Ezrae’s Story, Part Two: “Israel & The Desert of Shur.”

Ezrae inhaled deeply, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "No point in stopping now. I'll get you caught up, and then tomorrow, YOU get to be the storyteller."

Hur smiled and said "Hey, fair enough. I can't argue with that logic."

Ezrae cleared his throat and waved his hand over the sand, as the figures shifted and changed to show the Israelites packed up and traveling.

"For three days we walked through the desert. By the end of the third day, we had no water left, and our people began to clamor and assault Moses with questions and accusations."

"Moses, in his most magnificent and dramatic fashion, cried out to Yahweh, 'We've been searching for water for days, and now we find this? The Israelites are complaining again, and they might turn against me!'" Ezrae had mimicked Moses as best he could, waving his arms in the air towards the sky.

Miriam laughed so loud she began to snort, and she woke up both of her brothers as she said "That was good! That was PERFECT! Oh my, Moses I wish you had seen that."

Moses just grumbled back, grabbing one of the sleeping sacks and retiring in the corner. Aaron however, had caught a second wind and decided to stay up and listen.

Ezrae's voice dropped to a hushed tone as he continued, eager to not disturb his mentor Moses. "Then, out of nowhere, a bolt of bright purple lightning struck an Acacia Tree nearby, completely obliterating it. We were all terrified, thinking we had angered God."

He leaned back, looking up at the ceiling and then closing his eyes with a smile on his face, and his voice filled with awe. "But you won't believe what happened next. A piece of scorched wood, about two feet long, fell right in front of Moses. It was smoking and left us all humbled and terrified."

Ezrae gestured with his hands, trying to convey the intensity of the moment. "Yahweh's voice boomed from the sky, assuring us that if we listened to His commands, did what was right, and followed His rules, He would spare us from the diseases of Egypt."

A hint of excitement crept into Ezrae's voice as he continued. "Moses, our great leader, picked up the charred piece of wood, and threw it into the water! And like a miracle, the water turned pure and drinkable! We quenched our thirst here, bathing in the glory of the clean water, and felt the power and dominion of Yahweh in our midst."

"But, my friend, the journey has been long and arduous. We have faced hunger, thirst, and the harshness of the desert and it's inhabitants. Our faith has been tested, and we have witnessed both miracles and challenges."

Ezrae's voice softened as he spoke about the weariness that settled within him. "At night, as we gathered around the campfire, I found solace in the stories that I told to the children. Their innocent faces reminded me of the importance of preserving our people's history…

Seeing them together, being friends and being free… it reminded me of OUR childhood… so much so that at night, after everyone would go to sleep… I would go to my tent, and use my blessings to relive our memories."

A tear rolled down Hur's cheek, as he watched his friend recount his intimate moments alone. "Truly, brother, that is something you must show me… I would love it, if you could show me Amon again. One day."

Ezrae nodded back, preparing to tell the next part of his story.

"The next morning, I awoke to Moses voice, saying 'We've escaped the clutches of Pharaoh, and the Egyptian army at the Red Sea. We have witnessed the miraculous parting of the waters, and the destruction of our oppressors.

We have rejoiced, and sung songs of praise to Father Yahweh, who has delivered us from bondage. But our journey is far, far from over.' And we headed out into the Desert of Shur."

Hur's eyes grew wide, as suspicions of where this story was going began to cross his mind. He listened as Ezrae kept talking.

"The desert of shur is desolate, with dry cracked ground which is littered with scorpions and deadly cacti. But that isn't the worst of it… For 3 days we traveled through this empty place, and yet every single second of it, it felt as if we were being watched. Finally, on the eve of the third night is when it made its debut…

Something on the horizon was moving… and It moved with a strange grace; like a predator stalking its prey. But it was ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE. As it came closer, we could see that its eyes glowed, deep and red; and that's when I realized what it was… Behemoth."

Hur gasped. He had only ever heard of Behemoth in scary bedtime stories in his young age. His grandfather Levi liked to tease him about behaving when he was a child, or the behemoth would get him.

"Yep. That one. But it gets even crazier."