Imagine... the Giant's Fall

by Matt Koceich

  His outfit was strange. He wore something that looked like a leather vest and baggy tan pants that stopped way above his ankles. Did the boy not know about the bear behind him?

  He held a big wooden stick in his right hand. The top of the stick was shaped in the form of a big hook.

  He looked at her and waved. She was too frightened to wave back. Instead, she pointed past him and hoped he would turn around in time to see the mammoth predator.

  Instead he waved at her again then turned around to see what she was pointing at.

  And then he did what Wren would have never guessed he would do. The young man took off running into the forest after the bear!

  She waited at the rock and watched the remaining sheep mill around in a tight huddle.

  A few minutes later, she watched the young man come back out of the forest holding the sheep! He had blood on his arms and legs, but he seemed to be walking just fine. He came back and put the rescued sheep down with its friends.

  Who could fight a bear and win?

  CHAPTER 3

  Wren didn’t have long to think about that question, because at that same moment an actual lion came out of the woods.

  She couldn’t believe it. Where on earth was she?

  The lion didn’t have a mane, so she guessed it was a girl cat. She thought she’d read somewhere in one of her science books that the girl lions were the ones who hunted.

  Girl power!

  She would have laughed at her own joke, but given the situation, nothing was funny.

  It looked like the lion had come after the same thing the bear had. The massive cat moved slowly toward the sheep, its large brown eyes locked on its target.

  The worst part of all this was that Wren felt helpless sitting there on the rock. The poor sheep couldn’t catch a break. First the bear…

  The lion charged at the closest sheep and snatched it up in its fangs.

  The predator took its prey into the forest, and once again, the young man ran after the sheep, staff in hand.

  There was no way on earth he could beat the bear and the lion.

  But that’s exactly what he did. Covered in more blood than before, he reappeared from the woods a few minutes later holding the sheep in his bloody arms!

  No way.

  Wren could not believe what she had just witnessed. Part of her was afraid to say anything to the boy in fear he might attack her like he did the two wild animals. But then she remembered how he had waved to her earlier. Plus, she thought of how bad life had gotten back in Kansas. She was more eager than afraid to meet this young man.

  I’ve got nothing to lose!

  She stood up on the boulder with her hands in the air.

  Don’t attack me like you did the bear and the lion!

  “Hello! I’m Wren. What’s your name?”

  “I’m David.”

  David? Why does all this seem familiar?

  “How on earth did you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  Wren laughed. “You fought a bear and a lion and saved the sheep. How did you do that?”

  “Well, Wren…” The young man paused to pick up one of the other sheep. “I had help.”

  “I didn’t see anybody.”

  “God helped me. He’s invisible. That’s why you couldn’t see Him.”

  Sheep.

  A bear.

  A lion.

  David.

  God.

  She put it all together.

  “Are you David from the Bible?”

  “From the what?”

  “The Bible.”

  David looked at her and considered her words. “I’m not familiar with this Bible you mention. But, like I said, the Lord is my shepherd. He helps me through every problem. When the bear and lion came for my flock, I knew that God would give me the courage to protect what He has entrusted to me. He is my rod and my staff.”

  “Yes! You’re David from the Bible! You said those exact words about God being your shepherd in Psalm twenty-three.” Wren sat on her bottom and slid down off the boulder. “I can’t believe this! How is this possible?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

  How did I get back to Bible times?

  Where did Kansas go?

  “David, have you heard of a place called Kansas?”

  The young shepherd shook his head.

  Wren thought about the Bible story. “Are we in Bethlehem?”

  David’s eyes grew wide. “Yes.”

  How on earth is this happening?

  “I’m from a place called Kansas. It’s a state in the United States. I don’t know how I got here, but this is so cool. Getting to meet you is awesome!”

  “I’m glad to meet you too, Wren. Your clothes are…not like mine.”

  She looked down at her outfit. Of course, what she had on would seem crazy to David. A lot of time had passed between this Bible story and 2019!

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But how did you do it?”

  “Do what?” David asked.

  “The bear and the lion. How did you save the sheep?”

  The young man didn’t hesitate. “The Lord rescued me. I didn’t doubt that He would, so I ran after the bear. If I doubted God was with me, it would do me no good, and the sheep would have perished.”

  Wren stared at David like he was some superhero from one of the gazillion Marvel movies. His confidence, given the stress of the situation, was insane. “How did you get the sheep away from the bear and lion? I’d think they’d drop the sheep and eat you instead.”

  “When I went after the bear, I struck it on the side with my staff. When it turned on me, I shoved my hand in its mouth and pulled on its tongue so hard I thought it would rip right out of its mouth. I did the same thing with the lion.”

  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “And that’s how I got the sheep out of their mouths. But I must hurry. My father asked me to take provisions to my brothers who are with the Israelite army. Will you come with me?”

  Wren didn’t have to think about that question.

  “Sure!”

  CHAPTER 4

  “Do you have everything, son?”

  Wren stood next to David’s father, Jesse, and watched the young man finish arranging the supplies on a large piece of fabric that looked like a very uncomfortable bedsheet.

  “Yes, Father.”

  Jesse regarded his son’s work. “Tell me what you have, so we can be sure.”

  “Yes, Father. I packed the ephah of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread for my brothers. I also gathered these ten cheeses for their commander. Anything else?”

  The older man considered his son’s question. “No, that should be all. Remember, please ask how they are doing, and come back quickly with an update. By the Father’s grace, I pray they are all okay.”

  David gathered the four corners of the sheet and pulled up, keeping the supplies from falling out. He lifted the whole makeshift backpack over his shoulder and set out toward the field where the sheep were still grazing.

  “Come on, Wren. I need to have the shepherd next door watch my flock while we are away.”

  Her mind was still blown. How was it possible that she could be in this amazing place with the great Bible character David? She didn’t have time to think about it, because David had already set off toward the field where she had first met him.

  She looked at David and still couldn’t believe that someone his size could fight against those two powerful wild animals. How could that be? None of this made sense, but she’d witnessed him saving the sheep, not once but twice! She shook her head and caught up to him.

  Wren saw an older man holding a wooden staff, standing in the middle of the path. He smiled when he saw David.

  “Ah, my friend. What can I do for you?”

  “Reuben, this is my friend Wren.”

  “Hello, Wren. That’s a beautiful name I’ve never heard before.”

 
She smiled. “My mother loved birds.”

  The old shepherd smiled.

  David put his sack of supplies down on the ground in front of his feet. “I need your help watching my flock while I take these supplies to my brothers.”

  “No worries,” said Reuben. “How is your father?”

  “He’s fine.”

  The old shepherd nodded. “Go. Your sheep are safe with me.”

  “Thank you.” David gathered the corners of the sheet and lifted it up over his shoulder again. He set off down the path. Wren followed.

  Every now and then she checked her watch out of habit.

  “What is that on your arm?” David asked.

  “It’s called a watch.”

  “A watch?”

  “Yes. It tells me what time it is.”

  David looked confused. “Wren, I haven’t heard that thing talk. Yet, you say it tells you something. I don’t understand.”

  “It’s a figure of speech. The watch doesn’t really talk.”

  David kept his eyes on the path and a tight grip on the supply sack. “What’s a figure of speech?”

  She chuckled and thought about the best way to explain the concept. David interrupted her.

  “Please tell me later. We’ve arrived. This is Sokoh.”

  The path led to the top of a very wide hill. In front of them, the grass-covered land descended into a massive bowl-shaped valley. On either end of the bowl, on her right and on her left, hundreds of men in various forms of armor were huddled together, moving around in random patterns. Wren thought it looked like the result of two human-sized ant piles that had been disturbed. She could hear the men yelling as they moved.

  “The voices are shouting the war cry. We must hurry!”

  David started jogging toward one end of the valley, and Wren followed on his heels.

  As they got closer, she felt the intensity in the air.

  “To your battle positions!”

  She had gone from a peaceful pasture filled with sheep to the middle of a battlefield filled with hundreds of soldiers carrying scary swords.

  When they reached the camp, David worked his way through the sea of armed men, waving a greeting to some and ignoring others. Wren stayed as close to him as physically possible.

  After a while, he stopped in front of a man who looked frazzled, with gray hair sticking out in every direction and a weathered face covered in wrinkles.

  David handed his bedsheet backpack to the man.

  “Wren, this is Malec, keeper of supplies for the Israelite army.”

  Wren put a hand out to greet the man, but he ignored her and started going through the food that David had carried all the way from Bethlehem.

  “The bread and grain are for my brothers, the sons of Jesse. The cheese is for the commander.” David didn’t wait for a reply. “Come on, Wren. Let’s find my brothers!”

  He ran out to the battle lines, and she followed, secretly wishing she didn’t have to experience this part of the Bible story. But as soon as she felt the fear, a new thought entered her mind that took away most of the worry. She knew how this story ended! She chuckled again, glad that David wasn’t looking. He might think she was weird.

  Wren saw her new friend stop in front of a young man who was much taller than David. He was very muscular and had long brown hair. The two talked for a minute before David walked away and threaded a path through the crowd of soldiers.

  “WHY DO YOU COME OUT AND LINE UP FOR BATTLE?”

  The voice sounded like it was coming out of speakers at a rock concert rather than one man’s mouth. She jumped and turned to see where the voice came from. Her brain couldn’t process what her eyes saw. A super giant soldier stood on the opposite side of the valley, glaring at her and the Israelites.

  The soldiers closest to Wren began running. Not toward the giant, but away from him. Their eyes were wide with fear.

  “That’s the giant from Gath!” one of the men yelled as he ran past.

  “Is that Goliath?” She shouted the question to be heard over the scurrying of troops.

  “Yes,” one of the soldiers said. “The man is over nine feet tall!”

  Wren couldn’t believe that a human could be that massive. Bigger than Hulk. More intimidating than Thor. He had a bronze helmet on his enormous head and a coat of gigantic bronze fish scales around his chest and stomach.

  A different soldier standing nearby offered another observation about the superhuman. “The word around camp is that his armor weighs over a hundred pounds!”

  “AM I NOT A PHILISTINE, AND ARE YOU NOT THE SERVANTS OF SAUL?”

  She also noticed the giant wore bronze armor that covered his legs, from his knees down to his ankles. He had a bronze javelin slung on his back, the same way that Captain America wore his circular patriotic shield. Wren figured that was to throw at someone running at him, but who on earth would want to run toward that guy?

  Wren saw David walking back to her, a new soldier at his side.

  “Wren, this is my oldest brother, Eliab. Eliab this is my new friend, Wren.”

  Eliab pointed back to the giant. “That creature of a man points his long wooden spear at us as he issues his taunts, morning and night. Our men figure that the huge iron point at its tip must weigh a hefty amount. He’s been at it for forty days now!”

  “CHOOSE A MAN, AND HAVE HIM COME DOWN TO ME. IF HE IS ABLE TO FIGHT AND KILL ME, WE WILL BECOME YOUR SUBJECTS.”

  The giant’s voice was so loud and powerful, the ground shook. The Israelites retreated like a buffalo stampede. Wren felt like she was standing in the middle of a big earthquake. How could anyone beat that guy in a fight? Impossible. But, again, she remembered how all of this ended and wasn’t as afraid as she would have been.

  “IF I OVERCOME HIM, YOU WILL BECOME OUR SUBJECTS AND SERVE US.”

  Some of the soldiers who hadn’t retreated gathered around them. One spoke directly to David. “The giant is a problem that won’t go away. There is no solution. Despite the size and will of our people, Goliath is the one thing we cannot overcome.”

  Wren watched David as he stared at the giant from Gath. The young shepherd had a confident look on his face that was different than the apprehensive looks on the Israelites’ faces.

  “This giant is a disgrace!” David shouted. “Who is this Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

  Eliab grabbed his little brother’s arm and yanked him around so that the two siblings were face-to-face. She was confused. Why would David’s brother do that?

  The roar of the Philistine army rose up around the giant. They cheered on their champion and mighty warrior.

  Why would the Israelites run away and fear this giant? If they had God on their side, why would they ever worry about this superhuman…or anything else for that matter?

  The same reason you feel like God didn’t do anything to keep your sweet mother from passing away. The same reason you feel like a God who really cared wouldn’t let your house burn down. The same reason you feel like a God who is supposed to love His children would have kept your manuscript from being destroyed in the flames.

  She shut her eyes and hoped that when she opened them again, all this Bible story stuff would be nothing more than a dream.

  CHAPTER 5

  But it didn’t go away.

  It was all still right there in front of her when she opened her eyes. The giant still taunted the Israelites, and the Israelites still trembled in fear. Wren saw David was still talking to his brother.

  “Why have you come down here? Only to watch the battle?” It seemed like Eliab’s anger had boiled up inside him as he spewed out his words. “You are so conceited!”

  David shook his head and held his hands out. “Now what have I done? Can’t I even speak?”

  She felt a little awkward because she wasn’t sure what she should do. Walk around and meet people? Introduce herself?

  She didn’t wonder for long, because a lady dressed in a red shirt
and jeans came out of the crowd of soldiers. Her clothing style didn’t match the others. She dressed like Wren dressed.

  “Hey, over here!”

  The lady heard Wren call her and headed over to where she was standing.

  “Hello, I’m Josephine.”

  Wren scanned her memory files and couldn’t remember a lady named Josephine in the David and Goliath story.

  “Hello. I’m Wren.”

  The lady looked at her and shook her head. “You’re not from here.”

  “I’m from Kansas. And you don’t look like you’re from around here either.”

  Josephine smiled. “No, I’m not from this place.”

  “Do you know where Kansas is?”

  “Yes, child. And I also know when you’re from. But there isn’t time for explanations. I need to show you some things that will help you on your journey.”

  Wren was confused. “Journey?”

  “Right now, I don’t want you to ask questions. Right now, I just want you to have faith. Okay?”

  Strangely, Wren felt a peace in Josephine’s presence. “Okay.”

  “Good. Now follow me.”

  She followed the lady back through the crowd of retreating soldiers out into an open area of grass. Josephine led her right into the middle of the valley. From her new vantage point, Wren looked up and saw the two hills on either side of her. Both armies were in motion. However, like moving water in a cup, neither moved too far. Just back and forth, back and forth, over the close confines of their respective hills.

  The giant stood tall, towering over all of man and nature.

  Josephine pointed in his direction.

  “Now, I’m going to show you something, but I promise you have nothing to be afraid of. Okay?”

  Wren didn’t know what was coming next, but ever since landing back in the Bible story of David and Goliath, she had decided to soak in as much as she could. Besides, she didn’t get a bad vibe from Josephine. “Okay.”

  “Good. Now close your eyes and count to three.”

  Wren looked at the lady.

  “Go on. Close your eyes and count to three. After you get to three, open them. Just don’t panic when you do. I promise I’m here to watch over you.” Josephine put a hand on Wren’s shoulder.