Introducing Elijah

[The obligatory image is a photograph taken by my mother.]

Chapter 17

Now Elijah the Ozian, who was of the denizens of Emerald City, spoke to Captain Ahab as follows: “From looking around here, I infer that you worship some sort of storm deity, or a volcano god, and his consort. Am I guessing right? Well, I myself serve the Wizard: he can control natural events too, precipitation and whatnot. He does all these things in the name of Yeshua the Zealot, who is his city’s redeemer and savior. (Just look at the main entry gate: you will see his image there.) I wonder if I could interest you in adding this Wizard to your pantheon. He just gave me an oracle that I can pass on to you, in the name of Yeshua – maybe it will help convince you, when it comes true. The Wizard’s prophecy is this: ‘Thus saith Yeshua: There will neither be dew nor rain in this present age unless I command it to happen.’ Now I will leave you, O Captain. I look forward to the day when your messengers shall come seek me out, to deliver your plea for my Wizard’s help, in the name of Yeshua. Or, if you prefer to doubt his great power, then I shake the dust off my feet and say: Enjoy dying of thirst!”

And after addressing Captain Ahab, Elijah departed. And the visage of the Wizard appeared on the screen of his mobile computing device, saying: “Leave that area. Go eastward, and hide yourself by the Munchkin River, that is before Gillikin Country. I’ll turn off the water now: but you shall drink of the river; and I have programmed robotic ravens to feed you there.”

So Elijah faithfully obeyed the visage of the Wizard: for he went and dwelt by the Munchkin River. And the robo-ravens (which looked somewhat like regular ravens) brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening: two square meals daily. And he drank of the river.

But it came to pass after a while, that the river dried up, because there had been no rain or dew in the land. And Munchkin River is rather small and thin, hence its name.

So the visage of the Wizard appeared on Elijah’s mobile computer’s screen again, saying: “I know, I know, the stream evaporated; I meant to contact you earlier. Get up and go to the Mirror Maze, and find the Crystal Cabinet, where the Bonobo Folk reside. Lo, I have commanded a single mother there to sustain you.”

So Elijah arose and went to the Mirror Maze. And when he came to the doors of the Bonobo Zone, behold, there was a female bonobo there gathering sticks for kindling; and she was unmarried, and she had a baby bonobo on her back. And Elijah called to her, and said: “Fetch me some water in a vessel, woman, so that I may drink.”

Then, as this unwed bonobo mother was going to fetch water for the Wizard’s prophet, he called to her again, and said: “Woman, bring me also a slice of cake.”

And she turned and answered: “I swear on your Wizard’s life that I have no cake. There is nothing baked: only a handful of flour remains at the bottom of our jar, and a little oil in our cruse – look: I was just gathering some sticks to help prepare all this as a last meal for me and my child, so that we may eat it, and die.”

Then Elijah said to her: “Fear not, woman; go and do as you have planned: however, bake me a little cake first, and bring it to me. After that, you can make food for yourself and your son. For the Wizard in whom I trust tells me that the jar of flour shall last, and the cruse of oil shall not diminish, until the day when the Wizard, in the name of Yeshua his savior, decides to allow rain to fall again upon the earth.”

So the unwed bonobo mother did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her babe, were able to eat for many days. The jar of flour went not empty, neither did the cruse of oil fail. Everything accorded with the prophecy of the Wizard, which he spoke on behalf of Yeshua, by way of Elijah.

And yet it happened after this, that the baby of the unmarried bonobo came down with a sickness, which intensified until all the breath of life abandoned his body. Thus the mother said unto Elijah: “What injury have I caused you, O servant of the Wizard, that you come here and induce fate to slay my son?”

But he said to her: “Give me the lad.” And he took him out of her arms, and carried him up into the loft where he was staying, and placed him on his own bed. Then Elijah cried unto the Wizard, saying: “Omega Zoroaster my God, have you also brought evil upon the mother with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?”

And he stretched himself upon the child, three separate times, while crying unto the Wizard, and saying: “Omega Zoroaster my God, I pray you, let this child’s soul return to him again.”

Then the breath of life came back to the lad, and he revived.

And Elijah took the baby bonobo, and brought him down from the loft, and delivered him into the arms of his unwed mother. And Elijah said: “See, your son lives.”