She sat next to him as he flipped to the first book in the New Testament and began scouring the pages until he found the 22nd chapter. She didn't miss the slight fingershake as he located the 14th verse.
"Matthew 22:14," he read aloud, "For many are...
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He closed the book and stood up. Star had been eavesdropping nearby, apparently done searching the camels themselves.
"We need to find six more camels before the sun goes down. They could be anywhere. Check the inside of pots, under rugs–anywhere."
"The one I found was hidden by a door frame and stuck in the wall," I offered.
"So like I said, anywhere," Star repeated. "The sizes are random. Let's go."
We spread out, searching for camels in the courtyard. Taylor found one on the inside of a window sill. Jack and Grey each found a few more searching the outsides of the houses. Reed found another above the well tucked into the wood frame that surrounded it. Star located the last one in a giant pot. It had been adhered to the lid somehow.
We arranged all ten camels around the well. They were all different shapes and sizes, ranging from tiny action figures to half of my size. Reed looked up towards the sun. "It's almost time."
The sun kept sinking, but nothing happened.
"Maybe we have to make them kneel? Or re-read the passage on the well?" I suggested.
Grey knelt down and messed with the front legs of the camel in front of him. Imagine our surprise when they actually clicked back, putting it into a kneeling position. We each did the same until every camel was kneeling, and then Star cleared her throat. "And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water."
The well started shaking, violently. We took a collective step or three back as it groaned and split open, revealing a shoddy brick staircase that led down into complete darkness.
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