Free The Deliverer by Linda Rios Brook Page B

Egypt. They popped out from under the long togas of women who went screaming hysterically into the street, demanding that someone do something. Even in Ramses’ throne room, the soldiers and slaves couldn’t contain the frogs. Moses and Aaron walked out of the chaos without much notice from anyone because every free hand in the room was slapping at frogs. The court magicians had also tried to slink out when Pharaoh ordered the guards to stop them. The guards grabbed them by their collars and deposited them right back in front of Ramses.
    “Now get rid of them,” Ramses seethed just as a really big jumper landed right on top of his bald head.
    The nervous magicians waved their arms and spoke in Egyptian and then in gibberish, but nothing happened. If anything, there were more frogs than ever. The more the magicians cursed the frogs, the more there were, and the more aggressive they became. The one on Ramses’ head would not budge, even with all the slaves swatting at him. All at once, I knew what was happening.
    I couldn’t help but be impressed all over again by the cleverness of God. He allowed the magicians to call the frogs in (which must have surprised them if the truth be known), but they couldn’t get rid of them. God set a hook, and the magicians swallowed it, worm and all. Ramses rose to his feet in anger, dumping a dozen or so frogs out of the folds of his robe as he moved toward the magicians and slapped the main wizard to the side.
    “Where are they?” he roared.
    Obviously, he meant Moses and Aaron, who were outside on the front porch, trying to decide what to do next. The guards didn’t have to be told to bring them back inside. Ramses stared at them, shook his head, then sat down on his throne and waved a hand of resignation at Moses.
    “Tell God to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to Him.”
    Moses was stunned. So was I. This wasn’t like Ramses to give up without a fight. Satan would be furious when he found out Moses and Aaron were about to leave town with the slaves in tow without any resistance at all.
    Moses composed himself. “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people, that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”
    “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh waved his hand again, signaling their dismissal.
    “It will be as you say so that you may know there is no one like our God. The frogs will leave; they will remain only in the Nile.”
    Moses and Aaron walked out in silence, having no idea what had just happened.
    The next day, just as he promised, Moses cried out to God about the frogs. God did what Moses asked, and the frogs died in the houses, the courtyards, and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and, I tell you, the land reeked of them.
    In fact, it was so bad, the smell drifted all the way to the second heaven, where even Satan held his nose at the stench. He heard the whole thing and had already dispatched one of the demons to stand beside Ramses while the frog killing was going on. When it looked like most of the frogs were gone, the demon spoke into Ramses’ ear.
    “You can’t let them go. They’ve made a fool of you. The brick pits will be shut down if the Hebrews leave. Your own people will turn on you. They’re laughing at you right now for letting Moses pray in the presence of the great gods of Egypt. What were you thinking?”
    Pharaoh listened to the demon, and when he saw that all the frogs were dead, he reneged on his promise to Moses and Aaron.
    Now, this should have been the moment when Moses and Aaron stomped off in a huff after being lied to by Ramses. But they didn’t. They stood quietly as if waiting for something else to happen. Satan turned to me and jerked me up by one of my ears.
    “What are they doing? Why don’t they leave? Did God give them any further orders?”
    “No, no, not at all. I was