Let There Be Light! Ch.21 (Patreon)

— Noah —

The gray-bearded man tended to his simple farm on the outskirts of a settlement without many people.

He had his family, and that was all he truly needed. He was content with his life as a peaceful yet god-fearing man. He is Noah, son of Lamech, Grandson of Methuselah, husband of Naamah. 

He had lived a life full of hardships, but he knew that he was blessed to be living a life at all, and so, as always, he would take time out of his day to pray and thank his lord for the chance to see the sun once again. 

‘Lord, the blessings you grant me are endless; I thank you for all that you have given me.’

‘You're welcome.’ 

Noah opened his eyes and looked around his farm. His eyes caught on to the sheep he had just herded, and he rubbed his eyes in confusion. 

Did someone just speak to him? 

No, he must be going senile in his old age. 

Noah laughed at his deteriorating old brain and started returning inside. It was just about time for dinner, and he could use a meal. 

He opened the door to his home and inhaled the borderline heavenly scent of dinner that his wife was preparing. 

This was why he lived every day. For the little things, like his wife’s fantastic cooking. 

He caught sight of his wife and came up behind her, placing his hands on her waist and leaning his head on the crook of her neck. Her body relaxed in his hold as she hummed sweetly. 

“Done with work, dear?” 

“Yes I am, my dear Naamah.” 

Noah let out a relaxed sigh. There was no better life than his, he was sure of it. A nice, quiet life with his wife, kids, and farm animals, as God intended man to live. 

‘You’re right about that.’ 

Noah’s eyes widened as he quickly let go of his wife and looked for the man who had spoke once more. 

That time he was sure he heard something! 

“Dear, is everything alright?” 

“...I-I don’t know.” 

“You must be tired from working all day, why don’t you have some dinner and relax?” 

“...Alright.” Noah agreed, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with a piece of cloth and taking a seat at the table.

He sat, listening to his wife hum a worship song softly. It calmed his mind, it always did. She was his blessing from God, and it was for that very reason why he never asked much of God. He already got all he needed, and now whenever he prayed, it was merely to thank God for all he had given him. 

“Hah.” A voice came from the door. 

Naamah spun around and smiled warmly at the three men who entered. 

“Shem, Ham, Japeth, how was your day?” She asked with interest. 

“It was a calm day, but not one I’m unhappy about.” Shem smiled. “How about yours, mother?” 

“Foolish boy.” She giggled while placing plates on the table. “You all know I spend most of my day inside this house.” 

“And we’re glad for it.” Ham grinned. “There isn’t a home without you, mother.” 

“Ah! My boys are so sweet!” Naamah cooed and pulled her boys into a hug. 

Noah chuckled at the scene. His sons were over five hundred years old, yet they couldn’t escape the love of their mother. 

Again he prayed a silent prayer to God, to thank him for keeping his family not only together, but keeping their bond strong throughout the centuries.

‘Your prayer is appreciated, but I had no part to play in that, Noah.’ 

Noah’s eyes shot open and his heartrate sped up. Not only did he know for a fact he heard that, he had a feeling who it was that was speaking to him. 

‘My Lord?’ 

‘It is I, my child.’ 

Noah froze. He couldn’t believe it. The same God he and his family had spent worshipping day in and day out was talking to him through his mind right now! 

‘My Lord…it is an honor to speak with you!’ 

‘Likewise.’ 

Noah’s face grew flush. For the King of Kings to consider speaking with a lowly farmer like him as an honor…it warmed his heart and sent chills throughout his entire body. 

‘I’m glad I could live up to your standards of honor.’ 

‘You underestimate yourself, Noah.’ 

‘What do you mean, Lord?’ 

‘There are few men past, present, or future, that will embody my definition of a faithful servant. Make no mistake Noah, you are the closest thing to a man at peace.’ 

Noah paused at that. Those words, they warmed his soul so much to the point where he couldn’t help it. 

He gripped his heart and wept. 

“Father?” Japeth asked, which earned the attention of his wife and other sons. They all looked at him in confusion, that quickly shifted to worry. “Is something wrong?!” 

“...No, the opposite,” Noah said through sobs. 

“Dear, tell us.” Naamah came behind Noah and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her bosom into his back. 

‘Lord, I have a selfish request.’ 

‘There’s nothing selfish about wanting to include your family, Noah. I will grant your wish.’ 

A bright light shined within the room, and when the light cleared, a tall well well-built, white-haired man stood beside the fireplace. He had a soft smile on his face, and his rainbow-colored eyes conveyed more warmth than the fireplace ever could. 

“It’s very good to meet you in person, Noah, Naamah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” 

His family was speechless as they stared at the man. Noah was the only one who knew better, even if he was sure his family correctly suspected who the man was. 

Noah dropped out of his chair and fell into a bow. “Almighty Lord, there is no greater honor!” 

— God —

I watched as Noah’s family’s eyes widened in realization before they two bowed to the ground. 

“Please rise.” 

They looked up and hesitantly rose to their feet. 

“I do not mean to intrude, but would you mind if I joined you for dinner?” 

Their jaws dropped so hard I thought they were going to hit the floor. 

“Of course!” Noah was the first to regain his composure. “Please, take my seat.” 

“If you insist!” I smiled warmly and made my way over to the table before taking a seat. 

The rest of the family was still looking at me in awe, and I wasn’t sure if they would sit at this rate. So I gestured to the seats, which snapped them out of their trance. 

“I-I’ll share the plates!” Naamah hurriedly walked off toward the fireplace and began grabbing the hot pot. 

We all sat in silence as Naamah brought the pot over and began sharing each of our plates with chicken dinner with hot gravy over rice. 

It was a simple dish, but one I was very familiar with in my past life. 

I gave the woman a thankful nod and picked up my fork. I scooped a bit of rice covered in gravy and took a bite. I took my time chewing, and I had to admit even in these old times, this lady knew how to cook a good meal. 

“It’s delicious, Naamah; you have outdone yourself!” 

“T-Thank you, father!” She smiled happily as her cheeks tinted red from the praise. 

The others watched me as I ate, and I had to stop eating and give them an encouraging smile. Only then did they start praying silently (which I heard) and begin their meal. 

We all ate the delicious food in silence, and once we were done, I decided to finally get to the point. 

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I came to you today?” 

“You needn’t tell us if you do not wish to Lord, humanity couldn’t even begin to understand you’re graceful steps.” Shem lowered his head. 

“You’d be surprised, Shem. Also, you needn’t lower your head to me. I’m here as a guest, treat me no differently then you would a man whom you invited in.”

They all looked a bit uncomfortable at the thought of treating me casually, but alas, they nodded. 

A smile worked its way on my face. “Good. Now then, I shall explain.” 

I cleared my throat, and my eyes gained a glint of seriousness. 

“Noah, I have chosen you and your family for a…task of sorts.” 

“What do you wish from my family, Lord?” Noah asked, sounding ready to do anything. 

“There is a great evil plaguing Humanity, and I fear that your fellow man are lost.” I said solemnly. The family’s eyes widened in shock but they remained quiet for me to continue. “As such, to avoid this evil to continue it’s wicked spread across this dear planet that I have crafted, I shall open a vault in Heaven and flood this Earth, until all evil has been destroyed.” 

“...Lord, have mercy on mankind!” Noah bowed his head. “I know I have no place to speak on this matter, but there are many good people in this world. 

“You may think that.” I frowned. “But they are not what they appear to be, they do wicked things under the privacy of their homes, but I see all. I ask you and your family Noah, to build an ark. One that can survive the horrid flood I send down upon this Earth. Take two animals of each species on Earth, a male and a female, so they may survive this flood. That is my request of you, Noah. Will you heed my call?” 

There was silence at the table for several moments as Noah closed his eyes in thought before opening them. “So you command, so it shall be done, my lord.” 

A warm smile came across my lips as I stood up. “Good, I will oversee your progress, and the great waters will not be unleashed until you are ready. I will be in touch.” I looked at Naamah and gave the kind woman a smile. “Thank you for dinner, I’m sorry I had to ruin it with something this heavy.” 

“No, I cannot even begin to imagine how much it must hurt you to do this…” Naamah said before catching her mouth. “I-I didn’t mean-” 

“It’s quite alright.” I chuckled dryly. “You’re correct, but this must be done, I will wait for you all to finish. Should you need aid, call my name.” 

And with that, I returned back up to Heaven with a small frown. 

Damn, that food was hitting. 

— Chapter End —

Author’s Note: Sorry for the delay in returning to this fic. In truth, I didn’t feel like writing it much anymore, so I took some time away from it. Now that I did, I feel like my interest in it has been rejuvenated. I try not to write chapters when I don’t feel like it because they tend to come out shitty, but I actually want to write this fic again, which means I can make chapters that I actually enjoy writing and put real effort into. 

I won’t actually go into the flood; I’ll skip over it. People die, we know that; I’m not gonna go too in-depth with it when we literally know what happens. I did want to include a scene with Noah though, because he’ll likely make an appearance again later.