My Father's Universe

by Mitch

  She retorted, “What do you mean, don’t move? I can’t move. I hope it’s not the world coming to an end.”

  Kedar replied, “It sounds like an army of millions and millions marching in a muddy battlefield. I’m hoping this isn’t the last battle that the prophets talked about.”

  “What battle?” she asked.

  “The last great battle called Armageddon. I’m not ready for the world to end.”

  “Neither am I. I want to see baby Yesuah first. Then I don’t care what happens.”

  Between the hideous odor and the nerve-racking sound, jogged her memory of the story her grandfather told her as a little girl. It came back to her as if it was yesterday. As the moon drifted out from behind the cloud, her grandfather’s story came alive. She screamed! “Oh no, Lord, have mercy!” A massive swarm of destructive locusts were stripping and gobbling everything in their path; leaving nothing for the imagination. They were the most hideous, repulsive creatures and heading straight for them. She grabbed Kedar’s arm and murmured, “I never dreamed locusts would travel at night! Look, they are devouring everything in their path.” By the sound and sight of them, she estimated they were spread over the whole country, many miles long and wide. It looked like an unholy army marching in cadence and in close ranks.

  They heard other creatures screaming and crying for help. Her heart ached for the poor creatures who were unable to get out of the way of the invading locusts. They must have not known what was going on or had moved too slowly to get out of the area. The force of the attack was so violent, nothing tried to stop the assault. It was as if the demonic locusts came from Hades, exploding their fury, showing their ungodly dislike for everything not united with them.

  Careah began sobbing, watching the satanic army savagely attacking a lambkin. It desperately tried escaping the nightmare, but to no avail. It made little difference which way the lambkin went; demon inflamed locusts were all over it shedding its blood everywhere. The onslaught of the voracious locusts was too much for it. Without a sound, the lamb laid down and died. There was nothing to resist them. Even the most powerful creature would have been powerless to do combat with these demonic, possessed locusts. All around them, the barren land was in ruin beyond any imagination.

  Unexpectedly, a green mist appeared out of nowhere…. It was a bizarre sight. For some unknown reason, the mist was terrorizing the locusts and causing them to panic. This was insane, the locusts were actually attacking and killing each other. The moon shivered, turned greenish, and hid behind a cloud. It was incredible, the mist was odorless, and it moved silently, like a serpent slithering over the ground, covering it like a huge green carpet.

  Careah and Kedar watched in horror, holding each other, waiting for it to reach them. There was no place to hide, nor could they outrun it. In shock, they waited for the silent green death. It was eerie watching it approach like a huge serpent. The world in front of them turned into a kaleidoscope of horrors. As the green mist rolled over them, it felt like a soft, gentle, warm breeze moving over their body, searching for something, like a blind person feels a stranger’s face. For no apparent reason, the green mist began to disappear as mysteriously as it had arrived.

  Amazed, Careah and Kedar could barely believe it had left them unharmed. It hadn’t affected them in any way, other than scare the living daylights out of them. This was by far the most frightening thing they had ever encountered. Careah was still quite shaken, “I thought things like this happened only in a nightmare.” Kedar agreed, it was like a horrible dream in slow motion.

  When the moon finally came from behind the cloud, they realized the green mist had disappeared. It looked as though every locust had been petrified. They looked quizzically at each other; wait a minute, what happened? Some of the other creatures were alive…. Could it have been…yes, it had to be. All those who survived were sprinkled with the lamb’s blood. They noticed a small amount of blood was sprinkled on each other. Careah, barely able to whisper in wonderment, said, “Glory to Glory, if it had not been for the lamb, we would be dead! What a merciful God we have watching over us!”

  What they failed to see was that the remains of the lamb had disappeared with the mist. Kedar managed to speak, “Do you think God had a hand in protecting us?”

  Careah just looked at Kedar. She could barely speak, her throat was as dry as a fossil bone, and her heart was still pounding so loud she thought Kedar could hear it. After her nerves calmed down, she murmured, “Yes, I do believe the Lord was and is watching over us.” The odor of dead locusts was sickening. They tried desperately to hold their breath while debating how they were going to go through the dead locust. To go around would be miles out of their way, but they surely were not looking forward to working their way through this unholy mess.

  Suddenly, Kedar jumped up shouting, “What now? What is that noise?” It sounded like a thunderstorm.

  Careah, shaking all over, shrieked, “I do hope it’s not more locusts!”

  “I don’t believe so. The sound is different than before and I can’t see any of them in any direction.”

  The shattering, vibrating sound was coming from above and in front of them. Looking skyward, they saw in the bright moon light millions of birds approaching. Millions of birds, blocking out the moon light, causing the night to become dark as it could get. Birds flying at night was unheard of.

  A surge of fear kicked Kedar’s adrenalin in and he grabbed Careah by the hand and barreled under a log. They watched birds swooping down, devouring all the dead locusts, cleansing the land nearly spotless. What a sight, watching something very few people get to see. By the time the birds had finished, the only evidence of the existence of the locusts was the devastation they had caused. It looked as if there had been a great battle fought there; nothing was standing but a few bare trees. How thankful Kedar and Careah were, having been saved from a fate beyond their comprehension. They were also in awe, having witnessed a miracle done by the Lord.

  Tree of Life

  A week or so later, it began to rain. It continued all day and night. Water filled the ruts and holes in the road. Water rushing down from the hills covered the road with mud, ankle deep, making travel impossible. If the rain continued, flooding would certainly accrue, and they would perish in the raging muddy water. Looking around for a safe place to go, Kedar spotted a lone cedar tree, locked on to Careah’s hand, rushed to the tree, and helped her to higher branches. (Never did they realize, one day, this tree, which provided their protection, would be cut down and made into a cross. Yesuah would be nailed to it and die for the sins of every person born. Indeed, it was the tree of life and death.)

  Careah thought she heard someone laugh, mocking, "You will never make it. I’ll see you never make it." Cold and soaking wet, she began to weep, praying that nothing would stop her from seeing Yesuah.

  The clouds opened their doors and rain came pouring down. She looked toward heaven and verbally reflected her feelings, “I’m not being selfish, am I? I just want to see Yesuah! I know in my heart he loves me and wishes to see me too.”

  An extremely vehement streak of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by more violent rolling thunder sending the earth reeling. Then the spectacular happened! The rain turned into a fine mist as the sun came out and a beautiful rainbow spread across the sky. The mist stopped altogether. A soft warm wind blew from the East, drying up the water. She realized her prayer had been answered and praised the Lord. “Trusting the Lord can transform a testing trial into a great adventure, can’t it Kedar?”

  "Oh yes, but who would want to go through this kind of adventure? I sure don’t.

  Ah, some good luck for a change, I see a bush with berry hanging on the limb below. I’ll go down and get some for us to eat. Then we can get a few winks of sleep."

  Upon awakening, Kedar quietly nudged his sleeping wife, “It’s nearly dark, when you are ready, I’ll help you down. Then we can start for Bethlehem.” To ensure not being trampled to death, they s
tayed as far off the main part of the road when possible.

  As their journey continued, they noticed that the grass and shrub along the road had been scorched. It smelled like there had been a fire and not too long ago. Not knowing what to make of it, they thought the sun might have set it on fire and the recent rain had put it out. They were glad for the cool of the evening. The sun would be too hot for them to travel during the daylight hours. Careah uttered, “I hope the sun doesn’t start any fires while we are asleep in here. I’m sure I could not outrun a fire in this tall grass.”

  Kedar remarked, “At least this grass helps to keep it cool; cooler than out on the middle of the road, even at this time of evening.”

  “You’re right,” she stated, “but I still would not like to be caught in here…. We would never get out alive.”

  Kedar became disgusted with her annoying choice of words, “Will you please stop talking about fires. It’s beginning to get hot just talking about a fire. Talk about something else, like something good to eat.”

  Beetles

  As the sun slipped below the horizon, hearing strange unrecognizable voices forced them to proceed slowly, moving very cautiously…yet…unaware that they had accidentally set off an alarm. It was only seconds before they were confronted by a group of beetles roasting something on a fire. By the light of the fire, Careah and Kedar noticed the beetles were all kinds of ugly colors: mud brown, faded black, burnt green, washed-out blue, and dirty-purplish red. It looked like they were having a meeting before eating. Kedar and Careah began to back up to go around, only to be surrounded by another type of beetle. These beetles looked like dinosaurs or something from the pre-Adamic age. Their bodies were shaped like broad shields made of steel, painted black and brown with golden-yellow stripes across their backs. On their heads protruded dangerous looking horns and tusks. They didn’t look friendly at all!

  The stench from their bodies was overwhelming; smelling like scorched wool and hair. Evidently, they had been very close to a fire. The lot of them looked filthy and were badly in need of a bath. One of the beetles had scars all over its body; it must have been in a couple of dreadful battles. It advanced toward Careah, reaching for the knapsack. She didn’t understand what it was saying but realized what it wanted. She picked up a club, pointed it at the beetle, and snarled. After carrying the present this far, she wasn’t about to give it up.

  The beetle opened its mouth and shot a ball of fire at her. She cringed. Kedar edged in front of her, attempting to protect her. Another beetle came toward him and spit a ball of fire, nearly hitting him in the face. He winced and shouted to Careah, “I heard about these things but never believed they existed. That accounts for the scorched and burned grass along the road. These things are dangerous, not only to us but to the whole world.” Some of the other beetles spit eerie fireballs bursting into red flames. Horrified, Kedar exclaimed, “If they get any closer, we will be incinerated!”

  Careah’s eyes were turning red from the heat. She knew her husband’s eyes had to be reddening, and eyelashes singed being in front of her. There seemed to be no way out of this predicament, but both were determined to fight to the end. She began to pray, “Lord, we need you and need you desperately. Please do something or send help. I’m asking this in the name of your Son.”

  No one would believe what happened next. It began to rain, making the beetles’ fireboxes useless. Kedar shouted, “We’re not out of this mess yet, maybe we can outwit them.”

  She yelled back, “Now wait a minute, the Lord is not finished. Now you’re going to see His power in action.”

  Kedar looked around and up, expecting something to fall from heaven. However, he was looking in the wrong direction. The tall grass began to bend over, emblems of torture and wrath climbed out of the turf-like grass. It was frightening, and yet it was a sight for their sore, red eyes. About a dozen or more scorpions appeared, swinging their tails back and forth, savagely attacking the beetles. The beetles were no match for the poison stingers at the end of their tails. Those that were not killed took off in all directions as the scorpions dashed after them. Watching the attack with a burst of laughter, they breathed a prayer, “Thank you, Lord, for quenching the fireballs of those beetles, then sending your wrath in the form of scorpions.” Looking around to make sure there weren’t any beetles hiding, Kedar spotted fresh corn and wild wheat roasting on the fire.

  She reminded Kedar, “You see, the Lord has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies. Now please ask the blessing and let’s eat.” It was one of the best hot meals they had eaten in a very long time.

  While they were eating, he commented, “I’d say those scorpions had a burning desire going after those firebugs. Probably because some of their kind were burned in fires. I’m sure that’s why they were so furiously attacking them.”

  Careah added, “Yes, and the Lord showed them where to look.”

  Cobra Dynasty

  As the sun peeked above the horizon, giving birth to a new day, they saw someone approaching from their hamlet. It was a friend of Kedar. “Agar, it’s so good to see you. What are you doing here? Where have you been?”

  He replied, “I was in Bethlehem. I’m on my way home.”

  Careah became excited, “When were you there?”

  “Several months ago,” he replied.

  “Did you see or hear about the Savior being born?” she asked.

  “Yes, He was born in the (Bethlearane) house of lambing and someone said they used one of the mangers for his crib. But I didn’t get near the place, there was too much commotion and I would have been trampled to death.”

  “Glory to Glory, did you hear that? Did you hear that, Kedar? The Savior is still in Bethlehem!” Smiling, she sang, "We are going to Bethlehem to see the Savior, and I have a present for him."

  Kedar asked Agar if he had any advice about the trip which still was ahead of them. Agar advised him, “If you stay on the road, I’d estimate that it will probably take you four or five months to get there. The road curves many miles out of the way because of the mountain. However, you can take a short cut. See that path? It leads through a field then down a very steep hill. Be careful though, the hill is so steep that only a goat can travel up and down easily. Once you make it down the hill, you will see a fig tree with leaves, no fruit. Turn left at the tree into the low land which is about 1/8th of a mile wide. I caution you though, there are some bad dudes who live in the low land. Fortunately, they sleep during the night. So, I would advise you to travel at night, at least until you reach the road. It will be rough going, but it will mean arriving in Bethlehem at least several months sooner. If you have extra food to spare, I haven’t eaten for days!”

  “All I can offer is a barley seed,” replied Careah.

  “That will be fine,” assured Agar.

  Kedar added, “Thanks for the tip, Agar. Tell the folks back home you saw us and we are okay. We’ll see you when we get back.” Conveying their goodbyes, they entered the path of destruction.

  They did not realize that they should have stopped and found a safe place to stay for the day. Wanting to make up for lost time, they decided to keep going until they reached the low land, there they could rest and sleep. Traveling in the blazing heat for about an hour, they came upon a very wide, large mound. It would take forever to go around it. Kedar remarked. “Agar never said anything about a mound.”

  “No, he didn’t. But remember, he traveled at night and may have thought it was a small hill, so he would have had no reason to mention it.”

  After reaching the top, they both realized that not keeping to their schedule of traveling by night was one of the worst decisions they had ever made. For the first time, Careah wished she had never left the safety of their home. The sun was blazing hot and so bright that it hurt their eyes. Their only defense was their caps with wide brims. Unfortunately, the brims would not be much of a defense against what was ahead of them.

  The next few minutes were an eternity of
agony and would take several years off their lives if they survived. They were being watched by searing eyes that were intense and piercing, like red hot lava with inflamed anger. The creature’s body was weaving, head held high, ready to strike. Kedar and Careah’s faces turned white from fright. Pangs of fear gripped Careah’s heart knowing innocent blood was about to be shed; Kedar’s and hers. Their dry lips quivering, every muscle trembled like a wounded deer before it falls.

  They were so paralyzed with fear they didn’t notice the blue and red berries hanging from a row of vines glistening in the sun. Nor did they notice the gentle breeze moving the leaves and revealing all kinds of fruit on different trees. Most assuredly, food was the last thing on their minds, nor were they ready to surrender their lives. Horror-stricken eyes fixed on a beautiful, yet deadly, king cobra coiled upon its throne, hypnotized their body from obeying their brain. It had extended its ribs, which were immediately behind its head, forming a flared hood. One thing Kedar knew for sure, when a cobra is hooded, it is very angry and regarded as the most dangerous poisonous snake in existence. It is afraid of nothing that crawls or walks on the ground, that is, except the mongoose. The mongoose will generally leave cobras alone when there is a den full of them. This one was loaded with them.

  The cobra’s hissing was shrill, then continued into a low murmur, like the cry of a hunted animal that is trapped with no escape. As the head of the cobra swayed back and forth, every sound coming from the hissing adder was like lightning striking them. The King Cobra was easily provoked into attacking. Before attacking, it squirted its blinding venom at Kedar, forcing him back several feet. Had it not been for the brim of his cap, he would have been blinded. Then it would have attacked and killed him.