by Susan Korman
Noah whirled around. “Did you hear what I just said, Ham?” He bent down to pick up some logs and then started up the ramp to the Ark.
Ham stopped him. “When are they coming?” he persisted. “When will our wives be here?”
“There will be no wives!” Noah replied.
“What?” Ham was stunned and so was Ila. No wives at all? No mates for any of the boys? This didn’t make sense.
“Why not?” Ham demanded. “You said the Creator would give us what we need!”
“Help your brother,” Noah murmured. “Now!” He started up the ramp again, but Ham jumped into his path.
Ila held her breath as Ham grabbed Noah’s shirt. How could Noah do this? she wondered. Ila dreamed constantly of becoming a mother. A mother who would do anything to help her children, and keep her family whole. What had made Shem’s father harden his heart? Didn’t he realize all the implications of this decision?
“No. Listen to me,” Ham went on. “You can’t do this. You can’t make us leave without wives. How am I supposed to be a man?”
“I said, help your brother!”
Noah pulled away from Ham, but Ham grabbed him again. “You want me to stay a child!”
Noah had clearly heard enough. He reached out and picked up Ham and then tossed him aside.
“I am asking you to be a man by helping your brother. Now do it.”
Ignoring his father, Ham dashed off the ramp and toward the woods.
“Ham!” Ila yelled. “Wait!” She started after him. She had just reached the woods when angry voices made her turn around. She saw that Noah was speaking angrily to Naameh as he hacked away at a log with his hatchet.
Naameh stood there, frowning at him as she listened. Then to Ila’s surprise, Naameh walked away. She waited until Noah turned his back, and then she tightened her scarf around her head and hurried off.
Where is she going? Ila wondered. But it was not her concern, nor was there time for Ila to linger. She had to find Ham, and find him quickly.
* * *
“Ham?” Ila called. She moved deeper into the woods, but there was still no sign of him. She kept thinking of how Noah had looked when he returned from Tubal-cain’s camp—spooked and distraught. After all these years of talking about the deluge, it seemed that it was coming at last. The thought terrified Ila.
She kept walking through the forest. “Ham?” Maybe he’d gone toward the refugee camp in search of a wife himself.
She stopped again to listen for his footsteps, but the woods stayed silent.
She walked some more. Finally she entered a clearing. Hunting in the undergrowth was a bent figure. It didn’t look like Ham, but… She moved closer. “Ham?”
It was an old, old man with long white wispy hair and a very wrinkled face.
“Don’t be afraid, Granddaughter,” he said quickly.
“Methuselah?” Ila asked. “Is that you?”
He nodded.
“What are you doing down here?” she asked. She had never known him to leave the mountain before.
“I’m looking for berries,” he explained. “I had a craving. Come, help me look for them. My eyes are not as sharp as they once were.”
He is acting so strangely, Ila thought. She tried to explain to the old man about Ham.
“Ham ran off. Noah believes that the deluge is coming soon, so I must find Ham.”
“There will be time for that,” Methuselah assured her. “Come and help me find the berries now.”
Not wanting to be impolite, Ila went to help him. She searched the ground, but she didn’t see any berries—only dirt and some undergrowth.
Mystified, she turned back to him. “Grandfather, there are no berries here,” she said. “Why don’t I take you to Noah now?”
“No, no need for that,” the old man replied with a strange smile. “You go now. It’s time to go.”
She stood up uncertainly and then, giving him a wave, started off.
“No, wait,” he called after her. “Wait.”
Ila turned back to him.
“Ten years you’ve lived with my own family. Ten years. And you love them. You love Shem.”
Ila blushed in response.
“And Noah?” he asked.
“Noah saved my life,” Ila replied. “He raised me.”
“Yes, he did. And you are now as his own daughter. My own great-granddaughter. Ten years you have lived in the shadow of my home. And yet, I have never given you my blessing. May I?”
“Yes…” Ila nodded dutifully, but she was still baffled. Why was Grandfather acting so oddly?
He stepped closer, extending his fingers. His ancient fingertips hovered quietly over her belly.
All at once Ila felt something odd within—a sharp, quick sensation that seemed to pierce her belly.
Then, as quickly as it had come, the feeling passed. Ila blinked and looked at Methuselah. His eyes suddenly seemed bright and vivid, and around her, the forest seemed lit up too, thrumming with life. What’s happening? she wondered. Somehow she did not feel frightened. Instead she felt calm, at peace.
“Ham? Ila?”
A familiar voice was calling her. “Ila?”
“You can go now,” said Methuselah. “Go to him,” he urged.
It was Shem. He called her again.
Excited to see him, she ran to him and charged into his arms.
“Ila!” he said, laughing. “I’m happy to see you too. But we have to find Ham and get back to the—”
“Shem…” She cut him off with her kisses. He tried to grab her arm and make her stop, but she held him so tightly, he couldn’t get away. She kissed him deeply on the lips and then reached for his shirt and pulled it off.
“Ila…” He groaned. “We have to…” Soon, helpless to stop her, he gave in. Hungrily, he began caressing her face and her throat, and then the scarred skin along her belly.
They dropped to the forest floor, and Ila quickly shed her clothing. He kissed her again, and then moving gently, they joined together as one.
“Oh…” Ila tightened her arms around him. He felt so warm and familiar, yet… something suddenly felt new and different between them. She closed her eyes, leaning into him.
“Ila?”
When she opened her eyes, she saw Shem watching her closely. “Is it… am I hurting you?”
“No,” she whispered with a smile. “It’s fine, Shem. You’re not hurting me at all…”
6
“LOOK AT THE SKY!” SHEM EXCLAIMED.
Ila sat up, dressing quickly. Overhead there was no more blue. The clouds, which had been white and wispy earlier in the day, had turned dark and thick. She watched as they churned ominously, forming into a thick dark blanket overhead.
Splat. A tiny raindrop hit Ila’s face.
She looked at Shem. “It’s coming,” she murmured nervously. More raindrops quickly fell, splattering them.
Shem leaped to his feet and grabbed her hand. “Come on!” Together, they raced through the woods back to the Ark.
In the clearing Ila saw that the Watchers had spread out to make a wide circle around the Ark. The chains she’d seen earlier lay at their feet; they also had weapons now.
Naameh waved at them through the thick sheets of rain. As they drew closer, Ila could see that Noah looked worried.
“Where’s Ham?” he demanded.
“We couldn’t find him,” Ila blurted out. “We looked in the forest, but—”
“Board the Ark now!” Noah cut her off. He started for the woods. “I’ll find him myself!”
Ila and Shem nodded, racing up the ramp.
“Daughter?” Naameh suddenly stopped Ila and looked at her closely. “Are you alright?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Ila replied, confused. “Why do you ask?”
“You were gone for a long time,” Naameh said quickly. “I was growing worried.”
Ila quickly changed into dry clothing and tried to comfort Japheth for a while. The younger boy see
med nervous about the rain and everything that was happening.
Then, worried about Noah and Ham, she went back to the ramp to see what was happening outside.
“Now they are coming!” Naameh said in relief.
Ila saw the father and son rushing toward them in the rain. But Ham seemed to be fighting Noah as Noah yanked him toward the Ark.
“No!” Ham shouted, struggling to get free from his father’s grip. “Let me go, Father!”
Ila’s heart raced when she noticed something else. Marching behind Noah and Japheth was a massive army—hundreds, maybe thousands, of soldiers holding weapons and covered in armor. Just as he’d threatened, Tubal-cain had returned with his legions!
Ham suddenly wrenched free of Noah.
Noah was shouting at him, but his frantic words were swallowed up by the raging storm. It swirled around them ferociously, winds gusting and rain pelting down like nothing Ila had ever seen.
By now the Watchers had also spotted Tubal-cain’s hordes marching toward the clearing. With a loud bellow, Samyaza rose. The other Watchers stood too, roaring, and reaching for the long iron chains that lay on the ground. They pulled the chains tightly, forming a long, unbreakable barrier to keep the army back.
Samyaza raised two arms, ready to strike. In another hand, he held a war hammer.
“Samyaza!” Noah was still yelling frantically. “Where is Ham?”
“He’s fine. He got through,” Samyaza shouted, gesturing toward the other side of the Watchers’ chain.
And Ila could see for herself—Ham was racing toward them and had almost reached the ramp. Behind Noah, Tubal-cain’s men were forming a huge protective wedge in front of their leader, to shield him. The ground thundered as the army came closer and closer.
Ila closed her eyes, whispering a silent prayer. Surely the giant Watchers could keep the army back. But there were so many soldiers…
Just then Ham burst onto the ship. Naameh rushed toward him. “Ham! Thank goodness…” She tried to hug him, but he pushed past her, rushing away toward the interior of the Ark.
Ila chased after him, following him to the reptile deck. “I searched for you for hours!” she burst out. “So did Shem. Where were you?”
He stood looking at her, water dripping from his soaked clothing and hair. His face was cold with fury.
“What happened?” she asked softly. “You can tell me.”
He shook his head, turning away. Ila could see tears in his eyes. “Ham…” she said gently. “Tell me.”
“It was terrible,” Ham managed to say finally. “The refugee camp… I…”
Ila waited for him to finish.
He shook his head again. “I just ran and ran, to get away from Father. I was so angry about not having a wife, all I wanted was to get away. I walked for a long time until I heard voices. They were from the refugee camp.
“It was full of people, Ila. You can’t believe how many people. And how bad things were. Filthy conditions with people starving and fighting. So much suffering and violence. Suddenly some guards appeared in the crowd, and I tried to get away. But then I fell into a trench.” He shuddered, remembering. “It was horrible… it was a mass grave!”
Ila took his hand. “Oh, Ham… how awful.”
“I tried to climb out, but it was deep and the dirt was loose. Then I heard somebody among the corpses. It was a girl.”
“She was still alive?”
“Yes.” He looked at Ila. “She was still alive but left for dead. It was like…”
“Like me,” she finished for him. “Exactly like me.”
He nodded. “She was terrified. About my age and filthy. But her face… so beautiful,” he whispered.
“She didn’t trust me at first, but I gave her some food, and she told me her story. The soldiers had taken her sisters.” Ham’s face darkened. “Her father tried to stop the men, but they killed him. She pretended to be dead too, and they threw both bodies in the trench. I’m not sure how long she’d been there before I came along.”
Ham bit his lip. “Her name is… Her name was Na’el.”
Ila listened closely to the rest of the story. When the rain started, Ham knew there wasn’t much time left; they had to go. He and Na’el raced through the forest, splashing through puddles and mud. Suddenly Na’el tripped, her leg caught in an animal trap, probably one set by the refugees or Tubal-cain’s soldiers.
Ham had rushed to her side.
“In the distance I could hear the army, marching toward us. I tried pulling at the trap as hard as I could but I couldn’t get it open. Her leg was badly hurt and I didn’t see a way to rescue her.
“By now Tubal-cain’s men had almost reached us. I knew it was over. I had found a wife myself, but soon both of us would be killed by Tubal-cain’s troops.
“Then I heard someone else crashing through the woods toward us. It was Father!”
“He went to search for you when Shem and I returned without you,” Ila explained. “The rain had come, and we didn’t know where you were.”
“At first I was so relieved to see him, Ila,” he went on. “There was Father, in time to rescue us both.”
“But what happened?” Ila wanted to know. “You returned alone. Where is she?”
“Father,” Ham spat out the word. “Na’el was holding onto me. Father grabbed me and tore me away from her.”
“What?” Ila couldn’t believe her ears.
Ham went on, his fury rising with each word. “I begged him to save her, and Na’el was begging him too. I tried to fight him, to go back to her. If she was going to be killed, I wanted to die with her.
“But he didn’t care about what I wanted or about saving her. He just yanked me away from her and forced me to come back without her.”
Ila shook her head, trying to understand. How could Noah—who had saved her own life long ago—have acted like this today? He’d let a young girl die at the hands of Tubal-cain’s men? For what reason?
“He thinks he saved me,” Ham was saying, “but he didn’t. He has doomed me. It’s as if I’ve died.”
“Oh Ham,” Ila murmured. “I’m so sorry.”
He let her hug him again, but then he quickly pulled away from her.
“I’ll never forget her, Ila.” His face darkened. “And I’ll never forgive Father. Not for as long as I live. This cannot be the Creator’s will.”
* * *
Ila hurried back to Shem. He stood at the hatch with his parents, anxiously watching the battle outside.
Ila looked for herself. The Watchers were still holding the chains, doing their best to keep back the swarm of soldiers and people. But Tubal-cain and his hordes were driving relentlessly forward through the pounding rain. As the soldiers marched, warlords fired pipe guns filled with tzohar.
“Advance!” Tubal-cain suddenly called out to his troops. “Now!”
Noah whirled toward Shem. “Protect your mother!” he ordered. “Protect them all!”
Shem nodded and held up his spear. Noah ran out, closing the hatch behind him.
Ila stood near a porthole, clutching Naameh’s hand as they both tried to comfort Japheth.
Peering out, Ila saw a blast from a tzohar gun strike Samyaza in the chest. The giant staggered back.
“Oh no…” Ila murmured.
Now she could see Tubal-cain burst through the swarm of soldiers. The massive leader of the warlords was moving swiftly with a pike in his hand, charging toward Samyaza!
Samyaza swung his massive arms, trying to protect himself. But Tubal-cain lunged fast, thrusting his pike in the wound in Samyaza’s chest.
“No!” Ila gasped as the giant crumpled to the ground. “No…” Then, to her astonishment, there was a loud crackle, and with a burst of flame, Samyaza exploded.
Stunned, Ila turned to Naameh, who held a hand over her mouth in horror.
Ila looked out again. A single bolt of lightning seemed to rise from Samyaza’s body. The bolt hung in the air like a rope of light, almost a
s if it were connecting earth to Heaven.
“His heavenly form is renewed,” Naameh whispered. “He is back where he belongs.”
The lightning bolt vanished, and from outside, there were shouts and cries, a deafening roar.
“The Creator brings him home!” someone shouted triumphantly. More Watchers joined his cry.
Ila remembered the story Og had relayed long ago—about how the Watchers had yearned to return to heaven after coming to earth, but the Creator had not heeded their prayers. But now…
“Step back!” Shem yelled suddenly. Ila grabbed Japheth and the three of them backed away from the porthole. A second later several soldiers pried open the main hatch in front of Shem.
“Shem!” Ila screamed.
But Shem was ready for the intruders. Moving fast, he speared one of them. As the man fell back onto the ramp, he pulled Shem out of the Ark with him.
Ila watched in horror as two soldiers were instantly upon him.
In the nick of time, Noah rushed up the ramp, startling Shem’s attackers and cutting them down.
“Back inside! Back inside!” He thrust Shem into the Ark and then slammed the hatch closed again.
Boom! Outside, explosions rocked the earth and sky. Ila looked back out the porthole, and saw lightning flash in the sky again and again and again. One by one, the Watchers were disappearing.
Tears streamed down her face. Sweet, powerful Og and fierce, brave Samyaza… The Watchers who had been their helpers and protectors for so long.
Shem wrapped an arm around her, his head bent in sorrow too. “They’re gone,” he whispered. “But they’ve returned home.”
They stood together watching the sky. Outside, the rain and wind pummeled the Ark relentlessly. Noah was still out there… Ila prayed that he was safe.
She turned to Shem. “What of Tubal-cain? Where is he?”
Shem shook his head. “With luck, he’s dead,” he answered gravely. “I saw no sign of him out there.”
* * *
For hours the men and the Watchers battled, and the storm pounded the Ark. Shem ushered them all up to the hearth, saying they would be safer up there. Then he went to look for Ham, whom no one had seen for hours.
