GENESIS

Noah

Genesis chapters 6 - 8

A young woman held her 5 year old son  tightly in her arms. She was sitted on the ground at the side of the road in the night.

Dried blood covered her body and scars lined it up. Her face was swollen and she was very hungry.

'Please...' she said stretching out her hands to a couple passing by, begging them for help but they ignored her laughing to themselves.

She began to sob as tear trickled down her face and wet her son's

'Mum?' the little boy said, looking at her 'why are you crying? ' everything was confusing, he was too young the understand the situation. She shook her head and wiped her tears away.

'My son...' she whispered '... this world is cruel, and heartless. Nobody cares for poor strangers, people like us.' She patted his hair down and suddenly her face became hard ' promise me that when you grow up you'll be kind, promise me you'll have compassion for strangers. You'll be good and respectful and make me happy '

The little boy stared at her then slowly nodded

'Promise me Noah.' She demanded, holding him a little tighter

'I promise'

Noah's POV

'Wait' my wife said as she ran up to me just as I was about to leave the house. She smiled at me and her eyes wrinkled in the process. Even in her 50s she still looked very beautiful.

'Greet the boys for me please ' she said and I laughed.

'Of course my dear' I kissed her forehead and walked out the door, bracing myself for the outside world yet again.

As if in cue, the sound of the heavy steps of giants filled my ears. About five of them were walking down the streets, kicking away anything that was on their path and laughing like thunder.

They were about three times my height and announced fear wherever they went. They definitely were not a force to be reckoned with.

As I continued my walk. I saw a gathering of people at the side of the street, hailing at something I couldn't see. It was most likely another fight, that was a daily routine.

I continued my walk, moving past men gambling. I got onto another path only to hear the whistles of women, young enough to be my children, calling out to me.

Just ignore them I told myself. This world seemed to irritate me more than I could bear. There was a time I would have joined them, if not for the words of my late mother.

I sighed as I finally reached the land she was buried in. My sons Shem, Ham and Japheth were already there waiting for me.

'Father' they chorused as I reached close enough for them to notice me. They all hugged me at the same time and I had to stabilise myself not to fall down.

They were all taller than me, boys turned men that once looked at me like I was one of the giants. We slightly walked closer to the grave my mum was in and spent about three minutes of silence.

I hope you are proud of your son mum. I whispered.

'Your mum said I should greet you' I said turning away to face my sons and they smiled.

'Please tell her we miss her' Japheth said.

'And your wives?' I asked

'She's beginning to show' Shem said smiling wide ' God has finally favoured us after all these years '

The three of them were married Shem married a few years back but the other two just recently. We continued to talk as we headed back.

'Bye Father' Ham said as he was the last to leave me, his house the closest to mine but still far away.

'Take care'

***

'That night, in my sleep, God spoke to me' I told my family as the ark rocked about. The rains still heavy outside and the sound of screams had died down.

My sons were sitted with their wives in front of me and my wife sat beside me.

'I would have told you but I feared you would try to stop me or spoil my plans in any way.' I said as thunder sounded outside. 'I didn't want you to tell your wives and let it spread. That's why I kept it a secret'

Everyone was still in shock, all the paces we had known, where we lived and everyone in it was destroyed.

The different animals kept in cages made various sounds in fear. Four of every specie was caged. Two males and two females each pair clean and the other unclean.

'God told me to build this ark in preparation for the time he would destroy the world. He told me all that would happen and told me how to prepare for it' my wife held my hand but didn't look at me. I sighed and continued.

'Who am I to question the Lord?' I said.

'It has stopped' Seph said ' the rains'
Only then did I realise the rains had finally stopped and the ark had stopped rocking. God had remembered us.

'Glory be to God' my wife said.

The ark had risen up, almost to the skies. It was still hard to believe everything was destroyed. I was continuously mocked when I began building the ark. My sons had helped me without knowing what was happening as I refused to tell them.

When we all entered the ark, they all thought I was a little crazy and wanted to leave until almost immediately, the heavy rains began to pour.

The flood lifted the ark up and we began to panic as people banged the the ark for help but the doors were sealed shut.

Nobody talked again until Ham finally asked of what was going on days after.

'Fly' I said as held out a raven and a dove from the window 40days after the calmness. The raven and dove took off flying to and fro to see if the earth had dried.

Seven days later the dove came back with an olive leaf in her mouth. The earth has almost dried I thought. After another seven days, another dove was let out but it never returned signifying the earth had dried up.

And God told me that my family and I and all the creatures in the arc should get back out into the world for it had finally dried. And God said that He will never again destroy mankind.

Without hesitation, my family and I opened the doors of the ark to see the earth bare and without life.

I took a deep breath in and stepped onto the new life.

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