How Dragons Survived the Flood

Chapter 7 part 2

Once he was in the temple, Japh quickly made his way to the inner chamber of the middle terrace. The oldest plant priest stood in the middle of the room, smoke from the censers swirling around his head. The room's low ceiling came within inches of his stooped form, making him appear larger than he really was. Hands lifted heavenward, he frowned at Japheth's sudden entrance but did not miss a word of his prayers, "You have told us, Mighty One, to eat the herb of the field, and we do."

Still out of breath, Japh inhaled much more of the sacramental smoke than he meant to. He refused to cough, while the rest of the priests responded, "And we do."

"You have told us, Beloved, grass grows for the cattle and herb for the service of man. And it is."

Japh exhaled and said with the others, "And it is."

A drum started to beat, slow and steady, as the men passed around a skin filled with yayin infused with Tree of Life.

"You come to us, Most Righteous One, on a cloud of incense and bid us to talk with You. Be with us as we harvest Your wisdom herb, Your holy plant of life that allows us to commune with You ever more."

"Ever more. Ever more," chanted the men, as they danced and spun in a circle.

When the drums stopped, the initiates sat at the feet of the priest. "We will divide you into groups," he instructed. "The younger of you will gather the lley, the resinous essence Yahweh gave the female plant, which allows humanity to join with Him in conversation. Those with more skill will cut the plants and harvest blossoms for drying. The eldest and most advanced acolytes will join us in the inner temple and learn to concentrate and blend the Tree's essence with that of other plants to create the holy anointing oil of Yahweh.

Japh stood and joined the small group of advanced acolytes. Annoyed, they turned their backs on him.

"No Japheth, son of Noah, you do not have enough experience yet to make the oil."

Embarrassed to be called out, Japh held his head high as he looked at the priest. "In the wild, I captured the Tree's essence in beeswax."

The priest sighed. "This is a more complex process. You need to learn each step in order. As such, you will learn to harvest the lley first."

Japh knew Noah would be upset. He understood the priest's methods, however, and nodded his acceptance, before he turned to join the youngest group of acolytes.

On his way to stand with the young acolytes, Japh's tutor approached and peppered him with questions. "And your studies with the grape vine? Have you completed them?"

Nodding, Japh explained to his elder, "I have done as you instructed, making the cuttings, trimming off the lower leaves, and placing them in the bowls with good soil covering the bottom third of the cutting. The soil is wet, but not too wet, and all the cuttings are in an area that warms with the morning sun, but is shaded in the afternoon.

The old priest smiled at Japh's recital. This son of Noah was wild and untamed, but his mother's gift, the ability to work with plants, was strong. He had watched the boy, who, while not knowing the formal plant names, could — by touch, smell, and sometimes taste — deduce how a plant should be used. His Temple training, coupled with his mother's gift would, in time, make him one of the wisest plant priests of Yahweh. "Go join your group, young Japheth. Harvest the lley."

"She loves to be touched, but she is the queen," said the priest who was teaching Japh's group. "Approach her with clean hands. Rub your hands together thusly," he intoned as he briskly rubbed his hands together. "To make them warm. Then stroke her as you would a lover, not too hard, not too soft, and she will give up her lley to you." He demonstrated, stroking the lley-covered leaves and blossoms a few times and then held his hands up, showing how the resin clung to his skin.