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What Really Went on on the Ark
by Debbie Sickler Thats the last of them Dad. Did you lock the cages? Of course! Good job son. Now come in and rest. We have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow. Noah called to his family. They all left the ark they had just filled with animals and supplies and headed off to bed. At daybreak, Noah gathered his family together and entered the ark. Once they were safely inside, God really ripped open the heavens. Water gushed down from the sky, creating huge lakes that spilled over into the oceans, setting the family off on their journey. The day wore on and the family fought seasickness as well as boredom. Then the lightening and thunder began. The animals panicked. Somewhat fearful themselves, Noah and his sons quieted them down as best as they could. That night, while everyone slept, one clever little chimp reached his arm through his cage and discovered the lock. The lock, should have been secured, but wasnt. It fell to the floor with minimal effort and the chimp clapped happily as he took his first steps of freedom. Wandering about the close quarters, he made another discovery: a set of keys. He had paid attention to the humans earlier and tried successfully to mimic the way hed seen them use the strange objects. The sheep were now free as well. Next, he released the turtledoves and ravens, which flew about overhead, creating quite a stir. The donkeys were next, followed by the kangaroos and ostriches. One by one, the chimp unlocked each cage, setting his companions free to explore. He was very pleased with this new game. Between the thunder and Noahs snoring, none of the humans had a clue what was happening. They awoke the next day and started about their business as usual, well as usual as one could expect when sailing in the first rain storm of their lives, on an enormous boat everyone else had thought was being built by a nutcase. Anyway, the animals continued to enjoy their freedom until Noahs wife went down to retrieve some eggs for their breakfast. Now, Noahs kids werent exactly angels while growing up and were in fact quite mischievous. Theyd enjoyed the occasional prank at their mothers expense, but none of their nonsense had ever created such a scream as the one she let out on that trip to collect eggs. The entire family rushed to her side to see what was the matter. Noahs faced turned even whiter than the snow colored hair on his head. Hed never seen such chaos, not even in his sons bedrooms. I thought you said you locked the cages! Noah shouted at his son. I-I did. At least I thought I did. Im pretty surethere were a lot of locks to remember Dad and the animals were so smelly. I was kind of in a hurry to get out of here. He didnt really have much of a defense prepared. How are we ever going to fix this? Look at them all! Strands of hay floated about, birds were squawking, bunnies were hopping and one little chimp was swinging from a beam in the ceiling with an amused look on his face, jingling the ring of keys. Grandpa! Thats not how the story goes! Tory had had enough of his grandfathers ridiculous retelling of the famous Bible story. How do you know? Were you there? Grandpa asked with the raise of an eyebrow. Well, no, but thats not how they taught it to us in Sunday School. Youre right Tory. That isnt how the story goes, but it very well could have happened if Noahs family hadnt taken their responsibilities seriously. Thats my whole point. Everyone has a job to do, some small, some big. The Bible says everything you do, you are to do as unto the Lord. Do you know what that means? Kinda. Doesnt it mean to do stuff like if God was the boss youre doing it for? Tory was starting to get the point his grandfather had gone to such lengths to show him. Right. Grandpa, Im sorry I didnt take my chores serious. Ill try to do better from now on. Thats my boy. I knew youd understand. You know, it really could have happened my way. Just imagineall those animals! Grandpa! Tory rolled his eyes and they both laughed at the thought of poor old Noah and the clever little chimp. (c) 2006 Debbie Sickler Debbie Sickler, a mother of three boys, began writing as a hobby in 2005. She has since won several awards and been published both on line and in print. She is currently working on a Christian fantasy screenplay. Contact her at: [email protected] Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |