Noah (3 page)

“Not everything,” Noah said. “And we can save what is still left. We can serve Him again.”

“You treacherous snake!” Samyaza thundered. Ila jumped as he raised an arm to strike Noah.

“No!” she cried, rushing out of the tent.

Samyaza halted. But it wasn’t because of Ila, she quickly realized. Instead the Watcher was staring at something, stunned by something in front of her.

By now everyone had awakened and stepped out of the tent.

“How amazing…” Naameh murmured.

Ila looked down. In the spot where Noah had planted Methuselah’s tiny seed, water was bursting out of the dry earth. Cracks spilled open at their feet, small rivers starting to push through the dry ground.

Is this the great flood coming
? Ila wondered. But Noah had said there would be time to build an ark. It seemed too soon for the great flood to begin…

Soon the earth began to rumble.

Ila grabbed Shem’s arm. “What is that noise? Is it an earthquake?”

He just shook his head, looking around. He didn’t know what was happening either.

The sound grew louder and louder as the earth shook and boomed. And then suddenly Ila gasped. All around them, green shoots shot up from the earth! They were plants… trees… growing faster than anything she could imagine. By the time the sun rose, Ila could see that the empty, dark landscape was gone. Now a thick forest of tall trees surrounded them.

Ham looked terrified. “What is this, Father?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

“This…” Noah smiled broadly and gestured at the tree trunks, “is our Ark!”

Most of the Watchers were gazing at Samyaza, waiting uncertainly to see what their leader would do. At last, the giant leader limped over to one of the tall trees. He touched the trunk, and then stared up at it as if he were in a trance.

When Samyaza turned back to Og, Ila saw tears glistening in his eyes. “We will help this man,” he said.

LAUGHING, ILA RAN THROUGH THE FOREST. SHE RUSHED
past the tall leafy trees, ducking under a few low branches.

“No!” she shrieked playfully.

Right behind her was Shem. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her around the waist.

“No!” she cried again. She giggled as he gently wrestled her to the forest floor.

“No, please, no!”

“Yes!” he said, biting her neck softly.

“Yes…” Ila closed her eyes, inhaling his scent, which had become as familiar to her as the scent of the dense
forest where they lived.

The two of them had been friends first, of course, when they were young, but as they grew, it hadn’t taken long for their friendship to blossom into something different. Now Ila loved him with a fierceness she hadn’t known was in her.

Shem kissed her lips. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Then she stared into his eyes. They were so green, almost the color of the leaves on the trees around them. She thought he was strong and beautiful.

They kissed for a long time. Slowly, his hands and lips glided lower. He lifted her shirt, his hands quickly finding their way inside.

“Shem…” She tried to stop him, but his lips had already found their mark—the thick scar that traveled along her belly. She flushed as he kissed it tenderly.

His hands went lower, as Ila knew they would. “Shem…” she said again, wincing this time. “Please…”

Reluctantly, he lifted his head to look at her. “It still hurts?” he asked softly. “It still hurts when I touch you there?”

“Yes.” She nodded, trembling. “It still hurts.”

He dropped his head and let out a long sigh.

Ila turned away. They had been through this many times before, and Shem was usually patient. But she could feel his frustration building. And it pained her to know that she was the one causing it.

She used to tell him that things would get better, that she might heal inside, or learn to bear the pain, but she rarely said
that anymore. They both knew the truth: Ila’s injury had left painful scars and had made her barren. So there was no hope of expanding their family, of having the sons and daughters that they both wanted. Nor was there much hope of Ila’s finding pleasure in lying with Shem as a wife.

Can one be happy yet disappointed at once?
She wondered.

Snap
.

As they lay there in silence, they both heard a branch crack.

Shem leaped to his feet. “Who’s there?” he demanded. Ila spotted a flash of color behind some bushes.

Shem saw it too. “Ham!” Shem bellowed, charging at him.

But Ham had a good head start. When Shem returned a minute later, he vowed to pummel his younger brother next time he saw him.

“Ham needs to grow up,” Shem snapped. “I’m tired of him spying on us. I told him last time…”

Why is Shem so angry?
Ila wondered. Then the answer came to her.
It’s my fault. It’s because of me.

“Shem,” Ila said gently. “Ham does not have a wife. There’s no one here for him. Ham just…”

Ila wanted to say more, but something unusual in the sky made her words trail off.

The sky was filled with a stream of birds—thousands, maybe millions of birds—so many of them, the sun was blotted out as the massive flock flew over the forest.

Shem saw them too. He turned to Ila with a stunned expression.

“Let’s go!” she said. She reached for Shem’s hand and they took off, running.

* * *

In the clearing where the Ark was being built, Noah and Japheth were also watching the sky. As Ila and Shem drew closer, she could see that Noah’s face was lit up with joy.

“It begins!” he declared when he saw Ila and Shem. Together they all watched as the birds flew lower, slowly descending toward the boat in the center of the clearing.

Ila let out a breath. It was an amazing sight. Just as Noah had promised, two of every kind of bird imaginable had arrived—raptors, song birds, seabirds, parrots, hundreds of species. Most of them she’d never seen before. The sky was a tornado of colorful beating wings.

“What an incredible sight!” Shem murmured.

He squeezed her hand and she nodded, the earlier tension between them melting away.

Soon Ila rushed into the Ark to prepare for the birds’ arrival. She helped Naameh lay dried leaves for bedding as the flood of birds began pouring inside.

By now the Ark was nearly finished, and just as Noah had envisioned, it was an enormous ship with three expansive decks that were all connected by ladders and intricate walkways. All over the ship were spaces designed to hold two of all the animals on earth.

Ila and Naameh finished preparing the nest boxes. The
boxes were stored on the top deck, where the family would have its hearth and living space.

When the nest boxes were ready, the birds seemed to know exactly what to do next. Instinctively, they swarmed to the top of the ship and jammed themselves into the boxes.

Noah had also known exactly what to do, Ila realized with more amazement. He had planned and built the Ark perfectly. Every bit of space built for the birds was now filled.

* * *

Later, Ila swept the deck. The boys helped Noah calm the birds by burning some of Naameh’s herbs in a brazier. As Noah walked along swinging the brazier, the birds fell instantly to sleep.

Ila glanced at Ham. She wondered if Shem had ever confronted him about his spying on them in the woods. Ila was sad that Ham felt so lonely. She knew Shem was annoyed at him, but she hoped Shem had not been too hard on his younger brother.

Japheth stopped suddenly in front of the doves. They’d been the first birds to land in the clearing, and the young boy seemed enchanted by them. Ila smiled as he reached out now to stroke one.

“Careful, Japheth,” Noah warned. “See, that’s the boy one and there’s the girl. After the storm, they will become parents, and their hatchlings will spread across the world.

“We have to be gentle with the birds,” Noah went on.
“And we have to be very protective. If something were to happen, it would be a small piece of Creation lost forever. All of these creatures are now in our care.” He touched Japheth’s chin. “It’s our job to look after them.”

Japheth smiled proudly, pleased to have such an important job. But when Ila looked over at Ham, she could see him watching the birds with a different expression. He looked thoughtful and maybe even a bit worried.

Ila suspected she knew what he was thinking—that the birds had mates while he had none.

The two of us have something in common
, Ila thought. Like Ila, Ham was worried about the future, sad that he might never have his own family.

She watched him a while longer.
I will find Ham later and try to talk to him
, she decided.

* * *

The next animals to arrive at the Ark were not as pretty as the birds.

“Snakes!” Japheth shouted one day as he burst out of the woods and ran into Naameh’s arms.

Ila was sitting with Shem. Ham and his father sat nearby at the cooking fire, discussing something in low tones.

“Snakes!” Japheth cried again. “And other reptiles. They’re crawling all over the forest floor!”

Ila looked toward the woods and could see them for herself—snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodiles, and more. Above
the crawling reptiles were swarms of insects. They were all headed for the Ark.

Naameh lifted her eyebrows and looked at Noah. “Reptiles and insects are coming with us too?”

He smiled at her, amused. “All that creeps, all that crawls, all that slithers.”

Ila shivered. She didn’t like reptiles much either.

After they had loaded the new arrivals on to the Ark and sealed the hatch, Ila hurried after Ham.

“So what did your father say about getting you a wife?” she asked him with a grin.

He looked at her in surprise. “How did you know that’s what I was asking Father?”

“An educated guess.”

“Well, he did not say much,” Ham replied. “I reminded him that Shem has you, he has Mother, and even the birds have mates. But what of me? And what of Japheth? What is there for us?”

“Yes,” Ila agreed with a nod. “It will be lonely for you and Japheth. What was Noah’s response?”

“He reminded me of all the Creator has done. How He sent wood for the Ark and sent the animals here too. Father believes that the Creator sends us all we need.”

“Did that satisfy you?” Ila asked him.

Ham shrugged. “I will be satisfied when our wives arrive.”

Ila smiled again. “Perhaps Noah was talking about patience. If you are patient, the Creator
will
eventually
send what you need.”

And send it to me too
, she thought, remembering the issue that was coming between her and Shem.

AS THE DAYS PASSED, ILA AND HER FAMILY ALL CONTINUED
working on the Ark, nailing the last boards, tarring the roof, cleaning and preparing the animals’ homes.

But Ila felt a new urgency in the air. Their time was running out, and they all knew it. The storm would be here soon.

One day Noah sent Ham and Japheth into the woods to collect kindling. Ila helped Naameh stir hot tar so Shem could lay it on the Ark.

As they worked, Ila noticed Naameh glance toward the woods several times

“Are you worried about the boys?” Ila finally asked her.

Naameh nodded. “They should have returned by now. They have been gone for a long time.”

“Perhaps they are playing a game or chasing deer,” Ila reassured her. “I’m sure they will return soon.”

Soon Ila headed into the woods herself to collect buckets she had hung on trees for sap. Just then Japheth burst through the trees, racing toward the clearing. He was alone.

“Father! Father!” he yelled.

Noah looked up from where he was helping the Watchers stack firewood.

“A huge man came to us in the woods!” Japheth’s words tumbled out. “He has battle scars everywhere, and there were warlords and families with him. The man is still talking to Ham. I think he is coming here now!”

Noah held up a hand to make Japheth slow down. Then he made Japheth repeat everything more slowly.

Noah nodded and ordered everyone to stay near the ramp. “Hide there. All of you.”

Ila hurried up the ramp behind Shem.

From her vantage point, she could soon see movements along the tree line. Then a band of people—about fifty or more warlords—stepped into the clearing. Behind them were some women and families. As they came closer, she saw that a powerful-looking man gripped Ham’s shoulder.

Ila drew in a breath. Japheth was right. The man with Ham looked terrifying. He was huge and muscular, his body covered in battled-dented armor. Scars marked his face, and something about his expression instantly chilled her.

“Who’s that?” she whispered to Shem. He just shook
his head, his eyes frozen on the frightening scene unfolding before their eyes.

Ham walked stiffly, looking uneasy, Ila thought, but not exactly afraid. Ham held something in his hand.

Noah stood tall as he faced the man and his band of warlords. “Ham,” he said calmly. “Come here.”

But the man tightened his grip on Ham, a smile curling along his lips. “Do not take my best soldier.”

“He is nothing of yours,” Noah retorted.

“Look at his hand on that weapon,” the man said. Now Ila could see that Ham was holding an axe. “I believe he
is
something of mine.”

“Ham,” Noah said forcefully this time.

Ham slowly stepped away from the stranger.

“Leave the weapon there,” his father commanded.

“No,” Ham said stubbornly. “He gave it to me.”

“Do as I tell you!” Noah ordered.

Ham hesitated for another minute and then tossed down the axe. Embarrassed and angry, he stomped past his father, heading toward Ila and the others on the Ark.

As Ham marched away, the stranger turned his gaze to the Ark. “When I heard the talk of miracles, I dismissed it,” he remarked. “But then with my own eyes, I saw the massive flock of birds fill the sky. They were flying here, to your Ark. So I had to come.”

“There isn’t anything for you here,” Noah declared.

“Actually…” The warlord gestured around the clearing
with his arms. “This all belongs to me. This land, this forest…” He scoffed as he looked at the Ark. “As well as that stronghold of yours. Did you really think you could protect yourself from me in that ship?”