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    Facing the Elements: Biblical Times People Vs. Water, Fire, Air and Earth
    Facing the Elements: Biblical Times People Vs. Water, Fire, Air and Earth
    Facing the Elements: Biblical Times People Vs. Water, Fire, Air and Earth
    Ebook144 pages2 hours

    Facing the Elements: Biblical Times People Vs. Water, Fire, Air and Earth

    By Alain Normand

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    About this ebook

    We often see Bible stories as just that; stories. We forget that these are real accounts of past events. We are often oblivious to the fact that people of the Bible had personalities, emotions, skills and flaws. In these short stories, some of those people come to life. By putting ourselves in their shoes, we relate to them better.

    When the Bible talks about people dying in the Great Flood, we forget that every one of those caught up in the deluge were human beings. To simply regroup them as part of a race of sinners is a simplification of the magnitude of this event. When we examine a little closer one of these lives, the flood takes on a new significance.

    Using the elements as the foundation of these twelve stories, the author demonstrates the real struggles these people had to cope with in biblical times.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateJun 13, 2013
    ISBN9781481761734
    Facing the Elements: Biblical Times People Vs. Water, Fire, Air and Earth
    Author

    Alain Normand

    Alain Normand graduated from University of Ottawa, Canada, in Public Administration and Political Science. After fifteen years in administrative position, he embraced a second career in Emergency Management. Involved in many relief operations such as the 1996 Saguenay Floods, the 1998 Ice Storm, September 11, the Blackout of 2003, and other local emergencies, he became aware of the threat of a pandemic during the SARS epidemic. Employed since 1999 as Emergency Manager for the City of Brampton, Ontario, a municipality of 500,000 people, he lives there with his wife Nicole, and his children Nathanaelle and Gabriel. They have an older son, Philmon,living out west Dont missthe other booksof the Lakedge Disaster Series: Book 1 The Return of the Spanish Lady: The 1918 Influenza Virus is Back. Book2The Curse of El Nio: Gobal Warming is Here to Stay. Please visit his web site at: http://www,alainnormand,vpweb.ca

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      Book preview

      Facing the Elements - Alain Normand

      © 2013 by Alain Normand. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 06/10/2013

      ISBN: 978-1-4817-6174-1 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4817-6173-4 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2013910396

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      CONTENTS

      Introduction

      Part 1 Water

      Frost

      Mist

      Sea

      Part 2 Fire

      Heat

      Power

      Light

      Part 3 Air

      Breath

      Wind

      Storm

      Part 4 Earth

      Soil

      Stone

      Sand

      Baker’s Dozen Judas’ Monologue

      Conclusion

      About The Author

      Facing the Elements

      A COLLECTION OF

      SHORT STORIES

      To Nicole, my wife, supporter, editor and confident. With all my love.

      Introduction

      These stories are the author’s interpretation of some of the lives we read about in the Bible. They are fictitious, but as realistic as possible, based on what the Bible tells us, and what we know from history as well as the study of the cultures of Bible times.

      We often see Bible stories as just that: stories. We tend to forget that these are real accounts of past events. We are often oblivious to the fact that the people of the Bible had personalities, emotions, skills and flaws. In these short stories, some of the people of Bible times come to life. By putting ourselves in their shoes, we relate to them and we experience some of their feelings.

      When the Bible talks about all the people of the world dying in the Great Flood, for example, we forget that each and every one of those caught up in the deluge were human beings. To simply regroup them as part of a race of sinners is a simplification of the magnitude of this event. When we examine a little closer one of these lives, the flood takes on a whole new significance.

      Using the elements as the foundation of these twelve stories, the author demonstrates the real struggles these people had to cope with in biblical times.

      To complete the baker’s dozen, a monologue is included depicting how Judas may have felt after the betrayal of Jesus, giving us a different perspective on the man.

      Part 1

      WATER

      water.jpg

      Genesis 1 : 1-2

      "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

      The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters."

      Frost

      frost.jpg

      I’ve been tracking it for hours. Not once have I had a good chance to get a shot at it. It’s huge so I can’t afford to miss. If it gets a stab at me, I’m dead. As we move up the mountain, the wind regularly changes direction. I always try to stay downwind from it, but it’s getting more and more difficult. I wouldn’t want it to get my scent. Having to run from such a monster down the mountain could be treacherous, and these animals are usually fast runners.

      It slows again underneath a tree. I see berries. It’s having a snack. Maybe I should too. My pouch still holds some of the bread Mother gave me this morning. I will soon have to think of my gourd as well. It must be almost empty. I don’t know if I will be able to refill it.

      I am the fourth person to try and get the beast in the last few weeks. Everyone before me has failed and has come down from the mountain without slaying it. That’s four times it tries to rob us. It’s too fast. I observed it closely. It comes near the flock from a position where we can’t see it until the last minute. It runs after the closest lamb and in the panic that follows, it manages to kill one with a single slap of its paw. By the time we realise what’s happening and from where it came, it has taken a number of bites on the victim. When we finally see it, the meal is half done. We regroup to confront it, since not one of us is ready to take it on alone, and we start to run after it. When we are close enough to get a shot, it speeds up the hill and heads for the mountain.

      We pursue it for a short distance but we can’t leave the flock. So one of us keeps the pursuit while the others turn back. Then it’s always the same. Eventually, the person who did the pursuit comes back empty handed. This bear is too crafty.

      I must be craftier than the bear. I cannot fail.

      Oh, it’s getting up again.

      The animal has a steady pace. Its weight doesn’t bother it. The agility it displays in moving over rocks and stumps is baffling. It’s daunting also. The speed it can reach is quite a threat. I must exercise the utmost caution.

      I can feel a chill. I am starting to be aware of the cold air at this height. The grass is damp. We are nearing sunset and the temperature is falling rapidly.

      We continue our ride up. I have to take action soon otherwise I will be trapped here for the night.

      The bear has stopped again, this time its nose is up in the air. I didn’t notice but the wind turned and I was positioned upwind from the animal. It caught my scent. I crouch to the ground trying to stay below any wind that can capture my body odour and transmit my position.

      The bear suspects something. It stops and is looking intently in my direction.

      I cannot stay here. If it decides to come after me, it would outrun me within seconds. My knife and my sling are so puny I wouldn’t be able to resist more than a minute in a direct attack.

      I start to crawl to my right. I need to get around it. I see some rocks that may be pried loose just above its position. If I can reach them, I could use those rocks to crush the bear. I must remain silent.

      I move slowly but the bear is still pondering where the smell came from. It is looking in the direction where I was a minute ago. This is looking better for me. I am getting closer to my goal. Those rocks are definitely hanging over a ledge and should offer little resistance.

      I keep low, edging my way little by little. I am now above the bear. The wind is no longer a risk to reveal my presence. I am behind the rocks. I slowly stand up to put my weight upon them.

      My foot slips on the wet stone and I lose my balance. I fall towards the other side of the mountain. I try to grab something to hinder my fall. I let go of my sling. My hands burn from the friction. I feel sharp edges cutting into my skin. The precipice is coming at me rapidly. I notice a branch sticking out and reach for it quickly. I manage to hold on to it and my fall ends there, at least temporarily. I am now hanging in mid-air below a huge tree but over the edge of a deep crevasse in the mountainside.

      I feel blood trickling down my arms from the cuts in my hands. Behind me I hear the bear rushing to my last position. Two things come to my mind. I am hoping that the bear will have the same fate as me and slip. With a little luck it will fall to its death. My second thought is that I am too low on this branch. The bear may be able to grab me.

      I fight to climb up the branch. The pain is harsh but I have to continue. The bear stops at the edge of the gaping hole. Its grip is tighter than mine; it does not slip. The animal watches me with a curious look. I am almost at the top to the branch, nearing the trunk of the tree. My foot reaches another branch and I find support upon it. I squeeze into a small platform created by the combination of a number of branches.

      I can rest a bit. The bear is there, observing me. I guess the tables are turned now. I was tracking it before, now it is tracking me. What a turn of event. The sun is almost set and darkness is already creeping in. I hadn’t noticed in the heat of the fall, but my arms are starting to feel numb from the cold.

      I may not survive this night.

      The bear waits. Minutes go by without any motion on either part. Then, the bear gets up as to leave. Maybe, my luck is changing. One thing is for sure; I definitely renounce trying to kill it in my condition. I know they will laugh at me when I get back. I did flaunt that I was better than all of them. I did promise that when it was my turn, I would guarantee I would come back with the bear’s hide. I guess I deserve the mockery. It will be humiliating. I wish there was another way.

      There are no more signs of the beast. I must plan to get down from my platform. That in itself is going to be a feat. The blood in my hands is coagulating; the bleeding has stopped. I have dried blood all over me. It’s not going to help me in getting the bear to leave me alone. If it gets a whiff of me, this new odour may spur it on with a renewed energy.

      I can’t stay here. The night is too cold and without protection, I will freeze to death. The air is already much more difficult to breathe. I look down and see a possible path to reach the bottom of the tree. One branch at a time, I come down. I ensure a strong foothold before I

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