02 The Secret on Ararat (22 page)

THIRTY-NINE

ENERGIZED BY MURPHY’S SENSE that they were closing in on their goal, the team began to move forward across the snowfield. But there was another reason for Murphy’s urgency. He knew they had to make quick progress because the clouds were coming in and the temperature was beginning to drop sharply. Even if they didn’t find the ark, they would need to get off the snowfield and find a protected spot to camp for the night. They were right in the middle of avalanche territory, and the wind was beginning to pick up.

Everyone zipped up tight and buried their heads in their hoods. They could feel the biting wind force its way into the smallest openings. Soon it brought with it tiny snowflakes.

By late afternoon it had become very dark and the flakes had become larger, making visibility difficult.
Murphy told the team to break out their headlamps, in case they lost someone in the whiteout.

“We can’t keep moving forward,” Murphy yelled to Hodson, the wind taking away some of his words. “We can’t see what’s ahead in this blizzard. I don’t want us walking off the top of some cornice. We’re going to have to dig snow caves. We’re right beside a big drift. This is about as good a spot as any.”

Hodson and Reinhold began their cave immediately. Murphy, Isis, and Whittaker started to dig a cave large enough for three. Bayer and Lundquist nodded at each other and began theirs.

First they carved out a small doorway with their ice axes. Then one of them began to dig forward into the snowbank and push snow out the doorway. This carving and pushing of snow took about forty-five minutes, until the hollowed-out room in the snowbank was large enough for two or three sleeping bags. To be sure there was enough air in their snow rooms, a couple of holes were poked through the outer wall of snow.

The three groups then crawled into their hollows and laid out their sleeping bags. Each group set up a small propane stove in the entrance and started to make a hot meal. Before long they all felt surprisingly cozy. After the meal, rucksacks were stacked in front of the entrance to keep out the wind, and they crawled into their polar bags. Outside, they could hear the low rumble of avalanches on the snowfield they had just crossed.

Murphy tossed and turned throughout the night, his mind filled with strange dreams. He dreamed he was laboring through a dense snowfield, but the more he struggled the less progress he made, until he was stuck,
unable to go forward or back, the snow reaching up to his chest. Then he saw an angel descending. A slim, red-haired angel with sparkling green eyes. She hovered in front of him and held out a hand. He grasped it and instantly felt himself being pulled free of the snow. Then he was floating through the air, hand in hand with the red-haired angel, the wind caressing his face, the lazy beats of her downy wings brushing his shoulders. Then she turned her face toward him, smiling, and he knew she was going to kiss him.

There was a loud crack, like a rifle shot. She screamed. He felt her hand being plucked from his own. Then they were both falling.

He woke up, panting. For a moment he didn’t know where he was.

He saw the light filtering through the cracks in the entrance and pushed the rucksacks aside. He stepped out onto the snow, shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness, and took a deep breath. Gradually his eyes became accustomed to the glare, and he found himself looking down across a shallow valley toward a cluster of rocks.

His breath caught in his throat.

There it was.

The ark.

He could see the prow, jutting out of the snow. It was unmistakable. Although he was smiling—a big stupid grin he couldn’t control—he could feel tears running down his cheeks. He felt a huge mix of emotions he couldn’t describe: joy, wonder, awe, gratitude, humility.
He fell to his knees in the snow to give thanks, but he found he couldn’t close his eyes to pray. He couldn’t bear to tear his gaze away from those ancient fragments of wood, sailing on a sea of snow. He thought of how many millions of men and women through the centuries had imagined the ark, had seen it in their dreams, and now it was right there in front of him.

All he had to do was walk over a few hundred feet of snow and he could touch it.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Reinhold.

“My God, Murphy, you found it. There it is. Noah’s Ark.”

Reinhold began laughing uncontrollably, rousing the others from their snow caves. One by one they stumbled out into the light until they were all there, huddled together, struck dumb by the sight that greeted them. Isis knelt down and put her arm around Murphy. She put her head on his shoulder. There was nothing to say.

Then the clicking of Whittaker’s camera broke the silence and people started whooping and hugging one another.

Murphy took out his satellite phone and dialed a number.

“Vern, are you sitting down? We found it!”

“Are you kidding! I can’t believe it! What does it look like? Have you been on board yet?”

“Not yet. I’ve only just seen it. We’re still some distance away. When you fly up, you can take a look at it. We’ll probably need you to take away some samples, okay?”

“Roger that,” Vern replied. “Roger that and God bless you.”

Murphy put the phone into a pocket of his parka. Everyone was waiting for him to make the first move. He grinned. “Come on!”

InstantIy the whole team was zigzagging down the slope toward the ark, while every few yards Whittaker stopped to take more pictures. Lundquist fell and started rolling down the slope and everyone laughed. Reinhold threw a snowball at him, evoking more laughter.

It’s like Christmas
, Isis thought with a smile.
And we’ve just been given the best present ever
.

As they got closer, Reinhold brushed himself off and began to study the outline in the snow. He estimated that between one seventy-five and two hundred feet of the superstructure was sticking out of the glacier. He remembered that the Bible said the ark was about four hundred fifty feet long and seventy-five feet wide.
It’s incredible
, he thought.
I imagined there would be just scattered fragments. But it’s here, the whole ark. We are actually going to be able to go inside
. He couldn’t help imagining how jealous his university colleagues would be if they could see him now. He was about to become the most famous scientist in the world.

Lundquist wasn’t thinking at all about science. But he was thinking about fame. As one of the first people to actually stand on Noah’s Ark, he would become the most celebrated diplomat in America. He might even become the ambassador. Perhaps he would write a book about his adventures on Ararat.
Hey, not a bad title
, he thought.
Adventures on Ararat
. His terrible experience hanging from the ice wall was already beginning to seem like a great anecdote.

Bayer strode toward the ark, his head held high. He
was proud to be representing his country on this historic occasion. Proud also that he had saved the lives of two of his teammates along the way.

Isis wasn’t sure what was more thrilling—to watch Murphy’s lifelong dream being realized or to finally come face to face herself with a piece of the Bible. A strange, unfamiliar feeling started to seep through her. She remembered Murphy saying once that there is a vacuum in everyone, a God-shaped vacuum that only He can fill. As she looked across the few yards separating her from the ark, she began to feel that empty space in her heart filling.

But was it filling with love of God or just love of Murphy? It was all too confusing.

But it was also incredibly exciting.

Now they were all standing by the prow, its dark wood smooth and glistening in the bright sunlight. They looked to Murphy, waiting for him to step onto the ark. No one was going to deny him this special moment.

He closed his eyes in prayer for a moment.

God, thank you for the privilege of seeing your great ark. May I be a faithful teacher of right, living like Noah
.

Then he reached out a trembling hand and touched it.

FORTY

TRY AS HE MIGHT, Noah couldn’t sleep. God’s words echoed and re-echoed in his mind. One hundred and twenty years ago he had started building the ark. The thought of how many hours, days, months he and his sons had spent on the task overwhelmed him. For one hundred and twenty years he and his family had been cursed by enemies, jeered at by strangers, and made fun of by friends. For one hundred and twenty years he had warned everyone of God’s coming judgment for their wickedness. He had begged them to turn from their evil thoughts and imaginations and come to the ark of safety
.

Not a single man, woman, or child had heeded him
.

And now God had spoken directly to him once more
.

“Seven days from now, I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”

Noah knew it was true. It was God’s word, and it would
surely come to pass as He had told him. But he still couldn’t quite believe it
.

The next morning Naamah found him sitting alone. “What are you doing up so early? Is something wrong?”

“They have only seven days,” Noah said in a troubled voice
.

“What are you talking about?”

“Seven days
!”

She still didn’t understand what he was talking about. “Who?”

“Our neighbors! Everybody! They have only seven days before God will close the door to the ark of safety. I must warn them again before it is too late!”

Naamah sighed. “You have warned them so many times. They never listened before. Why would they listen now?”

Noah stared at her with a wild look. “But they must! Tell Ham, Shem, and Japheth to finish loading the supplies. I must try one more time. Tell them I will return in six days.”

Noah hurriedly put on his cloak. He packed a few items into a sack and grabbed his staff. He bent over and hugged Naamah and kissed her
.

“I must go.”

She sighed deeply. “I know. I will be praying for you.”

She watched her husband disappear out of sight
.

Ham was working on one of the window coverings when he looked up and saw someone in the distance coming toward the ark. It didn’t take him but a moment to recognize the strong, powerful, and determined gate of his father
.

“Father is coming!” he yelled down one of the large air vents in the floor
.

Everyone came out to welcome Noah back home
.

Japheth was the first to speak
.

“Well, were you successful? Did anyone listen? We were all praying for you.”

Noah’s normally bright and sparkling green eyes were dark with sorrow as he turned to his family. He shook his head. “No one. Not one would listen. They just laughed and jeered as they have in the past. I pleaded with them until they took up stones and started casting them at me.”

They could see some fresh cuts and bruises on their father
.

“I told them that tomorrow was their last chance. Then it would be over for them all. Maybe someone will come.”

“Did you see my parents and family?” asked Bithiah with a tremble in her voice. “I heard that they had come to visit relatives.”

Noah put his arm around her gently. “Yes. I told them the time was short. I told them to come.”

“And?”

Noah hugged her tightly. He couldn’t find any words
.

Bithiah began to cry
.

It was noon the following day when Noah and his family slowly walked up the ramp and entered the ark, but it might as well have been night. They had never seen the sky grow so dark before. Black clouds massed in the distance, squeezing out the light. Every minute seemed to bring them nearer
.

Their hearts were heavy with foreboding
.

They lined the top walkway, just under the roof, and looked out the windows. There was nothing to do but wait
.

“Look,” said Shem. “People are coming.”

They could see what looked like fifty or sixty people coming
to the ark. They recognized some of their friends and neighbors. There were also many that they did not know
.

“My parents and brothers and sisters!” cried Bithiah
.

“Let us hope they are coming to the ark for safety,” said Achsah with a smile
.

They all prayed that it was true
.

Noah walked out the large door and stood on the platform at the top of the zigzagging entrance ramp
.

“Welcome, friends, I’m glad you’ve decided to come. Please come up the ramp and enter before it is too late.”

In his heart of hearts he knew what would happen next. They began to laugh. A few people picked up stones and threw them in Noah’s direction. The rocks rattled off the side of the ark like hail
.

Bithiah called desperately to her parents and brothers and sisters to come in to the ark
.

“Don’t be a fool, Bithiah! Noah is mad! Don’t listen to this nonsense about the end of the world! Come back to us,” they answered
.

For a moment she was torn. But she knew in her heart that she couldn’t leave. She was overwhelmed with tears as she turned to her husband. Ham put his arm around her and drew her in
.

Noah entered the ark and stood with his family at the windows, looking out sadly at the crowd
.

The next event shocked everyone. The huge door slammed shut with startling force and a deafening noise
.

“What happened?” shouted Noah. “Did one of you remove the brace?”

“No!” they chorused back, but Noah already knew the answer. God had shut the door
.

It was time
.

Noah and his family couldn’t believe their eyes. Water was falling out of the sky. It had never rained on the earth before, and the sight was awesome to behold
.

A streak of light flashed in the sky and a great roar terrified them—the first lightning and thunder. Then they saw springs of water shooting out of the ground, making fountains to the sky
.

By now the mood of the crowd gathered below had changed abruptly. They were yelling and screaming and running in all directions, seeking shelter from the incredible storm. A dozen or more of Noah’s neighbors sprinted up the zigzagging ramp
.

Noah could hear them pounding on the large door
.

“Noah! Let us in, Noah!”

“We believe you now, Noah!”

“We were wrong, Noah! Please let us in.”

Ham, Shem, and Japheth rushed to the door. They pushed and shoved with all their might. They were soon joined by Noah, Naamah, Achsah, Bithiah, and Hagaba. Everyone was yelling and pushing and trying to open the door
.

It would not budge
.

Bithiah could hear her family yelling and pounding on the door. She collapsed on the floor, weeping hysterically
.

Noah held her, sobbing himself. “The door that God closes, no man can open,” he said softly
.

For several hours they could hear the screams and cries … and then it was quiet, except for the rain
.