- Vol. 10
- Chapter 10
Genesis
Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ Genesis 11:4
Noah woke up, to the world and his senses. Last night he had another nightmare. An abandoned city overcome with raggedness, cracked pavements and smashed windows. He saw visions of a tower made from cars, of red, pink, black, blue and white, stacked high upon one another. A tree made of metal, plastic, rubber and glass, distorting and twisting the realities of man and nature. Reaching too close to the sun, blocking out the light.
‘What do you think it means?’ he asked his neighbour.
‘Oh, I’m sure you don’t want to hear what I think. What use is an old man like me? Pandora was told not to open the jar. Who knows what will come out of my mouth.’
‘Abe, please. I want to understand.’
‘Hmm. Well, I think it’s a sign.’
‘What kind of a sign?’
Abe paused, looking out across his garden, searching for an answer or a way to explain. He looked up towards the dark grey clouds that threatened rain. He looked beyond them.
‘I can hear my wife Sarah calling me. Noah, I must go. Let’s speak again tomorrow.’
Genesis
That night Noah dreamt again. The city was alive with sound. Screams pierced through his skin, he could hear pain everywhere. He could smell fear blowing through the air and the ground was shaking beneath his feet.
Hazy light was pushing through the dust; Noah could barely see. He was running. Buildings around him were crashing down, with loud sounds of scraping metal and crushing concrete. He looked up ahead of him and saw the tower falling.
‘I felt like everything was lost.’
‘Our dreams speak of the hopes and fears we have. Your mind is telling you something important.’ Abe replied.
A silence held between the two men.
‘Life is precious, Noah. Nature is unforgiving, and man, we are blinded by hubris. We are destroyers of each other and our planet. We are Cain and Abel, perpetrator and victim of our actions. Your nightmares, they demand your attention.’
‘What can I do? I am just one person. I feel overwhelmed by everything.’
‘You won’t know until you try. Make a deal with yourself, make a deal with God.’ Abe said.
It had not yet come to him, but Noah would know what to do.