Nathan’s First Passover By Melissa C. Pointer
Table Contents Chapter 1: The Field
Page 3
Chapter 2: The Bloody River
Page 15
Chapter 3: A New Past Time
Page 27
Chapter 4: Quivers and Lice
Page 34
Chapter 5: Flies flies flies everywhere
Page 42
Chapter 6: A New Work Assignment
Page 53
Chapter 7: Wigs, Dye and Powder
Page 59
Chapter 8: Explosions on Faces
Page 68
Chapter 9: The Mill House
Page 76
Chapter 10: Fire and Ice
Page 86
Chapter 11: The East Wind
Page 102
Chapter 12: The Fierce Army
Page 110
Chapter 13: Nathan’s Journey into Egypt
Page 117
Chapter 14: A Message from Yaweh
Page 126
Chapter 15: Lintels and Doorposts
Page 132
Chapter 16: The Exodus
Page 135
Chapter 17: Hold Your Peace
Page 140
Chapter 18: The Red Sea & Nathan’s Dolphin Page 146
The  Field
The  day  had  been  very  long.  It  was  hot  and  the  bright  sun  seemed  to  just  hang  in  sky  without  moving. Â
Nathan  wished  it  would  set.  He  looked  at  his  hands  they  were  so  swollen,  red,  with  little  white  cuts  in  them  from  using  the  sickle.  His  eyes  hurt  from  the  sweat  that  poured  into  his  eyes,  but  he  could  not  stop  he  had  to  continue  until  the  sun  would  set.  When  that  cruel  sun  would  set  he  could  go  home  and  eat  dinner.  He  would  not  have  to  be  out  in  the  field  gathering  wheat  that  he  would  not  be  allowed  to  eat.  He  would  not  be  yelled  at  nor  have  rocks  thrown  at  him.  “Look  at  the  Hebrew!â€?   The  overseer’s  son  loved  to  torment  him  and  the  other  slaves.  “I  saw  so  many  of  you  in  the  river!â€?  He  said  this  with  such  glee  as  he  pitched  rocks  at  them.  His  name  was  Ramses  and  he  was  a  short,  plump  boy  that  was  13.  He  had  a  mouth  filled  with  broken  teeth.  He  picked  up  large  flat  stones  and  pitched  them  towards  Nathan  and  Joshua.  His  goal  was  to  beat  up  a  slave  before  he  turned  14.   “I  hate  him!â€?  Joshua  said,  “If  I  could  only  get  my‌⋯â€?  well  he  couldn’t,  they  could  do  nothing  but  cut  the  wheat,  grind  the  seed,  and  carry  the  large  bins  to  the  store  house.  Nathan  gave  a  warning  look  to  his  friend  Joshua.  Nathan  had  been  taught  by  his  father  that  it  was  not  worth  giving  an  overseer  a  reason  to  beat  you.  This  may  seem  unfair Â
but  this  was  the  lot  of  any  Israelite  in  Egypt  because  all  of  them  were  slaves.  As  difficult  as  field  work  was  it  was  nothing  compared  to  the  brick  yard.  That  was  where  Nathan’s  father  worked.  Only  the  strongest  and  healthiest  of  the  Israelites  worked  there.  Nathan  looked  at  the  sun,  the  hateful  Egyptian  sun  in  the  spiteful  Egyptian  sky.  He  looked  at  his  friend  Joshua  who  was  mumbling  under  his  breath  about  the  overseer’s  son.  As  much  as  the  Egyptian’s  hated  the  Israelites  they  enjoyed  using  them  as  slaves  because  they  were  strong,  bright,  and  efficient  workers.  They  were  highly  skilled  masons  that  could  build  cities  quickly  and  nearly  perfectly.  After  many  hours  passed  the  sun  did  set,  the  bell  was  ranged,  and  the  plowing,  grinding,  and  packaging  could  stop.  Even  though  the  weakest,  sickest,  oldest  and  youngest  of  the  Israelites  were  used  in  the  field,  they  all  seemed  to  obtain  a  second  wind  when  the  work  day  ended.  Nathan  grabbed  his  bag  and  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  to  his  home.  Even Â
though  his  feet  were  red  and  puffy  from  working  it  did  not  matter.  In  spite  of  his  bruises  and  cuts  from  the  rocks  that  were  thrown  at  him  he  ran  fast.  His  legs  were  long  and  skinny.  And  from  any  else’s  view  they  propelled  they  boy’s  body  like  an  engine.  He  was  the  fastest  runner  of  any  boy  between  the  age  of  7  and  12,  and  he  was  only  10.  In  fact  one  his  nicknames  were  rabbit  because  of  how  fast  he  could  move.  When  he  finally  got  to  his  home,  he  could  smell  quail  being  roasted.  His  older  brother  Micah  was  home.  “Where‌⋯  did‌⋯  You?â€?  Nathan  could  barely  speak  after  running  so  fast.  “Alright  rabbit,  it  was  on  a  wall  and  the  silly  bird  simply  fell  into  my  net,â€?  Micah  said  with  grin.   Now  they  both  knew  that  what  he  said  wasn’t Â
true.  However  neither  of  the  boys  would  admit  that  to  their  parent’s  when  they  would  come  home.   “Where  is  mom,  where  is  dad,  do  you  ‌⋯?â€?   Before  he  could  ask  anything  else,  “As  enjoyable  as  this  inquisition  is  I  would  much  rather  eat  first,  “Our  father  has  gone  to  a  meeting  and  our  mother  said  she  would  be  arriving  late,  and  Hannah  should  be  home  soon.â€?  After  dinner  the  boys  knew  that  they  could  not  rest  but  began  their  daily  chores.  They  were  a  family  of  five,  there  were  two  boys  and  one  girl  and  this  was  unusual.  The  majority  of  Israelites  had  girls;  there  were  very  few  boys  after  the  age  of  12.  When  Nathan  asked  his  mother  she  told  to  him  to  go  gather  the  washing.  When  he  came  back  she  was  crying  as  she  was  cooking.  Later  that  day,  his  friend  Joshua  told  him  about  the  babies,  the  boy  babies  and  the  river.  A  few  hours  later  and  the  boys’  father  came  home  with  their  Uncle  Samuel.  “Do  you  think  it  is  possible  Max?  I  have  never  seen  our  father  so  happy  or  so  sure,â€?  both  of  the  men  sat  at  the  small  dinner  table.  The  boys  began  to  serve  them  dinner  and  they  so  wrapped  up  in  their  conversation  that  neither  paid Â
attention  to  the  illegal  quail  that  were  being  roasted.  “I  don’t  know  Sam  about  this  man  who  used  to  be  in  Pharaoh’s  house  is  actually  going  to  lead  us  out  of  here.â€?  “I  know  our  father  is  old,â€?  his  brother  said,  “but  he  said  he  saw  three  signs,  water  doesn’t  turn  to‌⋯â€?  “Working  in  the  hot  sun  can  sometimes  make  people  see  strange  things  later,  once  I  thought  I  saw  three  cats  dancing  on  a  roof.â€?  “That  is  not  funny,  Max,â€?  his  uncle  insisted  as  they  both  began  to  eat  the  spicy  quail  at  the  table.  The  boys’  just  looked  at  them  and  sat  near  them  listening.   “When  I  see  us  leaving,  that  is  when  I  will  believe  we  are  leaving  Egypt,â€?  their  father  said.   Both  of  the  men  were  tall  and  athletic  looking.  Max  had  dark  eyes  and  hair  that  was  black  and  shiny  like  onyx.  Whereas  their  uncle  Samuel  eyes  were  green  and  his  hair  was  brown  with  little  flecks  of  amber.   “Your  mother  has  not  come  home  yet?â€?  “No,â€?  said  both  boys  looking  at  him.  Both  of  the  boys  were  both  thinking  about  the  same  thing:  leave  Egypt,  signs,  a  man  called  Moses?  What  happened  at  this  meeting  that  the  elders  had?  Before  they  could  hear  any  more  or  say  anything,  they  heard  their  mother  yelling  outside. Â
Their  mother  was  a  petite,  soft  spoken  woman.  She  had  thick  long  curly  black  hair  that  she  would  pin  up.  She  worked  for  an  Egyptian  seamstress.  She  made  clothes;  she  wove,  dyed,  and  sewed  everything.  She  rarely  raised  her  voice  but  tonight  was  different,  “You  have  shamed  me,  your  father,  your  entire  nation,  how  could  you!!  Just  to  have  that  worthless  man  look  at  you!!  You  would  deny  your  name  you  would‌⋯â€?  Micah  raced  to  the  door  but  before  he  could  reach  it  his  mother  came  in  dragging  his  sister  Hannah  in  by  her  clothes.  But  Hannah  was  dressed  differently,  oh  no!  She  had  a  long  chain  with  a  golden  beetle  on  it,  she  was  wearing  one  of  those  white  linen  outfits  that  Egyptian  women  wore  and  she  had  lined  her  eyes  the  way  they  did.  Her  face  was  red  and  she  was  crying.  “You  think  I  want  to  keep  living  like  thisâ€?,  she  cried,  “I  hate  being  a  slave!  I’d  rather  be  a‌⋯â€?  before  she  could  say  anything  else  her  mother  slapped  her.  She  took  off  her  wig  and  ripped  the  chain  from  her  neck.  This  was Â
not  the  first  time  that  this  has  happened  among  the  Israelites.  There  were  Hebrews  that  disliked  being  one  so  much  that  they  began  to  behave  like  the  Egyptians.  They  wanted  to  gain  acceptance  by  those  who  were  in  power.  They  would  try  to  wear  ornaments  like  them  and  eat  like  them.  They  practiced  their  dances  and  tried  to  paint  themselves  like  an  Egyptian  and  looked  down  on  other  Israelites.  Their  uncle  excused  himself  and  boys  sent  themselves  to  bed.  During  the  night  they  heard  their  parents  shouting  and  Hannah  crying.  Days  after  that  seemed  to  move  as  they  always  did.  Nathan  would  rise  early  and  help  his  mother  with  the  washing  and  making  meals  for  everyone.  He  would  go  work  in  the  field  and  have  rocks  thrown  at  him  by  Ramses.  After  the  long  day  he  would  get  home  and  would  go  fishing  at  night  with  his  brother  and  hear  him  tell  jokes  about  Egyptians.  But  on  this  day  near  the  end  of  a  long  day  in  the  field  he  saw  his  cousin  Levi  ran  towards  him.  He  was  a  slender  lad  with  skin  like  caramel.  He  ran  furiously  towards  his  cousin.  “I  have  news,â€?  he  then  began  to  whisper;  “We  are  going Â
to  leave.â€?  Nathan  looked  at  him  and  said,  “that  isn’t  news  I  am  about  to  go  home  now  because  I  am  hungry.â€?  Levi  then  hit  him  upside  his  head,  “No!â€?  he  then  began  to  whisper,  “Egypt.â€?   Nathan  gave  his  cousin  a  perplexed  look.  Both  of  the  boys  began  to  run  towards  his  home.  When  they  finally  reached  his  hut,  Levi  told  Nathan  about  the  meeting  the  elders  had  and  how  their  grandfather  said  that  God  was  going  to  free  them  and  force  pharaoh  to  let  them  go.  Nathan  did  not  know  what  to  say  to  any  of  this.  The  only  life  he  knew  was  that  of  being  a  slave  in  Egypt.  He  hated  being  a  slave  or  having  rocks  thrown  at  him,  being  threatened  by  the  Egyptians,  or  not  even  being  allowed  to  go  certain  places.  But  leave  and  to  go  into  a  wilderness?  Does  a  promise  land  really  exist?  He  would  love  to  see  Ramses  forced  to  give  him  gold  or  silver.  Their  grandfather  seemed  to  really  believe  what  Moses  had  said.  But  his  father  didn’t  seem  to.  He  would  ask  Micah.  That  might  not  be  wise,  he  could  see  Micah  telling  him  to  prepare  for  the  departure  and  laughing  him  to  scorn  later  about  believing  him.  He  would  ask  his  father,  he  would  ask  tonight. Â
His  father  did  not  come  home  at  the  same  time  nor  did  Micah.  Micah  had  just  been  sent  to  the  brickyard  a  week  earlier  to  help  build  another  ornate  city.  Nathan  cleaned  the  entire  hut,  top  to  bottom  he  wanted  his  father’s  full  attention,  he  had  so  many  questions.  His  mother  and  Hannah  came  home,  tired  from  another  day  of  seamstress  work.  As  he  served  them  dinner,  he  wondered  why  they  hadn’t  come  home  yet.  He  began  to  see  a  worried  look  in  his  mother’s  eyes.  He  went  outside  to  gather  so  more  wood  to  keep  the  fire  going.  When  he  came  back  inside  he  saw  his  father  and  his  brother  inside.  Micah  had  no  smile,  no  jokes  to  tell.  His  sister  was  bandaging  his  head  and  afterwards  he  walked  slowly  to  bed.  Nathan  could  not  move  he  just  stood  in  the  doorway.  He  never  saw  his  father  liked  this  before.  One  tear  fell  from  his  large  dark  eyes.  “They  told  us  we  could  have  no  more  straw.â€?  He  said  with  his  low  rumbling  voice.  “As  if  the  work  was  not  hard  enough;  they  said  we  had  to  make  the  same  amount  of  bricks.  Micah  worked  as  fast  as  he  could  to  gather  it,  but  because  he  came  up  2  bricks  short  they  just  beat  him.â€?  Nathan  learned  later  that  his  uncles  stopped  his  father Â
from  coming  to  Micah’s  aid,  they  knew  what  would  have  happened  if  he  interfered.  Throughout  the  neighborhood  talk  about  the  new  law  was  discussed.  When  he  worked  in  the  fields  he  heard  it  from  Ramses  as  well,  “they  don’t  need  tools,  and  they Â
should  harvest  the  grain  with  their  hands,  since  they  have  so  much  time  to  think  about  serving  their  God  in  the  wilderness.â€?  He  continued  to  jeer  at  them,  “No  tools,  no  straw,  for  an  idle  people.â€? Why?  Is  this  happening  to  us,  when  this  will  be  over,  why!!  He  thought  to  himself.  He  continued  grind  the Â
hard  grain  into  powder.  What  is  next,  will  they  have  me  break  these  husks  with  my  bear  handS. Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Chapter  2:  The  Bloody  River
Even  though  life  had  become  difficult;  Nathan  had  one  joy  left  the  few  hours  of  uninterrupted  sleep  he  had  at  night.  It  was  what  he  looked  forward  to  every  day.  No  Ramses  was  there,  no  wheat,  no  bricks,  no  overseers,  no  Egyptians.  Just  him  and  his  covers  in  a  bed  made  soft  by  quail  feathers.  This  was  his  favorite  part  of  the  day.  Right  now  he  was  in  the  middle  of  a  wonderful  dream  of  eating  juicy  plums  and  being  surrounded  by  spicy  roasted  quail.  Quails  with  spicy  red  sauce,  quail  fried  with  black  pepper,  quail  with‌⋯.
 “It  happened,  wake  up,  wake  up!!!â€?  I  am  going  to  kill  him,  Nathan  thought,  I  don’t  care  if  Levi  is  my  cousin  to  day  he  must  die!  He  looked  at  his  cousin  who  woke  him  up  from  a  wonderful  dream.  He  was  allowed  to  sleep  in  today  because  an  all  of  the  wheat  was  harvested  and  his  crazy  cousin  decided  to  wake  him  up.  “You  have  to  come  see  this!â€?  “See  what!â€?  Nathan  yelled  back  at  him,  “the  river  it  has  turned  to  blood,â€?  Levi  was  nearly  breathless  but  still  kept  repeating,  “It  has  happened!!â€?  Nathan  put  on  his  sandals  and  joined  his  cousin.  The  boys  raced  through  the  woods,  up  the  hills  and  past  empty  fields  and  saw  a  sight  that  had  never  been  seen.  Whoa!!  Was  all  Nathan  could  say.  There  was  the  hated  river  that  he  had  heard  so  much  about.  It  wasn’t  just  red  with  waves  that  had  pink  frothy  crests.  It  was  really  was  blood.  It  was  thick  and  the  smell,  the  hideous  odor  that  came  from Â
it.  No  swimming  for  Ramses  in  the  Nile  today  he  thought.  “What  are  you  to  doing,â€?  He  heard  behind  him.  It  was  Hannah  and  then  he  saw  Micah  quickly  coming  towards  them.  “I  thought  you  were  up  to  your‌⋯Whoa  what  happened  to  the  river!!!â€?  Micah  said.  All  four  of  them  stood  there  in  amazement.  They  watch  as  they  saw  clots  of  blood  harden  on  the  river  bank.  “I  told  you,â€?  Levi  shouted,  “I  was  here  trying  to  gather  straw  for  my  father  before  he  went  to  work  today  and  I  saw  them,  Moses  and  Aaron.  Aaron  had  a  rod  and  stretched  it  over  the  river  and  it  turned  to  blood.  They  did  this Â
while  pharaoh  came  out  with  his  advisors.  They  could  do  nothing  about  it!â€?  They  then  realized  they  were  not  alone,  Nathan  saw  Ramses  and  his  father  pointing  towards  the  river  on  a  different  hill,  he  saw  his  Uncle  Samuel  fifty  feet  away  with  his  wife  they  were  hugging  and  crying.   He  saw  multitudes  of  Egyptians  gathering,  looking  with  fear  and  many  of  them  calling  on  their  gods  to  change  the  river  to  heal  it,  but  nothing  could  be  done  by  them. The  entire  land  of  Goshen  was  buzzing  about  what  happened  no  water  could  be  found  for  the  Egyptian  crops  and  the  smell  of  that  land  was  awful.  He  saw  a  significant  change  in  his  sister  Hannah  she  no  longer  hummed  Egyptian  tunes  or  secretly  kept  beetle  pendants.  She  did  not  want  to  have  anything  to  do  with  Egyptian  fashion  or  trends.  The  taskmasters  were  as  cruel  as  ever  but  were  too  exhausted  to  do  the  evil  they  wanted  too  towards  their  slaves.  They  had  no  water  to  drink  and  were  angry  that  the  Hebrews  were  not  thirsty  and  said  that  they  were  hiding  water  from  them.  His  mother’s  mistress  could  not  dye  anything  because  all  of  the  wells  were  filled  with  blood  and  what Â
seemed  like  water  in  a  cup  quickly  changed  to  blood  whenever  they  tried  to  drink  or  pour  it.  This  went  on  for  seven  days.  Now  many  of  the  Egyptians  did  not  think  upon  this  because  they  said  the  great  magicians  could  change  water  into  blood.  When  the  river  turned  back  to  normal  the  Egyptians  allowed  the  Israelites  to  know  their  great  displeasure.  However  they  could  not  break  their  spirit.  For  cruel  as  their  bondage  became  they  knew  that  they  would  soon  be  delivered.  Weeks  went  by  and  nothing  happened.  The  ugly  clots  had  finally  been  washed  away  along  with  the  dead  fish.  One  of  the  gifts  of  the  bloody  river  was  wilted  crops,  trees  that  leaned  to  the  side  and  the  grass  turned  yellow  and  crispy.   It  was  weeks  before  that  smell  went  away.  Ever  since  the  river  was  changed  Nathan,  Joshua,  and  Levi  would  travel  to  the  river  bank  each Â
morning  just  to  see  if  Moses  and  Aaron  would  be  there.  Today  was  no  different.  “Do  you  think  they  will  do  something  today?â€?  Joshua  asked.  “It  is  not  by  their  power,  but  God  shall  free  us,â€?  Levi  repeated  what  their  grandfather  had  said.   “I  think  I  see  them  down  there,â€?  Nathan  said  so  happily,  finally,  they  have  come  back.  “Frogs!!â€?  They  all  shouted,  “wait  a  minute,  that  is  a  lot  of  frogs  coming  up  out  of  the  Nile,â€?  Joshua  said.  They  were  so  loud  too  and  it  seemed  to  be  a  river  of  them  coming  from  the  river:  purple  frogs,  green  with  black  dots,  tiny  red  frogs,  and  long  skinny  blue  ones,  round  orange  ones  and  they  were  moving  towards  pharaoh’s  palace!!  Not  only  to  where  he  resided  but  they  saw  them  enter  the  great  homes  on  the  river  banks  and  others  seemed  to  march  toward  the  cities,  still  others  went  to  the  fields.   Nathan  ran  towards  his  house  to  tell  Micah,  to  tell  Hannah  to  tell  his  parents.  But  when  he  got  there,  no  one  was  home  the  small  hut  was  empty.  So  much  news!  So  much  to  tell!  I  don’t  have  to Â
go  to  the  fields  today  he  thought  to  himself  and  before  he  could  think  anything  else  he  heard  his  mother,  sister,  and  brother  walked  through  the  door.  “What  are  you  still  doing  here,â€?  before  she  could  say  anything  else,  Nathan  blurted  out,  “the  river,  Moses,  Aaron,  they  did  it  again.  Frogs,  hundreds,  thousands,  hundreds  of  thousands  of  frogs  marching  to  the  palace,  through  the  fields,  in  people’s  houses,  I  saw‌⋯â€?  they  looked  shocked  and  Micah  interrupted  him  and  said,  “That’s  why  there  was  such  an  uproar  at  the  seamstress’s  house.  There  were  frogs  on  the  lamps,  coming  out  of  the  wells;  they  were  hanging  out  of  the  windows.  I  saw  one  of  her  early  morning  customers  running  out  screaming  with  frogs  on  her  head.â€?  Hannah  just  smiled  and  giggled.  Their  mother  said,  “Yahweh,  has  come  he  will  deliver  us  from  this  horrible  place.â€?  She  put  her  head  in  hands  and  began  to  cry  and  then  stood  up  and  said,  “We  must  continue  on,  now  is  not  the  time  to  behave  foolishly,â€?  she  said  as  she  looked  at  her  children.  “Go  to  the  field,  go  to  the  brickyard.  Your  sister  and  I  will  stay  here Â
and  take  care  of  the  house.  I  don’t  want  the  taskmasters  to  have  any  reason  to  beat  you.  If  you  do  not  have  to  work  there  come  straight  back  home.  We  must  continue  on  until  God  delivers  us.â€?  Go  to  the  field,  Nathan  thought  to  himself,  what!!??  On  a  wonderful  day  like  this;  he  picked  up  his  sack  and  grabbed  his  sickle  and  walked  out  the  door.  I  will  be  the  only  one  working  for  the  Egyptians  today  he  thought.  When  he  was  outside  the  borders  of  Goshen  near  the  wheat  field  he  heard  commotion  and  saw  unusual  sights.  What  look  like  swollen  ivy  that  pulsed  was  actually  frogs.  Hundreds  of  frogs  covered  each  home.  There  were  screams,  he  heard  swearing,  and  shouting  from  each  home.  Large  barrels  of  frogs  were  being  pitched  out  the  windows.  That  did  not  matter  because  there  were  others  entering  the  chimneys,  crossing  the  threshold,  and  the  weight  of  some  was  so  great  it  caused  the  roofs  of  some  homes  to  collapse.  It  was  a  strange  sight  to  behold.  He  saw  grown  men  tumbling  out  of  their  windows  in  an  effort  to  escape  the  sea  of  slimy  covered  green,  brown,  red,  and  yellow  but  there  was  no  escape,  there  would  be  no  relief.  As  he  reached Â
the  field  there  was  no  taskmasters  to  make  them  sow.  They  had  all  been  called  back  to  their  homes  by  their  frantic  wives.  “Where  are  they  coming  from!!â€?  he  heard  a  man  shout,  “From  the  river,  I  heard  that  Moses,  did  it!â€?  These  were  the  shouts  that  were  coming  from  the  lone  mill  house  situated  near  the  end  of  the  wheat  field.  Nathan  looked  on  as  he  saw  loaves  of  bread  and  dough  being  pitched  out  of  the  window.  “Worthless,  worthless,  we  can’t  sell  this,  how  did  they,  why??â€?  An  elder  from  Israel  looked  amazed  as  he  picked  up  a  loaf  of  bread  filled  with  tiny  red  frogs.   Then  he  heard  a  shrill  woman’s  voice  screech,  “Bade  them  to  leave,  they  cannot  be  here,  they  are  bad  luck!!â€?  Then  he  saw  a  wild  looking  young  woman  come  out  of  the  mill  house.  She  told  them  there  will  be  no  work  today  and  to  go  now.   Nathan  smile  filled  his  face  and  he  ran  back  home.  On  the  way Â
home  he  hummed  a  song  his  grandmother  taught  him  about  the  redemption  of  Israel  and  the  promise  land.  One  day,  one  day  he  began  to  sing  aloud  we  will  be  free!!  As  he  reached  the  main  road  in  Goshen  he  saw  his  father,  Uncle  Samuel,  and  Micah.  “I  heard  you  saw  it  begin,  Nathan,â€?  his  uncle  laughed.  “Let  us  get  home  and  then  we  can  talk  about  it,â€?  his  father  said  sternly.  It  was  not  that  his  father  did  not  believe  or  was  happy  that  the  Egyptians  were  being  punished.  He  knew  that  there  roving  gangs  of  young  Egyptian  men  that  were  abusing  Israelites  that  traveled  on  the  roads.  The  attacks  became  worse  after  the  river  turned  to  blood.  They  blamed  them.  They  did  not  think  it  was  fair  that  Hebrews  had  water  and  they  didn’t.  He  knew  that  they  would  become  even  more  brazen  after  this  plague.  Once  they  reached  their  home,  they  were  greeted  by Â
Nathan’s  mother,  Hannah,  and  his  grandmother.  It  was  a  joyful  time  in  the  hut;  in  fact  the  entire  mood  of  the  village  was  elevated.  “Don’t  worry  about  them,  Maxwell,â€?  his  grandmother  looked  at  his  father,  “They  are  so  busy  dealing  with  the  frog  invasion  they  do  not  have  the  time  or  energy  to  torment  us.â€?   “I  am  not  sure,  Mama,â€?  he  paused  and  then  continued,  “I  never  met  an  Egyptian  that  could  not  find  time  to  hurt  a  Hebrew.â€?  There  conversation  was  not  in  the  forefront  of  Nathan’s  mind.  He  was  too  busy  retailing  the  tale  of  seeing  the  sea  of  frogs  encroached  upon  the  great  houses  and  chaos  that  he  witness  on  the  way  to  the  field.  “How  tall  was  Moses?â€?  “Did  that  evil  man  really  run  out  screaming?â€?  “I  heard  the  houses  shook  from  having  so  many  frogs.â€?  These  were  the  questions  and  conversation  he  was  enthusiastically  being  pursued  by  the  young  boys  and  girls.  Later  on  that  night  he  stayed  up  with  his  cousin  Levi  and  Joshua  discussing  what  they  were  going  to  do  when  they  get  to  the  promise  land.  “I  am  going  to  get  as  many  horses  as  I  can  and  race  them,â€?  Joshua  said  enthusiastically,  “Why  would  you  do  that?â€?  Levi  asked, Â
“One  horse  should  be  enough.â€?  He  then  countered,  “There  will  be  no  laws  against  it  there,  like  it  is  here.â€?  The  boys  continued  throughout  night  about  dreams  of  swimming  in  the  land  of  milk  and  honey,  the  horses  they  would  have,  the  houses  they  would  own  and  never  working  in  a  field  again. Â
Chapter  3 A  New  Pastime Â
What  was  wonderful  about  the  siege  of  frogs  was  that  it  kept  the  Hebrews  from  working  for  the  Egyptians. Â
Everything  was  at  a  standstill.  Many  of  their  taskmasters  were  weaker  because  they  could  not  eat  any  bread  due  to  the  fact  that  frogs  found  ways  to  enter  the  ovens,  kneading  troughs.  They  could  not  sleep  at  night  from  the  sound  of  them,  their  rib  bits  echoed  in  the  streets,  you  could  hear  the  frogs  fighting  each  other,  and  even  the  sound  of  some  the  heavier  frogs  bothered  them:  plop,  boom,  plop,  rib  bit,  rib  bit,  smack,  plop.   The  treasure  cities  filled  with  ornate  stone  work  were  now  covered  from  the  street  to  the  tallest  pyramid  with  slimy  multi-colored  frogs.  A  few  days  of  this  and  the  complaint  of  the  people  reached  pharaoh.  However,  he  too  was  being  tormented.  For  frogs  entered  his  bath,  laid  across  his  tables,  and  he  could  see  his  own  bed  covers  move  from  frogs  who  decided  to  play  under  his  covers.  This  had  to  end;  this Â
was  unbearable  his  advisors  thought.  So  Moses  was  called,  they  would  say  anything  to  stop  this  besiegement  of  hopping  frogs.  As  the  messenger  was  sent  to  find  Moses,  Nathan  and  his  friends  sat  quietly  on  a  small  crevice  of  a  hill  overlooking  the  river.  This  was  now  their  favorite  spot.  It  was  where  they  first  saw  Moses  and  Aaron  and  it  was  the  perfect  place  to  view  the  plague  that  was  taking  place.  The  boys  ate  large  bright  red  and  purple  berries  that  were  freshly  picked.  There  fingers  were  sticky  from  the  sweet  juice  that  came  from  the  fruit.   As  they  watch  people  from  below.  They  saw  horses  buck  and  nay  from  frogs  riding  on  their  backs.  One  man  tried  lighting  the  frogs  on  fire  but  whenever  he  could  get  a  fire  started  the  frogs  would  simply  use  their  large  pink  tongues  to  blow  out  the  flame.  “What  do  you  think  will  happen  next?â€?  Joshua  asked.  “I  did  not  know  that  purple  frogs  existed,â€?  Nathan  said, Â
“Look,  look  I  think  I  see  them  fighting  each  other  again.â€?  The  orange  frogs  were  attacking  the  other  frogs  in  a  unique  battle  formation.  These  were  not  ordinary  frogs.  The  three  boys  watched  the  event  unfold  for  hours  until  the  late  afternoon.  They  had  never  had  consecutive  days  in  which  they  could  play  or  rest.  Since  they  were  five  they  had  worked  in  the  fields.  In  fact  all  of  the  Israelite  children  wanted  this  plague  to  last  longer  so  that  their  holiday  could  continue.  When  the  boys  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  camp  they  greeted  by  Micah.  “Hey,  rabbit,  where  have  been?â€?  Nathan  gave  him  a  look  of  innocence,  “We  were  gathering  berries,â€?  he  showed  his  brother  his  sticky  hands.  “Yea,â€?  Micah  wasn’t  buying  it.  He  was  carrying  a  bag  of  illegal  quail  when  Nathan  asked  him,  “Hey  what  is  in  the  bag?â€?   Micah  smiled  said,  “These  poor  fellows  were  lost  and  found  there  way  in  my  sack.â€?  All  of  the  boys  smiled  at  Micah,  they  didn’t  believe  a  word  that  Micah  said.   It  was  not  that  the  Egyptians  did  not  allow  them  to  eat  meat;  they  did  not  allow  them  to  engage  in  archery  or  to  hunt  in  the  woods.  However Â
there  were  small  secretive  groups  of  Israelite  men  that  were  experts  in  archery,  swordsmanship,  and  the  use  of  the  spear.  Micah  was  one  of  the  best  archers  in  Israel.  However  he  did  not  need  a  bow  and  arrow  to  hunt  quail.  While  others  were  sleeping  he  crept  out  in  the  woods  at  night  and  waited  patiently  for  unsuspecting  birds.  The  frog  invasion  made  his  work  much  easier  and  the  bounty  greater.   All  four  of  them  walked  home  wondering  how  long  would  the  plague  last  and  would  they  leave  Egypt.  When  they  reached  their  home  they  saw  children  looking  into  the  windows  and  renowned  men  of  their  tribe  entering  their  home.  “What’s  going  on?â€?  Levi  said.  Hannah  came  out  of  the  house,  “I  knew  you  all  were  up  to  something  and  you,â€?  she  looked  at  Micah,  “we  shouldn’t  waste  them,  come  follow  me.  There  is  important  news  from  the  palace  and  Uncle  Hezekiah  is  going  to  tell  them  what  he  heard.â€?  They  followed  her  to  back  end  of  the  hut.  “If  you  are  quiet  you  will  be  able  to  hear  them  and  they  will  not  hear  you.â€?  She  then  took  Micah’s  bag  of  quail  and  showed  him  a  place  where  he  could  his  quail  without  discovery.  “Aren’t Â
you  the  sneaky  one,â€?  he  whispered  to  his  sister.  “Shh,  listen,â€?  she  said.  Hezekiah  was  a  grounds  keeper  at  the  palace  and  knew  many  of  royal  family’s  secrets.  “They  called  for  Moses  and  told  him  they  would  let  us  go  if  he  would  end  the  plague  of  frogs!!â€?  The  entire  hut  burst  in  an  uproar.  “I  tell  you  I  was  there,  he  said  he  would  let  us  go!!â€?   “What  a  miracle!â€?   “When  shall  we  leave?!â€?  “Are  you  sure?â€?  and  so  much  more  were  being  said  at  once.  News  like  this  could  not  stay  within  the  confines  of  the  hut.  Levi  and  Joshua  leapt  in  the  air  and  ran  for  their  homes.  Nathan  looked  dumbstruck.  Micah  shouted  with  his  arms  in  the  air.  Hannah  simply  sat  on  the  ground  wondering  if  what  she  heard  was  true.  The  entire  camp  in  a  moment  of  hours  heard  of  Moses’  meeting  with  Pharaoh  and  the  mood  was  electric.  Preparations  were  being  made  as  everyone  waited  happily  for  final  notice  of  when  they  would  be  allowed  to  leave  Egypt.  But  it  didn’t  happen.  After  Moses  entreated  God  to  end  the  plague,  instead  of  receiving  notice  of  their  departure,  instead  they  leaders  of  each  village  were Â
told  where  to  gather  the  Hebrews  to  assist  in  frog  removal.  It  was  a  very  sad  moment  for  the  Israelites,  to  have  such  joy  and  then  to  have  this  disappointment.  The  land  of  Egypt  smelled  horrible  because  of  the  frogs.  Nathan  hated  removing  them  from  the  fields.  They  smelled  worse  than  the  blood  clots  from  the  river.  During  this  time  he  heard  Ramses  evil  chants,  “You  thought  we  were  going  to  let  you  go?  No,  no  it  is  time  to  reacquaint  you  with  work,â€?  more  rocks  and  more  evil  words  were  all  that  he  heard.  Soon  it  would  be  time  to  plant  and  Nathan  the  Rabbit  wondered  how  much  longer  would  he  be  in  Egypt  or  would  he  ever  really  be  able  to  leave. Â
Chapter  4 Quivers  and  Lice
Planting  season  came  and  work  was  difficult.  However,  Nathan  was  trying  to  save  a  little  of  his  strength  for  the  evening.  His  brother  Micah  finally  agreed  to  show Â
him  how  to  handle  a  bow  and  arrow.  He  was  so  excited.  Finally  he  could  learn  to  be  a  great  hunter.  The  day  continued  to  wear  on  but  Nathan  kept  a  little  strength  for  himself.  When  he  finally  reached  his  home  that  evening  his  mind  was  full  of  thoughts  about  the  long  wonderful  days  during  the  time  of  frogs  and  then  he  became  sad  because  they  were  still  here.  “Why  the  long  face,  Rabbit?â€?  Micah  asked,  “I  think  it  would  be  best  to  start  early  in  the  morning,â€?  Morning  thought  Nathan.  He  would  not  argue  he  did  not  want  his  brother  changing  his  mind.  Nathan  woke  up  with  excitement.  Finally  he  too  would  learn  how  to  hunt  quail.  He  crept  out  of  his  bed  slowly  and  met  his  brother  behind  the  hut.  It  was  the  same  place  that  Hannah  had  showed  them  where  they  could  hide  things  without  anyone  knowing.  It  was  where  she  used  to  keep  her  Egyptian  garb,  makeup,  and  jewelry.  The  two  boys  walked  quickly  and  carefully  towards  the  hills.  It  was  still  dark  and  Micah  was  going  to  show  him  first  how  to  make  his  own  bow  and  arrow.  They  would  need  to  gather  special  grass  that  could  be  found  near  the  river.  As  they  approach  the  familiar  cleft  they  saw Â
two  men.  “Hey,  isn’t  that,â€?  Nathan  interjected,  “Moses  and  Aaron!â€?  What  were  they  doing  here.  The  sun  slowly  rose  and  they  saw  Aaron  speaking  and  stretching  out  his  rod.  The  boys  eyes  became  large  and  round  like  saucers  with  anticipation.  Nothing  happened  or  they  didn’t  see  anything  happened.  “It  looks  like  the  Egyptians  are  not  going  to  have  a  good  day  today,  just  when  they  thought  it  was  safe  to  sleep  at  night,â€?  Micah  whispered.  “I  didn’t  see  anything,â€?  Nathan  said  desperately.  “Lets  go  home,  I  think  we  should  keep  this  to  ourselves,  Rabbit.â€?   On  the  way  home  they  passed  the  tall  grassy  fields,  the  thick  dark  bushes  and  made  there  to  the  hut  before  being  missed.  His  early  morning  adventure  made  it  difficult  to  concentrate  during  his  work  day.  He  kept  looking,  watching,  what  did  they  do?   “I  am  so  glad  Ramses  is  not  here  today,â€?  Levi  said.  Joshua  agreed  and  Nathan  looked  up  from  his  plowing,  where  was  he?  He  thought  to  himself.   “I  just  can’t  take  it  anymore!!!â€?  It  was  the  overseer  and  he  was  scratching  his  head  and  his  body  furiously.  He  began  to  notice  all  the  Egyptians  in  the  field  were  scratching  themselves.  One  was  rubbing Â
his  back  up  and  down  a  tree.  Another  had  put  his  head  in  a  bucket  of  water.  Still  a  few  more  were  actually  rolling  around  in  the  dirt.  What  a  strange  sight.  Nathan  smiled,  giggled  a  little,  and  began  to  plow  with  a  cheerful  quiet  hum.  He  hummed  a  song  his  grandmother  taught  him.  It  was  about  God  redeeming  his  people  and  removing  the  oppressor’s  yoke  from  them.  “You  know  something!â€?  Joshua  said,  “Shh,â€?  he  motioned  them  to  him  and  quietly  recounted  the  events  that  happened  early  that  morning.  It  took  everything  in  the  boys  to  continue  to  work  that  day.  The  older  men  in  the  field  gave  the  boys  a  warning  looks  to  stop  giggling,  but  they  too  were  perplexed  by  the  overseers’  behavior.  Once  the  bell  was  rung  they  ran  home  and  began  to  openly  discuss  what  happened  when  they  entered  Goshen.  “I  don’t  know  what  happened,  but  I  like  it,  whatever  it  was,â€?  Joshua  just  grinned  ear  to  ear.  Levi  then  said,  “Tell  me  again  why  were  you  out  there?â€?  that  was  the  part  that  Nathan  left  out.  He  promised  his  brother  he  would  never  tell.  They  met  Hannah  on  the  way  and  she  was  carrying  a  large  bag  of  fake  hair  that  was  used  to  make  wigs.  “Its Â
not  for  me  she  said,â€?  she  could  see  the  look  in  their  faces.  “Work  was  so  strange  today  and  I  just  want  to  get  a  head  start  on  tomorrow.  I  had  never  seen  the  workers  in  the  shop  act  so  strange.  I  began  to  wonder  if  they  all  dyed  the  hair  with  bad  dye  or  washed  themselves  in  a  new  soap.  The  cats  were  screeching,  scratching  themselves,  and  rolling  around  the  ground.  What  made  it  worst  I  saw  the  owner  and  some  of  her  children  acting  the  same  way?  It  was  very  disturbing.â€?  The  boys  just  smiled  and  then  busted  out  with  laughter.  “What,  what?â€?  she  looked  at  them,  “What  do  you  know??â€?  The  boys  then  began  to  give  an  account  of  what  happened  in  the  field.  They  reenacted  all  of  the  shaking,  scratching,  and  rolling  on  the  ground.  Nathan  told  his  sister  what  he  and  Micah  saw  early  in  the  morning.  Now  Hannah  knew  there  was  more  to  his  story  than  what  he  was  saying  and  only  nodded.  “We  need  to  go  home  and  tell  our  parents,  the  elders  they  need  to  know.  You  two  need  to  get  home.  If  this  is  God  will  we  must  make  sure  that  we  will  be  ready  for  what  will  come  next.â€?  All  three  looked  at  her,  they  never Â
saw  her  so  earnest  before,  this  was  not  the  Hannah  they  knew  three  years  ago,   last  year  ago,  or  even  three  months  ago.  This  Hannah  was  new  and  refused  to  be  disobeyed.  Nathan’s  friends  went  home  with  an  expression  of  delight  mixed  with  surprise  and  utter  confusion.  “Nathan,  you  have  to  be  careful,â€?  she  looked  at  her  little  brother.  “We  were  just  ‌⋯â€?  Nathan  gave  her  a  look  of  complete  innocence.  However  before  he  could  continue  his  sister  said,  “Micah  has  been  hunting  since  he  was  nine  and  started  archery  when  he  eleven.  He  was  going  to  teach  you  all  of  his  tricks.  I  know  why  he  does  it  and  I  know  why  you  wanted  to  learn  too.  You  don’t  think  I  know  about  your  late  night  trips  to  the  creek  or  the  booby  traps  Micah  and  his  friends  used  to  set  for  unsuspecting  Egyptians.â€?  Nathan  was  shocked,  how  did  she  know  these  things.  “Remember  all  the  things  our  grandparents  would  tell  us,  about  the  God  of  Heaven  and  how  powerful  he  is  and  that  we  were  his  children.  That  he  is  always  with  us  and  if  we  are  obedient  he  would  protect  us  and  one  day  we  would  have  our  own  land.  I  didn’t  always  believe,  in  fact‌⋯â€? Â
she  trailed  off.  “I  know  this  seems  like  its  fun  adventure,  but  it  isn’t,â€?  she  bent  down  and  grabbed  both  his  shoulders.  Nathan  was  speechless  he  had  never  seen  his  sister  like  this  before.  The  report  Nathan  gave  of  Moses  and  Aaron  was  confirmed  a  few  days  later  by  his  Uncle  Hezekiah.  According  to  his  uncle  the  proud  magicians  spent  hours  shouting  incantations,  they  mixed  potions,  and  even  cut  themselves  to  produce  lice  but  they  could  not.  Â
God has commanded us to torment them!!
They  told  pharaoh  that  this  plague  was  from  the  finger  of  God  but  he  would  not  yield.  In  the  city  of  Thebes  there  were  long  lines  to  wig  makers  and  it  was  becoming  difficult  to  find  pumice  stones.  The  people  tried  bathing  in  salt,  shaving,  and  wearing  wigs  but  nothing  could  stop  their  constant  itching.  Unlike  the  others  before  it  this  one  never  did  stop.  It  went  on  and  on  for  days  then  weeks,  and  a  few  months  passed  and  the  plague  of  lice  continued.   This  kept  Hannah  and  Nathan’s  mother  busy;  even  though  they  were  used  primarily  for  making  clothes  the  seamstress  had  the  make  elaborate  wigs  as  well. Â
Chapter  5 Flies,  flies,  flies  everywhere
During  this  time,  abuse  of  the  Israelites  occurred  but  it  was  now  being  mixed  with  weariness  and  fear  of  the  Hebrews  as  well.  Many  of  the  Egyptians  blamed  them  for  their  troubles  but  also  wondered  if  this  would  continue.  There  were  often  debates  between  associates, Â
family  members,  and  friends.  Some  would  say  why  shouldn’t  we  let  them  go  to  the  wilderness,  however  most  said  that  as  much  as  a  nuisance  the  plagues  were  they  could  not  relent,  they  had  to  keep  the  Israelites  in  check  or  other  nations  would  think  they  were  weak.  What  most  could  agree  on  was  a  certain  amount  of  disdain  for  Moses  and  Aaron.  Many  thought  that  they  should  be  imprisoned  and  others  said  that  Pharaoh  needed  to  kill  them  to  prevent  them  from  causing  anymore  damage.  Threats  against  Moses  and  Aaron  seemed  to  echo  throughout  the  royal  city  and  reverberated  in  the  palace.  Hebrews  who  worked  within  the  palace  were  often  accused  openly  for  being  the  source  of  their  trouble.  Hezekiah  worked  on  the  grounds  of  the  palace.  He  gained  his  position  because  he  could  cultivate  lotus  flowers,  roses,  and  lilies  like  no  one  else.  His  elevated  position  angered  many  of  the  servants  of  the  palace  and  they  used  the  unusual  occurrences  to  strike  out  against  him. Â
“Israelites  should  know  their  place!  Hez,  Hezeeka,  you  know  who  you  are;  you  name  yourselves  with  ridicules  words!  Look  at  these  bushes,  you  must  trim  them  at  once!â€?  Neftut,  the  head  groundskeeper  continued  to  screech  and  curse  him  in  his  Egyptian  tongue.  He  was  a  tall  thin  man  with  a  large  protruding  mouth  and  tiny  eyes.  Hezekiah  began  to  trim  the  bushes  slowly  at  the  river  bank.  He  then  saw  Pharaoh  walking  with  his  advisors  towards  the  river  bank.   To  his  disbelief  he  saw  two  Israelite  men  in  robes  come  towards  them.  Though  they  were  in  their  eighties  their  bodies  were  not  frail  or  week.  Hezekiah  had  not  seen  Moses  since  he  left  the  palace  when  it  was  rumored  that  he  killed  an  Egyptian.  His  youthful  face  was  replaced  by  strong  eyes  but  his  quiet  demeanor  was  still  there.  Neftut’s  face  began  to  contort  while  Moses  spoke  to  Pharaoh.   “I  am  tired  of  being  threatened  by  those  two,â€?  he  hissed  quietly.   “If  I  was  Pharaoh  I  would  have  him  imprisoned  and  have  his  tongue  cut  out  for  such  insolence!â€?  he  said  this  in  front  of  Hezekiah  he  then  continued  to  glare  at  him  and  said,  “How  dare  he  try  to  curse  us!!â€?  Moses  did  not  curse  them  but  simply  stated  that  a  division  would  now  occur  between  the Â
rest  of  Egypt  and  Goshen.  It  was  what  he  said  afterwards  that  would  vex  the  Egyptians  greatly.  Flies,  the  entire  land  would  be  corrupted  by  them.  As  soon  as  Moses  and  Aaron  finished  speaking  and  raised  the  rod  it  began.  A  horrible  buzzing,  that  was  quickly  followed  by  a  dark  cloud  of  flies.  Pharaoh  and  his  advisors  began  to  run  into  the  palace  along  with  the  rest  of  his  servants.  Thousands  of  Millions  began  to  fill  the  city  and  cling  to  every  surface.  The  glorious  yellow  pyramids  were  now  black  because  of  them.  They  coated  the  ground  and  you  could  hear  the  sound  of  their  bodies  being  crushed  by  pedestrians  as  they  try  to  escape  them  by  running  into  buildings.  Yet  they  followed  in  the  buildings,  in  each  house,  hut,  even  the  underground  tombs  offered  very  little  relief  from  the  plague.  Some  tried  to  find  solace  in  water  but  as  they  looked  upward  form  the  bottom  of  their  pools,  baths,  and  river  bottoms  they  saw  thousands  of  flies  resting  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  When  they  came  up  for  air Â
the  flies  were  waiting  to  enter  their  eyes,  their  ears,  their  noses  and  covered  their  skin.  What  was  strange  the  flies  did  not  attack  the  Hebrews  within  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  Hezekiah  noticed  this  immediately  when  the  plague  started.  In  fact  when  he  entered  the  land  of  Goshen  he  noticed  that  the  sky  was  blue  and  that  there  were  no  flies  on  the  ground,  on  the  homes  or  on  any  living  thing.  When  the  plague  started  Nathan  was  sowing  seed  in  the  large  field.  He  had  just  been  hit  in  the  head  with  a  large  rough  stone  by  Ramses.  He  felt  a  surge  of  anger  but  thought  about  the  words  of  his  mother  and  sister:  we  have  to  be  careful,  we  will  soon  be  redeemed.  He  felt  the  side  of  his  head  and  saw  blood  as  he  heard  evil  laughter  in  back  of  him.  Then  he  heard  a  loud  hum  and  then  an  even  louder  buzzing.  He  looked  behind  him  and  he  no  longer  heard  Ramses  laughing  for  he  had  turned  to  see  where  the  buzzing  was  coming  from.  A  large  dark  cloud  was  coming  towards  them;  it  then  began  to  divide  itself  as  one  portion  stayed  in  the  air  as  the  other  two  parts  continued  to  the  ground  and  anything  between  the  earth  and  the  sky.  Within  a  matter  of Â
minutes  millions  of  flies  had  entered  the  field  and  began  to  torment  all  those  within  it.  The  noise  of  their  wings  was  deafening  as  they  continued  to  try  to  fly  enter  the  men’s  ears  and  nearly  blinded  them  by  entering  their  eyes.  The  entire  workforce  was  in  confusion.  “Is  this  another  curse!!!â€?  a  man  yelled  as  he  began  to  choke  on  flies  that  entered  his  mouth.  Nathan  noticed  immediately  who  the  flies  were  not  attacking:  Israelites.  “We  are  leaving!â€?  an  elder  told  him  and  all  of  the  Hebrews  left  with  him  in  a  state  of  confusion  towards  Goshen.  It  was  a  very  strange  walk  home.  No,  the  rabbit  did  not  run  because  he  felt  uneasy  about  his  environment.  Flies  covered  the  ground  except  when  he  was  about  to  step  on  it.  They  filled  the  air  but  parted  from  him  and  the  rest  of  the  Hebrews.  He  saw  people  wrap  themselves  in  veils  in  an  attempt  to  gain  peace  from  the  flies.  He  saw  some  bat  at  the  air  furiously  in  defense  but  nothing  was  effective  when  one  fly  would  move  there  were  ten  more  waiting  to  take  its  place.  This  journey  home  was  very  disturbing  for  many  of  the  Israelites  as  they  journeyed  home,  those  who  were  not  were Â
shocked.  Still  many  silently  said  prayers  on  the  way  home.  As  this  group  began  to  enter  Goshen  they  were  joined  by  others  who  had  tales  from  the  different  work  sites:  a  deep  quarry  nearly  filled  with  flies,  darken  skies  and  earth  in  the  capital  city,  and  a  horrible  buzzing  that  never  ended  a  haunting  hum  from  the  wings  of  the  special  soldiers  built  to  torment  the  Egyptians.   It  was  when  he  entered  the  main  road  to  his  village  that  he  met  his  father  and  brother.  They  all  had  similar  expressions:  shock  mixed  with  one  part  excitement,  two  parts  alarm,  and  three  parts  intense  contemplation.  They  all  walked  together  to  their  home  with  tales  of  the  strange  events  and  complete  belief  that  this  event  came  from  God.  “I  tell  you,  this  must  be  from  God,â€?  their  Uncle  Samuel  had  an  excited  bewildered  look  in  his  eyes.  “I  don’t  doubt  that,  Sam.  I  just  wonder  how  long  this  one  will  last  and  if  we  will  finally  be  able  to  leave  this  wretched  place.â€?  It  was  that  thought  that  was  shared  by  everyone  in  Israel:  how  much  longer  would  they  be Â
there,  what  more  would  they  see,  and  when  would  they  behold  their  own  land  and  no  longer  be  forced  to  serve  a  cruel  people.  At  dinner  the  conversation  had  changed.  No  longer  was  their  any  doubt  that  God  was  working  on  behalf  of  his  people  but  the  question  of  when  would  they  leave  was  being  openly  discussed  by  everyone  in  his  family.  For  many  of  the  Hebrews  the  plague  of  flies  was  a  turning  point  because  there  were  no  flies  in  Goshen  and  the  separation  between  the  two  nations  had  never  been  so  severe.   A  few  days  later  Nathan  was  watching  the  unfolding  plague  at  his  favorite  spot.  He  was  mesmerized  at  the  different  shapes  the  cloud  of  flies  took.  It  would  throb,  shake,  divide  and  multiply  all  at  once.  To  him  only  one  word  could  describe  it:  amazing.  He  was  here  with  his  friends  and  they  too  were  hypnotized  by  the  rumbling  hum  and  how  the  black  had  hints  of  sparkle  from  the  millions  of  wings.  “When  do  you  think  we  will  get  to  leave?  Levi,  you  talk  to  grandfather  a  lot.  Has  he  had  a  dream,  did  God  speak  to  him?â€?  It  took  a Â
moment  for  Levi  to  take  his  eyes  from  the  current  epidemic,  “He  has  not  said  anything  to  me.  I  just  know  the  elders  were  having  more  meetings.â€?  “I  hope  we  leave  soon.  I  hate  this  place.â€?  All  of  them  agreed  with  Joshua,  they  longed  for  freedom  and  a  home  that  was  truly  theirs.    A  few  days  later  Nathan  was  picking  berries  in  the  early  morning  by  the  river  and  he  saw  the  large  mass  of  flies  began  to  dissipate.  They  flew  toward  the  heavens  and  in  a  moment  the  veil  of  darkness  that  covered  Egypt  was  gone.  The  ground  was  covered  by  a  multitude  of  their  dead  corpses  that  did  not  live  to  see  the  end  of  this  affliction.  Nathan  was  motionless  as  he  stood  with  three  large  sacks  of  berries  in  his  hands.  He  then  looked  on  towards  the  east  and  he  saw  two  men  tall  like  cedars  in  robes  walk  away.  This  was  the  second  time  he  saw  Moses  and  Aaron.  It  took  a  moment  to  gather  his  thoughts.  Are  we  leaving  now??  Had  Pharaoh  finally  let  them  go?  Home,  I  have  to  get  home.  Home?  Maybe  today  we  will  finally  be  able  to  go  to  our  home.  He  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  and  the  only  thing  that  could  be  seen  is  a  young  lad  with  two  sacks Â
on  his  side  and  one  on  his  back  running  like  a  hart  through  the  fields.  “Mom!!!  Dad!!!  The  plague  has  ended!!  I  saw  Moses  he  did  it,  he  did  it  again!!â€?  He  shouted  in  the  hut.  He  heard  his  parents  run  out  of  their  bedroom  to  hear  the  commotion  in  the  den.  “What  happened!!â€?  his  father  shouted.  His  mother  ran  toward  him  and  checked  to  see  if  he  was  okay.  The  entire  house  was  awaken  from  his  noisy  announcement.  He  saw  Hannah  run  out  into  the  den  shaken  by  the  confusion  in  the  hut  and  Micah  came  out  with  a  half  waken  expression  of  surprise  on  his  face.  He  then  began  to  smile.  “Rabbit,  slow  down,â€?  he  said.  There  was  Nathan  in  the  middle  of  them,  his  pants  and  sandals  covered  in  green  and  brown  from  running  through  fields.  His  top  was  splattered  with  reds,  blues,  and  purples  from  the  diverse  berries  he  picked:  blueberries,  blackberries,  raspberries,  and  strawberries.  His  mother  took  his  sacks  away  from  him  and  only  said,  “What  happened,  Nathan,  what  did  you  see?â€?   He  started  with  “I  was  picking  berries,â€?  he  wanted  to  convince  his  mother  to  make  him  a  pie,  “and  I  saw  the Â
flies,  they  flew  away,  and  then,  then  I  saw  them,  Moses  and  Aaron.â€?  “I  will  go  see  the  elders  and  speak  with  them  to  see  what  we  will  do  next,â€?  Nathan’s  father  went  to  change  his  clothes  and  then  left  to  go  visit  the  elders.   During  that  time  Nathan  gathered  his  clothes,  his  sling  shot,  his  secret  bow  and  arrows.  He  thought  to  himself,  who  knows  what  I  will  need.  He  was  so  busy  that  the  day  went  by  swiftly  and  then  the  sun  set  and  the  moon  rose  through  the  darken  skies.  It  was  a  new  day  in  the  village  and  the  hut  was  awaken  by  a  knock  on  the  door.  Surely  it  is  time  to  leave,  thought  Nathan.  He  came  out  of  his  room  and  he  saw  his  parents  at  the  door.  They  closed  and  he  saw  his  mother  grasp  his  father’s  arm  and  cry,  “They  will  never  let  us  go!!  Clean  up  duty!â€?  he  heard  his  mother’s  muffled  cries  in  his  father’s  chest.  “Anna,  God  does  everything  by  measure  and  time.  Abraham  was  promised  to  be  a  father  of  many  nations,  he  had  one  son  of  the  promise  and  see  how  many  of  us  there  are  now.â€?   Nathan’s  head  simply  drooped  down,  no  promise  land  today. Â
Chapter  6  A  New  Work  Assignment The  flies  had  made  a  mess  of  the  field.   Millions  of  them  covered  the  ground  forming  a  thick  brownish  black  blanket.  The  new  ground  cover  would  sink  a  little  whenever  you  would  step  on  it  and  the  sound  of  eerie  crunching  stayed  for  weeks.  On  some  days  the  wind  would  pick  up  and  it  would  release  the  top  layer  of  flies  into  the  air.  The  Hebrews  were  mobilized  in  large  groups  to  place  the  dead  flies  in  piles  and  to  bury  the  remnants  of  the  infamous  event.   This  was  a  very  painful  time  for  Nathan.  He  had  truly  believed  that  he  was  going  to  go  to  promise  land  after  the  plague  of  flies.  He  was  still  in  Egypt,  working  under  the  cruel  sun  and  now  he  was  forced  to  remove  flies  from  the  field  often  with  his  bare  hands.   Whenever  he  thought  about  the  land  of  milk  and  honey  he  felt  a  pain  in  his  stomach  and  it  took  all  of  his  strength  to  hold  back Â
the  tears  that  seemed  determine  to  flow  from  his  eyes.  Fortunately  the  rainy  season  began  and  assisted  the  Israelites.  The  rain  washed  the  land  clean  and  not  one  corpse  of  the  fierce  army  remained  in  the  land.  The  barley  field  was  now  filled  with  small  plants.  Nathan  looked  at  the  field  with  strange  amazement.  He  could  not  believe  that  weeks  prior  they  sowed  the  field  and  in  a  few  months  they  would  harvest  it.   Swish,  a  large  rock  flew  by  his  head.  Then  another,  and  even  still  much  larger  stone  was  throne  in  his  direction.  He  looked  back  and  he  saw  Ramses  laughing  and  his  horrible  mother  standing  with  him  glaring  at  him.  “Come  on  lad,â€?  an  older  man  said,  “They  are  just  upset,  God  will  soon  strip  them  of  their  power.â€?  He  followed  the  man  and  continued  to  work  in  the  heat  of  the  day.  He  did  not  know  who  the  man  was  but  he  was  well  respected  by  everyone  in  this  unfamiliar  section  of  the  field.  It  was  unfamiliar  to  Nathan  because  he  had  always  worked  on  the  west  side  of  the  field  but  the  northern  end  was  far  hillier  and  was  filled  with  stronger  workers.  He  heard  the  low  raspy  voices  of  the  men  sing  songs  of Â
freedom,  milk  and  honey,  and  more  importantly  the  mercy  of  God  and  his  immutable  truth.  I  am  on  my  way  to  Beulah  land,  Beulah  land,  he  heard  one  sing.   Another  echoed  back,  I  will  see  a  city  built  by  God.  God  shall  come  with  ten  thousand  of  his  saints,  in  that  day.  Where  am  I,  thought  Nathan.  He  felt  like  he  was  in  choir  of  bright  tenors,  baritones  that  crescendo  through  the  fields,  and  low  rumbling  bases;  all  of  them  singing  about  the  promise  of  God  and  his  truth  and  the  victory  he  shall  give  his  people.   Even  the  way  they  plowed  the  field  was  rhythmic  and  was  in  time  with  songs  they  sang.  These  songs  stayed  with  Nathan  as  the  bell  ranged  and  played  back  in  his  mind  as  he  ran  home.  He  even  hummed  them  when  he  helped  clean  the  hut.  Nathan  did  not  realize  it  but  he  was  being  healed  by  these  songs.  The  words  of  God  he  did  not  realize  had  such  power  that  they  could  heal  and  strengthen  the  mind  and  spirit  simply  by  singing  them.  He  began  to  enjoy  his  new  assignment.  The  work  was  harder  but  he  learned  more  about  God  being  around  these  men.  It  was  like  receiving  a  sermon  and  partaking  in  song  service  for  14  hours  of  the  day.  In  fact  this Â
day  Joel,  the  older  man  that  he  met  that  day  they  returned  back  to  the  field  was  going  to  tell  him  about  Abraham.  It  was  not  that  his  parents  did  not  teach  him  but  really  enjoyed  hearing  lessons  from  Joel  because  he  could  explain  things  so  well.  These  lessons  definitely  made  the  last  7  weeks  past  quickly.  In  fact  he  thought  back  to  the  first  time  he  saw  the  river  turn  to  blood.  That  was  so  long  ago  and  then  he  was  10  now  he  is  11.  As  he  entered  the  opening  of  the  field  with  his  friends  he  heard  screaming  from  the  barn.  “They  are  all  dead!!â€?  “Who  poisoned  them,  I  told  you  we  should  have  offered  more  to  gods  at  the  festival.  We  are  now  being  punished.â€?  He  had  that  familiar  screech  before  it  happened  on  the  day  of  the  frogs  and  it  was  the  voice  of  Ramses’s  mother.  They  all  looked  at  each  other,  they  were  looking  for  answers.  “Lads,â€?  he  heard  a  familiar  voice  behind  them,  “the  owners  are  in  an  uproar,â€?  Joel  then  bend  down  and  told  them  why.  “What  is  murrain??â€?  Levi  asked,  “It  is  a  disease  son,  that  kills  cattle,â€?  all  of  they  boys  looked  at  Joel  in  amazement  as  they  thought  to  themselves,  how  does  he  knows  these  things. Â
Their  work  did  become  harder  because  there  were  no  cattle  to  assist  them.  At  the  same  time  they  heard  news  from  the  overseers  about  all  of  their  neighbor’s  cattle  being  dead.  This  was  not  a  good  day  in  Egypt.  Oxen,  bulls  were  vital  to  the  nation’s  wealth.  They  provided  meat,  milk,  and  a  means  of  transportation.  Now  they  were  gone  in  one  great  sweep  over  night.  However,  just  as  Joel  told  Nathan  and  his  friends  this  affliction  extended  only  to  Egypt,  none  of  Israel’s  cattle  was  sick  or  dead.  This  angered  many  Egyptians  and  they  began  to  take  Israel’s  oxen,  mules,  and  cows  by  force.  Many  of  the  Israelites  began  to  travel  in  even  larger  groups.  They  kept  the  children,  the  aged,  and  women  in  the  center  of  each  group.  Even  the  Rabbit  traveled  in  the  safety  of  the  large  groups  of  men  from  the  field  until  they Â
were  safely  in  the  land  of  Goshen  on  the  way  to  and  from  the  field.  He  also  waited  in  the  evening  to  hear  Uncle  Hezekiah’s  report  from  the  palace:  the  great  pharaoh  was  angry,  resentful  and  he  refused  to  let  any  Israelite  go.
    Â
     Chapter  7 Wigs,  Dyes  and  Powder This  continued  for  weeks.  Then  the  plains  flooded  as  they  normally  did  and  Nathan  was  not  needed  in  the  field  for  a  few  days.  He  then  traveled  with  his  mother  and  sister  to  the  great  city  of  Thebes  to  help  them  make  clothes  and  wigs  that  would  be  sold  by  his  mother’s  mistress.  They  would  start  early  in  the  morning  and  travel  with  his  father  and  Micah  on  their  way  to  the  quarry.  Thebes  was  a  large  city  and  they  used  a  boat  to  cross  one  of  the  river’s  tributaries  to  get  to  it.  The  seamstress  recently  moved  her  shop  to Â
the  eastern  edge  of  the  city.  This  made  it  more  difficult  for  his  mother  to  reach  the  shop.  Even  with  this  difficulty  in  place,  Omecti,  the  owner  would  not  stand  for  tardiness.  Omecti  was  not  a  kind  woman  and  felt  that  Israelites  were  a  resource  that  once  was  used  should  be  discarded.  She  used  Anna  and  her  daughter  because  they  were  skilled  workers.  She  often  would  chide  them  with  biting  insults  and  gave  very  little  compensation  for  their  work.  Fortunately,  the  seamstress  had  an  elderly  uncle  that  showed  compassion  to  Anna  and  often  gave  her  extra  bread  and  even  money  every  week.  He  did  this  without  fail  and  without  his  cruel  niece  knowing  it.  Not  all  Egyptians  agreed  with  the  laws  against  the  Israelites  but  they  were  a  very  small  part  of  the  population  and  did  things  secretly  to  not  be  punished  by  officers  of  Pharaoh. Â
Thebes  was  a  glorious  city  with  brick  streets  and  large  fountains  and  pools.  The  buildings  were  covered  with  ornate  carvings  and  it  was  filled  with  idols.  The  Egyptians  loved  these  lifeless  statues  and  laid  food  at  their  feet  and  decorated  them  with  the  best  cotton  and  linen  that  could  be  made.  The  roadways  were  filled  with  the  smells  of  spices,  dried  fruit,  and  perfumes.  He  heard  men  arguing  over  the  prices  of  olive  oil  and  pomegranates,  watched  as  bins  of  fish  were  being  displayed  at  one  corner  and  heard  incantations  and  prayers  to  an  idol  on  a  corner.  Here  the  streets  had  brick  inlays  and  there  were  tall  men  dressed  in  government  style  robes  directing  the  traffic.  This  was  a  city  filled  to  the  brim  with  people,  animals,  and  plants  from  every  part  of  the  world.  Unknown  to  Nathan  that  he  was  living  in  the  fashion  capital  of  the  world;  Egypt  was  considered  to  be  the  epitome  of  elegance,  sophistication,  and Â
fashion.   Thebes  was  the  capital  of  fashion  in  Egypt  and  anyone  who  wished  to  be  seen  or  admired  desired  to  dwell  there  and  rubbed  elbows  with  the  famous  and  wealthy.   They  made  their  way  to  the  seamstress’s  shop.  Omecti,  the  seamstress  owned  the  most  popular  clothing  shop  in  Thebes.  The  seamstress  was  a  very  tall  woman  with  large  ears.  She  wore  an  elaborate  jet  black  wig  with  large  golden  and  blue  beads.  Her  eyes  were  lined  with  the  finest  liner  and  her  face  painted  in  with  the  most  fashionable  colors.  She  spent  one  hour  a  day  preparing  the  perfect  wig  and  another  2  bathing,  salting,  oiling,  and  painting  herself.  This  indulgence  was  considered  vital  to  being  a  fashionable  Egyptian.  “Oh,  you  are  finally  here,â€?  her  voice  had  an  icy  cast  to  it  the  shop  would  not  be  open  for  another  2  hours.  “Yes  mistress,  I  haveâ€?  she  then  interrupted  his  mother,  “What  is  that?â€?  she  pointed  towards  Nathan,  “This  is  my  son  Nathan,â€?  what  am  I  thought  Nathan,  surely  she  knows  I  am  a  boy,  “I  didn’t  know  you  all  still  had  sons,â€?  Omecti  said  with  spiteful  glee.  “Hello,  Anna.  I  see  you  brought  your  son,  he  looks  very  strong,  which  is  good Â
since  I  am  so  old  now,â€?  her  uncle  said.  His  niece  simply  rolled  her  eyes  at  them. Her  shop  was  filled  with  all  the  necessary  items  to  be  a  well  dressed  Egyptian:  golden  serpents  shaped  in  the  form  of  crowns,  scarab  pendants  made  of  beryl,  copper,  gold,  and  silver,  engraved  beads  made  from  shells  from  sea,  head  posts  that  held  wigs  of  varies  colors  and  lengths.  On  all  of  the  walls  were  reams  of  linen  dyed  in  multiple  colors,  nearly  shear  cotton  veils,  skirts,  and  pants.  Many  had  embroidered  symbols  of  the  Egyptians  gods  on  them.  This  year’s  most  popular  item  with  women  is  a  nearly  shear  cotton  dress  with  embroidered  symbol  of  Isis  at  the  bottom  of  it.  Today  she  would  be  dressing  one  of  daughters  of  an  advisor  of  pharaoh.  “I  need  all  of  this  dyed  in  the  color  of  scarab  blue,â€?  she  said.  Nathan  never  understood  why  the  Egyptians  were  fascinated  by  beetles.   Nathan’s  mother  directed  her  children  towards  the  back  where  all  of  the  dying  pots  were.  Scarab  blue  would  take  time  to  first  make  and  then  to  dye  the  never  ending  piles  of  cotton  and  linen.  One  hour  before  the  shop  opened  all  of  Omecti’s Â
Egyptian  workers  came  in.  They  held  their  heads  up  passed  Nathan  and  walked  to  the  front  of  the  store.  Tall  and  short  men  with  painted  faces  with  bald  heads  and  women  with  large  wigs  of  curly  and  straight  hair  moved  to  the  front.  Only  the  most  fashionable  could  work  in  Omecti’s  store.  Nathan  helped  grind  the  purple  and  blue  blocks  of  powder  that  were  needed  to  make  scarab  blue.  The  fumes  were  strong  and  stung  his  eyes.  He  saw  his  sister  stretching  cotton  thread  until  it  was  nearly  invisible.  He  saw  her  hands  become  red  and  swollen  while  pulling  the  material.  Swish,  pull,  pound,  bang  were  noises  of  the  dye  room.   He  saw  his  mother  place  a  screen  over  the  stretched  cloth  and  brush  purple  and  blue  over  it.  It  became  a  gorgeous  blue  with  a  slight  hint  of  purple  in  it.  There  was  nothing  beetle  about  the  color  being  created.  Nathan  did  not  realize  how  hard  his  mother  and  sister  worked.  He  knew  that  they  always  returned  home  after Â
Micah  and  his  father  and  that  looked  as  tired  as  those  leaving  the  fields  at  the  end  of  the  day.  The  work  in  the  shop  had  recently  doubled  due  to  the  plague  of  lice  and  the  upcoming  festival  season  did  not  help.  Omecti Â
refused  to  get  more  workers.  Hannah  decided  to  make  a  few  wigs  at  home  just  to  keep  up  with  the  ever  increasing  workload.   Which  is  why  the  flooding  season  could  not  come  at  a  better  time  for  them;  Nathan  was  skinny  but  he  was  full  of  energy.  He  was  very  good  at  using  a  hammer  to  pound  the  blocks  used  to  make  dye. Â
He  knew  how  to  stretch  material  with  ease  to  him  it  was  no  different  than  stringing  a  bow.  He  could  wring  wet  material  out  easily  he  just  pretended  that  he  was  squeezing  Ramses.   Omecti  noticed  how  well  and  fast  he  worked  in  the  dye  room.  She  knew  she  could  not  convince  the  field  owners  to  give  him  up  and  in  a  few  years  he  would  be  sent  to  the  brickyard.  What  a  crazy  edict  pharaoh  passed  about  the  Hebrew  boys.  Well  I  might  as  well  get  as  much  out  of  him  as  I  can.  She  sent  one  of  his  workers  to  triple  the  cotton,  linen,  and  dye  blocks  and  bring  them  to  the  back  of  the  shop  at  once.  When  the  shipment  came,  Hannah’s  eyes  became  round  and  large  with  complete  horror,  “Mama  are  we  suppose  to  weave  and  dye  all  of  that!  That  is  simply  impossible  to  complete  in  2  weeks.â€?  Nathan  looked  at  the  huge  bundles  and  started  to  hum  the  songs  of  the  field  and  began  to  unload  them.  Hours  passed  and  the  long  horrible  day  ended.  When  they  finally  reached  their  home  later  that  evening  he  wanted  to  collapse  in  the  bed.  However  he  still  had  to  help  with  the  chores  and  make  dinner. Â
The  next  morning  he  was  awakened  by  his  brother.  “Get  up  Rabbit,â€?  he  threw  a  ball  of  wet  shirts  at  his  little  brother.  Which  nearly  knocked  him  out  of  bed;  why  they  sent  him  to  wake  me,  Nathan  thought.  Nathan  rose  up  and  stood  on  the  dusty  floor.  He  knew  the  day  ahead  would  be  long. Â
Chapter  8 Explosions  on  Faces The  sky  was  misty  in  Thebes  today  as  they  neared  Omecti’s  shop.  They  were  greeted  outside  by  her  uncle.  He  handed  them  linen  packages.  They  were  warm  and  inside  were  loaves  of  bread  and  a  package  the  size  of  a  tennis  ball  that  had  gold  coins  in  it.  It  was  his  way  of  providing  a  form  of  compensation  for  their  work.  His  mother  said  thank  you  and  quickly  hid  the  packages.  The  day  started  as  it  did  yesterday;  a  condescending  look  and  an  evil  comment  from  Omecti  and  then  an  unreasonable  workload.  Nathan  was  stretching  another  bundle  of  thread  when  he  heard  a  horrible  yell.  He  saw  one  of  Omecti’s  customers  with  a  large  pimple  on  the  middle  of  her  forehead.  “Not  tonight!!  This  is  the  night  of  the  dance  of  Isis.â€?  “Don’t  worry  my  dear,  I  have  a  powder  that Â
will  hide  that.  It  comes  from  Midian  and  it  works  wonders  for  the  complexion,â€?  Omecti  looked  through  boxes  to  find  the  illusive  powder.  Omecti’s  head  began  to  pound  and  she  began  to  think  she  tied  her  wig  a  little  too  tight  this  morning.  “Here  you  are,  you  will  be  the  queen  of  the  dance  tonight.â€?  Her  customer  began  to  brush  the  powder  on  her  face  when  she  felt  itching,  pain,  and  warmth  coming  from  her  arms,  legs,  and  neck.  Nathan  just  rolled  his  eyes  and  began  to  stretch  more  cotton.   As  he  looked  up  he  saw  Omecti  standing  in  front  of  him.  “Did  you  show  him  what  to  do?  You  better  not  ruin‌⋯â€?  but  Nathan  did  not  speak  because  he  could  not  help  but  look  at  the  red  blemishes  that  peaked  from  under  Omecti’s  wig.  They  seemed  to  be  growing  right  in  front  of  him.  He  could  not  even  hear  the  curses  coming  from  Omecti’s  lips;  he  was  transfixed  by  her  inflamed  skin.  “You  must  be  the  most  stupid,  oh  I  do  not  feel  well,  I  will  sit  for  a  minute,  I  am  not  finished  with  you!â€?  she  wagged  her  finger  at  Nathan  and  walked  slowly  to  her  favorite  seat  in  the  store.  She  did  not  rise  from  that  seat  for Â
the  remainder  of  the  day.  She  too  began  to  experience  waves  of  heat,  pain,  and  itchiness  on  her  arms,  legs,  chest,  and  face.  Omecti’s  Egyptian  staff  was  not  scheduled  to  be  there  until  later  that  morning.  However  she  did  not  notice  their  and  her  customers’  absence  that  entire  morning.  Her  head  continued  to  throb  and  she  drank  tea  that  made  her  sleep.  It  was  at  noon  Nathan  heard  a  blood  curdling  scream.  Omecti  had  felt  her  face  and  obtain  a  mirror  and  saw  the  progression  of  plague  number  six  across  her  face.  Large  pustules  some  red  and  others  nearly  transparent  filled  with  thick  white  and  yellow  liquid  covered  her  face.  She  then  felt  under  her  wig  and  instead  of  smooth  shaven  skin  her  scalp  was  lumpy  and  swollen  with  blisters.  Her  hands  were  dotted  with  crimson  blotches  and  her  feet  itched  from  the  painful  blisters  on  her  soles.  “Anna,  come  here  at Â
once!!â€?  Nathan’s  mother  ran  to  the  door.  She  looked  amazed  at  Omecti,  “I  need  doctor  Akehenton,  tell  him  it  is  an  emergency!â€?   Nathan’s  mother  ran  swiftly  to  find  the  physician.  Nathan  watched  Omecti  quietly  in  the  back.  He  watched  as  each  pustule  became  larger,  some  of  them  combined  and  grew  white  tops.  “This  is  incredible,  absolutely  amazing,â€?  he  said  quietly.  “What  are  you  doing?â€?  Hannah  said  to  him.  “While  you  were  in  the  back  spinning,  Mama  was  sent  to  get  a  doctor  for  Omecti.â€?  Hannah  looked  at  her  in  complete  shock.  “Do  you  think  it  is  another  plague!!â€?  he  said  excitedly,  before  she  could  reprove  her  brother  she  found  herself  hypnotized  by  the  large  boils  covering  Omecti.  Right  before  them  they  saw  two  of  them  burst  on  her  nose  and  the  woman  began  to  scream  and  moan  repeatedly.  Large  amounts  of  thick  yellow  and Â
white  fluid  covered  her  face.  The  pattern  of  red  sores  developing  into  dime  sized  pustules,  then  to  quarter  size  boils  that  combined  until  the  blisters  exploded  continued  all  over  her  body.  Their  mother  came  back  nearly  out  of  breath.  “The  doctor  cannot  come,  he  is  sick  as  well.  Well  every  Egyptian  had  varying  amounts  of  the  plague.  Nathan’s  mother  would  later  tell  them  how  she  saw  frights  up  and  down  the  streets.  Entire  bodies  covered  with  blisters  and  the  yelling,  swearing,  shouting,  screams,  and  the  accusations  she  received  to  and  from  the  doctor’s  home.  “She  did  it,  get  her!!â€?  “Death  to  the  Hebrews!â€?  “They  committed  such  an  offence  on  the  eve  of  Isis.â€?  They  were  too  weak  to  grab  her.  When  she  entered  the  shop  she  told  Omecti  that  the  doctor  could  not  be  reached  and  then  she  went  to  the  back  and  gathered  children.  “We  are  leaving  now!â€?  his  mother  said  firmly.  Omecti’s  uncle  came  down  the  steps.  He  had  a  few  blisters  on  his  wrists  and  the  inside  of  his  arms;  far  fewer  than  what  was  on  his  niece  and  on  the  majority  of  the  residents  of  Thebes.  “I  know  that  you  all  serve  the  true  God.  The  God  of  heaven;  you  need  to  leave  this  city  at  once.  You  may  have  my  wagon.â€?  Nathan’s  mother  tried  to  refuse.  “It Â
is  the  least  I  can  do.  Quite  frankly  Omecti  has  been  too  vain  for  far  too  long.   I  just  bought  a  new  horse  from  Midian.  Take  it  Anna,  I  should  have  protected  you  from  her‌⋯â€?  he  trailed  off.  Nathan’s  mother  said  thank  you  and  took  her  children  and  traveled  back  to  Goshen.  The  entire  way  home  images  of  the  people  stricken  in  the  city  danced  in  Nathan’s  head.  They  shook  their  fists  at  them  and  at  heaven.  He  then  thought  about  hateful  Omecti  and  her  uncle  and  how  he  was  the  nicest  Egyptian  he  had  ever  met.  Before  the  blister  outbreak  he  had  given  them  large  long  loaves  of  bread  and  a  bag  of  gold  coins.  Now  he  has  given  them  this  wagon  along  with  new  horse  from  Midian.  They  met  his  father,  brother,  and  uncles  on  the  way  back  to  Goshen.  His  mother  told  them  how  they  obtained  their  new  transportation  and  all  the  events  that  proceeded.  The  men  also  had  tales  of  the  proud  architects  bending  over  in  pain  due  to  the  sores  that  suddenly  appeared.  Every  task  master  was  doubled  over  and  in  shock  due  to  blisters  that  kept  bursting. Â
The  Egyptians  had  always  believed  themselves  to  be  the  most  beautiful  and  belittled  the  Israelites  for  not  being  blessed  with  their  eyes,  lips,  and  hair.  In  fairness  they  were  not  the  most  attractive  people  of  the  earth  but  those  in  power  often  attribute  brilliance,  talent,  and  beauty  to  themselves  and  to  themselves  only.  The  plague  of  boils  and  blains  was  very  disturbing  for  them  because  God  had  destroyed  their  beauty  in  less  than  one  day.  With  a  new  horse  and  wagon  they  all  were  able  to  reach  their  home  much  sooner.  They  had  left  Thebes  in  the  afternoon  and  even  though  there  was  no  boat  available  this  afternoon,  they  still  reached  Goshen  in  the  mid  afternoon.  Nathan  saw  Joel  walking  toward  the  meeting  place  of  the  elders.  He  then  said,  “Mama,  there  is  Joel  he  may  know  what  happened.â€?  “Drop  me  of  here  and  go  home.  I  will  find  out  what  happened,â€?  his  father  said  and  his  uncle  stated  he  would  go  with  him.  After  they  dropped  of  the  men,  Micah  asked  his  sister  about  the  amount  of  blisters  that  covered  Omecti.  “How  many,  tell  me  in  detail,  I  need  to  know!â€?  he  grinned  with  great  mischief  in  his  eyes.  “It  was  the  ugliest Â
sight,  it  is  the  thing  that  nightmares  made  of!  I  just  tremble  from  remembering  how  they  kept  growing  and  exploding.  I  know  that  had  to  be  painful.â€? His  mother  then  said,  “If  it  is  God’s  will,  then  I  say  amen  and  glory  to  the  most  high  God.â€?   “Her  uncle  gave  you  this  cart?â€?  Micah  still  could  not  believe  he  was  not  walking  home.  “He  is  different.  He  does  not  even  participate  in  those  festivals  or  offer  anything  to  stupid  idols.â€? “He  is  the  best  Egyptian  I  know.  He  actually  pays  you.â€?  The  Rabbit  smiled,  he  nearly  forgotten.  He  was  also  given  a  large  bag  of  gold  as  well. Â
Chapter  9 The  Mill  House It  would  be  weeks  before  the  city  of  Thebes  would  return  to  normal.  The  use  of  veils  was  increased  and  nearly  invisible  tops  and  bottoms  were  not  deemed  fashionable.  Omecti  had  to  import  large  quantities  of  powder  and  cream  to  make  face  and  body  paint.  These  were  easier  to  make  than  the  dyes  for  the  linen.  However  she  did  not  decrease  the  workload.  She  did  not  feel  as  free  to  insult  her  Hebrew  slaves  as  she  used  to.  The  entire  kingdom  was  affected  by  the  plague  that  left  its  mark  on  all  Egyptians.  Even  the  task  masters  of  the  field  began  to  wear  powder  as  well  to  hide  the  unsightly  pox  marks  on  their  faces  and  even  larger  head  dresses  to  protect  the  tender  sores  that  remained  on  their  bald  heads. Â
The  flooding  season  ended  and  the  barley  began  to  shoot  up  until  it  was  much  taller  than  Nathan.  He  knew  that  harvest  time  for  the  barley  would  begin  shortly  and  thereafter  they  would  sow  wheat.  Work  in  the  field  would  soon  pick  up  once  the  harvest  would  begin.  During  this  lull  workers  were  often  sent  to  other  areas.  The  Egyptians  deeply  believed  that  no  Israelite  should  ever  be  idle.  Nathan  was  sent  to  work  with  his  Uncle  Hezekiah  along  with  his  friends  Levi  and  Joshua.  Micah  was  sent  with  them  because  they  needed  a  strong  laborer  from  the  brickyard  to  help  make  the  stone  pathways  for  a  new  garden  in  Pharaoh’s  palace.  Neftut  gave  them  the  assignment  purposely  to  displease  the  princess.  He  gave  Hezekiah  the  project  without  giving  him  any  tools  or  means  of  transportation.  He  knew  he  could  not  complete  the  task  without  either.  What  he  did  not  known  was  Micah  had  been  taught  how  to  work  with  metal  and  stone  in  the  brickyard.  One  of  the  Egyptian  iron  smiths  was  teaching  him  how  melt  and  shape  iron,  copper,  and  brass.  The  old  man  preferred  working  with  Hebrews  because  they  were Â
fast  learners,  strong,  and  in  his  view  not  disrespectful  like  young  Egyptian  men.  Micah  used  this  knowledge  to  make  sharper  arrow  heads,  hammers,  nails,  bolts,  and  screws.  He  kept  these  things  hidden  in  his  room.  There  used  to  be  multitudes  of  metal  workers  in  Israel  but  with  a  reduction  of  men  the  numbers  began  to  decrease.  The  Egyptians  reduced  their  access  to  metal  and  the  materials  needed  to  make  the  fire  pits  to  melt  the  metal  and  forced  them  to  return  their  tools  at  the  end  of  each  work  day.  The  Egyptians  purposely  limited  the  amount  of  metal  the  Israelites  could  obtain  because  they  feared  an  uprising.  Neftut  did  not  known  Hezekiah  had  a  nephew  who  could  make  tools  and  had  recently  collected  enough  material  to  make  a  fire  pit.  Nor  did  he  know  that  he  had  relations  that  had  recently  acquired  a  large  wagon  outfitted  with  a  strong  horse.  The  vicious  man’s  face  twisted  with  disbelief  when  he  saw  Hezekiah  being  picked  up  by  his  nephews  in  the  brand  new  wagon.  He  would  be  able  to  get  plants  he  thought  but  he  has  no  tools  for  the  bricks  he  thought  to  himself.  At  least Â
that  was  what  he  thought  and  that  was  what  comforted  him.  “That  is  one  ugly  man.  Look  at  the  pox  marks  on  his  neck,â€?  Levi  just  stared  at  him.  “Don’t  say  anything!â€?  Micah  quietly  warned  them.  They  were  all  surprised.  Micah  was  normally  first  to  mock  an  Egyptian.  Neftut  was  ripe  for  mockery  with  his  pox  marks  that  still  dotted  his  neck,  his  tall  slinky  body,  a  large  mouth  with  thin  protruding  lips,  and  tiny  eyes.  What  they  did  not  know  was  that  Micah  knew  that  speaking  foolishly  in  front  the  oppressor  could  cause  you  great  harm  and  distress.  “Hello,  young  men,  I  think  I  am  going  to  have  to  work  hard  to  keep  up  with  you  lads  today,â€?  Hezekiah  was  95  and  still  very  athletic.  His  shiny  black  hair  was  sprinkled  with  silver.   His  eyes  were  dark  like  coals  and  he  was  tall  like  a  palm  tree,  he  was  at  least  6  feet  and  6  inches  tall.  Despite  his  regal  appearance  he  was  one  of  the  meekest  people  Nathan  knew.  After  he  climbed  unto  the  wagon  he  turned  toward  Neftut  to  obtain  the  plans  needed  to  build  the  princess’s  new  garden. Â
Neftut  threw  the  plans  at  him  and  began  to  screech  instructions  before  they  left.  “The  princess  is  very  delicate  and  requires  only  the  choicest  stones  for  her  garden.  Each  must  shaped  perfectly  and  carved  with  these  patterns,â€?  they  have  no  tools  he  thought  to  himself  as  he  hissed  out  the  directions.  When  they  finally  left  to  go  to  the  great  warehouse  to  obtain  the  stones  they  placed  a  royal  banner  over  the  sides  of  the  cart.  This  would  prevent  any  unnecessary  questions  from  royal  officers  about  the  origins  of  the  wagon  and  horse.  The  trip  would  not  be  too  long  to  and  from  the  warehouse.  However  it  was  long  enough  that  lunch  could  be  eaten  on  the  way.  Hannah  had  packed  her  little  brother  roasted  quail  seasoned  with  sea  salt,  black  pepper,  and  red  spices.  He  loved  it  when  his  sister  cooked  she  could  make  meat  so  savory  and  the  pies  she  could  make  were  the  better  than  anyone  else’s  in  the  entire  village.  “Another  one  of  Hannah’s  famous  inventions,â€?  Hezekiah  said.  Micah  gave  the  reins  to  uncle  and  searched  in  his  bag  hoping  that  his  sister  made  him  lunch  as  well.  His  sister  was  merciful  and Â
packed  all  of  them  a  wondrous  feast  for  the  next  few  days.  “How  did  she  have  time  for  this?â€?  Joshua  asked,  “I  mean  I  know  Omecti  doesn’t  give  a  moment’s  peace.â€?   “Well,  while  they  were  healing  from  the  boils.  Hannah  worked  everyday  making  spice  rubs.  I  helped  her  grind  them  into  powder.  She  then  traded  with  people  in  the  different  villages  to  get  different  oils,  vinegars,  even  honey.  She  placed  them  in  containers  so  now  if  we  get  fish  or  quail,â€?  he  said  with  a  smile,  “She  prepares  them  and  all  you  have  to  do  is  cook  it  when  you  get  home.â€?  “When  I  get  older  I  am  going  to  marry  her,â€?  Joshua  joked  and  Levi  countered,  “Who  said  we  wanted  you  in  our  family!â€?  The  boys  continued  to  joke  with  one  another  during  the  entire  trip.  The  laughter  continued  during  the  entire  day.  Even  though  carrying  the  different  plants,  stones,  wood,  and  dirt  was  difficult  work  it  was  far  more  enjoyable  than  working  in  the  field,  the  brickyard  or  even  the  dye  room.  They  even  talked  about  all  that  had  happened  in  the  last  year.  It  just  seemed  like  yesterday  that  Levi  had  awaken  Nathan  to  see  the  river  turn  to  blood. Â
So  much  had  happen  and  what  they  did  not  know  was  that  even  greater  wonders  would  be  performed  in  Egypt.  They  had  work  a  total  of  nine  days  on  the  princess’s  new  garden.  The  boys  worked  hard  for  Hezekiah  because  they  knew  Neftut  would  do  anything  to  cause  him  to  be  punished  by  Pharaoh.  They  even  decided  to  sleep  at  the  old  mill  house  at  night  because  they  would  soon  be  forced  to  return  the  fields.  They  would  wake  up  early  before  the  sun  rose  in  the  sky  and  began  to  shape  and  cut  all  of  the  large  stones  that  would  be  used  to  hold  large  flowering  bushes,  archways,  and  the  intricate  pathways.   On  the  tenth  day  at  lunch  time  they  suddenly  heard  yelling  in  front  of  the  mill.   “Where  is  Hezekiah!!  I  must  speak  to  him.â€?  It  was  a  short  Egyptian  woman  whose  wig  was  not  completely  on  her  head.  Hezekiah  ran  to  the  door  and  said,  “Madam  I  am  here,â€?  “News  from  the  palace,â€?  she  was  nearly  breathless,  “Hezekiah,  grave  news!  I  have  heard  from  one  of  the  workers  at  that  palace  that  Moses  said  that  God  would  rain  hail  upon  Egypt  tomorrow!  Hail  that  has  never Â
been  seen  before  and  that  all  would  die  in  it  if  they  left  their  cattle  and  their  servants  in  the  field.  If  they  kept  them  inside  they  would  not  die!  My  brother  refuses  to  keep  his  men  inside  but,  but,â€?  The  woman  was  shaking  as  she  spoke,  “Hezekiah  I  know  you  are  a  servant  of  God,  is  it  true,  is  it  true?â€? “If  Moses  has  said  this,  then  it  is  true.  Keep  your  animals  and  servants  indoors  tomorrow  and  go  quickly  before  it  is  too  late,â€?  he  said  firmly. The  young  men  were  in  disbelief.  Hail  that  has  never  been  seen,  death  to  all  those  outside,  and  Hezekiah  spoke  with  such  authority  and  the  woman  believed.  Their  uncle  turned  around  and  said  “It  is  too  late  for  us  to  make  our  way  to  Goshen.  Even  with  the  fastest  horses  we  could  not  reach  the  main  road  now  before  they  seal  the  gates.  We  will  be  fine  I  assure  you.  God  always  takes  care  of  his  people.  We  will  not  work  anymore  today  on  stones  instead  lets  put  all  the  materials  inside,  along  with  the  animals.  After  that  we  will  need  to  secure  the  windows.â€?   All  of  them  looked  at  each  other  after  Hezekiah  instructed  them.  The Â
rest  of  the  day  moved  swifter  than  any  other  day  had  before.  What  was  God  going  to  do  the  land  of  Egypt?  Was  the  constant  thought  in  all  of  their  minds.  Nathan  was  nervous  he  felt  himself  shiver  at  the  thought  of  what  might  happen.  He  had  seen  the  plagues  up  close,  but  this  was  different.  Hezekiah  saw  Nathan  tremble  a  little  as  he  quickly  picked  up  the  large  carving  tools,  nails,  and  screws  they  had  used.  He  too  felt  a  strange  tightness  in  his  stomach,  but  he  knew  it  would  pass.  Even  though  he  would  prefer  a  little  distance  to  this  execution  of  God’s  judgment;  he  also  knew  that  God  would  protect  all  those  who  trust  in  him.  “Alright,  lads,  we  don’t  know  exactly  how  bad  this  is  going  to  be  or  how  long  we  will  be  here.  Before  we  secure  the  horse,  I  want  Micah  to  go  to  the  other  side  of  the  glen  and  pick  as  much  fruit  and  vegetables  that  can  fit  in  the  large  sacks.  The  rest  of  us  will  collect  water  from  the  creek  and  we  will  meet  here  at  the  ninth  hour.â€? When  they  all  returned  they  had  a  handsome  bounty  of  fish,  leeks,  berries,  oranges,  carrots,  and  of  course Â
water.  As  the  sun  set  they  began  to  cook  dinner  and  prepare  themselves  for  evening  worship.  The  prayer  portion  was  far  lengthier  than  it  had  ever  been.  This  time  every  one  of  them  took  turns  as  they  prayed  in  a  ring.  Dinner  was  uneventful  and  they  all  went  to  bed  afterwards  wondering  what  the  day  would  bring. Â
Chapter  10 Fire  and  Ice Nathan  looked  up  at  the  rafters  from  his  bunk.  Would  he  be  safe?  What  would  happen  tomorrow,  what  did  Hezekiah  know?  He  knew  he  was  supposed  to  be  sleeping  but  all  he  could  do  was  look  above  him  and  out  at  the  space  in  between  the  wood  beams  in  the  wall.  “Nathan,  are  you  awake?â€?  Joshua  asked. “I  can’t  sleep.  What  do  you  think  will  happen?â€?  Nathan  asked.  His  words  seemed  to  drift  in  the  air.  “We’ll  be  okay.  God  will  protect  us.  Remember  when  the  fly  invasion  happened.  None  of  them  came  near  us,â€?  Levi  insisted.   It  was  the  only  thing  that  kept  him  from  trembling  in  his  bed.  He  clung  to  the  fact  that  God  did  not  punish  his  children  and  he  held  his  covers  tightly  and  tried  to  will  himself  to  sleep. Â
The  boys  were  not  the  only  ones  finding  it  difficult  to  sleep.  Everywhere  in  Egypt  that  night  debates  occurred  in  diverse  households  on  what  to  do  about  their  servants  and  where  they  should  place  their  animals.  Many  in  complete  defiance  refused  to  keep  their  servants  inside  and  decided  to  offer  unto  the  gods  of  the  air,  the  ground,  and  water  instead.  Still  there  was  a  growing  minority  that  had  enough  of  the  plagues  and  when  they  received  the  news  they  forced  their  servants  to  gather  what  they  could  from  the  fields  and  store  them.  Large  groups  of  horses,  cattle,  camels  were  sent  inside  and  tied  to  any  fixed  surface  to  prevent  them  from  wandering.  Nathan  did  finally  drift  to  a  heavy  slumber  that  was  ended  by  a  loud  eerie  twisting  clap  in  the  sky.  The  loud  crackle  seemed  to  be  in  the  mill  and  it  was  followed  by  an  explosive  boom.  He  smelt  burned  wood  and  then  he  heard  screaming.  It  was  the  sound  of  screaming  not  close  by  but  of  those  at  a  distance.  The  mill’s  walls  began  to  vibrate  a  little  as  the  wind  pushed  against  it.  He  sat  up  from  his  bunk  and  grabbed  his  knees.  What  is  happening  out  there?  He  thought  to  himself.   No Â
matter  how  strong  his  fear  was  it  could  not  imprison  him.  He  was  far  too  curious  and  it  was  his  inquisitive  nature  that  forced  him  out  of  his  bed  and  caused  him  to  climb  up  the  ladder  to  the  upper  floor  of  the  mill.  He  crawled  on  hands  and  knees  towards  a  small  opening  in  window  whose  protective  covering  had  blown  away.  Halfway  towards  the  window  he  heard  what  sounded  like  millions  of  pellets  hitting  a  tin  roof.  The  sound  surrounded  him  and  grew  louder  and  louder.  He  could  feel  the  mill  vibrate  a  little  more  as  the  popping  noise  began  to  sound  deeper.  He  had  stopped  in  his  tracks  but  then  began  to  creep  again  towards  the  opening  in  the  window.  When  he  finally  reached  the  small  opening  he  was  dumbfounded  by  the  sight  before  him.  The  gentle  flowing  creek  that  they  played  in  just  two  days  ago  looked  like  it  was  boiling  over  its  banks.  The  outpouring  of  hail  was  overwhelming  the  creek  and  forcing  it  out  of  its  bed.  The  darken  sky  then  became  a  blaze  of  white  from  lightning  that  danced  in  the  sky.  Immediately  afterwards  the  thunder  shook  the  house  and  Nathan  smelled  burned  wood  and  burnt  earth.  The  raining  pellets  then  began  to  change  as  the  noise  began Â
to  sound  deeper.  It  sounded  like  hammers,  thousands  of  hammers  hitting  steel  repeatedly.  It  wasn’t  hammers  but  ice,  ice  the  size  of  first  baseballs  and  then  grapefruit.  Nathan  watched  as  he  saw  trees  being  severed  in  several  small  pieces  by  the  large  pieces  of  ice.  He  could  not  see  the  dark  earth  because  it  was  covered  with  lumpy  layer  of  ice  nearly  a  foot  high  that   was  intermingled  with  branches,  leaves  and  anything  else  that  was  between  it  and  the  earth.  He  was  so  entranced  by  this  amazing  pestilence  that  he  could  not  here  the  desperate  cries  underneath  him.  Micah  was  looking  for  him  and  was  deeply  afraid  that  his  brother  might  have  done  something  foolish.  All  of  them  were  looking  for  him;  in  fact  it  was  Joshua  who  climbed  up  the  ladder  to  see  if  Nathan  was  on  the  third  floor.  Micah  climbed  up  after  him.  Before  he  could  shout  or  yell  at  both  of  them  the  wind  began  to  scream  outside  and  you  could  hear  and  feel  its  fury  against  all  that  stood  in  its  path.  Micah  crawled  towards  both  them  and  he  was  astonished  by  the  sight  he  saw.  Vapor,  steam,  and  smoke  came  from  the  ground.  Large  tongues  of  fire  raged  outside  the  creek.  Nearly  bowling  ball  size  hail  fell  to  the  ground  and Â
pummeled  the  landscape.  The  screaming  had  stopped  much  early  and  now  all  they  could  hear  was  thousands  and  thousands  of  hammers  that  continued  to  hit  the  ground  with  great  force  that  the  ground  began  to  shake  from  each  impact.  Even  the  temperature  outside  began  to  change  violently  from  icy  cold  to  hot  and  back  and  forth.  The  melon  sized  hail  that  fell  unto  the  fires  set  off  loud  blasts  that  shook  the  air  and  caused  large  plumes  of  vapor  to  fill  the  air.   “What  are  you  doing?  Get  away  from  there  at  once!!â€?  unknown  to  them  Hezekiah  had  been  shouting  at  them  and  it  was  only  because  he  was  right  behind  them  and  grabbed  two  of  them  by  the  shoulders  that  they  heard  him.   They  began  to  feel  the  house  sway  a  little  and  again  could  not  understand  what  Hezekiah  was  saying.  The  thunder  shook  the  house  and  the  escalating  hailstorm  rendered  their  ears Â
useless.  He  motioned  them  to  come  downstairs  and  all  of  them  followed  him.  They  were  all  stunned  by  what  they  had  witness  outside.  This  was  a  side  of  God  they  had  never  experienced  before;  a  God  that  was  wrathful  and  furious  at  the  earth.  No  one  had  an  appetite  for  breakfast.  They  continued  to  hear  the  progression  of  plague  number  7  outside.  “You  all  need  to  eat,â€?  it  was  difficult  for  them  to  pay  attention  to  Hezekiah  as  they  heard  the  loud  snapping  sounds  of  trees  being  broken  apart  outside,  “This  is  the  judgment  of  God.  I  know  the  sounds,  they  are‌⋯â€?  the  entire  mill  house  shook  with  the  explosive  thunder  and  Hezekiah  continued  to  yell,  “We  should  pray  and  have  service,  God  never  forsakes  his  children.â€? Eventually  their  stomachs  cries  did  reach  their  ears  and  they  began  to  devour  the  left  over  fish  from  last  night’s  dinner.  “How  long  will  you  think  this  is  going  to  last?â€?  Levi  said  between  the  thundering,  “God  does Â
everything  by  measure,  we  just  don’t  know  exactly  what  he  has  determined  for  the  Egyptians.  I  want  you  all  remember  this  event,  we  must  never  forget  what  God  has  done  on  behalf  of  us.â€?  All  of  them  were  silent.  Nathan  thought  to  himself,  how  anyone  could  forget  this;  there  was  hail  the  size  of  cantaloupes  falling  from  the  sky,  the  deep  rolling  bass  of  the  thunder  made  his  bones  vibrate  within,  and  the  barrage  of  branches,  ice  and  crackling  flames  may  never  leave  his  ears.  Forget?  He  would  never  forget  this  day  for  the  entirety  of  his  life. Â
Nathan  and  his  friends  were  not  the  only  ones  shaken  to  the  core  by  the  great  storm  that  was  now  bludgeoning  the  landscape.  Miles  away  in  Thebes  his  sister  Hannah  was  waiting  out  the  storm  in  Omecti’s  shop.  Just  two  days  prior  she  had  been  ordered  by  Omecti  to  stay  in  the  shop  for  the  remainder  of  the  week  to  finish  the  headdresses  and  wigs  she  was  adding  to  her  collection.  Hannah  was  an  excellent  wig  maker  and  Omecti  decided  it  was  time  to  expand  her  business. Â
Wigs  were  now  not  only  fashionable  but  deemed  necessary  due  to  the  constant  cycles  of  lice  outbreaks  that  continued  to  occur.  Anna  did  not  want  to  leave  her  daughter  there  but  she  had  little  choice.  While  she  was  beading  her  tenth  wig  of  the  day  she  over  heard  one  of  Omecti’s  customers  informed  her  of  what  Moses  said  in  the  palace.  “I  don’t  care  what  that  slave  says.  I  have  Anubis  to  protect  me  and  that  is  all  I  need.  Besides  I  must  have  all  my  lotus  plants  trimmed  and  the  roses  must  be  picked  for  my  daughter’s  wedding  two  days  from  now,â€?  Omecti  said  nothing.  She  was  weighing  the  risks  to  herself  quietly.   Hannah  sat  quietly,  another  plague  and  this  time  all  those  outside  would  be  killed,  she  thought.  I  have  to  get  home  but  how?  She  knew  that  even  if  she  ran  away  she  could  never  reach  the  ferry  in  time  and  Omecti  confiscated  her  little  change  bag  so  that  she  could  not  pay  fare.  She  was  stuck  here  in  Egypt  without  rescue.  Her  hands  began  to  tremble  and  she  began  to  wonder  if  she  was  being  punished  for  all  those  times  she  did  not  pray  or  fast.  She  could  not  help  but  remember  the  times  she  would  wear  Egyptian  clothing,  wigs,  and  makeup Â
whenever  she  was  sent  by  Omecti  to  obtain  the  new  cloth  order  at  the  port.  She  felt  deeply  ashamed  for  wearing  those  nearly  shear  tops  and  those  heavily  beaded  wigs  that  often  had  engraven  images  of  idols  on  the  beads.  Now  she  was  alone  in  Thebes  and  a  great  pestilence  was  coming  and  as  she  stood  her  feet  felt  like  they  would  move  from  underneath  her.  If  I  could  only  take  it  back,  she  thought  to  herself.  Her  cheeks  were  now  soaked  from  the  tears  that  flooded  her  face.  She  then  remembered  something  her  grandmother  said  about  repenting  and  asking  God  for  forgiveness.  She  sat  on  the  hard  wood  floor  and  knelt  in  prayer.  She  had  been  there  for  an  extended  period  of  time  when  she  heard  yelling  in  the  front.  Rarely  did  she  hear  Omecti’s  uncle  raise  his  voice  but  now  it  filled  the  entire  building.  “You  can  do  what  you  want!!  You  stupid,  self  centered  girl!!  How  much  more  do  you  need  to  see?�
“I  should  be  like  you  uncle.  The  great  Teotan,  riddled  with  arthritis,  believing  in  the  wild  tales  of  the  slaves.  You  gave  them  that  brand  new  wagon  and  that‌⋯â€?  “I  have  the  right  to  do  whatever  I  want  with  what  I  own!  You  want  to  kill  your  workers  and  then  go  ahead  send  them  to  the  docks,  send  your  right  hand  to  the  field  to  pick  up  more  dye.  I  will  not  send  any  of  mine.  Don’t  even  think  about  sending  Hannah,  you  hateful  girl!  Or  I  will‌⋯â€?  She  then  smirked  at  him  and  replied,  “Or  what!â€? “I  will  show  the  tax  marshal  your  accounts!â€? “I  am  you  flesh  and  blood,  how  could  you  for  a  Hebrew!â€? There  was  no  answer  but  just  a  cold  silence.  Omecti’s  uncle  had  recently  discovered  a  weapon  to  use  against  his  niece  and  was  happy  to  wield  it.  Omecti  was  in  complete  disbelief  because  she  had  never  seen  her  Uncle  so  defiant  and  unwilling  to  yield.  She  really  did  not Â
intend  to  send  her  Egyptian  workers  out  but  to  send  Hannah  would  have  been  in  her  mind  far  less  risky.  Maybe  she  would  have  been  protected  from  the  storm;  it  was  true  that  none  of  the  Israelites  were  affected  by  the  plagues  like  the  Egyptians.  Every  time  she  looked  at  her  beautiful  clear  caramel  skin  she  wanted  to  scream.  She  did  not  need  powder,  cream,  or  oil  for  her  face;  Hannah  was  extremely  beautiful  and  was  not  covered  with  faint  marks  on  her  face  like  Omecti.  Â
As  her  brother  Nathan  was  watching  the  storm  on  the  third  floor  of  the  mill  house,  Hannah  was  in  the  back  of  the  dye  room  hearing  the  screams  outside.  So  many  of  the  residents  of  Thebes  tried  to  continue  on  as  if  nothing  was  said;  wedding  processions  had  begun,  the  marketplace  was  full,  and  each  idol  had  double  its  attendants.  One  hour  in  the  morning  the  storm  began  with  violent  force.  None  of  the  people  outdoors  could  make  it  in  time  to  reach  any  building.  Omecti  had  left  the  back  door  open  right  before  the  storm  began.  So  Hannah  could  see  God’s  wrath  against  the  Egyptians. Â
She  saw  the  crackling  lightning  that  stretch  all  over  the  sky  with  its  fingers  in  nearly  corner  of  it.  Thunder  shook  the  air  so  hard  that  you  could  feel  its  displeasure  within  your  bones.  The  large  stones  of  hail  came  in  different  shapes  and  sizes  and  knocked  down  every  idol  in  its  path,  shredded  the  palm  trees,  and  made  holes  in  the  brick  streets.  The  beautiful  city  of  Thebes  was  decimated  within  a  few  hours.  Soon  vapor  and  smoke  began  to  enter  the  dye  room  and  Hannah  ran  towards  the  front  of  the  store.  Omecti  was  cowering  in  a  large  closet  with  the  rest  of  her  workers.   Hannah  knelt  down  and  prayed  again  and  asked  for  God’s  mercy.  The  storm  battered  the  land  for  days  until  Pharaoh  was  able  to  reach  Moses.  Nathan  and  the  rest  of  his  friends  stayed  in  the  lower  level  of  the  mill  house.  No  one  could  get  used  to  the Â
screaming  wind,  the  pounding  hail,  and  the  thunder  that  seemed  to  make  your  body  vibrate.  That  is  why  when  there  was  no  more  shaking  or  pounding  one Â
morning  they  all  looked  at  each  other.  “Is  it  over?â€?  Levi  yelled.  All  three  boys  ran  to  the  door  and  opened  it  a  little.  The  sun  was  in  the  clear  blue  sky.  “Hezekiah,  Hezekiah,â€?  they  all  shouted.  He  came  from  the  back  where  he  was  tending  to  the  horse,  “What  is  it?â€?  he  asked.  “The  storm  it  is  gone!â€?  Joshua  yelled  excitedly.  The  old  man  ran  towards  the  door  and  opens Â
it,  the  sky  was  a  gorgeous  blue  and  not  a  cloud  was  in  it.  “We  need  to  leave  at  once.â€?  They  were  so  excited;  they  had  been  in  the  small  mill  house  for  what  seemed  like  an  eternity.  All  five  of  them  moved  quickly  to  pack  and  prepare  for  the  journey  back  to  Goshen.  As  beautiful  as  the  sky  was  the  earth  was  in  frightful  disarray.  When  they  left  the  mill  house  none  of  them  could  speak  for  they  were  shocked  at  the  destruction  that  surrounded  them.  Large  heaps  of  ice  intermingled  with  branches,  stones,  and  earth  was  everywhere.  Only  the  stumps  of  some  trees  remained  the  rest  had  been  uprooted,  shredded  or  burned.  Vapor  slowly  floated  from  some  of  the  larger  mounds  of  ice.  If  it  was  not  for  the  path  that  the  fire  left  they  would  not  have  been  able  to  leave  the  mill  house.  Every  other  inch  of  the  earth  was  covered  in  battered  and  charred  debris.  As  they  traveled  on  the  charred  path,  Hannah  was  packing  all  off  her  things.  “Fine  let  her  go,  nothing  is  left!â€?  Omecti  stared  at  Hannah.  She  was  normally  a  dramatic  woman  but  she  had  no  need  to  embellish  the  situation  outside  today.  “Maybe  you  should  take  my Â
uncle  with  you,�  these  were  the  words  of  a  woman  who  knew  the  life  she  had  known  was  ruined  along  with  the  rest  of  Egypt.  “Hannah!  Hannah!�  “Who  is  that?�  Omecti  looked  towards  the  door.
“Hannah!  Are  you  there?â€?   Hannah  ran  towards  the  back  door,  it  was  Azariah  one  of  Micah’s  older  friends.  “Azariah,  what  are  you  doing  here?â€? “I  came  to  get  you.  I  heard  from  one  of  the  other  dock  workers  that  Omecti  forced  you  stay  over.â€?  Azariah  was  19  years  old,  he  was  rudy  in  complexion  and  tall  like  a  cedar  tree.  His  master  forced  him  to  continue  to  load  stones  unto  the  boats  even  after  the  last  ferry  to  Goshen  had  left.  However  his  son  disobeyed  his Â
father  and  gave  the  workers  shelter  in  his  own  house  during  the  storm.  “We  need  to  go  Hannah,â€?  he  did  not  have  to  urge  her.  She  gathered  all  of  her  things  and  joined  him  outside.  The  walk  to  Goshen  would  be  long  and  hard  but  both  of  them  were  desperate  to  leave  Thebes  behind.  It  would  be  hours  before  she  met  her  brothers  on  the  road.  It  was  an  unexpected  reunion.  The  next  reunion  occurred  many  hours  later  and  it  was  full  of  tears,  laughter,  and  multiple  hugs.  In  fact  Nathan’s  mother  did  not  stop  hugging  her  children  for  hours.  The  entire  village  set  up  a  prayer  vigil  for  all  the  Israelites  who  could  not  escape  the  land  of  Egypt  before  the  storm.  The  elders  called  for  a  fast  for  3  days.  Not  one  of  the  Israelites  in  Egypt  was  hurt  during  plague  number  7. Â
Chapter  11 The  East  Wind “Come  on  Nathan,  it  is  almost  time,â€?  Nathan  was  nearly  done  fastening  his  sandals.  He  could  not  believe  his  sister  was  getting  married  today  and  to  Azariah.  Who  knew  that  day  after  the  hailstorm  when  they  found  them  on  the  road  that  six  months  later  they  would  be  getting  married?  So  much  had  changed  after  the  great  storm.  Pharaoh  again  refused  to  let  Israel  go  and  instead  set  up  a  great  rebuild  Egypt  plan.  Many  of  his  servants  pitched  in  and  even  the  wealthy  donated  large  portions  of  their  money  to  assist  in  the  rebuilding.  No  slave  would  ever  conquer  Egypt,  was  a  common  saying  that  sprung  up  a  few  months  after  the  storm.  Of  course  the  entire  kingdom  was  shocked  by  the  sheer  desolation  for  the  first  two  months  after  the  storm.  However,  nothing  happened  after  that,  the Â
sky  was  still  blue  and  sun  still  shined  brightly  as  ever.  All  was  not  lost  because  the  wheat  crop  had  not  been  destroyed  and  trees  from  Ethiopia,  Caanan,  and  Crete  were  being  brought  in.  The  cities  were  slowly  being  repaired.  Many  felt  the  worse  was  over  and  that  with  time  things  would  begin  to  return  to  normal.  Many  of  the  children  of  Israel  were  still  wondering  what  would  happen  next  as  the  days  continue  to  march  on.   However  on  this  bright  day  the  entire  village  was  decorated  and  jubilant  for  Hannah  and  Azariah’s  wedding.  Nathan  would  never  admit  it  out  loud  but  he  would  be  sad  to  see  Hannah  go.  She  would  now  move  into  a  house  on  the  other  side  of  the  village.  No  more  spicy  quail,  grilled  beef  sandwiches,  or  fried  fishes  for  her  little  brother.  He  would  not  only  miss  her  cooking  because  she  showed  him  how  to  tame  horses.  There  was  not  much  work  in  the  shop  right  after  the  storm  so  she  patiently  trained  three  wild  horses  until  they  were  calm  and  sweet  natured.  She  even  gave  one  of  them  to  her  little  brother.  The  celebrations  continued  for  a  week.  Fortunately  Nathan  was  not  needed  at  the  field  for  a  little  while  so  he  could  enjoy  the  feasting. Â
After  the  wedding  it  was  time  to  return  to  the  tall  wheat  fields.  The  wheat  sprung  up  so  quickly  after  all  the  debris  was  removed  from  the  field.  Rain  came  down  heavily  and  often  so  that  it  would  soon  be  ready  to  harvest.  They  would  begin  harvesting  it  today.  It  was  an  ordinary  day  except  for  the  wind  a  strong  east  wind  pushed  against  them  the  whole  day.  Every  rock  that  Ramses  threw  could  never  reach  its  intended  target.  After  he  hit  two  overseers’  poxed  heads  he  gave  up  on  starting  a  fight  with  Nathan  and  his  friends.  All  of  his  friends  were  now  transferred  to  the  northern  part  of  the  field  as  well.  The  wind  continued  throughout  the  day  and  they  had  no  relief  from  it  until  they  entered  the  land  of  Goshen.  They  met  his  brother  Micah  and  Azariah  on  the  way  back  to  the  village.  “Tell  me  again  what  did  he  say?â€?  Azariah  looked  at  Micah  in  disbelief.   “Hezekiah  said  that  the  great  Pharaoh,â€?  in  complete  mocking  fashion,  “Who  is  going  to  go  with  you?  After  Moses  told  him  everyone  of  Israel  and  all  that  we  own  he  then  said  only  the  men  should  go.  Never  mind  that  he  has  tried Â
to  kill  off  the  men  of  Israel  but  now  he  is  going  to  say  only  the  men  can  leave!â€?  Everyone  was  stunned,  only  the  men  could  go!  “What  did  Moses  say?â€?  Joshua  asked.  “We  are  all  still  here  and  the  Egyptians  will  soon  have  to  deal  with  locusts!â€?  Micah  just  had  a  wry  smile.  Azariah  just  shook  his  head  and  said,  “I  was  wondering  why  the  people  in  Thebes  were  in  such  an  uproar  today,  they  are  angry  at  Pharaoh.  All  I  heard  today  was  doesn’t  he  know  Egypt  is  destroyed  and  some  people  started  freeing  their  Hebrew  workers  and  giving  them  money!â€?  Micah  looked  at  Azariah  in  disbelief  and  answered  him,  “Can  someone  inform  the  foreman  of  this  obvious  information  at  the  worksite!â€?  “So  he  tried  to  negotiate  with  God??â€?  Nathan  asked.  He  still  could  not  wrap  his  mind  around  the  thought  of  it.   “Yea,  I  think  his  crown  is  a  little  too  tight  upon  his  head,â€?  Micah  said  dryly.  Locusts,  when  would  that  happen,  he  remembered  the  flies  and  the  lice.  He  recalled  black  skies  and  everyone  in  Egypt  wearing  veils.  How  bad  could  it  be,  he  thought  to  himself.  Worse  than  the  great  hail  storm  that Â
battered  the  earth  and  only  left  broken  stumps  in  the  ground.  The  rabbit  still  remembered  seeing  buildings  brought  down  like  matchsticks  and  the  thunder  he  still  becomes  nervous  and  twitchy  whenever  he  heard  thunder.  All  things  are  possible  with  God  was  the  saying  he  heard  from  his  grandmother.  “Why  won’t  they  just  let  us  go!â€?  Levi  shouted  in  disbelief.  All  the  travelers  on  the  road  looked  in  agreement  and  they  continued  on  to  their  homes.  “Hold  the  bridle  steady  but  be  gentle  and  he  will  do  what  you  say,â€?  Hannah  told  Nathan.  It  was  early  morning  and  Nathan  was  receiving  his  horse  riding  lesson  from  his  sister.  Omecti  had  been  forced  to  allow  her  a  month  off  as  a  wedding  present.  Her  uncle  continued  to  hold  her  tax  practices  over  her  head.  He  gave  Hannah  a  large  sum  of  money  along  with  fine  wood  as  a  wedding  present.  Azariah  had  only  been  given  the  week  of  the  wedding  off  and  now  was  back  at  the  docks.  So  in  the  morning’s  an  hour  before  he  had  to  set  off  to  the  field  he  was  being  taught  by  his  sister  how  to  train  his  horse,  Thunder. Â
Today  Thunder  seemed  to  be  a  little  nervous  as  he  walked  on  the  bank  of  the  Nile.  Even  Shadow,  his  sister’s  horse  seemed  a  little  edgy.  “I  think  we  have  done  enough  today.  We  should  go  back  to  the  village.â€?  The  steady  eastern  wind  grew  stronger  and  nearly  pushed  them  a  few  feet  backwards.  Then  they  began  to  hear  a  peculiar  sound  coming  from  the  east.  It  was  difficult  to  see  because  of  the  sun  peaking  from  the  horizon.  At  first  it  sounded  like  the  sound  of  crispy  paper  being  rolled  into  a  ball  and  then  it  grew  to  a  clapping  noise;  hundreds  of  people  clapping  at  once.  The  horses  stood  sill  and  all  of  them  looked  at  the  fast  moving  dark  cloud  that  seemed  to  stretch  over  the  eastern  sky.  “Chariots?â€?  Nathan  then  began  to  think  about  it,  “Locusts!â€?  His  shout  was  so  loud  that  the  people  sailing  in  small  boats  on  the  river  heard  him.  The  horses  began  to  neigh  and  buck  a  little  at  the  sound  of  what  Hannah  called  a  million  chariots.  To  us  it  would  sound  like  machine  guns  that  continued  to  fire  without  the  need  of  reloading.  As  the  swarm  approached  Egypt  it  sounded  like  the  loud  bombers  and  air  jets  at  modern  air  shows  that  were  also Â
accompanied  by  thousands  of  people  marching.  The  battle  had  begun  and  this  army  was  ready  for  war.  Their  descent  increased  as  they  approached  the  earth.   Now  the  entire  sky  was  filled  with  them  and  no  light  could  be  seen  in  Egypt.  The  horses  could  not  bare  it  anymore  and  began  to  gallop  towards  the  village  with  their  owners  on  them.  They  had  gotten  home  just  in  time  to  tell  his  parents.  “Dad!!  Mom!!  Locusts,  locusts!!�  Nathan  shouted  as  he  led  Thunder  to  a  secured  post.  His  mother  ran  out  of  the  house,  “What?,  what?�  she  looked  at  her  children. “Mama  it  is  true  an  entire  fleet  of  locusts  have  descended  upon  Egypt.  They  came  from  the  east,  I  wish  Azariah  did  not  have  to  stay  at  the  docks  last  night.�
“Don’t  worry  about  him,  Micah  and  Azariah  I  know  will  come  home  safe  and  sound,  come  inside.  Maxwell,  you  don’t  have  to  go  work  today!â€?  she  shouted  to  her  husband  inside.  “Locusts!  The  land  is  covered  in  locusts!â€? That  morning  news  about  the  plague  filled  the  village  and  no  one  knew  exactly  what  to  expect.  Nathan  had  to  do  something;  he  just  did  not  know  what.  He  then  thought  to  himself  the  cleft  by  the  river,  I  have  to  see  I  must  see.  He  could  not  escape  to  it,  he  was  being  watched  by  his  mother  and  all  the  other  older  women  in  the  village  he  would  have  to  stay  here  and  wait  for  his  brother’s  report. Â
Chapter  12 The  Fierce  Army
Incoming!!  Incoming!!  Down  below,  get  down  below!  A  nearly  400  lb  Egyptian  man  knocked  Micah  down.  All  he  could  see  were  the  legs  of  frighten  Egyptians  running  as  fast  as  they  could  to  the  bottom  of  the  ship.  He  could  not  hear  anymore  screams,  yells,  or  curses  all  he  heard  was  the  loud  clapping  noise  of  wings  the  sound  was  sharp  and  had  a  metallic  ring  to  it  and  it  was  everywhere.  He  saw  men  jump  into  the  sea;  some  dived  in  feet  first  and  others  simply  fell  in  as  they  were  being  pushed  by  the  mobs  trying  desperately  to  reach  the  lower  decks  of  the  boat.  Just  six  inches  above  him  the  air  was  filled  with  locusts.  They  flew  in  every  direction  possible  so  perfectly  that  none  crashed  into  one  another.  What  the  men  did  not  know  was  that Â
even  though  they  locked  the  door  to  prevent  anyone  or  anything  else  from  entering  the  lower  decks  it  did  not  matter.  The  locusts  found  their  way  into  every  opening  and  began  to  bite  into  the  weaker  parts  of  the  ship  to  find  them.  “Where  am  I?â€?  Micah’s  vision  was  a  little  blurry  and  the  right  side  of  head  began  to  throb.  Get  up,  I  must  get  up.  These  were  the  instructions  he  repeated  to  himself.   He  willed  himself  to  his  knees  and  then  began  to  stand.  The  locusts  did  not  come  near  him  but  that  still  did  not  prevent  his  eyes  from  viewing  the  disturbing  picture  he  saw  in  front  of  him.  “What?â€?  You  could  not  tell  where  the  earth  began  and  the  sky  stopped  in  many  places  because  of  the  fierce  flying  creatures.  They  covered  every  inch  of  every  tree.  On  each  blade  of  grass  a  locust  was  quickly Â
making  work  on  its  disappearance;  if  a  home  dared  to  have  a  vine  the  dark  blue  locusts  laid  upon  it  feasting  on  every  tender  sprout.  The  sound  of  a  million  mouths  devouring  everything  was  nearly  unbearable  if  not  deafening.  They  did  not  touch  Micah  and  he  knew  it  was  because  of  God’s  mercy;  the  same  mercy  that  he  showed  him  during  the  plague  of  hail  and  so  many  other  times  during  his  life.  A  voice  within  said  run  and  he  did  off  of  the  boat  unto  the  loading  dock.  “Azariah!  Azariah!â€?  “Where  are  you?  I  can’t  see  you!â€? “I  am  by  the  loading  dock,  keep  talking  so  I  can  reach  you.â€? The  two  young  men  found  each  other  and  they  began  to  travel  towards  Goshen. “Steady,  Fury,  Steady,â€?  Azariah  trying  to  calm  his  nervous  horse.  “The  quicker  we  can  get  out  of  here  the  better,â€?  Micah  told  him.  They  both  knew  the  trip  home  would  be  slow  and  unusual. Â
The  land  of  Egypt  was  being  erased.  The  lush  green  paradise  had  already  been  battered  by  large  pieces  of  ice  just  months  ago.  The  large  graceful  trees  that  filled  the  country  side  heavy  laden  with  fruit  were  severed  into  wood  chips,  but  the  bushes,  shrubbery,  and  tall  grass  came  back  and  covered  the  land  so  eagerly.  All  they  could  hear  was  the  feasting  of  millions  of  mouths  and  the  clamor  of  the  wings  of  the  great  army.  To  Micah  this  was  worst  than  the  hail  storm.  At  least  then  the  thunder  was  not  continuous.  The  cloud  of  locusts  sounded  like  screeching  jet  engines  that  made  his  head  throb.  He  heard  roofs  cave  from  the  weight  of  locusts  on  top  of  them  and  heard  screaming  and  desperate  pleas  coming  from  inside  the  homes.  To  see  the  judgment  of  God  directly  was  not  an  easy  thing.   How  could  he  describe  the  sound  of  a  million  tiny  yet  powerful  warriors?  They  worked  in  concert  better  than  any  army  on  earth.  The  ground  seemed  to  groan  from  the  weight  of  them  on  the  earth.  So  many  different  bands:  bright  yellow  mustard  ones,  intermingled  with  swift  dark  blue  ones  that  preferred Â
vines,  long  skinny  green  ones  that  clung  to  the  imported  trees,  and  the  purple  and  black  ones  that  devoured  any  green  thing  on  the  earth.   The  wheat  fields  that  were  over  six  feet  were  now  filled  from  top  to  the  bottom  with  dark  blue,  purple,  and  black  soldiers. It  was  very  difficult  for  them  to  travel  on  the  road  because  of  the  darken  skies  and  the  voluminous  clamor  that  surrounded  them.  The  air  was  even  colder  because  the  swarm  had  blocked  out  the  sun.  The  insects  made  spectacular  patterns  in  the  sky:  swirls,  zigzags,  spirals,  and  intricate  circles.  Both  young  men  took  turns  holding  the  reins  because  so  much  strength  was  required  to  control  the  frighten  horse.  Micah’s  hands  began  to  tremble  but  he  kept  trying  to  steady  them.  He  did  not  like  riding  in  a  tunnel  of  locusts.  They  parted  from  them  but  just  enough  to  make  a  tunnel  around  them.  He  kept  praying  and  pleading  for  God’s  mercy.  So  when  both  men  saw  a  light  at  the  end  of  the  buzzing  tunnel  they  began  to  rejoice.  It  was  Goshen,  at  first  they  saw  glimpse  of Â
blue  sky  with  a  small  white  puffy  cloud.  Furry  began  to  gallop;  the  large  horse  also  knew  that  the  frightful  journey  would  soon  end.  As  they  drew  closer  they  could Â
see  grass  and  large  trees  a  hundred  feet  away.  When  they  finally  crossed  over  they  sang  praises  to  God:  Let  the  Lord  be  magnified!  His  will  be  done,  Thank  God  for  his  mercies.  “Micah!!  Micah  and  Azariah  are  here!â€?  Nathan  shouted  from  a  high  tree  limb.  He  had  been  waiting  all Â
afternoon  in  the  tall  cedar  for  his  brother.  He  saw  the  women  of  the  village  along  with  all  of  the  children  run  to  greet  them.  “We  are  sound,  we  are  safe.  Mama  I  am  okay,�  Micah  would  not  be  able  to  detach  his  mother  from  him  for  at  least  another  half  hour.  So  much  to  tell,  stories  of  locust  tunnels,  patterns  in  the  sky,  and  everything  being  devoured.  Nathan  desperately  tried  to  imagine  it;  his  brother  did  say  it  was  worse  than  the  hail  storm  so  did  Azariah.  Thoughts  of  the  mighty  army  filled  his  mind  and  what  about  the  fields?  He  could  not  help  think  that  they  were  supposed  to  harvest  today,  would  anything  be  left?
Chapter  13  Nathan’s  Journey  into  Egypt A  few  nights  later  Nathan  looked  into  the  window  that  was  in  his  room.  He  wondered  what  the  land  of  Egypt  must  looked  like.  Goshen  was  green  and  fertile,  yet  he  heard  that  the  promise  land  was  far  more  beautiful.  He  tried  sleeping  but  his  mind  was  whirling  with  thoughts  he  then  looked  at  his  brother,  “Micah,  Micah.â€?  “What,  rabbit?â€? “Do  you  think,  I  mean  nothing  is  left,  do  you  think  they  will  let  us  go  now?â€? “It  is  in  God’s  hands,  pharaoh  is  a  fool.â€?  The  rabbit  could  not  sleep  he  just  looked  at  the  dark  walls  of  his  room.  Surely  he  would  let  Israel  go  now,  Egypt  is  a  wasteland.  “What  are  you  going  to  do  when  we  go  to  the  promise  land,  I  am  thinking  about  raising  horses,  Levi  plans  to  raise  cattle,  and‌⋯â€?
“I  intend  to  have  an  undisturbed  sleep!â€? Nathan  then  turned  to  his  side  and  placed  the  cover  over  his  head  and  dreamed  of  the  land  of  milk  and  honey  and  how  wonderful  it  would  be  to  be  free. A  few  days  later  he  was  riding  his  horse,  Thunder,  near  his  favorite  spot  and  he  saw  two  tall  men  in  long  flowing  robes.  He  then  felt  a  western  wind  that  began  to  gust  over  the  land.  He  stood  and  watched  as  the  locusts  moved  towards  the  red  sea.  He  watched  the  strong  army  retreat  from  the  land  and  was  stunned  by  scene  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  A  barren  wasteland  that  had  been  stripped  of  all  its  glory;  no  trees  were  left,  no  reeds,  longs  grasses,  flowers,  vines,  bushes  it  had  all  been  removed.  It  was  once  an  emerald  isle  it  was  now  desolate.  He  knew  that  there  would  be  no  work  at  the  field  but  he  thought  to  himself,  I  must  see.  He  turned  his  horse  to  the  direction  of  the  field  that  he  hated  so  much  and  galloped  towards  it.  Once  out  of Â
Goshen  he  saw  nothing  but  brown  earth  that  was  now  being  whipped  upwards  by  the  wind.  Some  homes  were  collapsed  and  he  saw  some  Egyptians  surveying  the  damage  they  looked  at  him  as  if  they  saw  a  ghost.  He  continued  on  until  he  saw  the  field.  Nothing  was  left.  It  shocked  him  as  he  steady  Thunder  to  see  the  mill  house  surrounded  by  dark  earth  only.  Just  a  few  days  ago  the  wheat  was  turning  white  and  nearly  ready  for  harvest.  “You  did  it!!â€?  Several  rocks  were  now  being  pitched  at  him  by  Ramses  and  his  mother.  He  then  saw  Ramses  older  brothers  come  out  of  the  gate  and  they  were  running  towards  him.  “Come  on  Thunder  lets  get  out  of  here!â€?  One  of  Ramses  brothers  climbed  unto  a  very  skinny  horse  and  galloped  towards  Nathan.  He  continued  to  chase  him  unto  the  border  of  Goshen.  He  would  have  overtaken  him  but  the  old  horse  was  too  weak  from  not  having  any  food.  He  jumped  off  the  horse  and  began  to  curse  Nathan  by  his  Egyptian  gods  and  swore  that  he  would  tear  him  to  pieces  the  next Â
time  he  saw  him.  He  did  not  know  that  he  would  never  see  the  Rabbit  again  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  Nathan  did  not  know  that  that  would  be  the  last  time  he  would  see  Ramses  brother  and  that  everything  would  soon  change  again. When  he  got  back  home  his  parents  were  at  a  village  meeting  and  only  his  brother  was  at  home.  “You  went  to  go  see  it,  didn’t  you,â€?  Nathan  said  nothing  and  only  walked  his  horse  to  a  tying  post.  “I  could  tell  our  parents  but  I  figure  holding  this  over  you  has  other  advantages,â€?  Nathan  just  looked  at  his  brother  and  thought  within  himself,  what  type  of  people  are  in  my  family.  Micah  just  walked  back  into  the  house.   Those  advantages  included  being  Micah’s  personal  servant  for  nearly  a  month.  During  this  time  many  of  the  Israelites  had  no  work  to  do.  There  was  no  straw  to  make  bricks,  there  was  no  harvest  to  reap,  no  food  to  take  to  market,  no  plants  to  make  dye  from,  and  of  course  no  money  to  be  made  from  any  of  these  industries.  However  Pharaoh  had  a  plan,  he  had  obtained  seeds,  seeds  to  refurbish  the  land, Â
seeds  for  a  new  Egypt  and  he  would  use  the  slaves  to  build  it.  What  he  did  not  know  was  God’s  plan,  the  plan  he  gave  to  Moses,  darkness. On  that  day  Micah  and  his  little  brother  were  racing  horses  up  and  down  the  river  bank  when  they  saw  two  familiar  men.  Micah  stopped  his  horse  and  began  to  point  towards  Nathan  and  then  to  Moses  and  Aaron.  “What  does  it  mean?â€?  Nathan  shouted.  “Lets  get  home  before  the  sun  sets!â€?  They  both  took  off  galloping  towards  their  home.  What  they  did  not  know  was  that  the  Egyptians  would  have  to  endure  three  days  and  three  nights  of  darkness.  They  only  heard  tales  of  Hebrews  who  tried  to  enter  the  land  of  Egypt  the  next  morning  but  once  they  reached  the  border  of  Goshen  they  saw  a  peculiar  darkness  that  could  not  be  crossed  into.  Even  though  the  sun  shined  brightly  in  Goshen  there  was  no  light  on  the  side  of  Egypt.  It  sent  terror  through  the  workers’  spines  and  horses  refused  to  walk  into  it.  They  did  not  know  that  their  captors  were  now  being  held  captive Â
in  a  prison  of  darkness.  Though  their  eyes  were  made  useless  their  ears  were  made  keener.  They  could  hear  thousands  of  bugs  creeping  near  by,  snakes  that  crawled  on  the  ground  and  the  sound  of  glass  breaking  everywhere.  This  plague  turned  the  mind  of  many  Egyptians  so  that  they  were  no  longer  the  same  and  would  feared  darkness  for  the  rest  of  their  lives.   When  it  ended  some  of  the  Israelites  journeyed  back  into  Egypt  to  work  and  discovered  many  of  the  Egyptians  were  not  quite  right,  at  least  that  was  the  way  Nathan’s  father  described  them.  When  Nathan  walked  to  the  field  with  the  rest  of  his  friends  he  began  to  regret  what  he  had  done  a  month  earlier.  When  he  saw  the  owner  of  the  field  he  began  to  feel  his  stomach  tie  into  knots.  Then  he  saw  the  man  bend  down  onto  his  hands  and  knees  and  he  then  began  to  crawl  towards  them  and  started  to  bark.  Nathan  stood  still  in  complete  disbelief  at  what  he  was  seeing  he  then  saw  the  owner’s  daughter  rush  towards  her  father  with  a  few  other  men  and  told  them  there  would  be  no  more  work  at  the  field.  Nathan  walked  home  with  the  rest  of  his  friends  perplexed  by  what Â
they  saw.  In  fact  it  was  the  first  time  all  of  them  said  nothing  on  the  way  home. Nathan  had  never  had  such  an  extended  vacation.  He  could  sleep  all  night  without  having  to  worry  about  being  hit  in  the  head  during  the  day.  His  feet  and  his  hands  were  no  longer  swollen  from  working  hours  in  the  field.  Instead  he  was  sent  to  have  lessons  by  elders  of  the  village.  He  was  being  taught  about  God’s  word  along  with  math,  writing,  and  reading.  Every  other  afternoon  he  was  taught  by  his  sister  how  to  raise  horses  and  on  his  other  afternoons  his  brother  was  teaching  him  how  to  hunt  and  make  a  fire  pit  to  smelt  metal.  That  month  was  wonderful  and  Nathan  had  never  been  so  happy  in  his  entire  life.  Then  one  morning  before  he  went  to  morning  lessons  he  heard  his  Aunt  Mariah  speaking  to  his  mother.  “The  master  of  the  house  kicked  us  all  out.  He  said  that  if  the  conditions  that  Pharaoh  had  given  Moses  was  not  good  enough  that  he  did  not  want  a  Hebrew  in  his  house!� “What  conditions,  Mariah,  what  did  pharaoh  say?�
“I  did  not  think  they  were  so  bad,  he  said  we  could  go,â€? “What?â€?  Nathan  leaned  against  the  door  and  his  brother  Micah  pressed  his  ear  against  it.  “He  wanted  us  to  leave  the  cattle,â€?  she  paused  and  Nathan  saw  his  brother  face  twist  a  little  with  disgust  and  he  then  heard  his  aunt  continued,  “who  cares  about  the  cattle  I  just  want  to  leave,â€?  “I  care  about  the  cattle!â€?  his  father  shouted  as  he  entered  the  room.  “Maxwell,  I  don’t‌⋯â€?  before  his  wife  could  say  anything  else,  “Look  Moses  is  doing  what  God  is  telling  him  and  how  are  we  suppose  to  live  without  our  livestock!  So  the  great  Pharaoh  wants  to  negotiate  with  God!â€? “Keep  it  down,â€?  his  wife  begged. “I  will  not  keep  it  down,  that  man  and  his  father,  and  his  father’s  father  enslaved  us,  stole  from  us  and  did  everything  in  their  power  to  destroy  us  off  the  face  of  the  earth.  Now  they  are  being  punished  and  they  want  to  negotiate,  give  conditions!â€? Their  aunt  left  the  house  shocked  by  Maxwell’s  outburst  but  his  sons  had  never  been  more  proud.  Nathan  repeated  what  his  father  said  to  his  friends  and  they  all  wore  it  like  a  badge  of  honor. Â
Later  on  that  day  his  Uncle  Hezekiah  came  and  confirmed  everything  his  Aunt  Mariah  had  said  earlier  but  then  he  followed  it  with  even  greater  news,  “Tonight  everyone  must  go  to  the  meeting  spot.  A  message  from  Yaweh  will  be  given.�  Nathan  just  stood  still  and  turned  his  head  towards  his  uncle.  The  God  of  heaven  has  a  message  for  us?
Chapter  14 A  Message  from  Yaweh The  area  was  packed  with  crowds  of  people.  Many  of  the  other  villages  were  told  to  meet  here  as  well.  Nathan  could  not  see  anything  except  a  sea  of  heads  and  torsos  around  him.  He  had  been  separated  from  his  parents  in  the  large  group.  He  heard  the  broken  conversations  of  those  around  him,  “What  do  you  think  Yaweh  has  said?â€?  “Do  you  think  Moses  will  be  here?â€?   “I  hope  it  is  a  timeline  about  our  departure,â€?   “The  darkness  made  my  master  crazy,â€?  “What  do  you  think  will  happen  next?â€?  “I  hope  the  elders  have  good  news,â€?  He  then  saw  his  brother  Micah,  “Come  on  Rabbit,  you  two  can  come  as  well,â€?  he  motioned  at  Levi  and  Joshua.  They  found  a  tree  that  did  not  have  any  branches  near  the  ground  that  was  in  the  meeting  place.  He  took  his  brother  and  gave  the  Rabbit  a  boost  so  that  he  could  reach  a  branch.  Nathan  climbed  unto  the  strong  limb  and  his  two  friends  joined  him  on  the Â
other  branches.  His  brother  then  looped  a  rope  on  another  and  climbed  unto  it.  They  could  see  everything  now  with  great  ease.  Nathan  looked  and  saw  Joel  climb  unto  the  platform  with  a  large  scroll  in  hand  and  he  then  began  to  say,  “This  month  shall  be  unto  you  the  beginning  of  months:  it  shall  be  the  first  month  of  the  year  to  you.  In  the  tenth  day  of  this  month  they  shall  take  to  them  every  man  a  lamb,  according  to  the  house  of  their  fathers,  a  lamb  for  a  house.â€?  The  entire  crowd  was  silent  as  Joel  continued  to  give  them  instructions  about  the  Passover.  A  meal  that  would  be  eaten  in  haste  with  their  shoes  on  their  feet  because  of  the  final  plague  that  God  would  send  to  Egypt,  God  was  going  to  kill  the  firstborn  of  Egypt  and  then  they  would  leave.  They  were  supposed  to  pick  a  lamb  on  the  tenth  day  and  that  was  one  day  away! The  young  men  sat  motionless  in  the  tree  as  they  tried  to  absorb  the  news.  They  were  finally  going  to  leave  Egypt  and  it  would  not  be  in  a  few  years  or  months  or  even  weeks.  Passover  would  be  in  five  days. Â
The  crowd  underneath  them  was  in  a  tense  silence  during  the  entire  time  Joel  spoke  and  the  silent  shock  continued  for  nearly  five  minutes  after  the  crowds  of  people  were  told  to  go  home  and  prepare.  Then  suddenly  complete  surprise  gave  way  to  tears,  laughter  and  words  spoken  so  rapidly  that  it  was  difficult  to  comprehend  at  times.  They  were  leaving  and  departure  would  take  place  soon.  Micah  lowered  himself  out  of  the  tree  first  and  then  helped  Nathan  and  his  friends.  Nathan  never  saw  his  brother  look  so  serious  before.  He  had  no  jokes  or  witty  smile  just  a  sober  reflection.  His  friends  were  full  of  conversation  about  the  promise  land  and  never  seeing  the  awful  field  or  ever  having  to  worry  about  being  sent  to  the  brickyard.  At  the  dinner  table  Nathan’s  mother  was  making  a  list  of  all  things  that  would  be  needed.  “Oh  yes,  I  need  to  take  Hannah  with  me  to  the  corner  field  to  obtain  the  bitter  herbs,�
“She  has  some  Mama;  she  picked  nearly  half  a  barrel’s  worth  yesterday.  She  had  plans  for  a  new  recipe  she  was  working  out.â€? “Micah  that  is  excellent  news,  in  fact  I  am  going  to  ask  her  to  bring  them  for  Passover  dinner.  Passover  dinner  I  like  the  sound  of  that.  Even  though  I  may  say  you  all  have  bottomless  stomachs  we  can’t  eat  a  whole  lamb.â€?  Nathan  watched  his  mother  as  she  continued  to  write  an  ever  growing  list.  “Does  she  have  hyssop?â€? “I  don’t  know  father,â€?  Micah  replied. “Well  tomorrow  we  need  to  get  some  along  with  a  lamb,  sons  tomorrow  is  about  work.  No  foolishness!â€? “Yes,  father,â€?  his  children  replied.  “We  need  to  pack,  so  much  to  do,â€?  his  mother  paused  and  Micah  answered,  “I  have  already  packed.  I  placed  nearly  all  my  things  in  sacks  under  my  bed,  all  my  weapons  are  wrapped  up  and  ready  to  go.  I’ve  kept  them  underneath  the  floor  in  my  room.â€?  Nathan  was  in  shock.  So  were  Micah’s  parents.  “After  the  hailstorm  I  thought  we  were  leaving  then.  Even  though  we  didn’t  I  knew  God  would  free  us  I  just  didn’t  know  when.â€? Â
Maxwell’s  face  had  a  broad  grin  at  his  eldest  son.  “Good,  pack  the  rest  so  that  we  will  have  time  to  get  the  horses  ready.â€? Nathan  couldn’t  sleep  that  night.  Micah  couldn’t  either  and  instead  recommended  that  they  pack  what  they  could  that  night.  “Start  with  the  bare  essentials  first,  you  know  clothes,â€?  his  brother  recommended  and  Nathan  then  put  down  his  sling  shot  and  began  to  grab  his  raiment.  They  worked  until  they  burned  out  several  candles  during  the  night.  Even  though  they  did  not  get  much  sleep  they  were  full  energy  the  next  morning.  Nathan  eagerly  helped  his  brother  pack  the  items  for  the  fire  pit.  He  did  not  realize  how  much  brass,  copper  and  iron  he  had  collected  through  the  years.  Neither  did  Micah’s  parents  fully  comprehend  all  what  their  eldest  son  had  been  up  to.  “When  did  you  collect  all  this?â€? “Over  time  Mama,  Racnabtut  liked  to  throw  rocks  at  us  in  the  field.  I  realized  they  were  actually  pieces  of  metal  left  from  his  father’s  blacksmith  workshop.  I  began  to  collect  them.  At  first  I  wanted  to  make  a Â
sword  to  use  against  Racnabtut,  but  then  I  found  that  I  could  make  arrow  heads  from  them.  The  rest  of  this  is  from  the  blacksmith  in  Egypt.  He  didn’t  like  to  use  this  ore  he  didn’t  like  how  much  heat  was  needed  to  extract  the  metal  but  I  learned  how  to  use  it.  No  one  noticed  me  collecting  it.â€?  After  ten  years  of  field  work  and  two  years  in  the  brickyard  Micah  had  collected  and  extracted  100  lbs  of  copper,  brass,  and  iron.  Micah  did  not  realize  it  but  his  new  job  would  be  to  work  with  multiple  wagons  and  outfit  them  for  the  journey  that  would  soon  take  place. Â
Chapter  15 Lintels  and  Door  Posts
Nathan’s  hair  began  to  feel  like  it  was  standing  upright  on  his  neck.  He  picked  up  the  large  bucket  full  of  lamb’s  blood.  This  was  the  blood  that  would  protect  them  from  the  destroyer  that  would  be  coming.  He  could  not  waste  a  drop,  he  thought  to  himself.  His  mother  had Â
gotten  large  bunches  of  hyssop  and  tied  them  together.  She  was  waiting  at  the  doorpost.  The  well  seasoned  lamb  had  been  roasted  outside  and  his  father  along  with  Micah  had  placed  it  indoors.  His  sister  and  mother  had  picked  the  best  bitter  herbs  and  cooked  them  to  perfection.  His  job  was  to  help  with  the  unleavened  bread;  he  grounded  the  salt,  collected  honey,  and  went  with  his  mother  to  get  the  best  olive  oil  they  could  find.  Now  in  his  trembling  hands  was  the  precious  blood.  His  brother  placed  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  then  took  the  bucket  from  him.  Nathan  had  a  mixture  of  relief  and  sadness;  he  did  not  want  to  be  the  one  to  waste  it  but  he  did  like  holding  the  bucket.  His  father  was  now  ready  and  took  the  hyssop  and  began  to  paint  the  lintel  and  door  posts.  Some  families  prayed  as  this  began,  others  sang  songs,  it  was  a  time  of  sober  reflection  and  the  tension  could  be  felt  in  the  entire  land  of  Goshen. His  father  placed  a  generous  amount  of  blood  on  the  lintel  and  the  door  posts  were  now  dripping  with  blood.  They  all  went  inside  to  begin  their  first  Passover  service.  It  was  a  delicious  meal  but  Nathan’s  mind Â
really  was  not  on  the  food.  He  kept  thinking  about  what  was  said  during  the  meeting:  all  the  firstborn  dead,  leaving  Egypt,  the  destroyer,  and  how  they  had  to  be  ready.  He  forced  himself  to  eat,  no  telling;  he  thought  to  himself,  I  may  need  my  strength.  They  would  not  change  into  sleeping  clothes  but  wore  their  regular  raiment  to  bed.  Each  bed  was  surrounded  by  sacks  that  would  be  carried  on  their  backs  the  next  day.  Each  house  that  night  in  Goshen  was  still,  quiet  and  no  one  left  their  dwelling  place  that  entire  night.  It  was  quite  different  in  Egypt  for  a  peculiar  cry  rang  through  the  night  after  midnight.  God  rewarded  them  for  killing  many  of  his  first  born  by  killing  all  of  theirs.  The  land  of  Egypt  had  now  become  a  kingdom  of  graves.  From  the  death  of  Ramses’s  parents  to  Omecti’s  son  and  so  many  others.  Each  house  had  great  sorrow  and  pain  because  each  shared  in  the  plague.   Pharaoh  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron  and  was  willing  to  free  the  children  of  Israel.
Chapter  16 The  Exodus “Get  up,  get  up!!â€?  “What  happened,  where  am  I?â€? “It’s  time  to  go  Rabbit,  we  are  leaving  Egypt  now,  right  now!â€?  Micah  was  now  quickly  putting  on  his  sandals  and  grabbing  a  staff.  Micah  then  threw  his  little  brother’s  shoes  toward  Nathan  and  started  to  place  multiple  sacks  on  his  back.   It  felt  like  a  dream.  He  wasn’t  really  putting  on  shoes  and  carrying  what  he  owned  on  his  back.  He  was  supposed  to  be  working  in  a  field  or  being  beaten  to  a  pulp  by  a  band  of  Egyptian  teenagers.  There  would  be  no  time  to  reminisce  about  his  bedroom  or  the  kitchen  where  they  cooked  forbidden  quail  nor  could  he  linger  outside  and  think  about  the  how  he  used  to  get  lessons  in  the  den,  instead  he  had  to  move  for  it  was  time.  “It’s  time!  We Â
must  go  now!â€?  he  heard  his  father  shouting.  We  must  go  to  the  city  of  Ramses  with  the  rest  of  Israel.â€?  Fortunately  they  had  packed  their  wagons  that  would  be  driven  by  Shadow,  Fury,  Blackfoot,  Thunder,  and  Swift.  Nathan  would  be  in  the  wagon  driven  by  his  horse,  Thunder.  The  cold  morning  the  air  was  crisp  and  the  sky  was  a  rainbow  of  gold,  pink,  yellows,  and  purple  from  a  spectacular  sunrise.  Nathan  looked  back  and  saw  the  small  hut  shrink  in  the  distance  his  mother  then  said,  “Don’t  look  back,  we  can  never  look  back.â€?  She  held  the  reins  tightly  as  she  steered  Nathan’s  horse  to  stay  in  line  with  the  rest  of  the  caravan.  “Mama,  what  do  you  think  will  happen  next?  How  long  to  the  promise  land?â€?  the  cold  morning  caused  his  breath  to  be  misty  and  hang  in  the  air.  “I  don’t  know,  I  just  know  we  are  going  to  Ramses  first  and  then  Succoth.â€? As  they  left  Goshen  for  the  very  last  time  they  were  greeted  by  Egyptians.  They  were  not  interested  in  stopping  the  Israelites  but  every  one  of  them  was  determined  to  help  them  on  their  way.  If  an  Israelite Â
was  traveling  on  foot  they  gave  them  a  wagon.  They  gave  them  anything  to  hasten  their  departure:  gold,  silver,  iron,  wood,  and  linen.  Nathan  only  experienced  kindness  from  one  Egyptian  in  his  entire  life  and  that  was  from  Teotan,  Omecti’s  uncle.  He  also  noticed  Egyptians  joining  them  at  the  reward  and  among  them  he  noticed  the  plump  Egyptian  woman  that  had  came  to  the  mill  house  the  day  before  the  hailstorm  and  he  saw  Teotan  in  a  wagon  right  next  to  her.  Strange,  he  thought  but  it  really  wasn’t.  They  and  thousands  of  others  in  a  mix  multitude  knew  that  idols  could  not  save  them  and  the  God  of  heaven  was  the  true  God.  Why  should  they  stay  and  serve  lifeless  gods  in  a  dead  kingdom.  As  they  left  Succoth  he  heard  his  grandfather  began  to  sing,  “I’m  going  to  Zion,  I’m  going  to  Zion,â€?  his  deep  base  voice  rolled  through  the  air  and  he  heard  his  brother  Micah  answer  back,  “To  see  a  city  built  by  God,  to  see  a  city  built  by  God.â€?  “I’m  going  to  Zionâ€? “To  see  a  city  built  by  Godâ€? Â
He  then  heard  his  mother  sing  in  a  high  soprano,  “where  there  will  be  no  sorrow  or  pain,â€?  his  sister  Hannah  replied,  “I  thank  God  for  the  day  when  he  took  the  yolk  away,  when  he  took  the  yolk  away,â€?  “I’m  going  to  Zion,â€? “To  see  a  city  built  by  God,â€? It  was  just  like  the  field  but  even  better  his  entire  tribe  was  now  in  the  act  and  he  decided  to  join  them,  what  else  were  Levites  suppose  to  do.   The  entire  caravan  continued  to  sing  as  they  entered  Etham  on  the  edge  of  the  wilderness.  There  he  saw  a  great  light,  a  pillar  that  seemed  to  stretch  all  the  way  to  heaven.  It  was  bright  and  white.  He  then  heard  his  grandfather  say  that  God  sent  it  to  guide  them  on  the  way  to  the  promise  land.  This  only  made  his  tribe  sing  louder  as  they  encamped  near  the  wilderness.  He  had  never  been  so  happy  to  build  a  tent  or  carry  fire  wood  his  entire  life.  As  the  night  approached  he  saw  the  swirling  cloud  of  white  and  bright  light  change  to  fire.  It  lit  the  entire  night  sky.  Swirling  tongues  of  orange  stretched  from  the  earth  to  the  heavens  in  the  shape  of  a  pillar.  He  watched  it  during  dinner  and Â
throughout  the  night.  God  was  with  them  and  he  would  not  leave.  Even  though  the  thought  of  column  of  fire  made  him  a  little  nervous  he  was  glad  that  his  creator  was  with  them  during  this  journey.  That  night  he  slept  a  sound  sleep  without  fear  of  being  sent  to  the  brickyard  or  having  to  face  the  evil  Egyptian  sun,  instead  it  was  a  quiet  rest  that  he  had  never  had  before. Â
Chapter  17 Hold  your  Peace Nathan  had  never  traveled  before.  When  he  was  nine  he  thought  that  he  would  always  be  in  Egypt.  He  had  dreamed  maybe  he  could  sneak  off  and  go  to  Ethiopia  like  Moses.  Now  he  was  nearly  twelve  and  saw  water  turn  to  blood,  frogs  that  invaded  the  land,  swarms  of  flies  that  covered  the  earth,  lice  that  vexed  his  old  master,  dead  cattle  on  the  ground,  painful  boils  that  exploded  on  people’s  face,  hail  that  pummeled  the  ground  with  fire  that  scorched  it,  locusts  that  sound  like  fighter  jets  and  ate  everything  in  sight,  he  saw  Egyptians  made  into  madmen  because  of  the  darkness,  and  saw  the  funeral  processions  of  thousands  in  the  city  of  Ramses.  It  had  been  an  eventful  time  and  he  would  not  forget  any  of  it.  This  is  why  he  thought  to  himself  should  he  be  shocked  that  they  were  being  led  by  a  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  a  pillar  of  fire  by  night? Â
Even  still  it  did  surprise  him.  If  his  friends  did  not  experience  all  of  these  things  with  him  he  knew  they  would  not  believe.  He  would  not  believe  the  transformation  he  saw  in  his  sister  Hannah  if  he  was  not  there  to  witness  it.  She  did  not  aspire  to  be  an  Egyptian’s  wife  or  be  dressed  in  fashionable  Egyptian  frocks;  she  only  wanted  to  serve  God.  “We  are  almost  there,  we  will  soon  see  the  Red  sea!â€?  his  father  was  in  a  wagon  next  to  theirs  as  he  pointed  towards  the  east  with  a  broad  grin.  Maxwell  had  never  been  so  happy  he  did  nothing  but  laugh,  sing,  and  talk  about  what  they  would  do  when  they  would  get  to  the  promise  land.  “I  thought  I  would  never  see  a  day  like  this,  never,â€?  he  said  to  his  wife.  “Where  do  we  go  once  we  get  to  the  Red  sea?  We  don’t  have  boats,â€?  his  mother  asked. “I  don’t  know,  I  just  know  God  is  directing  us.  I  heard  when  we  near  Pihahiroth  we  will  camp  and  receive  directions  there.â€? The  Red  sea  was  a  spectacular  sight  to  Nathan  it  seemed  to  continue  to  stretch  on  and  on.  How  would Â
they  cross  it,  better  not  question  God  he  thought.  Unfortunately  not  everyone  believed  the  way  he  did.   “Anna,  Anna,  have  you  heard?â€?  It  was  his  aunt  Mariah. “What  Mariah?â€? “Pharaoh,  Pharaoh  has  changed  his  mind.  It’s  true  I  heard  it  from  Daniel  who  heard  it  from  Sarah  the  chief  elder’s  wife.  They  are  marching  towards  us.  They  want  us  back!  We  should  not  have  left.  It  was  too  rash,  too  rash!!â€? “Mariah,  God  will  take  care  of  us!â€?  his  father  came  out  of  their  tent  when  he  heard  her.  “I  don’t  care  what  you  say,  Maxwell.  Why  should  we  die  here  in  the  wilderness,  you  and  your  dreams,  you  have  always  been  full  of  it!â€?  “God  would  not  take  us  out  of  Egypt  to  do  this,â€?  Anna  tried  to  plead  with  her  sister  but  she  was  not  alone  in  her  fear.  “My  husband  and  I  are  making  preparations;  you  are  welcome  to  come  with  us!â€?  his  aunt  left  their  campsite  in  a  heated  pace.  She  was  not  alone  because  the  entire  campsite  was  buzzing  about  Pharaoh  and  what  he  might  do  to  them. Â
“That  is  one  silly  woman,â€?  Maxwell  entered  the  tent  and  Nathan  looked  surprised.  His  father  had  been  so  happy,  what  happened? He  later  heard  from  Joshua  about  the  incoming  army  and  how  they  marched  with  fierceness  towards  Israel.  “I’ll  run  for  it,  I  am  not  going  back  to  Egypt.  I  don’t  care  what  my  parents  say.  They  must  be  crazy.  They  said  if  we  surrender  now  and  go  back,  Pharaoh  may  not  be  so  angry.  ‘We  should  tell  Pharaoh  we  were  being  led  by  a  crazy  man  named  Moses.’  I  wanted  throw  something  at  my  brother  when  he  said  Egypt  was  not  that  bad!  I  am  not  going  back!â€? “Our  grandfather  said  God  will  make  a  way!  I’ve  seen  too  much!  I  know  it’s  true!  We  should  have  been  killed  by  that  hail,  if  God  wasn’t  there!â€?  Levi  shouted.  “You  can  stay  with  us  Joshua,  my  family  is  going  to  the  promise  land!  Maybe  more  of  them  should  have  been  there  during  the  hailstorm,  did  they  forget  the  river  or  a  thousand  frogs  or  seeing  people  keel  over  in  pain  from  those  blisters,  there  is  nothing  back  there  and  we  cannot  look  back!â€?  Nathan  found  himself  standing  while  he  was  shouting. Â
“That’s  right  Rabbit,  don’t  worry.  I  have  heard  that  Moses  will  soon  address  the  camp.  Come  on  let’s  go  and  hear  it.â€?  They  followed  Micah  outside  and  saw  Moses  standing  on  a  hill.  He  was  that  same  tall  man  in  flowing  robes  they  saw  on  the  river  banks  and  with  him  was  Aaron.  The  crowd  was  still  with  many  of  people  with  their  hands  on  their  hips,  crossed  in  front  of  them  and  murmuring.  Thousands  of  whispers,  some  were  angry  others  were  fearful  but  you  could  feel  the  tension  in  the  crowd.   He  saw  some  of  the  elders  standing  on  either  side  of  them,  he  even  saw  Joel  within  their  ranks.  The  men  stood  strong  waiting  for  the  message  to  be  given.  He  even  saw  Miriam,  Moses  sister  standing  with  him.  Nathan  had  never  heard  him  speak  and  a  hush  of  silence  suddenly  came  over  the  people  as  he  began  to  speak,  “Fear  ye  not,  stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord,  which  he  will  shew  to  you  to  day:  for  the  Egyptians  whom  ye  have  seen  to  day,  ye  shall  see  them  again  no  more  forever.  The  Lord  shall  fight  for  you,  and  ye  shall  hold  your  peace.â€?  Nathan  and  his  friends  began  to  smile  and  Micah  looked  relieved  and  then  looked  in  the  direction  of  his  aunt Â
Mariah.  The  crowds  began  to  depart  to  their  tents.  The  glorious  pillar  then  moved  to  the  back  of  them  and  they  could  not  see  Pharaoh’s  army  in  the  distance.  “I  knew  it,  he  would  not  leave  us  here,  I  knew  it�  Micah  then  continued,  “I  can’t  believe  Samson  and  Abraham  was  planning  to  run  back  to  Egypt!  They  said  I  was  crazy.�  Nathan  was  shocked  to  hear  that  his  brother’s  friends  were  so  shaken  but  many  around  them  did  not  believe  like  they  did.  That  night  at  dinner  they  ate  near  the  fire  pit.  They  ate  unleavened  bread  and  spicy  quail  that  Micah  had  caught  earlier  that  day.  There  was  still  tension  in  the  campsite.  His  aunt  Mariah  did  not  speak  to  his  father  even  though  they  had  agreed  during  the  journey  to  pool  resources  between  the  families.  Hannah  decided  to  keep  busy  by  embroidering  linen.  What  Nathan  noticed  was  that  it  was  very  windy.  Wind  from  the  east  nearly  put  out  the  campfire  five  times  and  it  forced  him  to  sit  on  a  basket  to  keep  it  from  blowing  away.  He  then  thought  about  the  last  time  he  felt  an  eastern  gust  and  wondered  to  himself,  what  if,  what  if?
     Chapter  18 The  Red  Sea  and  Nathan’s  Dolphin The  next  morning  was  a  day  he  would  remember  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  got  up  as  always  by  first  saying  his  prayers  and  having  early  service  with  his  parents.  He  noticed  that  Micah  was  not  there  and  at  the  end  of  service  he  heard  running  to  the  tent.  “Where  were  you?  You  have  to  acknowledge  God,  we  must‌⋯â€?  his  father  demanded  from  his  eldest  son  who  was  out  of  breath.  “I  am  sorry,â€?  he  tried  to  take  a  breath,  “I  went  out  to  gather  some  wood,â€?  he  then  fell  to  his  knees. “What  happened  Micah?  What  is  it?â€?  his  mother  cried. “You  have  to  see  this,  I  wouldn’t,  to  me  it  seems  impossible,  but  the  sea  has  parted!!â€? “What!â€?  his  father  cried  and  then  they  heard  a  herald’s  cry  to  begin  traveling  again.  They  moved  fast  and Â
though  Micah  was  still  astonished  he  gathered  everything  as  quickly  as  possible.  It  took  little  time  to  pull  down  the  tent  and  pack  what  they  had  to  begin  moving  towards  the  Red  Sea.  Nathan  kept  looking  to  see  if  it  was  true.  He  could  tell  by  his  brother’s  expression  that  this  was  not  one  of  his  jokes  but  he  still  wanted  to  see  for  himself.  He  nearly  stood  up  in  the  wagon  but  he  could  not  see  yet.  Once  their  wagons  had  climbed  on  top  of  a  hill  he  saw  it;  a  road  within  the  sea.  It  was  smooth  and  wide,  the  ground  did  not  look  wet  and  there  were  tall  walls  of  water  on  either  side  of  it.  When  it  was  time  for  his  family  to  enter  the  path  he  could  feel  his  heart  racing.  Part  of  him  wanted  touch  the  watery  wall  and  the  other  part  wanted  to  run;  this  can’t  be  right  he  thought  to  himself.  He  then  strengthen  himself  and  said  he  protected  me  from  the Â
hail  storm,  he  kept  me  safe,  he  protected  me,  he  will  not  leave  me.  His  horse  thunder  walked  carefully  on  the  dry  path.  The  caravan  slowed  a  little  and  he  could  barely  believed  it  when  he  said  it,  “I  want  to  walk  on  the  ground,â€?  he  looked  at  his  mother  and  she  nodded.  He  jumped  out  of  the  wagon  and  began  to  walk  along  side  with  Micah.  The  sea  was  amazing.  The  walls  were  like  crystal  that  sparkled  and  shined;  at  the  very  bottom  it  was  violet  but  quickly  became  a  deep  blue  and  he  could  see  a  dolphin  following  him  as  he  made  his  journey.  There  were  schools  of  fish  that  were  brilliant  reds,  yellows,  and  bright  orange.  They  made  patterns  in  the  water  as  they  swam  by.  Sometimes  one  would  leave  the  pack  and  look  at  the  people  passing  buy.  Nathan  then  continued  to  look  upward  and  he  saw  the  peculiar  wall  gradually  become  a Â
lighter  blue  with  green  in  the  middle  and  as  it  reached  the  top  it  was  nearly  transparent.  The  dolphin  seemed  to  befriend  Nathan  on  his  journey  and  continued  with  him.  He  heard  seagulls  above  sailing  over  the  waters  and  noisy  pelicans  on  top  of  the  wall  of  water.  Even  the  ground  below  them  was  different  it  was  hard  and  stable  it  did  not  act  like  sand.  During  all  of  this  Nathan  did  not  know  what  was  about  to  happen  behind  him.  He  was  entering  the  lowest  point  of  the  Red  Sea  and  was  halfway  to  the  other  side.  He  did  not  know  that  the  Lord  sent  an  angle  to  trouble  the  Egyptians  and  that  their  chariots  had  lost  their  wheels.  They  tried  fleeing  but  it  was  too  late.  They  had  their  chance  and  instead  decided  to  enter  into  God’s  final  snare  for  them.  The  waters  had  merged  upon  them  and  the  sea  would  be  their  watery  grave.  The  waves  crashed  upon  them  and  none  were  left.  Nathan  did  not  know  this  for  he  was  enjoying  his  voyage  in  the  midst  of  sea  it  was  only  when  he  reached  the  other  side  and  climbed  with  his  family  on  top  of  hill  that  he  saw  what  God  done  for  him  and  all  of  his  people.  When  the  last  family  reached  the  other  side, Â
the  sea  returned  to  its  normal  state  and  he  saw  his  dolphin  leap  in  the  air  with  joy  as  it  saluted  him.  On  the  shore  all  of  the  women  joined  Miriam  in  a  dance  and  song  and  the  men  leapt  and  rejoiced.  Nathan  leapt  in  the  air  and  shouted,  “I  knew  he  would  save  us!â€?  He  continued  to  dance  for  hours  and  sang  even  longer.  He  could  not  wait  until  they  would  reach  the  promise  land. Â