haider stopped the car. He and Ardashir got out and stood there stupefied. They looked at the lake, searching for the lost vehicle. They waited a few more minutes and did not see or hear anything. They slowly and cautiously continued towards the lake. A few moments later they reached a path descending to the water. The moonlight that lit the bright ground and the hills around them made the area look like a distant and foreign planet. It was silent and there was no movement in the water. The brothers looked at each other, looked around and finally started to return to their vehicle.

  But then something unexpected happened. A small noise came from the water and it became louder. A bright and blinding light appeared from the water, rising from the water to the surface. The light rose above the water, illuminating the entire area with intense light, blinding Haider and Ardashir. They bent down and lay on the ground, in an attempt to hide from the light. The bright light was accompanied with unbearable heat and the brothers started to run towards their car to escape the burning heat. The heat intensified at a surprising pace and they felt their skin burning. The car, 200 meters in front of them, burst into flames. That was the last sight they saw, as they ran. They felt their hair and clothes melting away and they could not even shout out before they turned into a pile of dust on the ground beneath them.

  The light decreased, withdrew and disappeared into the dark water. The moonlight took over the lake and its surroundings and it was quiet again. Two dark figures came out of the water and headed north. The black figures moved forward on the shore towards a cave behind the water canal, on the southern slopes of the mountain. The two figures did not have faces. Instead of eyes, they had two red dots that looked like two small flames. Two minutes later they disappeared into the cave. No one could know about this o
pening and no living being could enter or pass through it. It was their place. They were the only ones who could enter or exit it.

  This was the passageway to the other world. Its exit was on “the other side” but also beyond the border. They had created this spot many years earlier but its time was up. They were supposed to continue on their mission and complete it. That was their destiny. They knew it. They were one entity and they had made the plans.

  10

  Israel, Zfat, July 23rd

  It was not unusual for the phone to ring early in the morning in the home of Rabbi Yaacov Hacohen. He had completed his morning prayers and was just about to eat the breakfast his wife Rochale made him. The voice on the line was very surprising.

  “Good morning Uncle Yaacov,” said his nephew Avraham from New York.

  “Avrimale, how are you? I haven’t heard from you in so long. Is everything alright?,” Yaacov asked.

  Avraham was confused. He did not understand why Yaacov was saying he had not heard from them.

  He answered: “Um… yes, I am fine. I wanted to see how Mom and Dad are doing.”

  Yaacov did not understand.

  “What do you mean ‘how Mom and Dad are doing?’, you are asking me, Avrimale? You are much closer to them than me,” he said with a smile.

  “They flew to Israel a week ago, to tombs of righteous rabbis in the Galilee, like they do every year. They told me they coordinated the visit with you and even planned to stay with you for a while.”

  Yaacov was surprised. He looked at his wife and did not know what to say. Finally he answered:

  “I don’t understand. I have not heard from my brother in two months. I did not know anything about a visit of his to Israel.”

  Together they tried to understand where the rabbi and his wife were, but they did not know. At the end of the conversation, Yaacov knew what he had to do.

  “Every year, at this time, they come to the tomb of the Rashbag. It makes sense,” Rochale said.

  “He clearly said to me a few months ago that this year they were not coming, and he did not coordinate anything with us,” Yaacov replied.

  They looked at each in confusion for a while and then he got dressed, left and went to the bus stop. He took the bus to the police station, went inside and taking a seat in front of the on-call officer, he remained very confused.

  “Yes sir, what can I do for you?,” the officer asked.

  “I would like to inquire about my brother and his wife who were supposed to come to Israel a week ago and are missing.”

  He answered the officer’s questions about his brother Yochanan and his , Bat Sheva. The officer checked the records of the border inspection police and it seemed that the two had not entered Israel in the past month. Yaacov was stunned. He did not say a word. He filled out an official request with all the details of his brother and sister-in-law. He handed it to the officer, thanked him with a nod, sat for another minute and left.

  He decided to walk home through the winding alleys of the city that was rising to a new morning. He was lost in thought, trying to understand what had happened to the couple. When he got home, he called Avraham in N.Y. and notified him of what he discovered at the police station. After hanging up, he sat in the kitchen and stared at the wall.

  A few minutes later, the phone rang in Yaacov’s home, it was Avraham on the line.

  “Listen, Uncle David, Dad said they would be spending a few days at Kfar Kana, at the tomb of Raban Shimon Ben Gamliel near there. I thought it would be a good idea if you could go over there to check. What do you think?”

  Yaacov sighed tiredly and replied:

  “I doubt they are there if they never entered the country but I will do it for you, my dear Avraham.”

  11

  Downtown New York, July 23rd- 24th

  After hanging up, Avraham tried to figure out what he should do. He called all the airlines in New York to find what flight his parents were on. He received quick and polite service from all of them, with the same answer:

  “We have not had passengers of this name in the last month. Sorry, sir.”

  By the evening, he was out of ideas and desperate. More than a week had passed since his parents had left on their way to Israel but they never left the country and never made it to Israel.

  Avraham had a quick shower, washing off the hard work of the day, he locked his parents’ modest apartment and headed over to the police station to report that his parents were missing. The pleasant officer questioned for a long time and took down all the necessary details. A quick phone call revealed that his parents had never left the U.S., at least not in a legal and known manner. The couple had completely disappeared, without leaving a sign or a clue. The police investigators had no leads and that was the way it would remain for weeks.

  Later that night, when Avraham returned to his apartment, he found the business card of the man who had been looking for his father a few days earlier. He dialed the number and waited. Mike’s answering machine answered, asking him to leave a message.

  “My parents are not in Israel and no one knows where they are. This evening I reported to the police that they were missing. I do not know anything else, but I would be glad to hear from you. Good evening, Avraham.”

  Mike heard the message when he woke up the next morning, after another unclear experience he had at night. A few minutes before he fell asleep, or maybe it was after he fell asleep, the doorbell rang in his apartment. Mike got out of bed, opened the door and there was Jeffrey standing there with a white envelope addressed to Mike in his hand. It did not have any sign of who sent it.

  “A few minutes ago, an old priest with white hair was here,” Jeffrey said. “He said he knows you and he asked me to give you this envelope urgently. Sorry if I woke you.”

  “That is ok, Jeff. Thank you. Good night.”

  Mike went back inside, opened the envelope and read it. His face turned white, his breathing slowed down but his pulse sped up. He sat on the bed with his head spinning and exhausted, as he fell back on his pillow, he dropped the letter on the floor. As he fell asleep, he recalled the words of the letter, written in clear handwriting.

  “Mr. Moshe Joshua Messenger, I do not think you will be able to serve as best man in the upcoming wedding of John and Alice. You have a much bigger and more important mission and, therefore, you will not be available at the time set. I now know that the wedding will not take place as planned. God and his angels have other plans for us. For you. I have full faith in you, the entire world does. God bless you. Father Mathew.”

  New York, Midtown, July 24th

  When the first rays of sun came in through Mike’s window, he was already awake. He was feeling terribly weak and had trouble standing up. The emotional burden was too much for him to bear. He dragged himself over to the shower and tried to freshen himself under the hot water. He quickly got dressed, drank his coffee and took the letter from the floor near his bed. He left without bothering to lock the door, running over to the subway station on 8th and West 23rd. He rushed down the stairs and managed to get inside the train just as the doors were closing. His face was startled and lacked vitality, he was sweating and seemed scared. The passengers looked at him strangely, assuming he was just another New York weirdo. Mike got off the train at Madison Ave., ran up the stairs and continued south towards the Rockefeller building. He then turned left and crossed the street. He stood in front of the St. Patrick Cathedral for a moment and then walked up the stairs and entered through the huge bronze doors, with the figures of the six saints engraved in them. He quickly headed through the middle aisle towards the ark, walked around it from the right and stood facing the huge statue of Mother Maria.

  Mike looked around for Father Mathew but did not see him. He stood there thinking for a while.

  “Good morning sir, can I help you?,” he heard a soft voice behind him.

>   Father John entered the hall and approached Mike. He remembered him from his visit to the church the week before with John and Alice. When he reached Mike, he noticed that Father John seemed sad.

  “How are you, Mr. Messenger? How can I help you?,” he asked.

  Good morning sir, I am need to speak to Father Mathew urgently,” Mike replied.

  The priest was devastated. He swallowed, was silent for a moment and finally said:

  “I am sorry, but Father Mathew is dead.”

  Mike was horrified. He felt like he was hit by a hammer.

  “But… when? What happened?”

  Father John answered quietly:

  “Over a week ago. It actually happened the day after you were here. We found Father Mathew dead in his private isolation room, here at the end of the hall. The doctors determined that he choked but nothing was found that choked him. Therefore, they declared it death by cardiac arrest. He was buried in a religious ceremony in the church, two days later.”

  Mike could not control the tremble taking over his body, his head was spinning wildly.

  “Was there anything strange about his behavior?”, he asked. “Did he write or say anything to anyone before he died?”

  The priest looked into Mike’s eyes for a while and said:

  “He did not say anything to me but we found something strange in his room that we cannot explain. The police checked all kinds of leads but were not interested in any of them.”