THE FALL (Rapha Chronicles #1) (The Rapha Chronicles) by Keefer Chana

Author:Keefer, Chana [Keefer, Chana]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781935906551
Publisher: Old Barn Press
Published: 2012-12-02T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Sacrifice

Their simple home continued to take shape. Day by day they became more of a team, looking after the other’s needs and actually enjoying the hard work of scraping an existence from the stubborn land. They had a decent store of nuts gathered, but the berries were scant and shriveled, and a chill they had never known was in the air. Eve had cultivated a small plot of her favorite roots and greens, but a morning came when the tender leaves were dark, stiff and cold. What was happening?

The animals were on the move. Daily now flocks of birds flew overhead and herds of hoofed creatures moved hurriedly southward as if outrunning some evil of which the humans were unaware. Should they follow? Adam tried to keep his worries to himself, but their accustomed food sources were exhausted and the air grew ever colder. Also, his mate’s belly was swelling day by day. He had observed the ways of the animals enough to know what was happening. She had a baby growing inside her. They spoke of this a bit but both felt unprepared. Their only comfort came from the fact the animals surrounding them seemed able to raise their young. Surely they would know what to do when the time came—right?

Daily Adam’s fear mounted as their rations waned but, amazingly, Eve was content. She was fascinated with the miracle taking place within her body and would cry out in astonishment and grab Adam’s hand to share the movement when her belly moved of its own accord. Like the mother birds, she prepared their home, continuing to fill the chinks with clay to make it snug and laying aside whatever she could gather of the scant food.

One morning Adam rose early, gazing with tenderness on the girl-woman who slept on in the pre-dawn light. He had been taught so much about how to manage animals and nature, but how could that knowledge aid him when he simply needed to keep food in their mouths? How he wished for Adonai’s limitless wisdom that he had enjoyed in the garden. He recalled their conversations. They usually followed a simple line. He would ask a question and the Maker would answer, sometimes with another leading question, sometimes with a story.

“How I need You, Adonai,” he intoned without thinking. “I can’t believe You have forgotten us or didn’t have a plan for our survival here. You know everything. You are so kind and good. It is just so much harder to believe in You when I can’t see You every day. But I know You. You would not want her to be hungry. You would show me a way if You could. I know You hear me, but how do I hear You?

He recalled the words Adonai had spoken when He had joined them as man and wife. How did that go?

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.

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