The next morning, the travelling party – Ori, the Akkadian refugees, a chattering prophet, the muleteers, the mules, and an impressive number of cats (Halab was generous with them) – assembled to continue their journey.

'I regret leaving Halab without holding a few meetings,' Jonah was saying to Agad and Habik. 'I mean, they are completely in error about so many things.'

'Like what?' mumbled Habik through a mouthful of breakfast roll.

'Like cats,' said Jonah, as the one on Agad's shoulder swished its tail in his face. He batted it away and continued, 'That pageant last night! They attributed the creation of cats to some heathen goddess! When of course The LORD made everything, including cats…'

'And then completely forgot to mention them in His Book,' put in Zena, who had overheard. 'Ori told me, and besides being an angel, Ori is a scribe.'

'I'm sure it was the merest oversight,' countered Jonah, 'based on the fact that the Chief Priest at home is ailurophobic. Anyway, there are lots of lions in there. I'm sure the lions make up for it.'

'Meow!' replied Agad's new kitty, a grey-striped tabby. The others laughed.

Jonah ignored them and the cat. 'The more I think of it, the more I realise I ought to stay in Halab and organise religious instruction here. After all, this is a worthy endeavour requiring my services. And it's a nice tow-, er, I mean an environment conducive to spreading the word…I'd almost be willing to forego the trip to Nineveh if…'

'…if you didn't vividly remember what it was like to be inside a whale,' Ori finished for him. Ori came up behind Jonah and patted his shoulders, leaning in and whispering in his ear, 'You're not safe on land, either. I've heard about plans with a very large bird. Would you like to explore the possibilities of involuntary air travel?'

Jonah gulped. 'No, no…of course I'm going to Nineveh with you! I was just, er…thinking aloud.' To the astonishment of anybody who hadn't heard the discussion, the usually work-shy prophet ran over to help the muleteers load supplies provided by the generous people of Halab.

Everything was loaded, goodbyes were said. Agad even got a surprise kiss on the cheek from one of the girls in the previous night's tableaux. Habik was still teasing his big brother about it a league-and-a-half later.

The muleteers knew where to go. More importantly, the mules knew where to go, so the caravan was in safe…er, hooves, so to speak. Ori took advantage of this to make brief reconnaissance flights over the area, spotting desert plants, interesting rock formations, oases that sheltered wildlife…

…but no giant birds. Ori was relieved.

They stopped for lunch. The cats had been snacking on voles all morning, but appreciated drinks of water. Everybody else was happy to get off their feet for a bit.

'Ori,' said Zena thoughtfully. 'Will we get to Nineveh tonight?'

A shake of the head from Ori. 'The muleteers say no. The next stop is Wassukanni.'

Zena made big eyes. 'I've heard of Wassukanni! Everybody has. But nobody knows where it is.'

Ori shrugged. 'The muleteers do. They say they have a couple of deliveries to make there.'

Zena sighed. 'I suppose it would be too good to be true.'

'What would?'

'If the legends were true. They say,' she stared wistfully across the desert, 'that those who have no home can find one there.'

It was Ori's turn to stare.

Plodding across deserts takes time, and a summer day is still only 13 hours long, and an hour is still only 60 minutes. At least, that's how the Sumerians counted them. Ori knew that on Penthouse time, a day could be as long as a thousand years or long enough to sound a hemidemisemiquaver, and didn't sweat it. In fact, Ori didn't sweat, although the muleteers were making up for it.

Anyway, it was midafternoon before they reached the gates of Wassukanni. Habik gave a shout. 'Hey, Agad! What's the sign say?'

Agad read it for them. 'All are welcome. Except gods.'

Ori laughed – then, looking a bit guilty, went to 'wings on stealth' mode. The kids saw this and giggled.

'Somebody corral Jonah,' whispered Zena, and Agad kept a close eye on the prophet (who couldn't read the sign, anyway) as they passed in the city.

The very welcoming city.

The newcomers were soon the centre of attention from a friendly crowd.

'Hello! Have you come far today? Are you hungry? We'll have to find rooms for all of you. Marani has plenty of space. Let Habib help you with those mules. Oh, great, kids! Do you want to meet some more kids? We've got several nice playgrounds. Does anybody play music? There's a concert next week. Can anybody read Hebrew? We've got a scroll we can't make head or tail of. You can? Oh, good, you can give us a reading…welcome, welcome, friends.'

No 'What are you doing here? Why are you in our space? Which wrestler to you support?' Ori found Wassukanni refreshing, and decided to go with the flow.

Pretty soon the kids, along with Agad and Habik's parents Urda and Omer, were being shown to a large house where they were surrounded by laughing, chattering children. Zena and the other instrumentalists were met by members of a group calling themselves the Musicians' Guild, who spirited them away in the direction of their hall. The muleteers were greeted by Habib, whom they seemed to know well, and headed off to the stables. The mules went willingly – they seemed to have nice memories of treats and earrubs. As they rounded a corner, Ori heard Habib laugh loudly at something one of the muleteers said.

Probably talking about Jonah, thought Ori. There was a chuckle no one else could hear.

Speaking of Jonah, that individual was staring around him in wonder, trying to take it all in.

'Stop gawking.' Ori poked the prophet in the ribs. 'You look like a country bumpkin in town on market day. Close your mouth and try to act…human.' Jonah shook his head to clear it and tried to follow instructions.

Ori had another thought. 'And if you find anybody who can talk to you? Don't tell them I'm an angel. They seem to have a ban on supernatural beings around here. So ixnay on the opagandapray. No talk of gods or whales or me having wings, okay? Keep this on the down-low.'

Jonah nodded warily and Ori suddenly wondered, 'Why am I talking like this? Is it another field like the truth filter in Halab?'

'Why actually, yes, it is.' The voice – a pleasant basso profundo, was startling. It wasn't coming from inside Ori's head. It was, however, reading his thoughts. And it was definitely here, in Wassukanni. Ori turned around.

The speaker turned out to be standing between Ori and the sun. Ori didn't mind. The man's face was kind and wise, and he was as welcoming as everyone else in Wassukanni.

The man smiled back. 'I'm Gudea, the Ensi here.'

Ori smiled. 'I'm Ori. Jonah and I…er, came with the caravan and our friends, who are seeking a new home. You're the governor? We're pleased to meet you. You serve the king, then?'

Gudea chuckled. 'There is no king here. No need for one. Only for a shepherd.'

'I've brought you some lost sheep.'

'Sheep are my specialty.' And indeed, Ori suddenly noticed that Gudea was being followed by a lamb, which obviously adored him. Gudea indicated that Ori and Jonah should come with him and the lamb. Ori was glad to let someone else lead for awhile, and Jonah's mouth was hanging open again, so they followed Gudea to an imposing building on what appeared to be the main square. The fired-mud bricks were beautifully dressed and painted in gorgeous colours with elegant motifs.

Of course he lives here, thought Ori. He's the leader, even if he only calls himself a governor or shepherd.

Ori had forgotten that Gudea could read thoughts.

Gudea chuckled, not offended. 'No, I don't live here. This is a public building. I live nearer my sheep.' He added, 'My sheep-sheep, not my human sheep.' He made a dismissive gesture. 'I'll take you home with me later…that one' indicating Jonah 'shouldn't be running around loose, and you and I have lots to discuss. But first, I thought you'd like to see the Treasure Room.'

Ori was fascinated and delighted by Gudea, who was by far the most interesting human Ori had ever met. If Gudea had suggested going to see the camel-chip gatherers at work, Ori would have been just as eager to follow as when the Ensi said, 'Treasure Room.'

For his part, Jonah appeared to be in a state approaching a hypnotic trance. He seriously did not know whether he was coming or going, and let himself be led along.

The lamb bleated at Jonah encouragingly as the group mounted the steps and entered the official building. Oddly (thought Ori), there were no guards of state or officious scribes or, indeed, any people in the building at all. Ori counted three cats, a small dog, and a crow sitting on a pillar.

'Here.' Gudea stopped in front of a door, which opened easily. 'This is the Treasure Room. I'd like to show it to you.'

Ori looked around the room and let out a small gasp of surprise. Jonah just gawked.

'Let's find a seat,' invited Gudea. 'I'd like to tell you a story.'

Dmitri Gheorgheni

22.05.23 Front Page

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