Sarah by Marek Halter

Author:Marek Halter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9781400080946
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Published: 2004-05-04T04:00:00+00:00

WITH a heavy heart, Sarai put her loaves, a gourd of cool water, another of beer, and some grapes and peaches in a basket, and covered it with a fine cloth she herself had woven. Since she had started living with the mar.Tu, she had learned to love these simple gestures. At that moment, though, the mere fact of carrying a basket brought a lump to her throat.

Aware that she was being watched, she stood up, and left the encampment with a confident step, responding to the smiles and greetings as she usually did.

In the distance, she saw a group of children gathered around Lot, whose turbaned head stood out above the others. Despite her distress, she could not help smiling fondly. She was sure Lot had succeeded in using his wound to compel respect from the other boys. She was sure, too, that the tenderness and pride she felt for Abram’s nephew was the same as a mother feels for her beloved son.

She walked toward the river as far as Terah’s workshop, where Abram had been working with his father since their arrival in Harran. The fire roared in the cylindrical kiln, which was twice the height of a man. Terah’s assistants were throwing big logs in through an opening, behind which flames could be seen dancing. Although they wore only loincloths, the heat was so intense that their torsos streamed with sweat.

Sarai hung back: Terah did not really like women to enter the lean-to where the statues of the gods were kept for polishing and painting before being taken to the customers. She called one of the assistants over and asked for Abram. The assistant told her that Abram wasn’t there. He had left the workshop early in the morning and nobody had seen him since.

Sarai’s first thought was that he had had another quarrel with his father.

“Do you know where he went?”

The assistant asked his workmates. They pointed to a path that led across the river and up a slope to a high plateau where the herds grazed. She thanked them and, without hesitating, set off along the path.

Tree trunks had been thrown across the river as a bridge. As she crossed, Sarai was sure that Terah was following her with his eyes from the door of the lean-to. She hurried on, anxious to join her husband.

As she climbed the path to the plateau, she tried to formulate the words she would say to Abram. She had been his wife for nearly twenty moons. Twenty moons since she had fled the great temple of Ur. Twenty moons filled with joy and sorrow. Yet she had never found the courage to tell Abram the truth. Now she had to. There was no turning back.

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