Following the Footsteps of the Lost Tribes

by Yossi Soika

  Not far from the king’s palace stood the house of the princesses, an impressive structure with a few halls and dozens of elegant rooms for the princesses. I was surprised to discover the seventy princesses awaiting my arrival at the doorway as if I was a hero or savior. Many of the king’s daughters, despite their strange attire, were stunningly beautiful. It’s hard to portray the joy that prevailed there. Wine was consumed like water and appetizing pastries were brought over in great number. Before I had time to realize what I was seeing a horn was blown heralding the entrance of the queen and king. Soon the messenger was heard announcing:

  “Honor the king and queen; they are coming!”

  The celebrants held their breath when they arrived ushered by a large group of musicians. They stepped ceremonially toward the sumptuous thrones that stood on a high stage decorated with foliage and flower arrangements.

  The king and queen sat down on their thrones and the king immediately stood and announced, “I hereby call forth the notable lord of the kingdom, Prince Dan, Son of the Upper World, to walk among, and behold, my seventy daughters and request the hand of three of them to become his wives and in one month from today we shall celebrate the wedding.”

  “Oh my,” a sudden cry gushed from my mouth.

  The king, who heard it, said, “I see that my future son-in-law accepts my generosity with joy. I too, third king of the ancient house of throne, King of Sodom and Gomorrah and my wonderful wife Muncha Kakamucha, a third generation of a family of noblemen, will commence the ceremony. And now, my erudite son-in-law, please approach my daughters and inspect them closely, and choose three of them to be your future dear wives and the mothers of the future princes.”

  In response to his request I was dumbstruck, as though I had swallowed a broom.

  Oh dear! What will happen next? Isn’t one wife enough?

  “Sir, please stand up,” I heard the servant whispering in my ear. “Sir, everyone is waiting for you.”

  I’m certain that I cannot not convey to you the feelings of distress I felt. My confusion was unbearable and for long moments I felt as if I was falling into a bottomless abyss; however, one thing has been etched in my mind from that crazy moment – the cheers of joy that broke out the moment I chose my three future wives.

  I was dead tired when I climbed into bed at the end of the wife-choosing ceremony.

  “Sir, wake up please,” I heard the servant’s voice. “The king wants to see you. You were granted a great honor yesterday – you my Lord, were bestowed three princesses…” he said and a shrewd look gleamed in his eyes.

  I put on my strange robe and entered the royal Court.

  From his throne the king pierced me with eyes and said, “Listen, my son-in-law and future king, I must tell you something very important. You are already aware of the incredible secret we bear of the resurrection after being stagnant for thousands of years. We are now rebuilding our kingdom and we have continued with our lives, and now, with our resurrection, it’s hard to recognize our former lives anymore. Evil and malice have ceased in my kingdom; the royal persecutors and police officers do their work with the help of public representatives that control the deeds of the royal persecutors and his police officers. In this way we proactively prevent the wrongdoings and malice that lay at the doorstep of all the powers that may become blinded by their power. We don’t have people who are above others. Everyone is equal as human beings; behold, I the King of Sodom and Gomorrah live in a palace which is nothing like a palace – - notice how simple it is in its design and furnishings – I don’t want to flaunt my wealth. It’s not my private wealth – each item in my palace belongs to my people and I’m the people’s servant.

  “And, this is going to be your job. My daughters live in a roomy building and dress appropriately, but here, in the royal palace, modesty reigns. And now, my educated friend and son-in-law, tell me what’s going on in your own world, the world that peers at the stars. Did progress lead you to a world of truth, charity, righteousness, and equal justice for all men? Do you help the unfortunate?”

  I told him in great detail the sad story of our world, about malicious and evil regimes, about their long arms that reach out even to null their legal systems, and how they can recklessly seal people’s fates.

  “I’m really happy that my country, the United States, is very progressive and democratic,” I continued, and I lengthily explained to him about democracy, its meaning, and its benefit to the common good.

  “This is all completely incomprehensible to me – why does the governor of a state need the common people to vote for him? And why isn’t his rule bequeathed?” he directed his words to his companions who sat around him.

  “It makes no sense!” many voices echoed around us. “Without a king there is no government!”

  “Take heed to what my important lords and ministers say. The sons of Sodom and Gomorrah cannot understand how to build a government that must be changed every four years.”

  “Your Majesty, ‘ absolute power corrupts absolutely’ and a four-year government prevents this. That is the secret of democracy,” I answered passionately.

  “Corruption is the result of distorted values. Change your lifestyle and viewpoints and you will win eternal life.”

  “I am filled with sadness to learn that man has learned nothing of the lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah. I naively believed that the days of evil were over, but it seems to me that despite their progress everything is standing still, ever since the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.”

  “And now, my wise son-in-law, I seek your advice to help me solve something that is difficult to understand. Every weekend when the Sabbath starts everybody in my kingdom falls sound asleep until the end of the Sabbath. Our problem is how to protect a city when all of its residents and guards are sleeping? Frequently the sleeping city falls prey to the Bird People who vandalize it and loot the city’s food reservoirs. Today you will bear witness to how they fall sound asleep, how they seal themselves under lock and key to protect their property and lives from all those flying thieves. Every now and then when we wake up from our Sabbath sleep we discover that they have stolen food and goods and sometimes an entire family may even disappear forever from a home never to return. This is how our day of rest, the Sabbath, has become a day of trouble. I believe that my kingdom has been doomed with the irremovable curse of Sodom and Gomorrah. No one in my kingdom knows what will befall them before the end of the Sabbath – I am the King of Sodom and Gomorrah! Unfortunately I cannot come up with a solution for my people. Please give me advice from the son of the Upper World, and if your solution is a success, I’ll let you see the most sacred object in my kingdom – the Chariot of Elijah!”

  “The Chariot of Elijah?” I was intrigued. “What is this chariot?”

  The king eyes expressed his surprise, and he said that he found it difficult to talk with a man who is not familiar with the history of the ancient People of Israel, and also unfamiliar with the Torah scroll that was given to the People of Israel. “Every toddlers in my kingdom know how to tell the marvelous tale of Elijah, how he ascended to heaven in his chariot. Well, son-in-law, good luck with your mission of defending the city. If you succeed, you will be allowed to see the legendary chariot that I guard so carefully.”

  Do I really need chariots and biblical stories? I said to myself, I simply need to escape from this place and catch the deceitful scientist… at that same moment I felt like I was going to explode.

  Secret of the Upper Floor

  The Chariot of Elijah? What does he mean? I searched my mind for a moment, trying to recall all that I had learned in Bible studies, but I remembered nothing of this strange story about some Elijah. Knowledge. I exclaimed in disappointment. “What is this chariot? Where is it hidden? SIMPLE SAPLING!” I yelled. His name was still echoing and there he was, standing in front of me, with an imbecilic look on his face.

  �
�Yes, Your Highness! Please tell me what you would like?” and he quickly kissed my hand.

  “I’m not yet a prince!” I exclaimed, irritated. “I only want you to tell me briefly, without any flattery who this Elijah is! And what is Elijah’s Chariot?”

  “Sir, the tale of Elijah is very famous and appears in the Jewish Scriptures, in a book called the Book of Kings. Elijah was a very special man who worked unworldly miracles, the greatest of which was his ascent to heaven in a chariot of fire. And from then on he was never seen again.”

  “Please tell me, my faithful servant, how this chariot comes to be in the palace, and currently what is its function?”

  “Honorable Prince, I am really sorry, but I do not have an answer to your question.”

  I appealed again to my faithful and greedy servant and requested that he not be sorry for his ignorance and instead try to search his mind and remember where the chariot is hidden.”

  “Prince, I’m willing to overturn every stone for you but my knowledge is simple. The only thing I know is that it is kept in a highly classified place that is impossible to find.”

  “Listen well, my most faithful servant,” I added in whisper and bent down to his ear. “My bag is full of valuable surprises but you must do a small service for me.”

  “Oh, of course sir, I’ll do everything I can for you,” the servant claimed and his face lit up with a wide smile. I have a very small request.”

  “What is it?” I asked impatiently.

  “Everybody knows that you, sir, are going to be a prince and a king; and that simply means that sir is going to be the owner of the stables of the men-donkeys. All I ask from you, sir, is a humble gift – three human-donkeys. I have a big, poor family, and three human-donkeys might help us enormously with our difficult agricultural jobs.”

  “Excellent! You’ll get three human-donkeys, take my word for it as the future prince and king,” I authoritatively assured him.

  “Sir,” he lowered his head and whispered in my ear. “Today is Friday; soon the cloud will come, and the townspeople will fall sound asleep until the end of the Sabbath, but not you, sir, because you are not a Son of Sodom or Gomorrah. You are the only one, sir, who can move freely around the palace and search for the hidden chariot. No one except for the king and High Priest knows where the chariot is kept; although I have never seen it, sir, please, I beg you to tell no one that I disclosed the secret.”

  “Don’t worry. Of course I will not say anything and I will certainly give you three human-donkeys.”

  The servant bowed deeply three times and left my room. I moved with a spring in my walk, moving to and fro, ready for what was to come next. Time passed quickly and then I noticed a big black cloud, unlike anything I’d ever seen before. It sank slowly and covered the city. Upon seeing the approaching cloud the sons of Sodom hurried to bed, not before bolting their homes with lock and key. As soon as the cloud landed on the homes of the city, a heavy darkness descended on the city.

  “It’s unbelievable!” I called aloud. “The Third World is flooded with universal light and here an utter darkness prevails.”

  To my delight, I discovered a few oil lamps that my servant had left for me that lit my room with flickering and dancing light. I also found abundant delicious food.

  A short tour of the palace might be quite fascinating, I thought, and went out to roam the corridors. The darkness was dense and the oil lamp cast long shadows over the bare walls, the silence surrounding me was so deep that I could hear the breathing of the sleeping dwellers of the palace.

  I pondered the question of whether there was a danger that they might awake to a sudden sound. I advanced slowly and meticulously examining the many rooms. After a while I climbed to the upper floor and quickly went through the many rooms on it but found nothing.

  Is it true that there is a hidden room on the upper floor? Or perhaps the chariot story is only a honey trap, a gilded cage, to keep me here? I went back and scrutinized each room closely but nothing. Tired, disappointed, and hungry I returned to my room and indulged in the food to sedate my overbearing disappointment and hunger.

  What the hell am I doing here? Why am I searching for a chariot instead of fleeing? I must find Melanie! But perhaps there is something in the fascinating chariot story? If there is something to it, I might miss an important global discovery! And, perhaps my servant was mistaken about a hidden chariot on the fifth floor?

  I hurried to finish my meal and set off to continue my vigorous search of the many rooms of the palace. For a long hour I staggered like a drunk among them but neither in the long corridors nor in the rooms that branched from them did I find it. Time passed quickly. The black cloud started, very slowly, to spread and sheer rays of light started to infiltrate through it and very soon they flooded the city streets and homes with light. With the speedy passing of time I asked myself why I was still in the town. I thought it would be better for me if I escaped. I wandered along the tall walls but found no way to break through them and leave the city.

  The only opening was the city gate which was locked and blocked by three large tree trunks. Shortly after the cloud evaporated the windows and doors opened and the streets were flooded with people.

  “My Lord, I hope and believe you enjoyed the idleness of your Sabbath rest,” said my servant in a obsequious tone and looked around and asked inquisitively in a whisper, “did you find what you were looking for, sir?” He looked at my face in anticipation.

  “No,” I responded curtly.

  “Prince, why don’t you ask your future wives? After all, in exactly one month you are going to be their master.”

  “Great advice! But how can I meet my future wives?”

  “Indeed, you are not allowed to see them until your wedding day, but, Your Highness, I know how to solve this problem, too. I’m allowed to visit them in their rooms and speak to them on behalf of the prince. If you want I can ask them about the chariot. I’ll be glad to do that in a roundabout way, and of course I should not forget my promise to you, with a fair bonus.”

  A short, cunning smile flickered in his eyes and he quickly left the room. Shortly afterward the servant returned, his face beaming with joy.

  “Sir, I have some good news. All three princesses were quick to answer my request and even answered in unison.”

  “Excellent!” I responded with delight and rubbed my hands with open pleasure. “Brave women! I am very happy, and now, please tell me what have you found?”

  “Don’t be angry at me, but first I ask for two men-donkeys and the rest when you find it.”

  He pulled a parchment from his waistband and handed it to me to sign. Then I asked him about the chariot.

  “Sir, I really appreciate your generosity, now follow me.” Without delay I followed him while he climbed to the fifth floor. We passed corridors with many rooms on both sides. The servant entered the fifth one, closed the door and said, “In here, sir, the chariot is hidden here. Look around you.”

  My eyes searched each item of furniture and the stone walls; I could see nothing.

  “I really do not see a thing.”

  My servant pressed his finger to his mouth and said, “We must not be caught in here. It will be our end – nothing will help us.”

  He lifted his hand, pushed a tiny wedge on the wall and stepped back tentatively. Suddenly I felt the room spin around on its axis, and then I found myself in front of a big iron door, with a very elaborate control panel at its center. A cry of admiration burst from my throat.

  “This is amazing… I do not understand how such a sophisticated door came to be here and who built the revolving room?”

  “Sir,” my servant whispered. “Behind this door you’ll find Elijah’s Chariot. Now you must quickly return to your room; very soon sir will be asked to join the king and take royal breakfast with him.”

  Indeed, shortly thereaf
ter I sat in the company of the king, but neither the delicious food nor the topless dancers attracted my interest. All I could think of was the rotating room, the door that was made of an unknown material, and the advanced control panel fixed in its center.

  Success and Failure

  This is a room that revolves around an axis… a door made of a strange-looking material with a sophisticated locking system… I had a strong intuition that something extraordinary was hidden here. But how had such a sophisticated device come to be in such a backward place? Is there something exceptional behind this door? And what about the chariot? Is it truly a chariot, as the unknowledgeable servant says? Is a chariot or an unexpected surprise waiting behind the door?

  I knew what a complicated project it would be – to penetrate this elaborate door with no tools or other means available. There must be a code or a key to open the door, but if this is so, what is the opening code? Who holds the key to this door?

  They were the longest six days in my life and I had never before been so impatient. I was anxious to see the week come to an end, and indeed when Friday arrived the approaching cloud confirmed that the Sabbath that I had so craved for was near. Shortly before the commencement of the Sabbath I stocked up on oil and oil lamps. Then when the cloud sank, I took the jar of oil and three oil lamps and rushed excitedly, to the room on the fifth floor.

  I must break through the door, but what if I fail my mission? And, what will happen if the king discovers the break-in? Then he will have my head… and if I fail to break through the door, I will have to stay another week, or perhaps I’ll leave this week and follow Melanie.

  Finally, panting heavily I arrived at room number five. Without hesitation I pushed on the tiny wedge and I was delighted to see how the room rotated around its axis. In that seemingly infinite moment, I stood hypnotized at the sight of the amazing closure that I found in this wretched, distant place.