Scene One - The Summit

Salem’s heart pounded with excitement as he watched the glowing light near the forest brighten every few seconds. Elohim was near. Salem rushed to his hut, dodging many others who were trying to do the same.

He bolted through the door. “Alina, get the children. He’s here again.” His wife smiled and shouted out the back door. When everyone stood before him, Salem grinned. “Come quick.”

They raced out toward the heart of the city until they reached the top of the hill. Everyone stopped, panting.

“Children,” Salem said, waiting for all their heads to turn. “Do you know why this hill is called The Summit?”

His oldest daughter looked at him with a confident smirk. “Because it’s the place Elohim comes to play.”

Salem smiled at her. “You’re right, my pumpkin.” He looked at the other two, giving his wife a brief glance in between.

“Why would Elohim choose to…” He didn’t have time to finish. Screams of joy started from the people closest to the northern forest. Salem watched as they began to take into the air. One by one. Soon it would be his turn.

Not willing to wait, he lurched forward, running with all his might toward the invisible wall of delight. It hit him unexpectedly this time, giving him a burst of pleasure greater than he’d ever felt from the wall before. The pleasure flowed through his body like the juice flowed from Elohim’s fruit.

With the pleasure came an urgency to leap higher than he’d ever leaped before. Perhaps if he’d jump high enough, he’d finally see Elohim face to face. Not that he needed to. Experiencing Elohim’s touch was more than he could possibly ask for.
Salem stopped. All around him people soared through the air, enjoying Elohim’s presence. Salem looked into the sky. Although he couldn’t see it, Salem knew the wall now enveloped everything in the land.

But through the midst of all the joyous laughter, he heard a soft voice. “I made you.”

Another surge of pleasure flowed through his body, this one more powerful than what the wall brought. “I know you,” the voice said. Salem fell to his knees, lifting his hands as high as he could. “I love you.”

Like a child finding newness of life, a roaring laughter escaped Salem’s lips. But the voice continued. “I love you.”
For a moment, his laughter grew louder. But it soon changed as he felt a somber feeling cross his heart. “I love you,” the voice said again.

Another wave of pleasure surged it’s way through Salem’s entire body. This time, the urgency to leap for joy returned. Salem planted his feet and launched into the air, flying higher than he ever had. Then he curled and flipped, diving toward the ground again. Swooping up, he once again flew as high as he wanted and dove toward the ground.

Watching everyone enjoy the world with its maker only increased Salem’s pleasure. A while later, a trumpet blasted. Everyone landed back on The Summit. Alina glanced at Salem. “What do you think Elohim will do this time?”
He didn’t respond as he anxiously waited to see what his creator would show them. He suddenly heard joyous laughter from the far end of the hill. And like another wave, small plants began to sprout on the ground and grow faster than he’d ever seen.

It only took minutes for them to become large trees. Fruit of all sizes and colors hung on the branches. Elohim’s fruit.

Salem plucked a fruit from the branch nearest him and popped it into his mouth, allowing the juice to spill over his chin and drip to the ground. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the rush of pleasure it gave him. Opening his eyes, he saw many others doing the same. Everyone was ecstatic.

Soon the entire hill flowed with a giggle you’d hear from a child who’d just received the gift they’d wanted for years.

After the chatter among the crowd settled, The Summit suddenly split in two. The two sections stayed apart for a while, but they soon began to spin. Salem couldn’t hold his amazement in any longer. He giggled again, as did everyone around him. No one knew what to expect. They never did.

But as the sections spun, they drew closer to each other. Just as they touched, a brilliant flash of light brought everyone to their knees. Salem again chuckled as pleasure flowed through his body. Elohim had strange ways of playing. It was always something different. Something new. Something to show His great power.

Salem blinked. His vision was blurred. He rubbed his eyes. Everyone now kneeled on The Summit, rubbing their eyes. Not a single person didn’t have a smile on their face. This had been something totally unique. Salem couldn’t remember a time where Elohim had done something this exciting, although everything He did was exciting.

A bold voice thundered from above. “You may enjoy everything in this new world. But among the mountains to the east, there is cave, which you cannot enter. For in the day you do, we will be separated.”

Although everyone waited, no more words came. Salem stood and turned to take his family back to their hut. He stopped in his tracks. The world had changed. He’d never seen anything like it before. New plants dotted the horizon, more than just the plants that had grown on The Summit. Animals of all sorts grazed around them. New mountain ranges stretched across the landscape. Forests stretched for miles.

The shock seemed to spread through everyone on The Summit, because nobody said a word or moved for another hour.

Salem finally stood. “Blessed children of Elohim,” he said with his thunderous voice. “We have all seen and felt Elohim’s presence today.” Everyone turned their heads to hear his words. Salem was always surprised at how large the group had grown. “So after we have all built our homes around The Summit, let us build a temple in which we can sing praises to Elohim forever.”

A cheer arose through the crowd and only grew louder. Through all the noise, Salem heard a slight chuckle. Turning, he noticed a boy stood in the distance, on the cliff near the edge of the northern forest. “I love you,” the boy mouthed, motioning for Salem to come join him in the forest for a moment. A flood of joy crashed through Salem.

He turned back to the crowd. “Build your huts to the praise of Elohim.” After a few more rounds of cheering, everyone separated to gather materials, while whistling and singing.
Salem glanced at his wife. “I’ll be right back. Take the children and start searching for what we’ll need.” Alina bowed and whispered to the children before they took off toward the tree line of the southern forest.

Salem began sprinting toward the forest where he’d seen the boy. He had to meet the boy. Coming up to the edge of the cliff, he began tracking his way around it. He needed to find a way up. Eventually he did. Tracking his way through the trees, Salem continued until he reached a small clearing. The young boy waited, a look of compassion on his face.

Salem glanced over the boy’s figure, examining him. The boy smiled. “What did you expect?”
Salem didn’t know how to respond. But the boy’s smile grew larger, until he finally opened his mouth and released a little chuckle like the one Salem heard earlier. “What did you expect?” the boy said again.

“I… uh…” Salem couldn’t finish. He just dropped to his knees and wept. The warm tears flowed down his cheeks. These weren’t tears of hurt. He’d never even felt hurt before. This was joy in its purest form. More pure than the joy he’d felt when Elohim played games with them earlier.

For a while, Salem just cried. But finally he raised his head. The boy just watched him. He reached out, grabbing the boy’s hand. Gripping the hand as tightly as he could, Salem spoke. “I love you.” Then he allowed the laughter that collected in him to burst free.
The boy eyed him, accepting the praise. He waited until Salem could speak no more. “It will not always be this way.”
“What do you mean?” Salem said. “How can it not?” He let the statement sink in.
“You will understand soon.” The boy began walking deeper into the forest.
“Where are you going?” Salem said. The boy didn’t answer. “Why don’t you come join us?” Again no answer.
Salem followed the boy, but he stopped when the boy turned around. “Remember me, Salem. Remember me.”
“I will.”
But the response was the same. “Remember me, Salem. Seek for me. I’m never far away. I will always be there.” The boy paused a moment as to let the statement settle. “Remember me.”
“How can I forget?”
The boy’s look of compassion spread across his face again. “Go to your people and help them remember.”
Salem blinked. The boy was gone. He scanned past the trees into the distance. Gone. He thought about the boy’s words and headed back to The Summit, where everyone had already finished building their huts.