No way out / Sin escape - The Ink Well Prompt #73

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This is my entry for The Ink Well Prompt #73: Impression

"I never thought that following that man would lead to our end," Benjamin remarked to some of the tribal leaders. None of those present objected to his comment.

The night seemed to be a night like any other, a firmament full of tiny flickering lights, unperturbed, indifferent to what was happening in the terrestrial world. Hundreds of tents rested around a large campfire. A few men were still awake, gathered in front of the warmth of the fire; in their faces, hardened and crestfallen, the sparkle danced announcing the destiny that awaited them.

One of them kept his gaze on the top of the hill. Thousands of torches were shaking in the gusts of wind, as if warning of the danger that awaited them. As soon as dawn broke, hundreds of thousands of soldiers would descend eager to quench the bloodlust of their swords. There was no hurry for them, they knew very well that the fugitives had nowhere to go.

The men gathered before the fire were no ordinary men, they were leaders of their tribes and the fate of many weighed on their shoulders.

"We should surrender," Naphtali recommended.

None of them were cowards, but they knew full well that they were no match for the pursuing army.

"We are in time, if we ask for clemency from Pharaoh, he may spare our lives and those of our tribes," Naphtali added again.

"What do you say, do you wish to remain a slave?" asked Reuben.

"It is better to be a living slave than a dead freeman," replied Naphtali.

"And who is this Moses?" protested Benjamin.

"You have seen what he did to Pharaoh and all the Egyptians. His God has proven to be stronger than all the Egyptian sorcerers and magicians," warned Reuben

"These are only rumors," replied Naphtali, "None of you were there to corroborate it."

"But everyone tells that he will lead us to the promised land, a land of streams and springs; a land of wheat and barley, of vines; a land of olive trees, of oil and honey," Reuben interjected again, while his eyes searched for a hint of faith among the other companions, but in vain.

"On account of what, how much will it cost us?"

"We are between a rock and a hard place. For one reason Pharaoh's army has not torn us to pieces. None of us have the means to cross the sea that separates us from our freedom."

"The best we can do is to hand Moses over to them as an act of redemption."

Everyone was deep in thought at Naphtali's last comment.

Despite the fact that not everyone was on board with the plan, they still agreed. The lives of many were in danger as well as all their goods and possessions.

At sunrise, Moses stood on the seashore, his eyes closed, holding his staff while his lips murmured an unintelligible prayer. The men seized the moment to approach from several flanks, however, doing so was not as easy as they had thought. As they neared him, they soon felt an authority so strong that it drove them back. Many began to doubt the plan.

From a distance he looked like an ordinary man, yet up close something mystical about him made him feel as if he were out of this world.

In a sudden movement of his arms, he raised his staff and the men fell on their faces, but it was not to them that he directed the staff. Raised to the heavens, he uttered a few words and suddenly a fierce wind descended from the skies, so strong that it prevented his captors from rising from where they had fallen. The sea became furious and before the eyes of the unbelievers, an invisible strip parted the waters in half, opening a way of escape.

"The Most High has opened a way for us! Warn everyone! Gather your things and cross the sea!" shouted Moses to all the leaders of the tribes.

None objected to his orders. The leaders, ashamed, knelt before the power of the Most High and swore unconditionally to His command.

More than 600,000 people crossed the Red Sea that morning. The Egyptian army could not believe their eyes. The impression was so great that many of the soldiers decided to abandon Pharaoh's orders before the power of the God of the Israelites.

The sea remained parted until the last Jew crossed. The general of the Egyptian brigades had ordered those who still wished to fight to pursue the fugitives along the same path that had been opened to them. To their misfortune, the sea began to close over them, and they all perished, even the general perished in his attempt to catch up with the sons of the Most High.

See you next time...




Esta es mi entrada para The Ink Well Fiction Prompt #73: Impresión

“Jamás pensé que seguir a ese hombre nos conduciría a nuestro fin”, comentó Benjamín ante algunos de los líderes de las tribus. Ninguno de los presentes objetó su comentario.

La noche parecía ser una noche como cualquier otra, un firmamento lleno de diminutas lucecitas titilantes, imperturbables, indiferentes a lo que sucedía en el mundo terrestre. Cientos de carpas descansaban alrededor de una gran fogata. Unos pocos hombres seguían despiertos, reunidos frente al calor del fuego; en sus rostros, endurecidos y cabizbajos, el destello danzaba anunciando el destino que les esperaba.

Uno de ellos mantenía su mirada en lo alto de la colina. Miles de antorchas se sacudían ante las rafagas del viento, como advirtiendo el peligro que les esperaba. Tan pronto amaneciera, cientos de miles de soldados habrían de descender ansiosos por saciar la sed de sangre de sus espadas. No había prisa para ellos, sabían muy bien que los fugitivos no tenían a donde ir.

Los hombres reunidos ante el fuego no eran hombres comunes, eran líderes de sus tribus y el destino de muchos pesaba sobre sus hombros.

“Deberíamos rendirnos”, recomendó Neftalí

Ninguno de ellos era cobarde, pero sabían muy bien que no eran rivales ante el ejército que los perseguía.

“Estamos a tiempo, si pedimos clemencia al Faraón, es posible que nos perdone nuestra vida y la de nuestras tribus”, agregó nuevamente Neftalí.

“¿Qué dices? ¿Acaso deseas seguir siendo un esclavo?”, preguntó Ruben

“Es mejor ser un esclavo vivo que un hombre libre muerto”, contestó Neftalí

“¿Y quién es ese Moises?”, protestó Benjamín

“Ya han visto lo que les hizo al Faraón y a todos los egipcios. Su Dios ha demostrado ser más fuerte que todos los hechiceros y magos egipcios”, advirtió Rubén

“Son solo rumores”, replicó Neftalí, “Ninguno de ustedes estaba allí para corroborarlo”

“Pero todos cuentan que nos llevará a la tierra prometida, tierra de arroyos y manantiales; tierra de trigo y cebada, de vides; tierra de olivos, de aceite y de miel”, intervino nuevamente Ruben, mientras sus ojos buscaban un indicio de fe entre los otros compañeros, pero fue en vano.

“¿A cuenta de qué? ¿Cuánto nos costará?”

“Estamos entre la espada y la pared. Por una razón el ejército del Faraón no nos ha hecho pedazos. Ninguno de nosotros tenemos los medios de cruzar el mar que nos separa de nuestra libertad”

“Lo mejor que podemos hacer es entregarles a Moises como un acto de redención”

Todos quedaron pensativos ante el último comentario de Neftalí.

Pese a que no todos estaban de acuerdo con el plan, aún así accedieron. La vida de muchos estaba en peligro así como también todos sus bienes y posesiones.

Al salir el sol, Moises se encontraba a la orilla del mar, con sus ojos cerrados sosteniendo su cayado mientras sus labios murmuraban una oración ininteligible. Los hombres aprovecharon el momento para acercarse desde varios flancos, sin embargo, el hacerlo no fue tan sencillo como lo habían pensado. Al estar cerca de él, pronto sintieron una autoridad tan fuerte que los hizo retroceder. Muchos comenzaron a dudar del plan.

De lejos parecía un hombre común y corriente, sin embargo, de cerca algo místico a su alrededor lo hacía sentir como si no fuera de este mundo.

En un movimiento brusco de sus brazos, levantó su cayado y los hombres cayeron de bruces, pero no era hacia ellos a quienes dirigió la vara. Elevada hacia los cielos, pronunció unas palabras y de pronto un viento feroz descendió de los cielos, tan fuerte que impedía a sus captores incorporarse desde donde habían caído. El mar se puso furioso y ante los ojos de los no creyentes, una franja invisible separó las aguas por la mitad, abriendo un camino de escape.

“¡El Altísimo nos ha abierto un camino! ¡Avisadle a todos! ¡Recojed sus cosas y atravesad el mar!”, gritó Moises a todos los líderes de las tribus.

Ninguno objetó sus órdenes. Los líderes, avergonzados, se arrodillaron ante el poder del Altísimo y juraron incondicionalidad ante sus órdenes.

Más de 600 mil personas atravesaron esa mañana el mar Rojo. El ejército egipcio no podía creer lo que sus ojos veían. La impresión era tan grande que muchos de los soldados decidieron abandonar las órdenes del Faraón ante el poder del Dios de los israelitas.

El mar se mantuvo separado hasta que el último judío cruzó. El general de las brigadas egipcias había ordenado a aquellos que aún deseaban combatir que persiguieran a los fugitivos por el mismo camino que se les había abierto. Para su mala suerte, el mar comenzó a cerrarse sobre ellos pereciendo todos, incluso el general falleció en su intento por alcanzar a los hijos del Altísimo.

Hasta la próxima.



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11 comments
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The biblical aspects of your story is amazing really.
God makes the best of impressions on us every time.
Thank you for sharing.

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This is so well told. It could be used for a child's Bible class, to dramatize the event. I've heard the story of Moses but don't know details. I'm not sure how far yours strays from the official 'record'. I'm sure it is almost entirely fictionalized. This would have made a great scene in one of those epic Bible movies from the 50s.

Thank you for sharing this vivid telling with us. We appreciate that you engage meaningfully with other authors in the community.

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(Edited)

I can’t thank you enough. I appreciate it. I want to improve my writing. I would like to be further evaluated on my writings. If it is not too much to ask 😅🙏

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It’s really hard to write a fictional religious story this well. Nicely done 🤗❤️💕

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Thank you very much for reading my post. I’m really grateful 😄😸😃

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