Epilogue

 

~/*\~Takarut~/*\~

In Goshen, Takarut was getting hooded looks from everyone as he passed through their narrow roads. Unlike Satau, he made no effort to hide where he was from.

“Grandfather says this is just the beginning.” Leahe commented quietly. “If that’s true, then I imagine you might not be the last Egyptian to start looking for the truth about your own gods. Or at least, your own Pharaoh.” She paused. “I don’t know if he’s right. Part of me hopes so. Part of me hopes not.”

“The… bloodthirsty commands are not what drove me away from home, Leahe.” Takarut said softly. “There’s a famous story about the goddess Hathor. It’s said that her taste for human souls was so great the other gods feared her bloodlust would wipe out all life. And your God apparently drowned the whole world when He deemed it wicked, according to your grandfather’s stories.”

Leahe blinked. “If not the massacre, then… what?”

Takarut sighed. “My job was to ‘revise’ the truth whenever it became embarrassing to someone. If I’d been there eighty years ago, it would have been my job to come up with a lie to cover the massacre.” He gestured in the direction of the Nile. “My friend Satau? He’s an acolyte in the Palace Temple. He believes the Nile was struck with blood as a punishment for that. The Nile was their grave, and now Egypt must see the bloodshed.” His voice dropped. “Except none of them know it ever happened.”

“We remember.” Leahe said softly. “And Jehovah remembers. All of them.”

“If our people are thirsting because of the sins of our ancestors… Then it’s wrong that we don't know about them!” Takarut said passionately. “And I might feel that side of it more than you, but that’s because I was the one who has to hide the truth. I’ve done it so often and so easily that I almost believe my own stories.”

Leahe nodded. “Mm. Well. It’s not the worst reason. But it’s not one that my people are going to be sympathetic to. You feel bad because you lied about it. We feel bad because it happened to us. I’d have a lot more relatives if not for your people.”

“I know.” He didn’t really react to that at all. “To be honest, Leahe… I’m far less afraid of being despised by my new neighbors. I’m expecting that. I’m more worried that I’ll find the same thing here.” He looked around. “Will Moses ask me to cover up his own sins one day?”

“If Moses is our Deliverer…” Leahe said lightly. “Our people might cover his mistakes for him.”

Takarut actually winced. “I know what you mean.”

“Egyptians are the only ones who receive schooling, Takarut. The only Hebrews who can read and write are taught by our own. And it’s not like we carve reliefs of our history in stone. The stone isn’t even ours.”

“And the Egyptians don’t even record the truth.” Takarut admitted. “One day. One day, someone, somewhere, will put down a record that won’t be changed. One that tells the truth about the people we revere, sins and all.” He sighed, feeling the weight of his choice settle on his shoulders. “I don’t know what that record will be, but I hope someone manages it before all of this is forgotten forever.”

~/*\~Julian~/*\~

“I-I hope you don’t mind.” Gia said as she sat down. “The only Bible in the house was my mother’s King James.”

“It’s fine.” Martine assured her. “The JW’s have a translation of their own, meant to be more… well, comprehensible to people raised on modern English; but it’s good to have other translations to compare to.”

“I don’t know why I’m nervous.” Gia admitted. “It’s a study group of two people. I went through Law School and wasn’t worried about a night’s study.”

“It’s because studying in Law School decided your career. This study could change your life.” Martine nodded. “Don’t worry. We’re going to be fine. You’re a smart lady, Gia. You won’t have any trouble understanding it. What you do with what you learn? That’s a far more interesting question.”

Gia nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry that your husband isn’t joining us for this.”

Martine winced. “He made his choice. One day, he may make another one. The same is true of all of us.”

Gia shook that thought off and got to the point. “Anyway. Where do we start?”

“Where else?” Martine grinned. “In the beginning.”

Gia chuckled and turned to the first page on her Bible. “The first book of Moses, called Genesis.” She read. “Chapter one, verse one: ‘In the Beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…’”

End

~/*\~~/*\~~/*\~

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