The Oracle and the Man of GOD

1

Many risings and fallings ago, before most Edgeans could remember, the town at the Edge of Sara was nothing but a sparse clusters of villagers once considered outcasts in High Earth because of their quick, unintelligible speech and outlandish ideas. But the town quickly grew in strength and influence when the people realised that theirs was a strategic location in High Earth, the gateway between all civilisation and the plains of Sara, the link between High Earth and Low Earth. Of course there were people beyond the plains of Sara, but try telling the High Earthens that those beings were civilised - they were regarded even less than the Edgeans ever had been. The town at the Edge was the portal for trading between the two lands, and crucially it was the main access point to the rich plains of Sara. It prospered greatly for these reasons.

But the tide was changing for the town at the Edge. A great drought befell the land and it wasn't long before famine followed. The famine persisted for two dozen and six lunar cycles and the plains of Sara dried up and became desert. The shrivelled crops of the Reapers brought no more coins from High or Low Earth and the herds of the Rearers perished. The Chieftains of the town, desperate to know what the future held, decided to send Abidel, servant of the Most High God, to see the Oracle who lived beyond the Sara and the Masai, at the beginning of Low Earth. Abidel was the most revered man of God in the town. He had performed many miracles and prophesied many things that had come to pass. Many High Earthens came from far and wide to hear him speak and witness the great things he did in the town and beyond. But even Abidel could not foresee the end of the famine and that worried the Chieftains greatly. The Oracle would give them the answers they needed. Abidel and his most trusted companion, Beza, saddled their camels, the strongest and finest of the royal herd, and began the journey across the Sara and Masai that would take two lunar cycles.

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2

A lot had changed in Johnny's life since he became the praise and worship leader at his local church some two and a half years ago. Since turning his back on a lucrative R'n'B career and all the trappings that came with it, he had become more careful in his interactions with the ladies. He decided to stop serenading them with his soulful voice and unsurprisingly the constant stream of women he had playing to his tune quickly dried up. He soon realised that he longed to meet the woman of his dreams but he knew this could take a while. He would wait patiently for "the one" to appear on the horizon. And appear she did. Her name was Cynthia. She was a girl who defied the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". By all accounts, she was beautiful. She was also very smart - she'd graduated with a first class, had bought her own studio flat and worked as a criminologist. As one can imagine, she had no shortage of suitors from far and wide. Although she’d been praying for over a year about meeting the right guy, she’d just become a youth minister at their church and was trying to keep her focus on God. But it wasn't easy. Her desire was to meet that special person she could share her life with. He started chatting to her casually and it wasn't long before he privately began seeking The Lord's approval to approach her and make his intentions known. After a period of two months of intense fasting and prayer, he was still unsure, so he decided to seek his Pastor's blessing, before going ahead with his plans.

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3


It was approaching dusk when Abidel and Beza arrived at the thick mud hut with a thatched roof at the end of the plains of Masai, the little hamlet which the Oracle called his abode. The Path of the Oracle, as this place was famously referred to, was literally the gateway into Low Earth. As they entered the hut, they found the Oracle sitting at a table in the corner with three places set with food - he had been expecting them. After they said their greetings, the Oracle motioned to Beza to wait outside.

"Dear Sir, if I may so humbly address thee, thy servants hath travelled from beyond the deserts of Sara and the plains of Masai to bear witness to thy word, risking health and life for two lunar cycles. Beza is the man at my right hand, my most trusted apprentice. When I am carried up to the Place above even High Earth, all that I have and all that I know shall reside with him."

"Very well," the Oracle replied after a short pause, "He may remain, but he shall not speak." Beza bowed his head in agreement, saying nothing. The Oracle continued, "Man of God, I knowest why thou hast presented thyself before me."

"Pray tell thy subjects, dear Sir, when shall we see the end of the drought and famine that plague the Edge of Sara?"

"I tell thee the truth, when the time is right, The Lord shall speak to thee and thee alone."

"What shall I tell the Chieftains upon our return to the Edge? Surely the Lord shall not speak to thy subject without giving a word to the thee who watches over all of High and Low Earth?"

The Oracle chuckled. A brief silence followed as he walked over to the window and lit a lantern to illuminate the encroaching darkness as nightfall approached. "Knowest thou the tale of the Old Prophet and the man of God?"

"Thy speaketh of the tale from the Holy Scrolls of The Chronicles of Kings?"*

"Indeed, thou art truly a man well learned in scripture." The Oracle smiled with admiration. "The servant of the Most High before me is like the man of God the Scrolls speak of. Thou speaketh prophesies the same and performeth many great miracles alike. Dost thou recall the untimely end the man befell?"

"Certainly. The old prophet lied that the word of the Lord had come to him, inviting the man of God to his home to eat and drink. The man of God in agreeing to this, was disobeying the word that The Lord had already delivered to him, forbidding him from doing this. To punish this disobedience, God spoke through the old prophet, declaring that surely, the Man of God would not be buried with his forefathers. And surely as the old prophet had spoken, the man of God was mauled by a lion on his journey home!"

"I tell thee the truth young man; trust no one's word but thine own. Not even mine own. For a time cometh, an hour cometh, when thou shalt possess nought but the Word thou hast receiveth from on High."

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4


Johnny had not gotten the approval he was looking for from his Pastor. He had expected two thumbs to approach any girl in the church that he desired to court. After all, he had served faithfully for many years now. Instead, all he got was a vague response about being sure that God had told him that Cynthia was the one. He decided to go ahead and ask Cynthia to meet up with him for coffee after church. She was cautiously excited by this. Finally, a Godly man noticing her! Cautious because she knew of his past reputation of womanising but surely this was all in the past? Such was his stature in church now that she was even surprised that he would be interested in her. Perhaps he was just being friendly? Any doubts about his intentions were dispelled the following week when they met for lunch. They had barely exchanged pleasantries when he stunned her with the words she least expected to hear - "God said that you're my wife"! She was lost for words. He assured her that she didn't have to respond to his revelation, at least not immediately anyway. However she couldn't hide the fact that she was pleasantly surprised by the way things were progressing. But did God really say? She reasoned that since he had been a leader in church for a while there had to be some truth to his words and her friends told her in no uncertain terms that she'd be totally crazy not to consider a guy like Johnny - he was a great catch. As Johnny laid his head down to sleep that night he prayed for a sign, perhaps a dream, that would confirm those words he had spoken to Cynthia.


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5

It was the first falling of the sun after their visit to the Oracle that the dreams began. As they camped in the plains of Masai not far from the Path as they began their journey back home, Abidel's sleep was troubled by visions of another place. A land so different from their own, that many of the things he saw were utter mysteries to him. Six risings and fallings later, his plight had only become worse. Each night, he would awake well before dawn grasping for breath as he struggled to understand the strange images that he saw in his sleep.

"Perhaps we should return to the Oracle to discover the meaning of these dreams," Beza suggested on the morning of the seventh rising.

Upon their return to the Path, the door of the Oracle's hut was wide open. This time, Abidel asked Beza to wait outside and this time when he entered, the Oracle had just two places set at the table.

"Thou dreamest of things which thou hast never laid thine eyes upon?"

"Thou speakest the truth, O Great Oracle. Mine eyes hath seen a place with more black chariots than the sands of Sara, and red chariots so large that ten dozen men can ride upon each one. All the paths therein were paved with perfect stone and it appeared that they had achieved what the Babylonians had attempted but failed to do long ago in the Holy Scrolls; They had built towers which stood as high as the heavens. Every night since our visitation, I have awoken with images of being trapped in a vessel which rides not on the high seas, but beneath the very earth itself. In appearance, the vessel was like the great sea serpents told of in children's fables and each time I tried to escape, I could not, for the gates were locked firmly shut."

The Oracle, stood up, pensive. He walked to the wall by the window at began to scribble things, deep in thought. Things which even a man as learned and well travelled as Abidel could not comprehend. "Thy dreams began the very night thy journey resumed?"

"What thou sayest is true. The first falling of the sun after our first visitation."

The Oracle walked back towards the table, pulled out some herbs and spices from the cupboard underneath and walked to the fireplace, where a pot of water was already coming to boil. He carefully mixed the condiments into the boiling water and when he was satisfied with the broth that formed, he scooped a portion in a wooden bowl and handed it to Abidel. "I tell thee the truth, when thou drinkest this potion, thine eyes shall be opened, and thou shalt see more clearly than thou hast ever seen!"

Abidel was hesitant. He would not have been surprised if the Oracle had not given him the answer which he sought, like the first visitation. Indeed, he had prepared himself for generalities like seek the face of the Lord or pray until thy breakthrough cometh. But the idea of drinking a hurriedly prepared concoction took him by surprise. Was this even in agreement with the ways of the Holy Scrolls that the Oracle claimed to follow? Watched by the approving eyes of the Oracle, Abidel first sipped, then slowly drank from the bowl when he saw that his tongue could bear the taste.

That night, as Abidel and Beza began their journey back towards Sara a second time, Abidel's dreams became nightmares. His visions returned, doubly vivid and vicious. "Beza!!! Beezaaaa!!!" He awoke with screams, grasping for the dry air of the Masai.

"BEZAAAAAA!!!!" Cynthia screamed, waking up terrified as she struggled to catch her breath. She was in her studio flat in West Hampstead, screaming a name that she had never heard before. She knew it was a name and not a place or thing, but she did not know how she knew this. The house was eerily silent and she began wishing that she didn't live alone. After a few minutes she composed herself but could not sleep another wink that night. She felt like she had momentarily been elsewhere. Another place, perhaps even another time. She could make no sense of this strange experience, but she decided to put it out of her mind. Little did she know that her recurring nightmares would serve as a warning of the dangers that lay ahead. And little did Abidel know that his actions had opened a fissure. A link between two worlds which where not meant to be linked. And this is exactly what the Oracle had intended.

*The passage that the Oracle refers to as "The Old prophet and the man of God" can be found in 1 Kings 13:11-25. Tune in next month for the conclusion!