Chapter 34

Land of Eden — Noah’s 600th year

“Finished already?” Ar’yel asked.

“I wish.” Using his arm, Shem wiped sweat from his forehead.

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Emzara asked.

Ham’s arm muscles rippled as he picked up two steaming buckets of pitch. “Well, the interior only took a few weeks.”

With Ar’yel’s assistance, Emzara slowly stirred the large tub of tree resin as it simmered over hot coals. “But your father said the outside will take a lot longer.”

“It will. It’s a larger surface, and we don’t have three decks to stand on like we did inside, so we’ll have to spend time moving the platforms around.” Ham directed his thumb over his shoulder at Noah. “He thinks it’ll take six weeks, but I say we can do it in four if the weather stays nice.”

“And if you’d start working instead of talking.” Noah chuckled as he set four empty pails on the ground near Emzara.

“Well, maybe I’m just being optimistic,” Ar’yel said, “but I think Ham’s guess is probably closer to—” She squealed as Shem, from behind, spread some of the sticky substance on her cheek. She quickly slid her hand down the large stir stick, allowing it to collect some warm resin, and then spun and wiped it on his neck and beard.

He feigned outrage. “Do you know how long it’ll take to wash that out?”

She laughed and fell into his arms.

Ham rolled his eyes. “Probably six weeks if we have to depend on these two.”

“Aah!” Ar’yel giggled as Shem stuck more goo on her forehead while they kissed. “You sneak.” After grabbing a stirrer, she pointed it at him. She jabbed and he dodged, and then she gave chase.

Noah snorted while dipping the fill bucket into the tub before dumping it into a pail on the ground. “Why do you think I said six weeks in the first place?” He repeated the process to top off his first bucket. “Have you seen Grandfather yet?”

“No,” Emzara said. “Do you want me to wake him?”

Noah shook his head. “We stayed up pretty late around the fire last night. Let him sleep.”

Tapping his foot as he waited for Shem to fill his buckets instead of goofing around with his bride, Noah marveled at the size of the nearly completed ark looming above them. A sense of satisfaction filled him as he considered the massive labor of love. After finishing the multi-layered hull during the last whole moon, they decided to cover the inside with pitch first to allow it time to air out while they coated the outside.

Gopherwood trees made the perfect timbers for shipbuilding. Straight and strong, yet relatively easy to cut, the trees had also provided them with vast amounts of the resin used to make the pitch. Many years of chopping down trees and preparing the lumber yielded a mound of the viscous substance roughly the size of one of the tents. Heating the resin allowed them to separate impurities and to apply it. Based on how much they had used on the ark’s interior, Noah estimated they had more than enough remaining to waterproof the exterior.

Tired of waiting for his brother, Ham filled Shem’s buckets and set them at his feet with an exaggerated grunt. “We have work to do.”

Shem laughed and whispered something to Ar’yel before backing away. “I’m ready. I was just waiting for you two.”

The men walked a short distance to the lift and set their loads on the platform. Through an ingenious system of pulleys and ropes attached to the top of the ark, the mechanism allowed them to move the platform to any point along the side of the ship. A small clay stove loaded with hot coals in its lower half rested on the lift to keep individual buckets of pitch warm enough for application.

“You boys go ahead,” Noah said. “I just thought of something at the door I need to check.”

Ham shook his head with a half-smile. “You really are determined to make this last six weeks, aren’t you?”

Noah chuckled. “I should be ready to help on the next load.”

Shem grabbed the rope to lift them off the ground. “At least this will be lighter.” Winking, he tugged on the line and the platform slowly rose.

The ark’s door posed a slight problem. The door itself could be coated with pitch, but once it closed with everyone inside, the small gaps between it and the rest of the hull would remain uncoated. Making sure the door fit snugly reduced the problem, and they could waterproof the interior. That might be enough. At least it’ll be above the waterline.

“Father!”

Noah turned to see Japheth running under the ark toward him.

“Where’s Mother?”

“She should be at the pitch pot. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, but she needs to see something. Come with me.”

Noah and Japheth strode back to where Emzara and Ar’yel transferred hardened clumps of resin from a cart into the smoldering pot.

“Mother, you need to come with me.”

Emzara glanced up from her work. “Why?”

“It’s a surprise. Can you leave for a little while?”

“Go. I’ll take care of it,” Ar’yel said.

Emzara briefly stretched her back and then walked with Noah as they followed Japheth back toward the fields. “Where are we going?”

“To the root bulb field. We were harvesting them when something amazing happened.”

“What is it?” Emzara asked.

Japheth smiled. “I told you, it’s a surprise.”

They walked down a narrow trail separating various crops. As they moved beyond the last row of tall pebble fruit plants, Noah spotted Rayneh holding a furry gray animal while kneeling beside another one.

Emzara grabbed Noah’s arm and looked at him with wide eyes. “I’ve never—” She glanced at Japheth. “Where did they come from?”

“They just crawled out of the forest and came right up to us.”

Rayneh glanced up, a broad smile across her face. “I don’t remember seeing these in your drawings. They’re really furry.”

“And adorable,” Emzara said as she walked quickly toward Rayneh.

Noah followed and looked closely at the creatures. Roughly the size of a chubby toddler, they sported large fuzzy ears, a wide face with a black nose, and relatively long arms. A gray coat covered much of their bodies, with the exception of white fur around their mouths, inside their ears, and over their bellies.

Emzara cooed as she bent down near Rayneh. “Can I hold him?”

“This one is the female.” Rayneh carefully lifted the animal toward Emzara. “Look at her stomach. It has a pouch, like the leapers you told me about.”

“It does.” Emzara grinned at Noah and the tone of her voice went up along with her excitement. “Look at this. I’m sure she carries her babies in there.” She took the creature from her daughter-in-law and it soon wrapped its arms around hers, clinging to her much the same way a small child would. Emzara stroked the animal’s back. “It’s so soft.”

Noah cracked a smile. He loved seeing his wife’s happiness, but something else stirred his own delight. He had to admit it, these creatures were rather adorable.

“So you’ve never seen these before?” Rayneh asked.

“Not that I recall.” She gently scratched the back of its neck and spoke to it like she had spoken to their sons when they were babies. “And I’m sure I would’ve remembered something so cute.”

Rayneh nodded. “I was sure you would’ve had drawings of them, so I wonder if these are the first two animals the Creator is sending to the ark. Maybe since you haven’t studied them before, He’s giving us time to observe them now to figure out what they eat and how to care for them.”

Noah raised an eyebrow as he watched his wife. “Interesting. If that’s the case, then you’d better start studying them — He may send other animals you haven’t seen before.”

“Noah!”

He turned at the sound of Kezia’s voice and saw her running toward them. “What is it?”

As she approached them, she wiped tears from her cheeks. She glanced at each of them and then focused on Noah. She shook her head slowly. “I brought your grandfather some bean brew, but—” She looked away and blinked back a tear. “He’s gone.”

“Did you look for him?” Japheth asked.

Emzara stepped to Noah’s side and gently brushed his arm.

Noah had anticipated hearing this news before the onset of the flood, but the expectation did nothing to relieve the pit that instantly formed in his stomach. Putting a hand on Japheth’s shoulder, Noah took a deep breath to steady his thoughts and voice. “Son, she means that Grandfather is now resting forever.”

* * *

“I hope I never have to look at these again. Five weeks of being covered with pitch.” Shem stowed the cleaned-out buckets in their designated space on the ark’s first deck.

“That was just the outside.” Ham waited until his brother’s arm cleared the edge of the shelf before he lowered the wooden door and latched it. “How about we forget where we put these?”

“Put what?” Shem asked.

“The pitch buck — oh, right, what were we talking about?” Ham chuckled and scraped at some hardened pitch on the back of his hand with a fingernail.

“Watch out.” Noah pushed the low cart bearing the large pitch pot beneath the recently closed cabinet. “I’m going to put this big . . . I-don’t-remember-what-this-is . . . under whatever those things were that you just stored.” He winked at Shem as he secured the cart with a rope. Maybe I should wait to tell them that we’ll need to pitch the door once it’s shut.

Shem grabbed the oil lamp from the shelf behind them. “What’s next?”

“That’s just about everything,” Noah said. “Not counting the animals and some of the food.”

Ham leaned against one of the massive vertical timbers in the middle of the ark. “How about a break to enjoy some bean brew?”

“Oh, I like that idea.” Shem looked up the center gap that allowed light from the cubit-high opening along the ark’s roof to spill into the lower decks. Even with the illumination from above, the lowest deck remained fairly dark, necessitating the use of oil lamps. “Looks pretty bright out now.”

Noah yawned. “Yeah, I could use some. Let’s go.”

They walked the nearest route to the second deck. A sturdy ramp stood on each end of the ark between the first and second decks and another pair of inclines led from the second to the third deck. Footholds made of long wooden strips stretched horizontally across the ramps. Upon reaching the second floor, they headed for the large door.

A wide array of animal noises filled the air as they neared the opening. Noah paused at the top of the long exterior ramp and shook his head. The Creator’s faithfulness never ceased to amaze him. Shortly after the two furry gray animals had arrived, approximately two dozen pairs of beasts showed up. As Rayneh had guessed, they were all new to Emzara, and the two women spent plenty of time recording their habits and diets.

Now Noah looked out over a vista of wildlife. In the past few days, thousands of animals had moved into the clearing, and more seemed to have arrived every time Noah looked at them. He scanned the gathering for Emzara. Consumed by wonder, she had barely slept, and her happy chatter about her new findings kept him up late as well. She wanted the sun to rise early so she might have more time to spend with each of the animals. Off to one side of the field, he saw several pairs of young keluks with Emzara standing among them.

“I can’t believe how many there are,” Ham said.

“It’s amazing. Mother said there are already more than a thousand different kinds here. I wonder how many more will come,” Shem said. “I think she is going to enjoy our time in the ark more than anyone. She’ll be around them all the time.”

Noah headed down the ramp. “Yeah, I might not get to see her until it’s all over. Let’s go get that bean brew.”

“I’ll try to find Kezia,” Ham said. “She may have already made some.”

“And I’ll check to see if your mother needs any help before I join you.”

“And I’m going to see what Ar’yel is doing,” Shem said.

Noah and his sons reached the ground and moved in separate directions. Row after row of cages, each filled with flying creatures of a variety of sizes and brilliant colors, lined the base of the ramp. Rayneh dumped seeds from a bag into the feeding bowl in one of the cages. A short distance beyond her, Japheth led a group of tarocs toward their enclosure.

Noah lifted his eyes toward the sky as he pondered the Creator’s ability to bring so many creatures together in an orderly and peaceful fashion. The beasts that had become carnivorous during Noah’s lifetime never bothered those that would normally be their prey, and like the tarocs, they cooperated as they were separated according to their kinds.

The vast majority of the creatures were rather small and light. Emzara said that only about 15 percent of them weighed more than a large sack of grain. At Ham’s suggestion, they had brought out the cages and enclosures for the smaller animals. Housing them now would keep them safe from all the commotion and make it possible to easily carry them onto the ark by the wagonload. Later, the larger beasts would be led directly to their pens inside.

Feathers, fur, and scales filled Noah’s view as he made his way toward Emzara. The smells and sounds produced a picture in his mind of what their time on the ark would be like.

“There you go,” Ar’yel said as she set two palm-sized furry creatures in a little cage. She glanced at Noah as he passed by. “This is amazing.”

“Indeed.” Noah shot her a smile as he thought about her past, living among people obsessed with death. Raised to slaughter God’s creatures for their bones, Ar’yel now took great delight in caring for the animals.

She pointed behind her. “Emzara is over there by the keluks.”

“No surprise there. Oh, Shem is looking for you.” Noah stopped as something whizzed past him. A heartbeat later, a striking blue and green buzzbird zipped in front of him and hovered about a cubit away from his face. It watched him as its tiny wings fluttered so fast he could not even see them. In an instant, the miniature bird sped away. Incredible. Noah grinned and tried to track the creature, but it soon vanished from his sight.

Spotting the keluks, with their telltale long necks and hairy tufts on their heads, Noah dodged an array of scaly and furry creatures as he walked toward his wife’s favorite animals. He found her stroking the neck of one of the brown and white beasts. “Em.”

She smiled at him. “This is so exciting.”

“How’s your counting coming along?”

“It was going well.” She patted the animal before taking a few steps and hugging Noah. “I’m sorry. I got a little distracted.”

He looked into her eyes. “I can see why. This must feel like a dream for you.”

“It does.” She spread her arms out wide. “Seeing all of these at one time. Oh Noah, the Creator is so good to us.”

Noah snorted. “Just remember that when we’re stuck inside the ark and cleaning up their waste day after day.”

“I won’t mind it at all.” She kissed his cheek and stepped aside to pet a different keluk, but it quickly moved away from her, and the others followed. Emzara turned to Noah. “I think they’re afraid of you.”

Noah opened his mouth to defend himself but froze when he saw two man-sized scaly beasts marching directly toward him. Heart racing, he pointed. “I think they’re afraid of those.”

Emzara looked where Noah pointed. “What are they?”

One of the creatures opened its mouth, exhibiting a full set of sharp teeth, and let out a mild, high-pitched bellow. Sporting large three-toed feet, tiny arms, and a long tail that swayed and seemed to balance the weight of the body and head, each of the creatures passed Emzara without looking at her.

Noah’s eyes grew wide and his feet refused to move. “They’re little grendecs. I hope they aren’t hungry.”

The one on the left tilted its head and watched Noah carefully, while the other one stomped straight to him and sniffed at his waist.

Warily eyeing the beast, Noah raised his arms to keep his hands out of reach of its mouth. He glanced at Emzara but refrained from speaking so as not to startle it.

The grendec nudged Noah with its snout and stared up at him for a moment before turning and snorting toward its companion. The other creature clomped to Noah’s side and nuzzled him with the side of its face, while the first one slowly stepped forward, brushing against him as it moved.

Noah let out a nervous laugh before slowly lowering his hand and cautiously resting it on top of the nuzzling grendec’s head.

A low rumbling sound, almost like the purring of a pithoct, emanated from the creature as it pushed its face into Noah.

A sense of peace washed over him, and he chuckled as he gingerly stroked the grendec’s scaly head. With his free hand, he beckoned Emzara to join him.

She tiptoed to him and carefully placed her hand on the side of the grendec.

Without warning, the beast straightened and stamped away with its mate.

Emzara giggled as she watched them move toward the ark. “Were you scared?”

“Definitely.” Noah kept his eyes on the grendecs. “At first, at least. What a great reminder that the Most High is guiding them and will protect us through it all.”

“Noah.”

Noah scanned his surroundings, looking for one of his sons before glancing at Emzara. “Did you hear that?” As he asked the question, he realized the voice had not come from one of his sons.

Emzara shook her head.

“Noah.”

Noah knelt down as he searched for the source. “I am here.”

Emzara leaned down and asked him something. He saw her mouth moving, but he failed to hear her words. With his mind and heart focused, all he heard was silence.

“Noah. Enter the ark, you and all your family.”

Noah bowed his head as he listened to the thunderous yet soothing voice. “Yes, Most High.”

“I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all the clean animals, male and female, along with a pair of animals that are not clean, a male and his female, and take seven pairs of the flying creatures of the heavens, male and female, to preserve their offspring alive across the face of the earth. In seven days, I will send rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ground every living thing that I have made.”

Gradually, the grunts, squeaks, honks, and other animal noises, along with Emzara’s voice, filled his ears.

“Are you well?” Emzara asked.

Noah reached up and she helped him stand. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply before looking at her and stretching out his arms. “We need to load the animals. The Most High says that it’s time.”