Lars Sveen - Children of God

“Who left you with these wounds?”

“I can’t remember,” she said. “I dream about it, it’s everywhere when I sleep.”

“How old are you?” he asked.

Bathsheba VII fell silent, and then she answered: “Ten.”

“Ten?” he asked.

“Ten,” she said.

“Come here,” said David, pulling Bathsheba VII close to him. He took off her clothes, he took off his own, and he laid her down beneath him. It had to be done; this was how the king chose his queen. And Bathsheba VII was a good queen, she was quiet, apart from a slight whimper when he penetrated her. Afterward, he pushed her out from where they lay, and told her to dry herself and get dressed. He thanked her for everything she’d done, and got up.

“Where’s the king going?” she asked.

“I’m going to get everything ready,” he said.

The sky was gray, a cold wind was blowing, he could feel the rain coming before it fell. This was the time when they froze most, and David thought of David IV lying out there on the ground all night as he passed away. He prayed to God that David IV had been taken up to the Lord straightaway, that he hadn’t been lying there crying out to his king for help.

David gave them the same orders as before. They were all to stay indoors. Only in the middle of the day, when the sun was at its brightest, could they go out into the town, and then they had to be back in good time before evening came. He helped out at Joseph’s.

The days went by, and they were all the same. They had their rhythm, they had their jobs to do, they had their small duties. When all the Davids and Bathshebas were inside, David went out alone. He came back in the evening, but didn’t say anything about where he’d been or what he’d been doing. He inspected his band thoroughly, checking that they were all there before they went to sleep. Bathsheba VII lay by his side now, and nobody said anything about it. He was their king, and he alone chose who would be his queen.

At night, the same dream came to him. The plain, the green grass, the storm of darkness, and the light blinking softly just before he woke. He made everything ready, as the dream was speaking to him. David was sure of this, there was a pattern ahead of him, and all he had to do was to follow the pattern.

Then, early one morning, with the night still hanging over the city, David went around and woke them all up. He told them to take everything they owned, put on all their clothes, and follow him. The Davids and the Bathshebas asked what was happening, but David told them to be quiet.

“I’ll explain,” he said, “but do as I say now, quickly.”

When everybody was ready, David told them to follow him. They left Joseph’s house and headed out into Jerusalem. They walked all the way to the city walls, where they were stopped by the guards, but David spoke to them. He told them his band were leaving and would not be coming back.

“Just let us through,” he said, “and you’ll never see us again.”

The guards smirked and let them out.

David and his band walked for a while along the road that led all the way to Caesarea. A large group of men and women with donkeys and carts stood there, waiting for them. David went over to one of the men and pointed at his band. He spoke to the man and put a purse in his hand.

“I trust you,” said David. “I’ve sent word to Sychar too, where somebody will be expecting them all with you. If any of them are missing, if only a single one of them has gone, you will be punished.”

The man nodded, and David went over to his band. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “as I’m sending you away. This man and the rest of the group will take you with them to Sychar. When you get there, you’re on your own. I don’t know what’s waiting for you there, but you’ll be safe. Don’t come back here, as Jerusalem, the city of peace, is no longer a place for us. You must go out and find a new land, and that land is where you will live.”

All the Davids and Bathshebas started shouting; they turned around to look back at the city they were leaving, and the Bathshebas tore at their hair and fell to their knees.

“Listen to me, as I’m your king,” said David. “I know you follow me, but this time you must follow others. David II will be your leader now. He’ll lead you onward and take care of you. Do as I say, and do as David II will say.”

With those words, he took David II aside and whispered to him: “Listen, I’ve only given that man over there half of the money. I’m giving the other half to you. Give him the money when you get there, but don’t show it to anybody. He doesn’t know which of you has it.”

David II took the other purse; David put his arms around him and wished him good luck. Then he went over to Bathsheba VII. She said nothing. She just stood still, staring at him.

“My queen,” David whispered to her, “listen to me. I’m sending you away. You won’t have that name anymore. You will be remade, away from all the bad things that have happened here. Your name will be Esther now.”

Tears poured from her eyes.

“I want to be there with you,” she said.

“No,” said David. “If anybody’s there with me, it can’t be you. Nobody should be there with me.”

David bent down and kissed her on the cheek.

“Go with these people,” said David, “but if anything should happen, if you should find light somewhere, follow that light. I’ve dreamed about it, I’ve seen that it exists. It’s gone now, but it exists. When you find it, then follow it. You’re Esther, you’re free.”

She nodded at David, and her king bent down and kissed his queen once again before he left her. He left them all and went back to the city. The guards let him in, as he was alone. The band would never come back to him.

David didn’t return to Joseph, as all the coins he’d given away had been stolen. There was nothing to go back to there. No, David didn’t go to the home he’d lost; he went to the Temple, to the den of thieves, where Saul was sitting, waiting for him. The evening before, David had sent a message to Saul that he would come to petition for peace between them.

On his way up the stairs to the Temple, David suddenly dropped to his knees. But he got up again. “Not here,” he said, walking back into a side street. He got down there and prayed to the Lord for forgiveness for everything he’d done. For the money he’d stolen, for the way he’d betrayed Joseph. For sending his band away, for breaking his ties to his queen. And he prayed for the strength to do this last thing, this very last thing.

When he went back up the stairs to the Temple, his feet carried him all the way.

The Temple Dogs were waiting for him at the Temple; everything was ready. David looked around, waiting for the darkness to come, but only a pale shimmer of day fell over him. Everything was ready, this was the only thing that was unexpected. That the darkness didn’t come.

They took him to a quiet square. He didn’t recognize it and didn’t know where they were. That didn’t mean anything. He’d gone with them, but he was with his queen. He remembered the way she smelled, the way her eyes were like a sky full of stars. He only lost hold of Esther when Saul spoke.

“So you’re David,” said Saul, staring at him. “You’re short, how can somebody like that be a king?”

“The Lord appoints us,” said David. “The Lord dethrones us.”

“The Lord,” said Saul, snorting dismissively. “There’s no Lord here. Look what he’s given us. Don’t talk to me about the Lord.”

“I have to go soon,” said David. “You’d better say what you want to say before it’s all over.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Saul. “You’ve got whatever time I give you, and when that’s over, there’ll only be one king left in Jerusalem.”