the fifth day

It was the fifth hour, after the day of rest, when in he went down. A great silence filled the trees and dust lay over all the land. In the shadows, further back, two men stood in dazzling apparel. They bowed their faces to the ground crying ‘have pity on us, have pity on us? We have done your bidding. We have done nothing wrong.’

            He drew near to a building where many had gathered to proclaim him. A man sheltered in the darkness hiding from the light. He held his hand out, ‘Come out Joshua, we have much work to do.’

            ‘Away with you. Hide you fool or they’ll come and get you.’ Joshua darted into the remains of another room nearby. He backed against the wall, seeking for a path to escape and darted away again.

            He found him in the room next door with no roof. ‘Why do you hide Joshua?’

            ‘You fool. Where have you been? They’ve got listening devices. Drones. All manner of things to hunt us, to capture us. We are few and they are many. Only the dead find rest.’  

            ‘I see the hunger and hurt in your eyes. That day has passed Joshua. Take my hand and let me help you?’

            ‘We’ve heard all this before. That is what they said. Come out and we’ll help you. Give you all manner of good things. They let us rest, handcuffing our ankles to our feet and letting nature do its work. The let us drink water until we could drink no more and laughed as they kept our head in the bucket. They fed us food, but forced our children to bend over and take it in an unnatural way, until their stomachs exploded. In this way all the good things have become bad. The world is an empty tomb. Kill me now rather than let me live with such cowardice, degradation and shame.’

            ‘O foolish man, slow of heart, have you not heard the words that have been spoken, a great proclamation announcing justice for all and a new world order?’  

            ‘Your words are honey on your tongue, but where the trap?’ A harsh word from you and desolation follows.’

            ‘I will stay with you a while, until your heart burns with courage.’ He took bread from his pocket and broke it, giving him equal share.

            Joshua squeezed and kneaded the bread in his hand until it began to crumble. Then he held it to his nose, sniffing it. ‘You first,’ he urged, waiting until he heard the sound of chewing and watched him swallow.

            The bread was fit for a king, the best he had eaten for a long time. Before he could duck down or take shelter he felt, rather than saw, the flash reducing his body to the dust that washed the land clean.   

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