Do Not Read This at Night

Dreadful Plagues

 Lots of us are familiar with the story of the Dreadful Plagues in Egypt from the Israelites viewpoint, but what if you had been an Egyptian?

DO NOT READ THIS AT NIGHT!

The Ninth Plague

"Mamma!" The shriek struck terror to Re-bae-tha­ih's heart, but she was helpless to do anything about it. Somewhere in that deep, intense darkness her son was lost. "Mommy!" the quivering wail came again.

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"Mee-kii-dal, I am over here!" Her voice sounded eerie in the thick darkness. She made circles in the air in front of her, too afraid to move.

Where am I? Rebaethaih couldn't even remember what she had been doing when this sudden, awful smothering darkness had descended covering everything as far as the eye could see.

She could not recall where she was, so how could she know where three year old Mee-kii-dal was? Then she dimly recalled that she had been kindling a fire outside of their abode in order to make supper. A fire! Why can't I see it? Would it burn them even if there was no visible flame? I must find Mee-kii!"

"Mee-kii come to me. You must come to Mommy, dear."

"I can't find you," he sobbed.

Rebaethaih knew that it was true. Even the sound of their voices seemed distorted.

She wondered where Dathan, her husband was. Was he on his way home from work? He was a miller, and had learned that all the awful plagues of the last while were the result of Pharaoh refusing to let the Israelites go. Where they wanted to march off to and why, he had not been able to find out. I am so afraid that Dathan-el-brek may be lost somewhere in the streets, or fell into the Nile. 

 Somewhere nearby she heard the thin wail of her newborn. Lill-da-nan was waking up and would be hungry. At least the darkness wouldn't be alarming to her…or would it? Small Mee-kii-dal started to cry, also and the baby's wails grew louder.

I must find them. I must. But Rebaethaih was afraid to move in any direction. What if I walk right into the fire? She shuffled along with her arms stretched out stiffly in front of her. A deep vacuum seemed to surround her, suddenly she realized that the normal, friendly sounds of their small neighbourhood had all been hushed.

I am afraid of the dark. I have always been afraid of the evil spirits that lurk in the shadows, and now this has happened. How many demons have put a curse on us, and why?

to be continued...