The Mother of Abel Beth Maachah.

Chapter 7

Abel Beth Maachah

The combined army followed Sheba's trail through most of Israel. Sheba knew by now, that King David's army was tracking him down. The men of Israel that had deserted David's cause to follow Sheba, slowly became disillusioned with their new leader. Especially when the news reached them that Joab was hot on their tail. One by one they left Sheba's fleeing group. By the time they neared Israel's northern border the only people left, were a small band of Bikrimites, men that were related to Sheba. Tired and hungry and nowhere left to go, they sought refuge in one of the most northern cities of Israel, Abel Beth Maachah.

Ten years had passed since Serah had lost her husband to that terrible disease. She thought of him often, but the pain had gone. She never remarried. Her work as councillor to the people of the city kept her busy. Because of her wise decisions, she had risen to become a leading figure in the meeting of city fathers, which now included a city mother! Her fame spread and people came from all around to listen to her words.

Serah still sat in the town square speaking to those who came to seek advice. No-one called her by her name anymore. To strangers and city folk alike, she was known as Mother of Abel Beth Maachah. The city itself, had also taken on the role of mother. The space within the city walls had filled with buildings and people, it could accommodate no more, so small villages had sprung up all around, outside the city walls. Abel Beth Maachah was like a mother hen with all her chickens scattered around her.

Serah's daughter, Meadow, was now 15 years old. Her mind and speech had never progressed beyond that of a six year old. But she was fair of face and with a body of a woman , she cooked and helped her mother around the house. She would accompany her mother when she visited the many villages situated around the city. Because of her sweet nature everyone loved her.

The peaceful atmosphere that the city had enjoyed for so long, was shattered when people came screaming and running into the city. A large army was approaching the city. The city fathers, not accustomed to dealing with this unusual situation, decided to house as many of the outside village people as they could before shutting the huge city gates.

The vanguard of the army rode up to the city and banged on the gates, demanding entry.
The gatekeeper refused entry until an acceptable reason was forthcoming. The soldiers wouldn't give an answer. A stalemate ensued. This lasted for two days.

On the third day, the inhabitants of the city were woken up by an earthquake....or so they thought! The tremors were too regular. The city fathers sought the origin of the noise and vibrations. They came to a certain section of the wall that shook every twenty minutes, the mortor starting to disintegrate between the blocks. A young man volunteered to scale the wall and peer over the other side. He would report his findings to the city fathers. Everyone waited with bated breath as the youth scaled the wall, and keeping low, lest he receive an arrow through his neck as reward for his bravery, peered over the wall to see what was happening. He ducked down quickly, clearly shaken by what he saw. He climbed down the wall at breakneck speed, falling the last few metres. Some men raced to help the lad and half dragged, half carried him back to the city fathers. It was a few minutes before they had calmed him enough to speak. His eyes wide, he described what he saw. The soldiers had erected a wooden structure that served as a cradle for a large tree trunk, that was attached to the structure by ropes so that it swung freely, to and fro. The men would pull the tree trunk back as far as it would go. On a given signal they would release the rope allowing the trunk to swing back, hitting the wall. They had built a battering ram.

They were still debating what should be done when the whole wall shook again. Everyone cowered instinctively. One of the city fathers said, "We must stop them, one of us must speak to them."
They all looked at each other, each member of the Council taking a step backwards and shaking his head when searching, pleading eyes landed on him. The Mother of Abel Beth Maachah was also present. She couldn't believe that the men were such weak, incompetent individuals, especially at this time, when the whole future of the city was at stake. She stepped forward. She rarely showed emotion, but anger and disappointment was clearly written on her face.

"Does anyone know who is in command of the army?"
One of the men mumbled something. Serah turned to him. "Speak up, man, time is of the essence!"
The man answered, "I do not know for sure but it has been rumoured that the soldiers outside are King David's army. If that is true, Joab will be the Commander-in-chief."
Serah nodded her thanks. Then speaking to no-one in particular, she took charge. "Fetch long ladders, I wish to reach the top of the wall, and seeing that I am not as nimble as our young friend here, I will need something to climb up with."
While she was waiting she tied her tunic tightly to each leg, thereby creating a pants effect. This would enable her to ascend the ladder more effectively. She heard people say 'how could she undertake such a mission, she was but a woman ' but no-one else volunteered or tried to stop her. So she continued to make ready. Seeing a woman with a white head scarf, she asked if she might borrow it. The woman supportively obliged. The ladders had arrived. Two men held the bottom legs in place. Serah looked around at the growing crowd. Young and old, they all looked like helpless, frightened children. This was a task only she could accomplish, this was a task for a mother.