by Summer Lee
She started to work her way through the forest, as Sam tried his best to keep up. “I believe,” she continued, “that Noah’s unfamiliarity with rain is the last piece of the puzzle.”
“English please,” Sam pleaded.
“All of the animals and his family were already within the ark, so that means that the flood will happen any time now,” she said, between breaths as she increased her speed.
“So you’re telling me that the rain was a precursor to the flood?”
They soon came to the end of the small forest. At the edge of the tree line, there was a larger version of the village they walked through when they found the old man.
“Is this Shuruppak?” asked Sam.
“I do believe so,” said Achava. “That means this is where we’ll find our girls.”
There was one entrance, with the rest of the city surrounded by a large wall of rocks. There were three men dressed in animal skins guarding the entrance. They had what appeared to be spears in their hands.
“Oh no.” Achava stood there, anticipating their next move. “Now what?”
“Are we going to have to fight these giants, too?” Sam asked. “Like before?”
“Possibly,” Achava replied. “Listen, Sam. These are evil giants. That is why they are about to die.”
“Maybe you can outsmart them.”
“Only with God’s help,” she said. “The Bible says that the Lord observed the wickedness of these people. He saw that their thoughts were evil continually. They prove that to be true.”
Sam did not want to go into the city and gritted his teeth at the thought of it. “Could you use magic to go by yourself?”
“I can’t,” she said. “We have no time to develop a supernatural escape plan. The rain was a sign from God that the flood is coming next. With the knowledge that we now have, I would have to say that the flood will happen quickly and violently within the next 12 hours.”
“We may not even have that much time to find Khassima and Anthea and get them out of this timeline.” Sam was wheezing.
“There’s something else to consider too, Achava,” Sam continued, appearing nauseous at the thought. “Khassima and Anthea were at one time not very good people. I know that’s an understatement, but consider that they may actually enjoy where they are. They may get caught up in the ideal of letting go and being with people of the same mindset. If that’s true, then we may have a bigger problem.”
“They can’t be that stupid.” Achava felt sad. “I know this will work out.”
“I hope so.”
“You hurt my feelings when you talk like that. Anthea is a relative of mine.”
“Sorry.”
Chapter the Tenth
SAM FELT ALMOST AS BAD about his statement as he was sure that Achava felt that he said it.
He knew what she was thinking. He judged Khassima and Anthea. It was blatant with confusion as to where he was coming from. His frustration of the current situation was making him nervous. He knew that’s why he said what he said. That, and the fact that he believed it.
“We have to hide your eyes before the rescue,” he said, trying to get Achava’s mind off of what he said earlier. “That gold is obvious.”
“I’ll try, but I have to be able to see. We have to go over the wall to avoid detection,” she replied. She pointed to a part of the wall that had large cracks in it. It was several yards away from the entrance. “They won’t see us if we enter there.”
She pulled the hood more over her head and face a little more. She looked closely at Sam. “How is this?”
He saw the hood covering the upper half of her face perfectly. “I think that should do it.”
“Good. We need to move now,” she said, as she made her way to the weak part of the wall.
He followed closely behind, until he saw her duck behind a five foot wall. He figured that was probably so that no one on the other side could see her sneak in. Achava’s knowledge of the future did have its advantages.
Sam learned a lot from ninja movies, so he knew the people in Noah’s time had no idea of Jeet Kune Do. He had proven that earlier by beating the large nomad. Unfortunately, it cost him some healing time of his own. But if he had to use it again, he could.
Achava clenched her fist and punched the wall, causing big pieces to fall off. “It is important that in your current situation, you stay back, Sam. You can’t get injured again this soon.”
He nodded. There was no sense in trying to be a hero anymore. He did what he had to do to prove himself to her. Until he was at 100%, it was her game. He did not like it, but knew it was his only hope of getting back home.
“We have to move fast, once we’re inside,” she said. “I won’t have time to give direction, so you’re on your own.”
“I understand,” Sam responded. “Don’t worry about me. Do what you have to do.”
Achava nodded, as she pulled away more stones from the wall. The hole was large enough for them both to fit through, one at a time. She said, “I’m going through first. And Sam, you follow.”
She went through foot first, and landed on her bottom. He followed head first, landing on her lap. They both burst out laughing. She leaned over and kissed him, pausing for a moment to wink.
The rain was still coming down softly.
They had entered behind one of the dwellings, which gave them sufficient cover. They rolled over, and crawled forward, crouching down as close to the ground as possible, in order to stay out of sight.
“I’m going to attempt to contact Anthea by using mind communication. I want her to know my location.” She closed her eyes and waited.
He was relieved when she opened her eyes. But then she shook her head, letting Sam know that she was unsuccessful. “I will not stop trying,” she said. “She must be able to hear me.”
“Unless…” Sam started to say, but didn’t want to finish his sentence.
“There is no unless, Sam,” she answered. “She may be unconscious, but that is all. I will try again. We will not leave without them.” She closed her eyes again, with more determination.
Sam thought about the repercussion of them not leaving without Khassima and Anthea. He knew they should find them first, but his natural instinct for survival was kicking in and he didn’t want to die in the flood, or any other way.
He had faced life and death situations before, but if they got caught in the worldwide flood, there would be no escaping that. But he decided it would be best to keep his mouth shut concerning the entire subject.
He watched Achava starting to sweat under the strain of attempting to contact her sister again. He also knew that she wouldn’t stop, until she got an answer. He expected nothing less from her.
Sam noticed that Achava was sobbing. Her eyes were still closed, so he didn’t want to do anything to interrupt her connection with Anthea. If she had indeed contacted Anthea.
Achava let her tears flow. Sam thought that Anthea could not respond because of something tragic. He thought that Anthea might be dead, in spite of the fact that he knew Achava would not bring herself to completely accept it as a possibility.
Achava opened her eyes and looked sadly at Sam. He embraced her, and she literally cried on his shoulder. “I don’t know what to do, Sam. I tried everything. It will take us too long to go through each house. I… I’m afraid for my sister’s sake.”
Sam had never seen Achava so vulnerable. She turned to him for comfort, so he couldn’t say anything stupid. He had to be there for her. He had to be the one she went to when she was upset. He wanted to prove to her that she didn’t make a mistake in coming to him. He would prove it to her. “You must trust God.”
Closing her eyes, she prayerfully sent another message to Anthea, “I know we are close to each other.”
She stood and looked at Sam. “Follow me,” she said, with a look of determination.
The rain was coming down harder.
Chapter the Eleventh
ACHAVA APPROACHED O
NE OF THE LARGEST DWELLINGS she had seen since arriving in that time period. She had no plans of playing any waiting games to rescue Khassima and Anthea. She knew time was seriously running out for all of them. She would not lose anyone she loved to the flood. She staked her life on it.
“How are we supposed to find Khassima and Anthea, if they’re even here?” Sam asked, in a whisper.
“We know this is it. This is Shuruppak!”
“That is what Noah said.”
“Yes,” she said. “Plus, Anthea and I have a bond between us that is genetic. I should be able to sense when she is near.”
Achava closed her eyes and mentally tried to connect with her sister again. Before starting on this trip, the two young ladies made a pact. They chose to share a telepathic bond. If Anthea was anywhere within the same urban area as Achava, then they should be able to connect. So she concentrated her thoughts on the two lost ladies.
“Anthea, listen to me. This is Achava. We are in Shuruppak. We are about 20 yards away from the entrance. Let me know if you are here.”
Achava was discouraged that she didn’t get an immediate response. She clenched her teeth and tried harder.
“Anthea. Our priority is to find you and Khassima. The flood is coming soon and we need to get out of here and go back to our world. I want to take you both to safety.”
She waited. No answer. Folding her hands in her lap, she concentrated all her thoughts on the two lost young ladies.
“Anthea. We will find you, but you must let me know where you are. I know we have our differences, but I still love you. There is nothing that you have done, or have thought about doing, that would make me leave you here. It does not matter what happened in the past. What matters is that you are back in my life where you belong. We may not talk like regular siblings, but that does not mean that I do not care. You know that I am not the best at communicating my feelings. I try not to judge you, even when you try to kill me. I just wish we could sit down and talk everything out. I give you my word, that if we get out of this timeline, I will spend as much time as you want, to talk about whatever you desire.
“I realize I wasn’t there for you when you really needed me. There were many times that you desired someone to talk to and I was off somewhere else. Perhaps, if I was around more, we would be closer. Then I look at all of the people I helped that I would not have if things were different. It was not an easy choice to abandon my family, but when God called, I had to answer. I know you will never completely understand. I hope someday you can begin to. I would be honored to have you with us, as long as you do not try to sabotage us.
“That may sound mean, but I ask that you try to see things from my view. I will try to see things from your point of view as well. I cannot… will not leave here without you and Khassima. If I must die here with you and all of the unrighteous people in the world, then so be it.
“Maybe then, that will be the one thing I could do, to prove that I care about you. Did you hear me, Anthea? I am prepared to die for you. I want no praise. I just want you to be alive. Right now, that is all that I want. Nothing else.
“Please.”
She knew that Sam had never seen her that focused before. They both knew the stakes. There would be no dodging or escaping from the worldwide flood. There was no place to go, but back to their own timeline.
She would not fail. Period.
She heard the message. Anthea said, “I was waiting for the ‘please.’ Okay. Come get me.”
Achava immediately fell back onto the ground with her eyes opened wide. “Thank God.”
“What is it?” Sam asked. Even though he knew.
“Anthea answered me!” Achava exclaimed. Achava closed her eyes briefly, laughing and crying at the same time. “We’re going for her.”
Sam felt weak and said so.
“Anthea will direct me step by step,” said Achava. “Why don’t you stay outside?” She paused. “And be ready to get out of here when I say, because I think we have very little time.”
Sam looked concerned. “How do you know?”
“I feel it. That’s all I can say. I just feel it.”
Chapter the Twelfth
SAM IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT ABOUT METHUSELAH. If the flood would not come until Methuselah died, then they needed to check on the old man to see how he was doing. He looked up on the hill in the direction where he saw Methuselah go. I can go get his father’s books, he thought, and take them with me.
Achava was so busy making contact with their traveling companions, and was already out of sight. So Sam decided not to tell her his plans. Instead, he slipped away, and sprinted up the hill, at record speed, to the small cottage that still had smoke coming out the chimney.
He knocked on the door. There was no answer. So he gently opened the door and peeked inside. The one room home was simple, furnished with a bed, a wooden stool and a table. There lay the old man on the floor, holding an armload of clay tablets. Sam touched his cold face. He was dead. The realization of what that meant hit him. He had heard that Enoch, the author of the writings, did not die. But rather God just took him to paradise while they were out walking one day.
He had to hurry so as not to miss the Soul Merge when it took place. So he picked up the books, written in Hebrew, and put them in the backpack, close to his own body.
He paused to look at the old man. “God will take care of your burial,” he said. “There is nothing more I can do for now.”
When he walked back outside, he saw animals running for their lives, as the clouds turned black above. They made noises like they were frightened.
It was a short jaunt back to Achava. Sam was surprised to see that Achava was able to rescue the girls so quickly. “That was fast,” he said. “How did you do it?”
“They weren’t that far away, As soon as I called, Anthea answered.” Achava was radiating gold again. “So where did you go?”
“Do you remember Methuselah telling us about his father’s books?”
“Yes.”
“I went and got them.”
“How did you know where to go?”
“I watched him leave.” Sam pointed. “He went that way, and there is only one home up there.”
“And it was his?”
“Yes. He was holding the books. I think he wanted to take them to Noah,” said Sam sadly.
“What do you mean?”
“He was dead.” Sam choked up. “That means that the deluge is starting. His name means, ‘When he dies, it will come.’”
“He must have been special. He was 969, the oldest of all mankind.”
“Let’s go home. Please!” Sam was at her mercy.
“It’s time to go home, girls!” Achava exclaimed, after she felt that all her mission duties were handled. “We have less than 12 hours before the deluge hits.”
“But it has only sprinkled a little bit here. It hasn’t started raining hard yet,” Anthea returned, in a snotty tone.
“The scriptures state that first the flood started and then torrents of water rained down for forty days and forty nights,” Achava answered. “Noah told us that…” She stopped as she just realized what she had said. “I will not get used to saying that a Biblical icon was talking to us. Anyway, the precipitation was just a sign from God that the flood will be here soon. Very soon. I do not think that it is a good idea to debate whether it will happen or not, especially since the word came straight from Noah. That being said, we should move out now.”
“Hey sis,” Anthea said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so long winded. Are you okay?”
Achava forced a smile. “I will admit that being in this timeline is intimidating, but it is at times like this that faith and spiritual strength is vital. I have always believed that faith is easiest when things are going well. It is hard when times are rough. We do not have the luxury of things going well if we stay.”
“Do we know how we’re getting out of here?” Anthea asked.
“Faith,” Achava answer
ed. “It is the only answer I have right now. I believe that we will be guided to where we need to be, when the time comes. Until then, we need to get out of Shuruppak.”
“Let’s go home,” Anthea said, with a sneer. “We’ll follow wherever you lead, Achava. I have no clue how to get out of here and I don’t want to be responsible for killing everyone.”
“You won’t be. Let’s just go now.” Achava disregarded Anthea’s attitude and made more space in the wall. Making sure both were with her, she led them through the wall into the city street. When the friends went to the gate, they heard people shouting. Once again, only Achava could understand them.
“They have found the bodies of the men I took out,” Achava whispered. “It appears that they are gathering their forces to pursue us.”
Suddenly, several gigantic men, dressed in animal skins, picked up spears and clubs, and moved in their direction.
The lightning and thundering had started. Likewise, loud footsteps were coming closer as they worked their way into trees. When the four came out on the other side, there were dozens of the local men standing between them and the ark.
Achava stood tall as she held out a hand. “We are not your enemy, but we will not allow you to stop us from leaving.”
Sam scowled and shrugged his shoulders.
“You do not get to leave!” bellowed the lead local. “We want you and the other women! The boy will be killed for fun. Ha ha!”
All of the men started to laugh as Achava looked back at her unit. “We are not getting out of this without a fight. You must be prepared to fight for your very lives. No matter the pain or any apprehension.” She looked at Sam. “Ready?”
He understood. “Yes. Ready.”
“So what are we waiting for?” Anthea asked, grinning.
“Wait. There is no need for a battle.” Khassima looked at her partners. “Just follow me. Move out when I move out.” She walked to the front gate, like a model would walk at a fashion show. “Watch and learn, ladies and gentlemen.”
