Benjamin Eubank

1824 Chevyla, Bohemia (Modern Day Czech Republic) 12 miles outside Prague It was, for all purposes, a lost cause. Standing outside looking at the mess, he knew it in his heart. Efran, while a good father, had reached a challenge that he simply could not overcome. It was a cold winter that year and spring planting had come late. While still being able to get his crops in the ground on time, he had suffered a grievous misfortune. Not three weeks after planting his crops of corn, a torrential rain storm had drowned his entire harvest. What was he to do? His daughter Aaliyah was to be married after autumn reaping and his entire crop was to be used as the dowry. Trudging back up to the house he opened his door and took a weary seat beside the fire. Looking at his daughter he began to weep.“What is wrong, Pappa?” his daughter asked, hurrying over showing concern and kindness for her father.“Oh Aaliyah, I am afraid that our crops have been destroyed, and without them your marriage to Aaron cannot take place. I have shamed you. I am so sorry.” At this Efran broke down in earnest and could no longer contain himself. “But pappa, do not despair. It will be alright!’ Aaliyah exclaimed. “We are true believers of G-d, and he will find a way for us to get through this. Tomorrow, go down and talk to Rabbi Bezalel and see if he has any words of wisdom to guide us.”“Thank you my sweet Aaliyah. If only your mother could see you this strong. I will do that.” With that Efran took himself to bed and dreamed of his daughters smiling face when he reported to her he had found a way.Early the next morning with Aaliyah already set out on her daily errands Efran went to the synagogue. It was a large affair, with a gleaming beaten copper dome supported by large pillars. It was in the middle of his village, and was a symbol of the town’s prosperity and devotion to G-d. Finding Rabbi Bezalel unoccupied, he asked the rabbi for a small portion of his time.“Why of course. Come, come. What is on your mind Efran, you look so very worried” said Bezalel. Efran explained the situation to the Rabbi, who for his part listened intently without interruption. When Efran had finished his tale, Rabbi Bezalel took him by his arm and led him to the gardens behind the synagogue where there was more privacy. The gardens had been a gift from G-d, and had sprung forth when the synagogue had been built. They created a wall around the backside of the synagogue and gave a sense of peace and solitude. Rabbi Bezalel guided him to the center. Looking around and seeing no one, he bent close to Efrans ear. “My son, as you know I am from Prague. Have you ever heard tell of the Golem?” “Yes, indeed! Who has not heard of the mighty tales of the Golem and how he saved the city from destruction. But why are you telling me this? What has this to do with my dilemma? The Golem was destroyed many years ago.”“Everything” Rabbi Bezalel stated. “You see, not only is the Golem still intact, I have heard rumors that his resting place is within walking distance of our fair city. It is to be found in the caves of Ashe, northwest of the last house to the river’s edge.”“Yes, yes, I know of the caves you are speaking of. I know also that a large statue resides in there. I never once thought it was the mighty Golem of Prague!” exclaimed Efran in an excited whisper. “But again”, he replied “how does this information help me?”“The Golem is not only a mighty warrior, but strong as an ox. It has no intelligence and can only follow orders given to it,” stated rabbi Bezalel. “If you were to go there and place on a slip of paper your desires then insert the note into the creature’s mouth it will act upon your command until the deed is done. Your fields could be replanted within a night. But be wary. The Golem is a powerful being and must not be misused or taken advantage of. Dire consequences will follow if you are not careful. Make sure you end the command by instructing the Golem back to its cave and to spit out the order.”Efran, overcome with joy threw his arms around the Rabbi and thanked him profusely. Upon leaving, Rabbi Bezalel grasped him around the shoulder and gave one last piece of advice. “Do this thing at night, for if not, I’m afraid the villagers will become afraid and destroy the Golem before it’s’ work can be done; and remember: Use the Golem this one time only. You are in dire need, and this need is only what makes the use of this monster acceptable.”With joy in his heart, and a smile on his face Efran returned home. His daughter, done with her chores met him at the door. “Pappa, what news do you bring?’“My daughter, the Rabbi was most enlightening. I have a solution to our problems, but I must not speak of it to anyone, not even you. To do so will bring the ire of G-d upon my plans.” Aaliyah accepted this and asked no more questions. As dark grew heavy that night and Aaliyah safely asleep, Efran threw a cloak around his shoulders and departed. The cave, while known to him had not been visited in years and a mountain of brambles and vines covered the entrance. When Efran finally entered the cave he was scratched and bleeding, but he knew that this was a good sign for it meant that none had entered in many years. Striking a match, Efran lit the lantern he had brought and held it before him lighting up the cave and its contents. He gasped with awe and wonder. Before him, ten feet tall stood the Golem. It was a large brutish thing made of dark clay. It had fine lines on its body outlining images of clothes and jewelry. Its massive hands were large enough to grasp Efran around the waist. Its head though brought Efran up short and he could only stare for several seconds as he gazed upon its horrible visage. Its eyes were just blank depressions deep enough to cause shadows to pool inside them. Its gaping mouth was a slit with just the hint of a snarl upon its lips.Before Efrans courage could fade, he seized the rolled parchment from his pocket, walked to the Golem and set down his lantern. Then, he jumped up, seizing the golems shoulder and pulling himself up. Taking a deep breath, and sending a mental prayer to G-d, Efran, with trembling hands, placed the rolled parchment with his commands into the Golems mouth then jumped down. He hurried over to the entrance, ready to bolt. Suddenly, the Golems eyes glowed with a deep amber hue, and the Golem began to move towards the mouth of the cave. Efran scurried out ahead of the Golem and ran towards his home. The golem, with its long legs and large stride, kept pace with him. As Efran neared his farm, the Golem headed towards Efrans fields. Efran ran inside his house, slamming the door. From the rear of the house he heard Aaliyah stir. He quietly went to her room and looked at her. She was still fast asleep. Efran went to his chair by the fire and slumped into it. Outside he could hear shuffling and the sounds of earth moving. Efran was extremely tired and frightened. He was having doubts, now that he had actually done it, but it was too late to change anything. He vowed to stay awake till the Golem had finished, ensuring that it headed back towards the cave, but sleep quickly overcame him. Upon waking the next morning, Efran quickly jumped up and ran outside. Morning light had just peaked over the trees, and Efran saw to his delight that his fields had been replanted, and green shoots were already to be seen. This was impossible. G-d really must have been controlling the Golem thought Efran. His fields were saved. He ran inside, rousing Aaliyah and bringing her outside to gaze upon the fields. “Pappa, you have done it. I knew you would. Our faith in G-d has been proven!” She gave her father a big hug with tears in her eyes. Over the next few months the crops grew at an extraordinary rate. Thick stalks and luscious, large golden ears of corn were formed. Everyone in town came to see Efrans miracle crop, commenting on how amazed they were. At harvest time, Efran culled the largest crop he had ever grown, well covering the dowry needed. That fall his beautiful and loving daughter Aaliyah was married to Aaron with honor and there was a week-long celebration. Life could not be better for Efran. As the fall turned to winter and winter to spring, Efran began to dwell upon the idea of using the Golem to plant his crops again. He knew he shouldn’t, and that the Rabbi had specifically forbade its use again, but Efran kept dwelling on how strong and well the crops had grown. No harvest such as that would ever be produced on Efrans land again by his hand alone. Planting season finally came around again and Efran, unsure of what to do, did nothing. He waited and anguished over the dilemma, and as each day passed he became surer and surer of which option he would choose. Finally, arriving on the last day of planting, Efran made up his mind. His daughter Aaliyah was pregnant, and he wanted to make sure that no matter what, she and her baby would always be cared for. Aaron was a local farmer also, and although he had a farm five times bigger than he; Efran wanted to make absolutely sure that his daughter would never want. This is what he kept telling himself and as dusk came that day Efran headed once more to the cave. Upon reaching its inky maw, Efran paused, and taking a deep breath entered. The overgrowth outside the caves entrance was just as thick as it had been the year before, and Efran felt safe in the assumption that none had entered since him. He pushed through the last tangles, and there before him stood the Golem. The slip of paper with his instructions on it lay at the Golems feet, just as it was supposed to be. Efran was warmed at that sight. It gave him the confidence he needed. The Golem had performed perfectly, and had followed his instructions to the letter. Efran picked up the slip of parchment. It was still inked darkly and all the words were as legible as the day he had wrote them. Efran once again grasped the Golem by the shoulder and pulled himself up, placing the paper back into the Golems mouth. He dropped down, and this time, instead of waiting, immediately ran back to his house. Reaching it, he turned around and waited until he saw the Golems lumbering form in the gloom. Satisfied, Efran entered his home, and made a large meal before retiring to bed.That night, there was a massive rainstorm, and booming peals of thunder woke Efran from sleep. Bleary eyed, Efran went to the door, and looked out at his fields. Barely visible, but definitely there, the Golem proceeded with the planting, ignoring the torrential rain. Efran began to worry about his crops, but quickly pushed the thought from his mind. The year before the Golem had performed a miracle, and surely this time would be no different. Efran closed his door and went back to bed sure of this fact.The next morning Efran awoke, and stretching, went outside to see his crops. Smiling as he grew close he saw that they were perfectly healthy just as before, and already showing green shoots. He spent the day catching up on chores, and once done with that he visited the Synagogue while out to town for provisions, before coming home to retire for the night.It was early in the morning, and Efran woke to the sounds of something outside his house. Owning several laying hens, his first thought was that wolves had come for them. Quickly grabbing his axe, Efran ran outside to confront the pack. He drew up short though as his door opened and he began to take his first steps towards the hen house. Off in the distance, in his fields he saw a large, lumbering shape. This was impossible! Efran ran to his fields and stopped short of them gazing in rapt disappointment at the visage before him. There, as in last night was the Golem. It was tearing up his fields row by row, and replanting them. Efran was so confused. This couldn’t be happening. The instruction he had written were iron clad. The Golem should be nothing but a statue in cave at this moment. As the Golem came closer though, Efran saw the folly of his greediness. The Golems mouth was sealed shut. During the storm last night, the clay forming the Golem must have gotten soft, and oozed down from his nose to form a seal over his mouth for Efran saw the Golem was now nose-less. Despairing, Efran ran back to his home, and closed the door to the sight. His only hope was that the paper had gotten wet, and would soon be unreadable, so the Golem would stop.The next night the Golem came again, and Efran, having feared the worst was not disappointed. Night after night the Golem came, always destroying his entire crop and replanting new seed. Efran had no idea where the Golem was getting his supply from, but it seemed like Efrans plight would never end. Finally, his daughter, worried for her father for she had not seen him in over a week, came to her fathers’ house. Knocking loudly she called out his name. Efran came to the door, haggard and sunken eyed. “Pappa, what is the matter!” Aaliyah exclaimed, a look of concern coming over her face. “It is nothing my daughter, just my old bones acting up. How are you?”Aaliyah replied, “Pappa the most terrible thing is happening. For the last week, our fields are being plundered by something. We go to sleep, and when we wake up our fields are stripped of seed. We have tried to see what is taking it, but always we seem to fall asleep. Aaron says if this lasts much longer, we will have no seed left to sow and our fields will be barren this year.” With this, Aaliyah began to weep softly. Efran, finally understanding the magnitude of what his greed had caused dropped to the floor, and began a high keening cry. Aaliyah, concerned for her father dropped down to comfort him, asking what was wrong. Efran, knowing that he must pay for his sins told his daughter the entire story. Horrified at what her father had done, Aaliyah got up and ran out the door.That night Aarons kinfolk began to show up at Efrans house one by one, then in pairs, then in groups. All were armed. Efran hid in his house, waiting and watching. Soon, what seemed like Aarons entire extended family was outside his door. He heard loud jeers and taunts towards him, and he shrank back against the far wall of his house. This went on until well after dark.Finally, Efran heard the crowd quieting, and in the distance he could hear the Golem coming to his fields to rip up and replant yet again. The crowd suddenly roared and he heard the sounds of many feet running. He ran to his own door and flung it open. What he saw amazed him. The entire family was attacking the Golem. The Golem for his part ignored them, just kept ripping and planting. The people quickly tore the legs out from underneath the Golem, and when he fell, the crowd beat his body, arms and legs with their shovels and axes, until all that remained of the Golem was his head, eyes still brightly glowing. Efran saw that Aaron was leading the crowd, and then Aaron pick up the golems head and using his knife, cut an opening into the head of the Golem where its mouth should have been. Then Aaron stuck his hand into the hole and removed Efrans parchment. The Golems eyes dimmed then went out. “Efran!” shouted Aaron. Efran stood frozen in his doorway. Aaron came striding over to him, and stopped before him, throwing the parchment at Efrans feet. “Here is your parchment. You have almost ruined me and your daughter because of your greed and laziness. You almost caused your grandbaby to born into this world with nothing. What do you have to say for yourself?”Efran had nothing to say. He knew that he shouldn’t have done it, and now the consequences had come. “You are banished from my lands, and shall only see your daughter and grandbaby if Aaliyah decides to visit you.” With that Aaron and the crowd left. Efran looked upon his fields with sadness and regret. The mob had ruined his fields and it was much too late to replant. He had lost everything, his fields, his family, his dignity. Hearing a noise he looked up and saw Rabbi Bezalel standing in front of him.“My son, you have much to repent for. You have lost everything. You did not listen to me, and took G-ds’ gift and abused it. I am sorry for your downfall. You must come to terms with this and ask G-d for forgiveness, lest you also lose your soul.” With that the Rabbi turned and left, leaving Efran.Efran slowly backed inside his house and closed the door softly. He slid down upon his knees and did the only thing he could. He prayed.