Thrillers, Chillers, & Sci-Fi Killers. Whether or not you believe the bible is true, it contains stories that trigger imagination.
Star Maker
The knife slips out of my hand. I sit on the back of the cart and massage my fingers. Soon the tingling feeling disappears.
I light the torch. Working past the light of a fading sun is a feat I often achieved in my youth. Since our move from Haran, I work at a more reasonable pace. Still, my pregnant wife needs every bit of food she can keep down. Even now, at the end of her pregnancy, she struggles to eat. She manages her sickness best if she eats what she craves. Evidently age is not a cure for morning sickness. If Sarah wants goat stew for breakfast, then she shall have it.
If I thought it would help, I would worry about her health, but someone has to stay sane.
Sarah’s many mood swings keep the household in an uproar. Never quiet, her condition now causes her to erupt with new forms of expression. Daily, our ears are filled with the sound of off key songs of praise. Then there are or the alternate passages when she is in a panic, and she conveys with sorrowful certainty that our baby will be ugly or unfit because of her age.
How is it even possible?
Working under the silence of the night sky I try to imagine the face of my promised son.
My simple desire l to raise a family and pass on a good inheritance has been expanded. The Spirit says I’m to be a father of a nation.
How is it possible that my descendants are to be as the dust of the earth, too numerous to count?
All I ever sought was to live in peace with my neighbors and be beloved by my circle of family and friends. The Spirit says I’m to be more than this. I’m to become famous.
How is this possible?
What I know of fame is that it brings feuding and rivals. Already there are those who would see me fail, but the Spirit says He will bless those who bless me and curse those who curse me.
How is this possible?
The spirit says he’s my shield, my compensation, my great reward.
I stop asking the question and immerse myself in my task. Adjusting the torch, I work skillfully, splitting the animal to remove choice pieces for the stew.
Sometime later, I wipe the remaining carcass clean and hang it over the smoking fire. I recall the night of the covenant. The promise I made less than a year ago.
Before the servants return to take the tender pieces to cook in the oven pot, I slide carefully to the ground, using the side of the cart to ease into position. Then I lay on my back to look up at the stars.
An old man has no business laying on the cold hard ground, but if I’m to be the father of many stars, I must look into their faces every now and then.
The sky is as radiant as it was the night of the covenant. On that night, the words were given in person. I saw the Spirit. He came as a man to me, speaking the promise for the third time.
He said, “Look now toward the heavens and count the stars—if you are able to number them, so shall your descendants be.”
I try to focus on a single star, buy my eyes water from the effort. Old eyes. Old man. Fresh promise soon to become true.
Life doesn’t get any better than this.
You make it possible, I whisper, closing my eyes.
Suddenly, I feel my body being shaken. Eliezer’s face stares down at me. “Your wife, Sarah. It’s time. Hurry!”
I push aside Eliezer’s hand.
Instead, I take the hand of the One Who Made The Stars, and I let Him move me into position.
This story inspired by Genesis, chapter 15 & 22
My new blog series, Bible Snaps, are short fictionalized accounts of the more chilling stories in the Bible. Some are even “science fiction” type stories that reference biblical disasters that seem to conflict with the laws of nature.
If you follow along, there’s a couple things you should know.
My “Bible Snaps” aren’t an attempt to settle the question, “is the bible true?” Each person must decide that on their own. My goal is to jump into the head of bible characters and try to imagine living the experience described in the story and then use fresh and personal words to tell it.
My other goal is to keep these posts “snappy” quick. In doing this, I might only “snap” a portion of the bible story to tell, but I’ll always give you the bible reference so you can read the actual bible text that inspired me.
There are also other reading options on my website.
If you don’t like my Bible Snaps Stories, then check out “Five,” my medical Sci-Fi supernatural thriller story. All 67 episodes (blog posts) are now available, and if you read them from beginning to end, you’ll have read the entire book and will be ready for my sequel, “Six.”
If you don’t like “Five”, then read my other short stories on this blog- (search word, “un-proverbial”) or Psalms blog posts. All of these were posted before January 2015.
Just read me. I’d be honored to have YOU in my audience!
One final thought.
Why do I re-tell the “bad” or chilling parts of the Bible?
We live in rough times. Many people suffer under injustice. It’s good to see how the Bible, an old book that many value as true, contains many helpful stories of people who were oppressed yet managed to live, survive, and thrive.
Don’t take my word or anyone else’s word about the Bible. Give it a read for YOURSELF. You may be surprised by what you find.
Thanks,
Ann