THE FALL (Rapha Chronicles #1) (The Rapha Chronicles)

by Chana Keefer

  “But Adonai laughed! He actually laughed as He gave hints of when but He wouldn’t tell me!” A fresh wave of restlessness struck Adam and he climbed up the nearest tree where he proceeded to dangle upside down while his barrage of chatter continued. “All He would say is that it would be ‘soon’ and I would be ‘summoned’ when it was time. What do I do with that? Does ‘soon’ mean a day, several weeks? Anyway, I couldn’t sleep and I can’t eat, so hopefully ‘soon’ will mean….”

  “By the way,” Rapha studied his fingernails with casual ease as he broke in, “it is time.”

  With a thud, Adam landed headfirst. “What?” He sat up rubbing his head with a look of terror. “What does that mean, ‘It’s time’? That Adonai wants to discuss things more, that there’s unfinished work on the shelter? What?”

  Once again Rapha was surprised. Why should the fulfillment of his heart’s desire frighten the lad? Wasn’t this what he had been begging for and talking about for weeks? Why did he now look prepared to flee? The angel could only guess it had something to do with being young and inexperienced. Rapha could relate very little on either count.

  As it was, he could not resist exploiting this turn of events. It seemed due payback for the countless times Adam had harassed him. The particular morning the young man had organized the tree-dwellers to ambush Rapha with a barrage of fruit projectiles sprang to mind. Some of the chimpanzees had enjoyed the game so much they still shook the trees with their laughter whenever he passed.

  “When I say ‘It is time’ I refer to several things, starting with ‘It is time for you to come down out of the tree.’ Once again you are being a bad example for the primates.” As he spoke, Rapha offered a hand to assist Adam to his feet. “But since you have already fulfilled the first directive, we will move on to the second—the issue of your appearance. Adonai has decreed you should care for and understand the animals, not smell like them. So, it is time for you to bathe!”

  With that, Rapha flung the astonished young man over his shoulder and covered the short distance to the water’s edge. As if Adam weighed no more than a skipping stone, the angel tossed him high and far over the water, then threw back his head with a roar of laughter as Adam flailed in mid-air and landed with a spread-eagle slap that routed several gliding flocks of waterfowl.

  When Adam sputtered to the surface with a disgruntled “Hey!” Rapha ignored the boy’s protests.

  “Now come here. It is time to cleanse that bird’s nest you call hair.”

  With the sun’s light filtering through the trees overhead, Adam’s hair shone as if he too were woven of light rather than earth. “So, are we going to meet her?” His appearance may have been kingly but the tremor in his voice belied Adam’s nervousness.

  “No,” Rapha said as he worked drops of fragrant oil through Adam’s tangle-free, debris-free mane.

  Adam whirled to grip the angel’s muscular shoulders, his hands at the height of his own head to do so. “What do you mean, ‘No’?”

  He was tempted to continue teasing but Adam’s emotions were so strong on this point Rapha felt it would be cruel.

  “I am afraid that person does not yet exist.”

  “What?” Adam searched the angel’s face. Rapha could be evasive but he never lied. “Look! I’ve been scrubbed within an inch of my life, not to mention I endured your raking that, that thing through my hair until my scalp fairly bleeds, only for you to tell me she doesn’t exist?”

  “Adonai wishes to secure the proper substance with which to knit her form.”

  “But, is she not to be like me? I was fashioned from earth. I see no shortage of that particular substance, so what else is needed?”

  “She will be formed of something nearer to you than the earth.” Rapha began leading the way with the confused manchild following.

  “What could possibly be nearer? Will she be formed of the air I breathe, the water I drink? Neither seems a hardy enough substance.”

  “Yes, she will contain those substances, just as you do, but her seed, the core of her existence, will be unique from any other creature on earth.”

  Wondering why Adam’s footfalls had ceased, Rapha called over his shoulder, “Come! Adonai expects us.” When the boy remained unmoving, locked in a fog of misery, the angel retraced his steps.

  Adam’s voice broke with grief. “I thought Adonai understood. I desire someone like me, more similar to me than any other creature He’s ever created, someone who sleeps when I sleep and hungers and dreams and longs to feel my touch more than any other. I sometimes feel this longing will reach up to swallow me like, like the gaping jaws of that creature trapped in the rocks.”

  Rapha reached to place a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Adam, think. Who is the most unique creature in the garden?”

  “I am the only one without another like me.”

  “Now place your hand here,” Rapha guided Adam’s palm to lay it flat on the boy’s chest. “Do you feel that?”

  As the rhythmic throb of his own heart pounded against his hand, Adam gave a slow nod.

  “The seed of your mate can feel the life flowing through you as well. Adonai will use you to create her.”

  Adam struggled with this mystery. “But the seeds you showed me, the ones that grew from the ground and began to flower, when I dug down to see what had happened to them, they had burst. Will Adonai put me in the ground until I burst so she may live?”

  Rapha smiled and spoke gently. “Adam, does that sound like Adonai? No, you will not be destroyed so she may live.”

  Again Adam followed in Rapha’s long strides. Curiosity still permeated the air but for the moment the boy seemed content to know she would be a part of him and that he would not have to burst to accomplish this. However, with the desperation Adam had exhibited, Rapha felt certain the boy would gladly sacrifice an arm and a leg if it meant he would gain his mate.

  That evening, once again in the valley of his making, Adam approached his Maker with emotions overflowing in every direction. Rapha was used to sensing the boy’s moods; in fact it was solely for Adam’s understanding that words were ever required. But the moment Adonai appeared and beckoned the manchild forth, the intensity of feeling flowing through Adam’s frame was so strong even Rapha’s knees felt weak in empathy. He wondered how the human was able to remain upright as his emotions surged from excitement to fear, anticipation, dread, and an overriding determination to hold these feelings in check in order to not make a fool of himself. Though Rapha sensed a gnawing uncertainty, his respect for the boy soared, knowing he was getting a glimpse of the kingliness inherent in Adam.

  When the Maker asked the manchild once more to state his heart’s desire, Adam’s voice was firm as he requested a helpmeet in his likeness.

  “Are you prepared to lay down your life so she may live?”

  His voice shook only slightly as he answered, “You gave me life. It is Yours, O Adonai, to take as You will.”

  Adonai’s answer was a whispered, “Well spoken, my son.”

  The boy’s eyes never left those of his Maker as a thick, sparkling mist rose from the ground at Adam’s feet. The love and trust between them brought a lump to Rapha’s throat. Although Adam remained unsure of his fate, he had placed himself in Adonai’s hands. Rapha had beheld countless glorious beginnings in creation but the beauty of that moment eclipsed them all. As Adam’s eyes closed in slumber and he swooned to the ground, the Maker’s hand was there to cushion his fall.

  In spontaneous praise, celestial voices sang of Adonai’s glories, His triumphs, His faithfulness, His goodness and His unfathomable love. All creation joined the song, caught up in irresistible joy, straining with one mind to see Adonai’s desire fulfilled. The voices blended as one, piercing and harmonious, gentle and cacophonous, soaring to the heavens, swirling the thick mist surrounding Creator and created. Then a new melody rose, similar but more undulating than man’s creation song with its booms and triumphant crescendo. This was a gentler movement, more subtle
and varied with a relentless, steady rhythm that supported and carried the original melody. Mysterious and ephemeral, it seemed to echo the diamond glow of the stars that slowly appeared one by one as if summoned to sparkle in syncronous resonance.

  Through tears of joy, Rapha was aware of Adonai bending over the human. With the flash of a piercing point of light, a line of bright red appeared in Adam’s side. Through the flesh, a slender bone was withdrawn. Again the piercing light flashed and the flesh mended.

  An overriding rhythm began to pulse at Rapha’s feet, a swoosh and throb that grew stronger and nearer with creation’s every breath, so compelling every living being aligned with the magnetic force drawing this power from the earth’s womb. With one smooth movement, Adonai scooped a hand into soft, fertile soil. As if drawing forth a tiny germ of a living star, His hand now cradled a pulsing brilliance smaller than Adam’s fist.

  For a brief moment, the Maker held the light close to His chest as if unwilling to let it go. Then he brought the light to His mouth for a gentle kiss and whispered words none present could overhear. As His hands moved to place the light within the curve of Adam’s bone, a shining tear fell from His eye. As that tear joined with the light, it became shrouded in deep red flesh, shading its light and buffering its pulse.

  The Creator laid flesh and bone in a hollow depression before him and bent low, covering life’s seed and calling forth Earth’s elements to converge. A thunderous clap echoed through earth and sky and a blinding glow engulfed the very spot where the seed lay while a sparkling flow bubbled up to fill the hallowed depression. To Rapha, the swell appeared infused with liquid gold that swirled in the glimmering fluid like living starlight, diving to entwine and flow, leaving bits behind every time it embraced the brighter glow in its center. From the earth’s pores, various hues arose, from vibrant and daring to muted pastels, providing pigment for the Master Craftsman’s canvas. The glory of Adonai filled the valley.

  As an indiscernible shape took form in the liquid light, all creation shifted forward, straining to behold the work of Adonai’s fingers. The melody grew soothing and peaceful although the air seemed ready to explode with anticipation. In the midst of the lullaby, a surprising duet began. The sweet trill of a nightingale rose, calling forth peaceful repose even as the lament of a she-wolf sounded a restless summons to the heavens, stirring the blood with an untamed fierceness.

  The two voices continued, dancing in a fragrant breeze that shushed the night. All paused to breathe deep. The passing perfume was a draught of exotic nectars of the sweetest fruit and most alluring blossoms coupled with an earthy, nut-flavored spice. It was a heady, healing, stirring yet simple scent of which Rapha felt he could never tire. It seemed woven of such varied and subtle bouquets that, if he were given unlimited time to peel back its composition, he could never plumb the depths of its mysteries.

  Then a strange wonder occurred. Rapha was accustomed to the distinct characteristics of the temporal and the eternal, since daily he passed through the veil between them, but in that one shining instant, the two converged. Time was suspended as eternity sealed and sanctified the moment. It was a joining of opposite realms, knit together and destined to strain at the fabric of their confinement, and that very struggle was a key ingredient in the Master’s plan.

  Again all was hushed. The glow at Adonai’s feet grew dim, and restfulness descended on Earth’s witnesses. The fullness of that silence was profound. Rapha felt oddly detached yet acutely aware of every detail as he was lost in the importance of that moment, woven into the flow of eternity.

  As if waking from a dream, animals and celestial beings began to stir. A lion roared. Adam stretched before gazing with a dazed expression to ponder the surrounding spectators. His eyes widened with remembrance of the occasion and his head snapped to aim a questioning look toward Adonai.

  The Maker laughed and again all creation responded with joy. “Patience, son,” the soothing voice said. “All is well.”

  Sensing the summons, Rapha stepped forward to lead Adam to a quiet place to recover. The boy was reluctant to depart, curious to delve into the new mystery at Adonai’s feet, but he obeyed Rapha’s prompting, even as the assembled crowd began to disperse.

  Once again, sleep was elusive for Adam. Late into the night he lay awake, staring at the stars, asking Rapha to repeat all that had occurred, then gazing toward the place where Adonai’s glory continued to hover. Just before dawn, the exhausted manchild slept. His final words before drifting into slumber were, “Just think. Hereafter, she will keep me company at night.”

  Rapha supposed he should have felt insulted to be so quickly discarded, but this was as it should be.

  One thing Rapha knew with certainty. Everything was about to change.

  Chapter Seven

  She

  Adam sat bolt upright as the first shaft of light filtered through the trees to illumine the hallowed spot where Adonai had hovered, but no trace of his Maker or the new creation lingered. With a cry of dismay the boy leapt to his feet. “Where are they?”

  Rapha stretched, a pleasant habit he had acquired from the human. “All is well. But come, refresh yourself. There is much to do.”

  Adam took little notice of the beautiful breakfast of fruit and nutmeats Rapha had prepared complete with his favorite drink of coconut milk straight from the shell.

  “Did you see her? Where did they go? When will I meet her?” The questions were peppered throughout their meal and continued as the sun marched high into the sky, but Rapha’s response was guarded. In truth, Rapha had glimpsed the dainty human when his Master had at last drawn her from the earth’s womb, but Adonai had hidden her in His shadow and taken her to a secret place. Rapha could only guess that her experience at present would be similar to his reawakening—surrounded by light and love, immersed in Adonai’s wholeness and unaware of anything but bliss. Soon enough Adam’s curiosity would be satisfied, but at present the angel appealed to the boy to calm himself and concentrate on making the first impression of her new home as tranquil and beautiful as possible.

  In all honesty, the only element threatening to spoil the picture was Adam’s impatience. Thus Rapha kept his young charge busy fetching rare fruits from obscure locales—from succulent melons that thrived in the tallest trees on the highest summit, to the delicate roots and berries only accessible by braving a path down a rugged cliff. After accomplishing these quests, Adam was grateful for another bath and polish, submitting like a lamb to Rapha’s massage of his sore muscles and another raking of his hair.

  “Take note, Adam. Your mate will appreciate the ability to coax muscles to relaxation.”

  “My mate. That sounds so strange.” The boy fell silent a moment. “I’m not ready, am I,” he said with unexpected humility. “There’s so much I don’t know, so much I need to learn about how to care for her.” His eyes widened. “What if she doesn’t like me? I saw the she-lion box her mate yesterday and they tumbled about growling and biting.”

  Rapha smiled. He too had been aware of the lions’ amour. In fact, the entire valley had heard them. They were nothing if not enthusiastic. “Actually, it is precisely because she likes him a great deal that she enjoys vexing him into a wrestling match. It is all part of their game of seduction.”

  Then, of course, Rapha had to describe that concept.

  “That sounds fun,” Adam finally said, his expression bemused. “I’m glad they enjoyed it.” His cheek took on a slight flush as he glanced down, suddenly shy, “Will my mate want to, um, wrestle?”

  Rapha had been awaiting just such an opportunity. “Understand, I have never had a mate, but I have observed that, as each cares for the needs of the other, the wrestling is a natural outgrowth of their affection….”

  “And I hope she loves to climb and run and swim,” Adam cut in with his unbroken thread of thought. “Do she-men enjoy those things? Will she think me foolish to play duck-and-throw with the monkeys?” Adam recalled the shrieking protest when a well-ai
med kumquat had caught one of his opponents unawares, and he laughed aloud at the memory. “Who wouldn’t enjoy that? I’ll just have to make sure they don’t resort to coconuts….”

  The angel sighed. Very soon the boy’s attention would be so captured by the thought of mating he would find it difficult to think of anything else. Already Adam’s voice was beginning to deepen and the coltishness of his body was fading. This conversation could not be put off any longer. Adam’s destiny dictated that the act of joining would signify far more than a mere coupling to produce offspring. Since sexual corruption had been the enemy’s weapon of choice in ages past, the purity of Adonai’s chosen would provide a tempting target.

  “Adam,” Rapha interrupted the boy’s rambling, “soon you will experience physical love with your mate, the joy of which will make other activities pale in comparison. This gift represents your spirit intertwined with Adonai,” the angel continued to speak, introducing Adam to this precious gift freely given from the Father’s hand.

  For two interminable days Rapha endured Adam’s mounting excitement and impatience. In addition to teaching Adam some of the finer details of metalwork and refining of gems, he continued efforts to exhaust him so the boy could cease his questioning and feverish activity for a blessed few hours each night. To this end he decided to work on Adam’s diving skills. Diving would be just the ticket; the flowing, calming depths of blue soothed his young charge like nothing else.

  At first Adam had resisted, far too distracted by the impending introduction to his mate and unwilling to sully his glossy tresses—due more to his disdain for Rapha’s raking than to vanity—but when Rapha had pointed out the male birds who strutted their bright plumage to capture female attention, the boy had cooperated.

  “Besides,” Rapha instructed as they made their way to massive outcroppings of rock protruding over a crystalline pool, “a being who continues to strive for further accomplishment is far more interesting than one who merely sits and awaits desire’s fulfillment. Which will she prefer, a preening boy or a dazzling diver who takes her breath away?”