and so we lost the unicorns...

Noah was not only obedient to God's extraordinary commands, 

he was also fond of animals 
(which was unusual in his day), 
and not afraid of them.
He may not have had the strength of Samson, 
but he herded a great royal lion and tawny lioness 
up the ramp and into the ark without a flicker of nervousness, 
and cautioned them not to tread on the tail of the peacock 
who strutted ahead of them.  
He drew back only  little as the coral snake flickered 
with its beauty and its deadly poison.  
He swatted the ugly wild boar on it's rough rump.

And the water kept rising.  
And the animals kept coming.

The ostriches weren't at all sure about the gangplank 
and pecked at Noah as he urged them up into the ark.
 The birds flew in circles and excited the gorillas.  

And the water kept rising.

"Hurry!" cried Mrs. Noah.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" cried their sons, Shem, Ham and Japeth.
And the water kept rising.
And the family kept shouting.

And Noah got wetter and wetter 
and his beard and hair dripped 
great drops of rain.

"They're all in!" cried Mrs. Noah.  
"Hurry!" 
and she pulled Noah up the gangplank, 
and Shem, Ham and Japeth pulled the gangplank up, 
and the ark began to move away 
into the floodwaters.

Noah shook the rain from his eyes. 

"Wait!" he cried.  
"The unicorns aren't on!" 

 But the ark was already out into deep water.

~Madeliene L'Engle, Ladder of Angels

watercolor

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