Free Noah by Susan Korman

made their way to the roof of the Ark.
    “Stay here, and don’t move until I return,” Naamehordered. “I will see what is happening with the men and come back to let you know.”
    Ila nodded, too frightened and exhausted to think for herself at the moment. She clutched the babies to her chest, praying softly.
Let us be safe. Let us be safe
…
    A brisk sea breeze stirred the air. Ila shivered, though she couldn’t tell if it was from exhaustion or the cold. Maybe it was both.
    She gazed down at the babies, overcome with love. They were beautiful, tiny fists and dark eyes… Each had a patch of light hair.
    What a miracle
, she thought, rocking them gently. She wished Shem were here with her now. Worries rippled through her. Was he safe? Would he harm Noah?
    Ila wasn’t sure how much time had passed when a shout rose from below.
    “It’s a boy!”
    That’s Naameh
, Ila realized. And then she heard Noah’s voice.
    “Move away,” he ordered. Then there were his footsteps.
    “Where is she?” he demanded.
    One of the babies squirmed in Ila’s arms. “Hush, little one,” she murmured. “Please don’t cry.” Desperately, she tried to soothe her. Then the other baby woke up and began to cry.
    No
…
no
… Ila thought in desperation. Frantic, she was about to try to nurse them.
    But then another shout came from below.
    “No!” Naameh moaned. “No, Noah! You can’t touch them. They are beautiful!”
    “
They?
” Noah echoed. “Are you telling me there are two?”
    “You can’t kill them!” Naameh pleaded with him. “You can’t!”
    Now Ila could hear his steps. He was coming up the ladder, coming closer and closer to her and her infants with every step.
    Ila’s heart pounded in her chest, her prayers replaying again and again as she sobbed.
Please keep us safe. Please keep us safe.
    Around her the wind picked up, and suddenly she thought of Methuselah and his blessing that day in the forest.
    What had Noah once said to her…? It was the day she’d asked him about a wife for Ham. He’d said that she was a precious gift. Ila looked at her daughters. Would not he see these babies, too, as a precious gift?
    All at once the air grew still. Ila closed her eyes, feeling her heart slow too. She breathed slowly, in and out, in and out, crying still but paying no attention to the sounds behind her, Noah limping toward her.
    In her arms, the babies were still crying.
Are they hungry
? she wondered. Or could they could sense all the madness and violence around them?
    At last he reached her.
    Ila spoke softly. “Noah, please. These are my children. Your grandchildren.”
    “I will not be stopped.”
    Ila turned to look at him. His clothes were torn, and he was wounded, bruised, and bloodied by whatever had happened below with Shem.
    Where is Shem?
she wondered again.
And Ham…?
    Gazing at his face, the steely look in his eyes, Ila knew it was hopeless. She took another deep breath to collect herself and swallow her tears. “I know I cannot stop you, Noah. But my babies are crying.”
    She swallowed hard. “Please don’t let them die crying. Please let me calm them. Please just… Just let them be at peace.”
    He stared at her, saying nothing for a long time. And then finally he nodded.
    “Thank you,” Ila whispered. She started to hum. It was a lullaby she loved, a lullaby filled with tender memories of the man who had found her and taken her into his arms like a father one night long ago.
    The moon is high
    The trees entwined
    Your father waits for thee.
    To wrap you in his sheltering wings
    And whisper you to sleep.
    To wrap you in his welcome arms
    Until the night sky breaks
    Your father is
    The healing wind that whispers
    You to sleep
    That whispers as you sleep.
    As Ila sang, her infants hushed. Calm, at peace, they stared up at her.
    “I love you,” she murmured, caressing each baby’s perfect face. Silent tears streamed from her eyes.
    At last Ila stood up and turned toward Noah. He reached