~/*\~ Paige ~/*\~
“It’s not how I pictured my first week in Paradise.” Paige admitted.
“Me either.” Russel confessed. “But I agree with Alvin. It’s best to leave the buildings in good condition.”
“When we got here, it was burned out. I doubt the owners will be back.” Paige offered.
“Nor do I, but it’s a place that can produce food and provide housing for dozens of people. Given the location, it’ll probably have people passing through fairly often. We clean it up and make it livable, it’s accommodation for anyone taking the highways.” Russel told her. “And it’s good practice. Sooner or later, we’ll have to start building our own homes.”
It had been four days since Paradise began, and everyone was trying to figure out what to do next. The Elders had gone across town collecting everyone in the region. There were more than two thousand brothers and sisters. And now all of them were on the move.
The Survivors had found a co-op farm outside the city. It had been picked clean and the vehicles taken, but the position was good, and most of the damaged equipment was easy enough to replace. It had taken days to shuttle everyone out to the spot. The co-op had a burned out dormitory, but the walls and roof were still standing.
Many of the brothers had been trained in maintaining buildings. It had been how they looked after their own halls, and built new ones. They all knew they weren’t likely to stay long, and there were still more survivors joining them from outer areas in the region. A tent city had sprung up around the farm. Almost everyone was in camping gear, or sleeping out under the stars.
“It’s not like we’re refugees.” Paige said quietly. “The food hasn’t run out. My canteen hasn’t been refilled in days, but it doesn’t feel any lighter. The brothers sleeping outside… there hasn’t been any cold, or rain. Even when I can hear it raining, the grass is wet beyond the camp, but every morning, the ground is dry here where we are.”
“Not so much as a mosquito bite on anyone.” Jannette nodded. “We’re living in a time of miracles.” Her face flushed. “So why do I feel like I’m trying to walk around on rollerskates all the time?”
Everyone had been surprised by something. What had been the biggest surprise were the survivors who weren’t Witnesses. Some of the inactive ones had apparently come back. Even a few disfellowshipped brothers and sisters had survived.
When Paige had learned that a few family members who had been opposed all the way up to the End had survived, (apparently changing their minds as they saw their believing relatives predictions come true) she felt her heart leap into her throat and she left the group, going back to see if her husband had made it.
He had not. She thought she had been ready for that, but the first week in Paradise had made it a shock again, somehow.
~/*\~ Satau ~/*\~
They were mostly used to the routine of movement now, knowing how to pack most efficiently, how to find their place in the formation. Goshen had been a slave community, but few of them had lived so long in tents. It was an adjustment that millions of people were making.
“I used to live in the Palace.” Takarut commented. “And I find I don’t miss it nearly as much as I thought I would.”
“I know what you mean.” Satau agreed, slinging his pack…
And the pillar of flame started to move again.
“Never get used to that.” Takarut commented. Then he squinted. “Is it my imagination, or is it… going the other way?”
Ashura’s eyes glimmered at the sight. “Is it coming for us?” She didn’t sound scared, she sounded hopeful. She was always a zealot, and she saw the presence of God every day.
Tzioni’s voice came down the line. “We’re turning back, towards Pihahiroth!” He called. “The formation is the same! Help each other find their way into position!”
Takarut and Satau traded a look. “We’re going back?”
“We’re going back!” Ohad-Ittai shouted, and he looked ecstatic. “What did I tell you? Egypt will be ours in weeks!”
And a chorus of people cheered, apparently thrilled at the notion. Satau felt a chill go through him, even as the pillar of flame lifted to pass them.
~/*\~
Like sought like, and even within tribes, and among the new nation, there were those that always gravitated to each other. Almost without meaning to, most people had walked with their usual work parties, or their neighbors from back in Goshen; sticking with the familiar faces. Years of oppression had given them a cultural identity, but there were enough people that they would never know everyone on sight.
As a result, the same groups were usually in each others circle when they stopped walking at the end of each days journey.
Tonight, the whole nation was buzzing with speculation about what the sudden change in course might mean. They were definitely doubling back the way they had come, and nobody could think of a clear reason why.
Which meant Ohad-Ittai suddenly seemed almost prophetic in his insistence that they were going back.
“If we go back to Egypt, we’ll die there.” Satau told Ohad-Ittai seriously.
“Have you not learned your lesson about what Jehovah is capable of? When we return, Jehovah will deliver all of Egypt into our hands. Every soldier will surrender to us.” Ohad-Ittai returned with certainty. “Certainly, they know by now that they cannot stand against Him.”
“No, that’s what you want Him to do.” Satau returned archly. “I know, for a fact, that Jehovah doesn’t answer prayers that contradict His plans. If He had wanted you to conquer Egypt, we never would have left!”
“We?” Ohad-Ittai shot back, eyes flashing. “Maybe it’s a little different for an Egyptian-”
“I made my choice, and I haven’t been Egyptian since the day we left.” Satau said with heat. “How many times do I have to say that before someone believes me?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you.” Ohad-Ittai returned. “It’s just that going back to Egypt as free people might be a hard homecoming for you.”
“Maybe it would be.” Satau conceded. “Especially if my new people have decided to return and enslave the people I grew up with, including my father.”
Ohad-Ittai set his jaw hard. “Your father, as High Priest of Ptah, would deserve no less; after what he ordered for some of us.”
Satau was ready to take a swing at him for that, but he held it back. “Maybe so. Then again, maybe he’s changed, given what he’s lost. I wouldn’t know, because I haven’t spoken to my father since the Darkness Plague, and likely will never hear from anyone I grew up with ever again. Even if they weren’t firstborn.”
It wasn’t a subtle shot, but Ohad-Ittai was left without a comeback just the same.
Leahe spoke up, very aware of the tension. “Satau is right about one thing, Ohad-Ittai. If we go to war against Egypt without Jehovah’s approval and support, we’ll lose. Even if we win, it’ll be a slaughter on both sides.”
Ohad-Ittai glared at her, wondering why she was getting into this argument at all. “Memphis is still in ruins. It has to be, because we aren’t there to clean it up; and I doubt the Egyptians have it in them to do the work.” He said, low and certain. “Maybe it wouldn’t even be that hard.”
Satau was about to answer, when he looked past Ohad-Ittai and saw Takarut waving at him. He didn’t need much incentive to leave this conversation and went over to his old friend. “They just cycled new scouts out to the rear guard.” Takarut reported. “The ones that have been out there for hours? They say that there have been horsemen riding back towards Egypt at full gallop as soon as someone arrives to take over the watch.”
“To be expected.” Satau wasn’t surprised. “We knew Pharaoh was making sure we kept going once we left. This sudden change in direction probably has them worried.”
“You think we really are going back?”
“...gods, I hope not.” Satau admitted.
~/*\~
The Red Sea was nothing like the Nile. Leahe found she couldn’t stop looking at it. She knew there were much bigger oceans. She never expected to see one. She had spent no small amount of time looking. Some people were fishing. The little kids were splashing around. The Nile was always flowing in one direction. The Red Sea was large enough to have waves, but nobody was going to be swept away.
“We’ve been stopped at the edge of the Red Sea for days.” Takarut said to Leahe.
“My father doesn’t know why either.” Leahe cut him off, before he could ask. “Almost everyone I know has been pushing me for information. I know only what you do.”
“Ohad-Ittai is convinced this is a staging area for our counter attack.” Takarut warned. “And I didn’t notice it at first, but the longer we sit here, the more people seem to be agreeing with him. His little troop of trainee-soldiers has more members every day.”
Leahe lowered her voice. “I’ve been trying to snap Deror out of his… well, terror of everything. He’s convinced we turned back because Moses doesn’t have a clue where we’re going.”
“Tell him that the Pillar of Fire is leading him, and not the other way around.”
“I did.” She admitted. “Several times. But he just can’t see anything good anymore.” She shivered. “We all suffered back there, Takarut. But he got it worse than most of us put together. He can’t imagine anyone with power might be loving. Can’t even conceive of the idea.”
“I went through some of that myself.” Takarut commented.
“I remember.” Leahe nodded. “Do you still think so?”
“That Jehovah is cruel? I admit, when I think about the things He has done, I still think of the Plagues more than the pillar.” Takarut admitted. “It’s a terrible thing to think about, but…”
“But you’ve eaten every day of your life, and watching the Nile turn to blood is something you’ve only seen once.” Leahe nodded. “I suppose I can understand that. I just have a… different perspective.”
~/*\~
“Your masters treated you terribly, Deror.” Ohad-Ittai said gently. “Wouldn’t you like to see them put in their place?”
Deror wouldn’t look him in the eye, shrinking back. “I’m not going back!” He shook his head compulsively.
“I don’t want you to.” Ohad-Ittai said soothingly. “But you spent more time in the homes of Egypt’s wealthy than most. If we do make a counter attack, you will be so valuable to the cause, just by telling us everything you saw.”
“And then what?” He demanded. “We put them in their place. Do we hurt them when they act up? Do we beat them when they don’t bring us food fast enough?”
Ohad-Ittai sighed. “My brother, you’ve never seen kind leadership. None of us have.”
“I don’t believe it exists.” He said honestly. “Authority and cruelty are the same thing. They always have been.”
“Always have been to us.” Ohad-Ittai assured him. “When we’re in charge, the Egyptians will learn what real authority should be like.”
Deror shook his head again. “No! Please!”
“Ohad-Ittai.” A voice said firmly. It was Tzioni. “Leave Deror alone and come take a walk with me.”
The two men walked away from Deror, away from others, and found a spot where they could speak quietly without being overheard. Tzioni got right to the point. “I know this is personal for you, but Moses never once suggested Pharaoh would give up his power-”
“He said that the Plagues wouldn’t stop until Pharaoh submitted to Jehovah. That happened.”
“Exactly. It happened, and we got our freedom. If we were meant to stay and take over the empire, we never would have left.”
“I’m told that the reason Pharaoh delayed so long was because he thought our ‘exodus’ was an attempt to get the women and children away from Egyptian reach before we came back to conquer.”
“And you think that would have made a difference to Jehovah? You saw what he did to Egypt. We didn’t need to think like his military commanders. We got our freedom without anyone in Goshen holding a sword.” Tzioni reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “I know this is personal for you-”
“Stop saying that. It’s personal for everyone.”
“I don’t mean getting justice for how we were treated. I mean the idea of an uprising.” Tzioni said firmly. “I was there, Ohad-Ittai. I was the one that carried you back to Goshen that night while you sobbed on my shoulder.”
Ohad-Ittai flinched, ducking away from his hand. “Stop it. I was a child.”
Tzioni looked at him with nothing but sympathy. “Your father tried to start an uprising. He failed. It wasn’t time yet.”
Deathly silence.
“Why not?” Ohad-Ittai demanded, wiping at his eyes. “We were there. Jehovah was there. My father was there. Pharaoh was barely a week into his rule… Was Moses really so indispensable? I could have delivered that message if God had picked me…”
Tzioni nodded, face heavy. “We all know people who ‘almost made it’, son. Your father wanted to fight back against the injustice, and it cost a thousand lives. It was obscene that they made you watch the executions at that age-”
“They couldn’t have stopped me from going.” Ohad-Ittai scorned. “He was my father. Those other people… they just wanted it to stop.” He wiped furiously at his eyes again. “Well. They got their wish, didn’t they?”
“If you think that leading the charge to finish your father’s attempted overthrow will bring him back or make him proud in some way…”
“I’m not an idiot, sir. I know my father doesn’t want anything anymore. He’s dead and gone.” Ohad-Ittai sniffed. “But the Pharaoh who gave the order-”
“Was little more than a child when he took the Throne. When he gave the order to put your father’s rebellion down, he was doing what his advisors told him to do. And he has now lost his son. Every firstborn. Everyone in Egypt is feeling what we felt, Ohad-Ittai. You got your wish. They all suffered the way we have.”
Ohad-Ittai said nothing. “We could do it, Tzioni. We could easily conquer Egypt, in the state we left it. Go back as free men. Actually enjoy the fruits of other people’s labors for a change…”
“Deror disagrees.” Tzioni challenged. “He doesn’t think we should escape them only to become them.” He lowered his voice. “He suffered more than you did. He’s so certain that authority can only be used for cruelty that he still thinks Jehovah is going to smite us all just because He can.” He paused. “And if you’re asking for tactical information, I have to be honest with you, I’m not sure he’s entirely sane after what he’s been through.”
Ohad-Ittai deflated. “I know.” He admitted. “In a way, that’s another reason why I want to go back.”
“Revenge?”
“Pride.” Ohad-Ittai admitted. “I know that we are meant to be humble before Jehovah, but I fear that some things just can’t be fixed. Maybe they put us down hard enough that we can’t stand up again. Not really.” He spread his hands wide. “Egypt was built to remind anyone who visited that it was the ultimate power and grandeur on Earth. And for us in Goshen, that was over and on top of getting the whip every day. So I wondered if maybe escaping wasn’t enough. Maybe, to fix this… racial wound that would last for generations, was to break down every bit of the place and rebuild it in our own image, brick by brick.”
“Sounds like something Pharaoh would say.” Tzioni challenged.
Ohad-Ittai froze, face flushing. “When I say that our ruleship will be better, I’m not just talking about giving them the lash.” He said tightly. “Egypt was at its strongest when Joseph was running the country. We can build all that back up, tear out all the false worship… We’ll build towers to Jehovah that make the Pyramids look like footstools.”
“With Egyptians to haul the stone.” Tzioni commented archly.
“Don’t pretend you’d be opposed to that.” Ohad-Ittai admitted.
“Egypt is likely still burying their dead.” Tzioni scorned. “All that infrastructure you’d like to take advantage of? There’s not much left of it. The only industry left with anything to work with are the embalmers and the gravediggers.”
“What graves?” Ohad-Ittai demanded softly, but his voice grew louder as he went. “After Jehovah reached out and touched them ten times, and the last the worst of all; is there truly any room left in the tombs? You know how Egypt treats their dead. We hauled stone for every memorial. The only buildings meant to last for eternity were the temples and the tombs. Are there any graves left in Egypt!?”
“Ohad-Ittai.” Tzioni said firmly. “Our route was chosen specifically to avoid Philistine territory. You know why? Because Jehovah knew that after years of oppression, we likely wouldn’t be in any state to handle a war.”
And then the horns blasted. Everyone stopped instantly.
“Th-Those are our rear guard sentires…” Tzioni said vaguely, feeling his heartrate tick up. “What have they seen?”
Ohad-Ittai looked eager. “This is it! The counter-attack begins here!”
Deror ran past them, already near-hysterical. “They’re coming! They’re coming! They’re going to kill us all!”
The two watched him go. “How much of our conversation do you think he heard?”
“Does it matter?” Ohad-Ittai enthused. “Bring them on!”
~/*\~
Deror’s shrieks of terror were heard by many people. Tzioni was right that his sanity had frayed considerably, and his thinking wasn’t sound. But panic was catching, and everyone who heard the crazed fear couldn’t help but be caught up in a little fear of their own. Everyone in Israel knew the sting of the whip. The war chariots were feared by nations and armies, let alone slaves.
Deror kept running for the sea, panicked enough that he nearly ran into the water to drown himself. As some of the people tried to calm him down, he related the things he’d overheard.
With the warnings sounding through the camp that there was indeed an army coming, the words that Tzioni and Ohad-Ittai spoke to each other started filtering into their thinking.
When the scouts returned, reporting on how many chariots there were, and the lines that they were forming, everyone knew enough of Egypt’s might to draw the obvious conclusions.
This was something new. Pharaoh had demanded that they go back to work, that the Plagues stop, that Moses stop tormenting them… But even at ninth Plague, Pharaoh hadn’t wanted to exterminate them all. They were his property, after all. They were his workforce. He couldn’t wipe them out without losing the confrontation by default.
But now, it seemed, he didn’t care.
~/*\~
“They don’t have enough warriors to keep this many people in line all the way back to Egypt.” Leahe said in worry. “They’re not here to recapture us.”
“No.” Satau admitted. “Where’s Moses?”
“What can Moses do? He’s eighty years old.” Ohad-Ittai retorted, hurrying to rally the people who had been listening to his battle plans. “Grab any weapons you can, and form a guard between our people and the enemy!”
“You’re hopelessly outmatched.” Takarut warned him.
“Tell that to Him.” Ohad-Ittai pointed at the Pillar of Cloud by the water. “That sign is our proof that Jehovah is on our side in this. This day will be ours, and with the chariots smashed, Egypt won’t have anything left.”
Satau was straining his eyes to see. From the water’s edge, everything behind them was uphill enough that they could see the oncoming chariots and banners. “Is that the Royal Chariot?!” He blurted to Takarut. “I think Pharaoh came personally!”
Ohad-Ittai was thrilled. “We’re gonna win!”
~/*\~
Tzioni was pushing his way through a crowd of people. The Pillar of smoke was planting itself between the Chariots and the people. But the people were all trying madly to figure out what had gone wrong. Their turning back hadn’t gone unnoticed. It felt like Jehovah had led them directly to the sea, where they would have no chance of escaping their execution.
“Was he wrong?” Someone asked shrilly. “Did we double back because Moses got the path wrong? The smoke and fire wouldn’t have followed his direction, would it?”
Tzioni didn’t have an answer yet, pushing past.
Deror grabbed pitifully at his robe, bursting out huge, wracking sobs. “You were right, Tzioni.” He wept. “They let us come out here deliberately. There was no room left for us in the pyres and tombs in Egypt. So they let us come out here before they killed us all.”
Tzioni pushed past him too, trying to get to Moses or Aaron.
(Author’s Note: The Bible account says ‘the people said to Moses’, but there were literally more than a million people. Obviously, nobody took an opinion poll. But since Scripture is Inspired, we can be sure it’s accurate, so it was more than just a few random malcontents. Trying to describe the reaction of that many people in a few paragraphs during an action sequence is all but impossible. The method I have used here is to have small groups, or even individual characters that demonstrate the opinions in play. For every person taking a position in this story, imagine a faction of thousands or more feeling the same way.)
Tzioni wasn’t the only one of the Elders pushing towards Moses. The entire Camp had heard the news by now. They were millions of people, in no shape to fight soldiers, still unpacked, their tents set up.
Tzioni finally caught a glimpse of Moses. He was looking up to the sky, as if listening to something. Moses turned to face the Elders, and gave the word. “Do not be afraid!” Moses declared. “Stand firm and see the salvation of Jehovah that he will perform for you today! For the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never ever see again!”
~/*\~
The Chariots were lining up for the charge. Everyone in Camp could see it. They were in full combat formation. They’d run down the entire camp, and let their blades shred their way through the whole nation.
“We have to surrender.” Satau whispered. “Don’t we?”
Ashura, one eye always watching the pillar of smoke, saw it first. “Look!”
Satau followed her pointing hand. At first, it looked like the pillar of smoke was leaving them, abandoning them to the Egyptian chariots… But then he saw it was lifting up above the camp, and moving behind them, going from a point-guard to rear-guard. The pillar of smoke reached wide across the entire camp. As it moved back to the ground, Satau very quickly lost sight of the chariots entirely.
“If we can’t see them, then they can’t see us.” Satau offered.
“They don’t have to see us. They just have to charge.”
“You’ve seen chariot runs. You want to try and keep a formation blind at a full charge? They’d take each other out before they got near us.” Satau retorted. “And that’s assuming the cloud doesn’t have something else that… I mean, it’s not like that’s normal smoke.”
~/*\~
Ohad-Ittai was still organizing his defensive line. “Form ranks, people!” He shouted. “Like we practised!”
But his team of warriors, so eager to learn how to fight, were still scattered throughout the Camp. They were from every tribe, not all in the same place. Many of them had pretended not to hear the summons Ohad-Ittai had made, terrified by the overwhelming odds against them.
“This is our chance!” Ohad-Ittai insisted. “They’re blinded! Surely this is to our advantage! I told you that Jehovah would give us the victory over the Egyptians! We drew their entire military force out of Egypt. The borders themselves are undefended now! We win this day, and we’ll have a clear road straight back to Memphis. This far out, will Pharaoh’s generals even know what’s happened to their strike force?”
Eliada was right beside him, his sword already drawn. “I think I saw the Royal Chariot. The Pharaoh himself might even be there, lost in the smoke!”
Ohad-Ittai was bouncing with anticipation, frustrated at the situation. “Now if we could just get our people organized, we could actually win this thing!”
Tzioni’s voice rang over the crowd. “Moses has given instruction! We are to break camp immediately! Break down your tents! Load up the wagons and the animals!”
“Break camp?” Eliada was surprised. “And go where?”
~/*\~
Tzioni was hurrying through his area, relaying the instructions as fast as he could.
Leahe had to break down their tent by herself. Deror helped, and so did Takarut and Satau. “Where are we meant to go?” She groused over a sudden strong wind. “We have the cloud on one side, and the Sea on the other; to say nothing of the chariots…” The sound grew louder, and she fell silent, surprised. What is that?
At first it sounded like a windstorm. Then the sound deepened and grew louder, and she realized it was the sound of water. She looked back to the Red Sea, and let out a cry.
Satau stared alongside her, jaw hanging open. Takarut’s eyes had bulged halfway out of his head, skin turning an unhealthy shade. Ashura was watching with blatant hunger, eyes fever-bright.
The sea wasn’t just drying up, it was pulling apart. The waters were standing upright, as if God had turned the whole world sideways. Framed between both growing walls of water… was Moses, still an old man in sackcloth robes, holding his staff outstretched, as if pointing the path directly down the middle.
Ashura got over it first, and she grabbed Satau and Takarut by the hands. “Come on!” She rushed them. “We have to get our own tents packed up!”
Satau tore his eyes away from the sea. He knew that if he kept looking, he’d never be able to move from the spellbinding sight. “Takarut?” He called shakily. “Later on, we should really have a conversation about what we’ve gotten into the middle of here.”
~/*\~
The Hebrews broke camp, moving into their usual marching formation. They’d been caught off guard. The usual rhythm of their march had been thrown off. Their camp usually had another few days before it moved again. Everyone was scrambling to find loved ones and make sure everything was packed. Harder than usual, given the supernatural events going on around them at the time.
As she tossed her pack over her shoulder, Leahe looked around. “Where’s Deror?”
~/*\~
Ohad-Ittai was still facing the pillar of fire, sword drawn. He would stand there alone if he had to. Eliada and a few of his trusted friends were with him, trying to keep their lines together. Those that had agreed to join the fight were breaking up, each of them with a family to prepare for the ‘retreat’ through the sea.
“Ohad-Ittai! Come on! The way is open!” Leahe shouted to him.
Hearing his name, Ohad-Ittai looked back at the Sea and the Camp finally starting to move. “Get the civilians out.” He told Leahe. “We’ll cover your escape.”
“Are you serious?” Leahe scorned. “Look at that!” She pointed at the water, the two sides growing higher and higher as the path between them widened. “Do you really think you can fight for us any better than Jehovah Himself?”
Ohad-Ittai gripped his sword tightly, looking back at the cloud, his enemies still invisible. “We can win this!”
“We are winning this!” Leahe shouted back. “Ohad-Ittai, if we are meant to strike back, we will. But today, the instructions are clear.” She pointed back at the Sea. “When a door like that opens for you, you take it.”
Ohad-Ittai couldn’t argue with that, and he sheathed his blade, though it actually hurt him to do so. “Men.” He called to those that had stayed by his side. “Round up any stragglers. If this is not to be our day for battle, then let’s at least make sure there are no losses among our own people.”
Leahe nodded. “Now, where in the world is Deror?”
~/*\~
Leahe found Deror hiding near where their tents had been set, paralyzed with fear, unwilling to walk towards the sea with the others. “Deror, what’s wrong?” She asked, trying to sound urgent and gentle at the same time.
Deror spoke through gritted teeth. “I can’t swim.”
Leahe almost laughed. “Neither can I.” She pointed out. “None of us can. You think any of us were given swimming lessons by our masters?” She pointed at the Red Sea. “Look. Does that look like we’re meant to swim across?”
“It looks like a death trap.” Deror whispered.
Leahe chewed her lip, looking back at the cloud. “Maybe. But I don’t think it’s a trap for us.”
~/*\~
The water was dark, as night fell. Any light from above was blocked by the depth of the water. The strong wind that had blown all day was silent. The weather was far above them, almost out of sight in the dark. They had lit torches to guide their way. The cloud that blocked the Egyptians had turned to fire as usual with the sunset, and the pillar cast it’s firelight straight down the middle of the gap in the Red Sea, shining on all the people within. A guiding light at their rear, and the water pitch black on either side, rising higher than they could make out from beneath.
It was slower than usual. The seabed wasn’t flat and featureless as the barren wilderness, though it wasn’t mucky or clawing at them. The seabed was dry ground.
Their usual march was a wide formation, three tribes wide. The sea had moved back to make room for them, which meant the walls just went that much further up. The smell of salt and brine was everywhere, unfamiliar to these people. Those that walked on the outer edge of the march were either gazing up in awe, or cowering back, afraid to get too close. The walls of water were congealed, but not frozen in place. There was a gentle lapping rhythm of the water, as the seas always had, only vertical. The donkeys and wagons were being led carefully around the larger debris, but the animals were dealing with it better than the humans were.
“Can you believe this?” Satau asked, not for the first time.
“No.” Takarut confirmed, yet again. “It must be a dream.”
“You saw ten supernatural signs of Jehovah’s power over the world.” Ashura crooned, looking around like it was wonderful artwork. “To say nothing of the Pillar of smoke and fire, and the freshwater flowing in the desert.”
“This is different.” Satau offered.
“Why?”
Satau bit his lip. “I knew a man in the Royal Guard. Strongest man I ever saw. Huge guy. Biggest muscles. Could have wrestled a crocodile. He liked showing off feats of strength. Lifting huge objects, tossing grown men up in the air to make people laugh… If he was holding a huge axe over my head with one hand all day, I’d recognize his strength, but I’d be nervous.”
“Plus, only a few of the Plagues were unnatural in form.” Takarut added. “Water is not meant to stand up vertically, let alone a whole sea. It can’t be done. It’s impossible. There are always frogs, always locusts… people die every day. Saying there are many many more of them is a miraculous act, but it’s still within the realm of the possible.” He gestured around. “This just defies reality.”
“Impossible is a word we may have to reconsider.” Leahe said with grim understatement. “But just so you know, I’m feeling it too.” She almost wanted to laugh, picking her way over a damp rock. “When you guys came to Goshen, I was so proud of myself, knowing all the answers to your questions already. This is just… beyond me.”
And then the slow march downhill stopped, and started going uphill. They were in the deepest part of the Red Sea, and now making their way up towards the opposite shore.
“I see light up ahead.” Ashura said suddenly. “Another pillar of fire?”
Satau craned his neck to see the open air up above. “Dawn.” He said softly. “It took all night to walk the whole nation through the sea.”
And then, echoing off the water, they heard the battle horns from far behind them. Everyone who had ever lived in Egypt knew that sound.
“They’re coming!”
~/*\~
The Chariots never got close. It had taken a full day for Israel to cross the seabed. The Chariots had been thrown into chaotic confusion halfway through. Israel had barely heard the shouting, but from what they could see down the ‘corridor’, it looked like the Chariots had been smashed apart on the debris. They’d heard the soldiers crying out about Jehovah fighting for them.
Satau wasn’t sure when Moses had begun walking. He’d extended his staff, and the sea had opened before it. Part of him wondered if the sea would close when he lowered the staff; but by the time Egypt was halfway across, Moses was on the other shore, standing between the people and the sea again.
The symbolism was irrefutable, instant, unmatched. Moses had become more symbolic to his people than Pharaoh could do in full regalia with his entire Throne Room and Court combined.
Takarut met his gaze. They didn’t have to say anything. They recognized the moment for what it was. Israel’s factions were silent, unable to counter the faith inspired by Jehovah’s might, and His appointed leader.
It reminded Satau of the way Jambres had been able to unite the disparate factions of Egypt behind their own gods.
~/*\~
The ocean had fallen back into place, consuming their enemies completely. The waves hadn’t even settled before the cries of Praise and Glory to Jehovah rang out. Moses wasted no time, leading the people in songs of praise.
(Author’s Note: Scripture says Moses led the people in song, and Miriam also led a band of singers. When these songs were written or rehearsed is not stated. It’s possible it happened later than we think; though scripture states it only as ‘At that time’.)
“Let me sing to Jehovah,
For he has become highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.
My strength and my might is Jah,
Since he has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt him.
“Jehovah is a powerful warrior.
Jehovah is his name.
Pharʹaoh’s chariots and his army,
He has cast into the sea,
And his finest warriors have sunk into the Red Sea.”
Satau didn’t know the words half as well as Miriam’s band of singers, who joined in on the refrain. But then, plenty of people were learning as they sang along. It was the first great song of victory that Jehovah’s people had sung. It wouldn’t be the last.
“Sing to Jehovah,
For he has become highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
He has hurled into the sea.”
Satau noticed Ashura, happier than most of the singers. She’d been joining the chorus to the gods her whole life. She’d often told him of the power of music over worship in the temples. She’d described it as everyone’s souls being joined in emotion. And this emotion was more than anything they’d had in Egypt, exulting over their victory.
This was exultation. They were free. Really, genuinely free. Any thought that their escape might only be temporary was behind them now. Any thought that it might be a trick, or less wonderful that it appeared, was settled. As a people, they’d almost forgotten what freedom was. They were really, genuinely beyond the reach of the chains they’d lived in for so long.
Satau shivered. It was really over.
~/*\~ Paige ~/*\~
“God’s Kingdom rules from above.
All praise His Son, the beloved.
Christ reigns in Zion, the chief cornerstone.
Let us all lift up our voice.
Sing to our God, and rejoice.
Christ, Lord and Savior,
Has been placed upon His throne.”
Paige sang along with the Congregation. She was surprised that she remembered all the words, already wondering if knowing them by heart was a miracle. The Day After, there had been an Angelic Chorus singing praises, and their voices couldn’t hope to compare, but even if they didn’t have Angelic skill and range, they were no less passionate, no less grateful.
It had been a full week since That Day. A full week in which nobody in the world had experienced an illness, an injury, or a death. A full week where nobody had been the victim of crime or violence. A full week where nobody had lied about God, or openly defied His Law. A full week where there was no blasphemy, by man or spirit, and everyone was happy to find each other.
A full week where only good things happen, all across the world. Paige thought, tears gathering in her eyes. It's not a dream. It’s not a mirage. It’s really happened. It’s really real.
And all she could do was pour the emotion into her voice as everyone, feeling the same way as her, did the same, rejoicing in song.
“What will you bring, Jehovah’s Kingdom?
Triumph of truth and righteousness.
And bring what else, Jehovah’s Kingdom?
Eternal life and happiness.
Praise the Universal Sov’reign
For His love and faithfulness!”
It’s over. Paige thought, weeping. It’s finally over.
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