Noah (7 page)

Naameh had noticed. “Here.” One day she gave Ila a cup.

“What’s this?” Ila asked.

“Spit into it,” Naameh said.

Ila obediently spat and Naameh rubbed some of the saliva on to a leaf she’d prepared. White speckles immediately started to appear.

Ila saw Naameh shake her head and then heard her murmur something.

“What is it?” Ila asked. “Am I sick?”

Naameh took a deep breath, turning away for a second. “No,” she said. “You’re not sick. She turned back to Ila. “You’re with child!”

“
What?
” A shiver ran through Ila, and she stared at Naameh in shock.

Naameh repeated her words.

Ila shook her head. “But that’s impossible.”

Naameh shrugged. “We’ve all seen miracles, Ila. Perhaps we are seeing another.”

Ila sat there, still stunned. Then slowly joy flooded through her. This was everything she had dreamed of for Shem and for her… they’d be parents… they’d have a family of their own…

“It is a miracle!” she declared. “I cannot believe it!”

Naameh was smiling too, but there was something else in her eyes…

“What is it?” Ila asked her.

“It’s Noah,” Naameh replied. “When he learns the news, he will…” Her words trailed off.

Ila felt a stab of worry too. But she tried to push it aside. “It is his grandchild. Surely he will feel some joy too.”

Naameh smiled but didn’t say anything. Just then Shem entered the room. Ila threw her arms around him and blurted out the news.

He stared at her in disbelief.

“It’s true!” she said. “A baby! We’re having a baby.”

“Oh, Ila.” Shem pulled her closer, burying his head in her hair. He echoed her words. “It’s a miracle.”

Tears streamed down his cheeks, and hers too.

Naameh looked at Ila and Shem. “We shall tell him together,” she announced. “The three of us can go to him and share the news.”

* * *

Ila paced around the hearth, anxious and excited.
Noah will be pleased by the news
, she told herself. It was not what he had planned, but he loved Shem.

And he loves me too
, Ila thought.
He’s a kind man, a good man
. She remembered the night she’d heard his sobs.
He has been carrying heavy burdens and is not himself.

At last Shem stood. “It’s time, Ila.”

She nodded and they turned toward Noah’s workshop. Naameh led the way.

“Father?” Shem began.

Noah looked up, obviously surprised to see the three of them there together. “Yes?” he said.

Shem shot a look at Ila, and she stepped forward.

“Father…” She bowed her head. “We have come to ask for your blessing.”

“My blessing?” His eyes narrowed and he looked at Naameh, who quickly looked away. “I don’t understand,” he said.

Ila took a deep breath. “I am with child,” she blurted out.

The room was completely silent for a moment.

“But…” Noah shook his head, frowning. “But that’s not
possible, Ila. You’re barren. You cannot conceive. You must be mistaken.”

“I am not mistaken,” Ila said firmly. “We are expecting a child.”

Noah’s face turned dark with fury. He put down his tools, and stepped closer to her. “How is that possible?” he demanded.

Ila cringed and moved backward.

Naameh quickly stepped in front of her, shielding her. “It was Grandfather,” she said quickly. “I climbed the mountain to see him.”

“What?” Ila looked at her, stunned.

“Grandfather?” Shem echoed. “What are you talking about, Mother?

“I… I…” Naameh began to explain. “I was brokenhearted when Noah decided there would be no other wives, no more children. So I went up the mountain to ask for Methuselah’s help.”

Noah went pale. “And Grandfather agreed?” he demanded.

“He said…” Naameh faltered. “He said it was your choice, not mine or his. But he also admitted that he is not sure about many things. Maybe the Creator does want the world destroyed because we have corrupted it and filled it with violence. Or perhaps… Perhaps He has other intentions.”

Noah just stared at her, waiting to hear the rest of her story.

“At first Methuselah did not want to help me, but then he agreed.” Naameh looked at Noah defiantly. “I told him that
I want my sons to have children! I want them to be happy. I can’t bear to think of any of my children dying alone. So at last he agreed.”

Ila’s heart thudded as she listened. Now she understood. That day she had been in the woods looking for Ham, Grandfather had been looking for berries and then he’d asked to bless her… So Naameh had set this all in motion…

Noah stalked over to Naameh. Ila gasped as he gripped his wife’s shoulders fiercely. “How am I to understand this?” he bellowed. “You visited Methuselah—for the purpose of undermining the Creator?”

“Yes.” Naameh said, defiantly. “I did it to give our children a future,” she shot back. “To give all of humanity a future!”

Ila could see Noah seethe with anger. Sobs filled her throat. She had never seen him so full of rage.

“Have you any idea what you’ve done?” he thundered at Naameh. “All those lives lost? All those people who died now for nothing! There is blood on my hands. Do you know what I might need to do now?”

Naameh stood in silence.

He let her go and spun back toward his workshop. With a single sweep of his arm, he knocked everything down and it clattered to the floor.

Then he buried his face in his hands for several long minutes.

Ila retreated, huddling in the corner with Shem and Naameh. When she glanced at Noah again, he was looking up
through the interior of the Ark as if he were thinking about all he had built, the chambers of animals, the years it had taken.

Tears cascaded down his face. Finally he stomped off, smashing through the hatch door and into the rain.

Ila was sobbing, her stomach clenched in terror. Noah was too angry; she had no idea what he was going to do. What would happen next?

* * *

Noah stayed out on the deck for a long time. Ila lay curled up on her bedroll, sobbing as Shem and Naameh sat with her.

Naameh stroked her hair. “Try to get some rest, Ila,” she murmured.

“Father will come around,” added Shem. “Perhaps once the baby is born, Father will forget his harsh words and give us his blessing.”

Ila didn’t reply. She could hear the doubt in Shem’s voice, which matched all her own doubts.

Shem covered her with a blanket and told her to sleep. In the corner he and Naameh murmured in low tones. She closed her eyes tightly, shutting out their voices.

Long ago Noah and Naameh had found her, enveloped her, and made her part of their family. But now it felt as if their family was fractured, broken like the earth.

Ham had been swallowed up by bitterness.

And Noah… Ila didn’t know, didn’t understand, his actions, all the burdens upon him.

She buried her face in the blanket.
Could this truly be the Creator’s will?
she wondered again. The question had haunted her since they had boarded the Ark. Did the Creator really intend to bring such great destruction and suffering to his people? What if… What if Noah was wrong? What if all this time…?

She closed her eyes, trying to sleep. She dozed for a while and then woke up again.

It’s so quiet
, she thought. Something had changed… The room was completely silent, completely still.

Then she shot up. “The rain!” she cried. “The rain has stopped! Listen!”

Naameh and Shem were sitting nearby. They listened for a moment. Then the three of them rushed out onto the deck, blinking in the sudden light. The sky and sea had turned from black to gray. For the first day in weeks and weeks, there was light.

Surely this is a sign
, thought Ila.

Ham and Japheth rushed out a second later. Ila peered at the far end of the ship, where Noah was kneeling. As he prayed, he stared out at the horizon.

Cautiously, Ila and Shem stepped closer. Now Ila could hear Noah’s prayers, the same words again and again. “I will not fail you… I will not fail you. It shall be done.”

“Father?” said Shem tentatively.

“The rains have stopped,” Ila chimed in. “The Creator smiles on our child!”

Noah turned to them. To Ila’s relief, his tears were gone. But the look on his face sent a new chill right through her.

“The rains have stopped because of your child, yes,” he said slowly. “But He does not smile.”

Noah paused to take a deep breath. “If the child is a boy, it shall replace Japheth as the last man. But if it is a girl…”

Ila felt her heart turn to ice as Noah went on.

“If it is a girl who could mature into a mother, then she must die!”

“Are you mad, Father?” Shem burst out. “You are speaking of my child!”

Noah ignored Shem. His eyes were fastened on Ila.

“Should you bear a girl,” he went on, “in the moment of her birth, I will cut her down.”

ILA SAT DOWN AT THE HEARTH, HOLDING THE SACK SHE
was stocking with food, her other hand resting on her swollen belly. She’d just felt something sharp within…

A smile slipped across her face.
The baby will be here soon.

The months since the rains had stopped had passed slowly, each one seeming to gather more tension and worry.

Sometimes Ila had let herself imagine the child growing in her womb. Perhaps the baby would be a son, strong and fast like Shem with his green eyes and bright smile.

Or she might be a girl, with Ila’s dark hair and eyes, and her thoughtful ways. Someday Ila could teach her how to gather berries and build a cooking fire, how to stitch a shirt.

Ila had also tried to fill her mind with love and hope, as her father had taught her, but Noah’s threats stalked her, day and night. The nights were especially difficult, with all her dark fears rushing in at once. Over these past months, Ila had missed her birth parents more than ever. How she longed to have them here with her now.

The pain had subsided. Ila stood up to finish her task. Then, carrying the sack full of food, she stepped outside. Together she and Shem and Naameh had been making plans. Shem had built a raft from logs scavenged from the Ark.

It sat waiting now at the edge of the ramp, held in place by two ropes.

Naameh and Japheth stood near the ramp.

Ila knew that Naameh never stopped worrying either. Every day Naameh sent out one of the birds from the Ark, hoping it would return with some sign of land, a place to which they could escape. But day after day, the birds came back with no evidence of anything except the endless sea.

Ila looked questioningly at Naameh, who shook her head no. “Nothing,” she said softly.

Ila handed the food to Shem. He was lashing down barrels of fresh water.

“We have to go,” Ila told Naameh. “We cannot wait much longer.”

“Ila…” Naameh ran a hand over her head, distressed. “There is nothing out there, no land anywhere. You have food, water for how long? Weeks? A month?”

“One month,” Shem replied. “We can survive.”

Naameh tightened her lips. “The raft is small, and the sea could grow rough. Please wait. Please wait until a bird comes back with something. Japheth, send the raven again to search.”

Japheth groaned. “He’s too tired, Mother.”

“Then wake another bird!” commanded Naameh. She forced some dried herbs into his hands. “Get one that can find us a home!”

Ila looked around the deck. “Where’s Ham?”

Shem shrugged. “He’s off by himself somewhere, as always.”

Ila hoped Ham would join them soon, at least for a short time. She missed him, and their time together was precious now.

Just then Noah emerged from inside the ship. Ila saw him watching them. He had seen the raft, he knew their plans. Ila stared back, keeping a protective hand on her belly. His eyes were dark and hard to read.

“No,” she said abruptly. “We cannot wait, Naameh. The baby is coming. We must leave today.”

She lifted her eyes back to Noah. For a moment he met her gaze. Ila did not flinch or look away. Finally, he did, turning around and disappearing back inside the Ark.

* * *

Working fast, Ila helped Shem finish loading the raft. They tied their bundles of food and some spare clothing under a tarp. Then they gathered a few more things.

When they were finished, Ila turned to Naameh. It was time to say goodbye.

Tears streamed from Naameh’s eyes. “Take care of that baby,” she managed to say.

Ila hugged her. “I will.”

Shem tried to smile. “Do not be afraid, Mother,” he said. “We will see each other in the new world.”

Suddenly Japheth spoke. His eyes were on something behind them. “Father?”

Ila spun around. Noah stood above them on the roof of the Ark.

Shem pulled her toward him protectively.

Noah looked at Naameh, who glared at him. Then he tossed a bag onto the raft below. Ila screamed as the raft burst into flames. Tzohar? Had Noah thrown tzohar?

Shem was watching the raft burn in horror. “No!” he cried.

Noah leaped down from the roof, landing on the ramp. He reached down with his knife and sliced through the restraining ropes on the raft.

Shem looked distraught. “I thought you were good. I thought that was why the Creator chose you, Father!”

Noah shook his head. “You have it wrong, son. He chose me because he knew I would complete the task. Nothing more!”

Ila stood next to Naameh, who was watching in disbelief.
Dimly, Ila knew Naameh was saying something. But an odd sensation was distracting her. She gasped as she realized that water was trickling down her leg.

She cried out, and Naameh saw what was happening. “It’s your time, Ila,” she said urgently. “Come with me!”

Shem and Naameh began leading Ila back to the hearth. As she walked between them, Ila couldn’t help taking a final look back at Noah. He stood alone. Behind him the raft that Shem had built for their escape was burning and crumbling, flaming bits of debris falling into the sea.

* * *

Inside Naameh and Noah’s tent, Naameh covered Ila with a blanket. Then Naameh felt Ila’s belly.

“You’ll be all right, daughter.”