The House of Life

Chapter 12

Qasim's Perspective:

" Dear God, hear my plea.... Please watch over us in our time of need."

It was just like that night, with my father praying to our god for safety and shelter, while my mother held my new born baby sister in her arms from the plague that doomed my family just outside our home. What did I do? I ran when the men came barging into our home and killed my entire family. I didn't fight, I just hid and waited until either a savior or death came to greet me. That was until she found me, her long brown hair, her face as pretty as the moon. "Are you okay? Where are your parents?" she asked, her voice like an angel, so soft. It was like God heard my prayer and sent one of his angels to save me, I wept. I clung to my savior like a starving puppy, following her from place to place, even when she told me to stay, I still followed. But now, I can't follow her to where she went. For she was now being judged by God himself. She hurt herself, made herself bleed and there I was again, standing there, waiting just like before. "Why would you do this?" screamed the Medjai, holding her face as beads of blood dripped on the floor. They were arguing back and forth, like a thunder storm in the middle of a desert, and when the dust settled, she laid herself on the stone bed and closed her eyes. I turned to the Medjai for guidance, he looked at me with sorrowful eyes and kneeled down beside Miss Annabelle and started praying under his breath.

I never understood why my parents prayed to our God, but now I understand. We pray because we don't know what will happen. Ardeth knew this and instead of doing nothing, he sought guidance from our God. I decided to do the same, even if I don't know the prayer, I will ask God to keep Miss Annabelle safe and to help me be strong and brave for her. I kneeled beside Ardeth and when I put my hands together, Ardeth grabbed my hand in his, and we both prayed for the safety of Annabelle. But this time, there was no evil outside our doors, the evil was here and we were at its bidding.

Annabelle's Perspective:

They say that death is calm, peaceful, painless even. That when you die, a greater being is waiting for you to judge your soul. But who is this being to judge who I am, if I haven't even lived to begin with. I woke up surrounded by a body of water. But I wasn't struggling to breath, I looked up to see a bright light above me as I kicked my feet faster to the surface. I eventually emerged from this ocean and was greeted by the night sky. Looking around me, there was no sign of anyone around me. That was until a loud voice resonated through my ears.

"Annabelle Cambell."

The voice itself was enough to give me chills. I looked around to see where that voice was coming from, when it answered again. "The water. Look upon its reflection." It asked.

I looked down to see the reflection of the water as I saw the God Thoth standing above me. I turned to see the god himself, towering over me. I was startled, the god was tall in size, but unlike his hieroglyphic depictions, his face was that of a man with a headpiece of a crane covering his eyes. His attire only consisted of his glorious headpiece and a garment covering his groin area. But it was adjourned with gold and a rainbow of jewelry, he was beautiful.

I paused for a beat to process what had happened, when the god himself offered his hand. I studied his hand, covered in rings of different shapes and sizes.

Entranced by his beauty, the god spoke, "How long do you expect me to wait my dear?" His voice was entrancing, so deep and smooth that I responded by grabbing his hand as he lifted me from the ocean and afraid that I would be submerged into the ocean once again, I bent my knees. "No need to worry my dear, you will not sink into the depth of this ocean." My heart was racing, but I looked down to see that my foot did not sink, but rather, was afloat above the surface of the water, like it was dry land. I took a few steps back in awe of this magic, my eyes could not stop looking deeper into the dark abyss of the ocean that I felt dizzy.