Chapter 188
©
Jeannie St. John Taylor
With a thundering boom! — the door to the ark slammed and
locked. The sound of wood on wood reverberated through the corridors. Wind that
had been rushing in through the open doorway instantly ceased, and Atarah
stared numbly at gopher-wood where the outside world and her mother used to
exist. Her hands, which had frantically begged Mother to enter the ark, hung
limply at her sides.
She
felt Shem’s arms encircle her and she collapsed into him. Not crying. Barely
thinking. Her senses blunted by shock.
“You
okay?” he whispered into her hair.
The muffled clamor of a world in
upheaval raged outside. While Shem patiently held her, Atarah absorbed the
comfort of his arms. After a long moment she lifted her head. “Surprisingly, I
think I’m fine.”
“Your mother . . . ?” Shem let the
question trail off.
The rumblings and crashes outside
informed them Mother had undoubtedly
died. Already. Sorrow clutched Atarah’s chest. “I’m sad she
made that choice, but so grateful God was gracious and permitted me to tell her
I forgave her.”
“She
knew you loved her.”
Atarah
laid her head on his chest again and nodded, unable to form words.
“The One True God shut the door and
closed us in just Father said he would.”
“Shut us in with his own hand,” she
marveled. “And he’s keeping us safe while the world falls apart around us.”
She refused to think about what
might be going on outside. She couldn’t bear to picture the panic of the the
people she’d known in the city. Not even the ones who harmed her. She felt no
joy in knowing that Dagaar and the Nephilim would perish. “It may take me a
long time to come to grips with all the tragedy, but I know they all chose
their fate. Even Mahli.”
“The one you told me about? My
Uncle Paseah’s wife?”
“Yes. She could have fled the
underground.” The ark shifted and Atarah’s heart did a flip.
Shem placed an arm firmly around
Atarah’s shoulders and they started toward the family quarters. “Also, she must
have known about the One True God and the ark,” he said, “even if she only
heard when Uncle’s and Father’s other siblings scorned him.”
“Do you think she understood her
choice?”
“I think God makes right and wrong
clear at some point.”
“But do people always recognize the
choices they are making?”
Shem looked thoughtful. “I think
they know they are choosing, but they may not understand the significance of
the choice because Satan veils Truth.”
“Plus they sear their own
consciences,” Atarah said. “Mother told me she had The Dream just as I did and
she knew others who dreamed the same thing.”
“But they ignored the Truth that
the Light revealed to them and you didn’t.” Shem’s eyes glowed with pride and
gratitude.
The ark tilted at an angle causing
the gopher wood to creak and groan and making walking difficult. Shem grasped
Atarah’s hand and used the wall for support as they lurched along. “Walking
around in a moving ark is going to take some getting used to.”
“Are we already floating?” she
asked in amazement.
“We will be any moment. And you
know what that means.” He squeezed her hand. “You ready to get married?”
There hadn’t been time for a
marriage ceremony when Shem proposed three days earlier. So, because they
understood they’d be too exhausted to enjoy their time together until all the
animals were on board and settled, they’d agreed to postpone the marriage until
the ark launched. A thrill shimmied up Atarah’s spine as she realized the time
had arrived and Noah was waiting in the family quarters to perform the
ceremony. “I’m more than ready.” She smiled with a slow sweep of lashes.
Emotion glistened in Shem’s eyes.
“For so many years I feared I’d never meet someone like you,” he said his voice
thick. “I lost hope that you existed. You’re so . . . so . . .” She could see
him struggling for words. “Beautiful inside and out. So beautiful that . . .
that . . .”
“Compared to me all other women who
ever lived look like warty toads?” she finished for him, her eyes dancing.
He laughed, a warm rich sound that
made her tingle all the way to her toes. “Yep. You make every one of them look
like warty toads.” He lowered his head and kissed her. When he finally drew,
back her bones felt like they were made of water. “I’ve been looking for you my
whole life,” he said huskily, “and I don’t intend to wait one second longer.”
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About Jeannie St. John Taylor
Jeannie St. John Taylor, best selling author and two-time Gold Medallion finalist, is the author of five non-fiction books as well as fifteen books for children. She writes and illustrates in the office-studio her husband built on their beef farm ten minutes from the skyscrapers in downtown Portland, Oregon. She and Ray have three grown children. Her books include: Culture-proof Kids, Building Character in Your Children, AMG Publishers, Am I Praying, Kregel and How to Be a Praying Mom, Hendrickson Publishers
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