Eden by Korman Keith;

Author:Korman, Keith;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Liberty Island

Come Forth

A great wind came out of the east with the rising sun.

The clouds overhead slashed across a blue sky.

And the wind dried the fallen rain off the skin of the land.

That day’s march promised to be as cold as the night before. The travelers clutched their robes about them, and those in tatters clutched their rags, waiting for someone to take the first step. It seemed much simpler to stand shivering than make the effort to move.

As they milled about Eden noticed the most curious thing. How this woman who once saw invisible flies came upon them so quietly in the night. Why they never heard her footfalls until she fell upon them.

Her feet were bare.

No sandals, not even cloth bindings. Her toes blue from cold, her heels red with cuts. Eden crept close, unsure if she was welcome, but the woman made no sudden movement. Eden sniffed her pale feet very thoughtfully, learning everything there was to know about them. The woman had been walking on bare feet and thick calluses for a long time. And Eden could smell the soot of solitude, the dust of a thousand roads and a thousand empty streets. A thousand barred doors against a woman who wandered alone and who talked to invisible flies.

Yet of the wounds themselves, some were new, the cuts fresh; others old and draining. And Eden smelled the ominous taint, the beginning of infection. The woman’s bruised feet could go either way, heal or rot …

Eden’s smart nose drew ever closer, sniffing round and round. What was to be done? What could be done? Eden knew only one thing to do: lick the cut and make it better. Licking always helped. See here now, Cut. I will fix you, Cut, lick and lick until you’re better. Licking always helps you heal. Pay attention, Cut.

Eden went at the woman’s foot, sniffing and licking round and round, making sure no part was missed. And the woman giggled as the dog’s breath tickled her toes and Eden’s warm tongue soothed the cuts. But the woman who once talked to flies wouldn’t let her keep licking forever. She petted Eden’s head and whispered:

“No, no little one. You needn’t do that. I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.”

The companions stood about with twisted mouths and covetous eyes, that their dog should be so kind to a stranger, when they themselves felt so little for the woman. Judas stared hardest of all, and Eden read his mind, you never loved me that way …

But instead of hurrying them off on the day’s march, their master only chuckled to himself, gathered his robes under him, and sat on a nearby boulder. Then suddenly he laughed out loud, needing only to touch the thong of one sandal to break the spell that held the companions in thrall. They saw their master tugging at his ankles and rushed to offer the woman the sandals off their own feet:

“Here, Maryam, take mine. No, take mine! Here, Maryam, take mine!”

But it was Judas who owned the moment.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.