How Dragons Survived the Flood

Chapter 1 Part 2

Ham led Japheth to the pasture's west side where there was a tall wall. An old gate, askew on its hinges, creaked mightily when Ham pushed it wide. Ham gave it no notice, leading Japheth into the inner courtyard of Noah's house.

After a brief struggle to close the gate, Japheth turned and saw his mother's garden. It had always been lush and orderly. The garden still stood, but now there were half-buried, broken bowls alongside tufts of weeds. What, he wondered, had happened to allow such disrepair? Tripping over an uneven stepping-stone, Japheth followed his brother and sister to the small courtyard fountain.

As they walked through the garden, a pregnant woman walked quickly to meet them, her slightly protruding belly clearing a path before her. Her mauve tunic indicated her high social standing, and the keys clinking together at her waist proclaimed her position of responsibility.

Japheth distractedly acknowledged her presence with a small nod, as custom dictated, but looked past her for his mother. He remembered his mother, tall and willowy, her dark hair intricately braided and wrapped around her head. Always smiling, she would wind her arms around him as she showed him a new plant, her breath tickling his ear as she described its properties. Had she changed much?

He shifted nervously as moments slipped past and no one else came. He looked at Ham.

"Let me introduce you to your new mother, Japheth." Ham smiled as he raised a hand toward the pregnant lady, "This is Na'amah."

Japh looked at the woman. She had his mother's name, but this was not his mother. A stone settled in his throat and prevented him from speaking. He looked at the ground and then back at the woman.

Ham, oblivious to his brother's despair, gazed at Na'amah for a moment. "Is she not pleasant to look upon?" His gaze traveled over her, "She recently married our father and looks forward to the day she can be relieved of her burden."

Japheth looked closer. She looked tired, and her skin was pale. He also saw a quick furrow of displeasure between her eyes and a slight tightening of her lips at Ham's brusque announcement. Most would have missed it, but living among the dragons, he had learned to be aware of little things that could mean the difference between life and death. He bowed again to the woman in front of him.

He swallowed the stone in his throat. "Forgive my manners, I..." He looked to the sky, blinking rapidly.

She nodded slightly, "It must be hard. We will talk later."

The soft compassion in her voice encircled him, supporting him as he processed the new reality of her existence and the existence of the babe she carried.

Ham slapped Japheth on the back, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had descended on the group. "Na'amah, this is your new, long-lost son, Japheth. He has grown from a sapling to a full-grown tree in the nearly fourscore years he has been gone. Is there a room you can make ready for him?"

Again the slight downward turn of her lips and a protective hand across her belly, but Na'amah nodded and disappeared inside the house.

"Come," said Ham, as he sat by the fountain, "let us wash the dust off our feet before we enter. Tama," he looked at his wife in her stained tunic and shook his head. "Make yourself useful and go help Na'amah."

As Tama made her way past the men, Japh looked at the fountain. Its chipped tiles, mossy grout, and scum-coated basin told of better days. However, the water flowing from its spout was fresh. He shivered when the cool water hit his skin.

"Yes, scrub your feet most of all. The women get so upset about bits of leaves and dirt being tracked in." Japh obliged as Ham waited, already finished.

Stepping through the doorway was like stepping back in time. The rooms had not changed, but everything seemed smaller than he remembered. He quickly ducked to avoid hitting his head on the doorway lintel. No, Japh amended, he had changed.

The floor covering, once brilliant and thick, was faded and worn thin. He used to count his steps as he crossed it; fifteen every time, now only five. He ran his hands along the rough stone walls as he followed Na'amah deeper into the house.

"We only have the storage room available." Na'amah looked at Japheth and then glanced away. "Since your brothers have married, they each need separate rooms for privacy." She opened the door next to the cooking area.

Japh looked inside. Slaves were finishing cleaning the room and making a pallet on the wooden floor.

"I hope you find it comfortable. Please put your things away and get ready for dinner. Noah will be arriving soon."

Na'amah left him standing in the room. It was not the original room that he shared with his brothers, but the worn pallet cover was similar to what he had grown up with. Similar enough to bring back memories of his mother lying beside him, holding him, and singing to him when he could not sleep. To shake off the impending sadness, he put away his belongings.

He had just finished putting his bundles of dragon hides and scrolls away and was changing into a clean dragon-skin tunic when his door burst open. He barely saw the pale skin and white hair of his father before he was caught up in his tight hug. Japheth flinched as he felt the arms go around him.