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The sun shone brightly down upon the face of the Earth, causing the sweat off the farmer's backs to stink up the air as camels slowly mulled about the landscape. The market particularly smelled bad-- a scent reminescent of rotten eggs lying beside the rotting corpse of an animal being ripped apart by starving vultures. I tried to block out the horrible stench, yet it was simply too much-- and to think that I came here today for fish, of all things, for dinner tonight. Holding my breath as strongly as I could, I attempted to delve deeper into the foul smelling land, walking over to a fish stand, where a dirty looking man was advertising his goods to the people walking past. Oh, Lord... deliver me from this place with great speed once I buy from him his fish. "Looking for some goods, sonny?" asked the unbathen old man, who casually ignored the flies walking across his eyelids, every so now-and-then brushing them away with the sweaty back of his hand, and blinking away the sting of his sweat. The urge to vomit came up to my throat, but I held it back for fear of ruining the product I was trying to purchase. "Yes..." I said in a strained voice, "I would like three of your best fish, please." The man gave me a strange glance, as he searched through his stock for the three I wished to purchase from him. As he did so, he glanced back up at me for a moment and simply asked, "Why the strain in your voice, child? Constipation?" No, old man... it's the unholy scent of this place around me. "The Philistine!" cried a voice from the outside of the foul barrier of the market place, "He's crushed our defensive army! The massive man who stands so tall over our city has destroyed our only defense, and now with the little soldiers left he is challenging one man to a fight, yet none will answer!" I let out my breath and turned in shock, staring at this hysterical woman as she cried out, "He's killed my husband, oh God!", falling to her knees in hysterical sobs. Others rushed to the woman, while several men ran off to see the giant for themselves, though none were likely strong nor brave enough to stand up to such a man. I shook my head and looked towards the sky, searching God's face for an answer to rain down upon me. "Oh heavenly fa..." The stench hit my nostrils once again, bringing me to a coughing fit and interrupting my prayer, as I brought a single hand to cover my nose and gasped through my mouth, the foul stench having it's own equally foul taste hitting my tounge. The urge to scrape my tounge flowed through my hands, yet I ignored it in favor of my prayer, doing all I could to overcome the stench which so threatened my well-being. "Oh heavenly father," I continued, "Bring unto me the answers needed to see what should be done with this Philistine, why one man alone has been able to knock down our entire army. Is it because they've lost faith, oh father? Is it because they can't see you standing in Philistine, waiting for us to run into your embrace?" I looked to the old man, holding out my hand to stop him from continuing to search his stock for his fish, though now it seemed like he just enjoyed touching them for some reason, as though no service had came to him today. "Here is my payment, good sir... I will return in due time to collect my purchase. For now, I must go... and show those of little faith what more can be done when we seek out God for deliverance." My legs pumped viciously then, not only working for me to reach the defensive camp of my country's army, but to escape that stench which would surely haunt me for my life. Oh, God... who art thou in heaven, I pray thee take me and deliver me the strength neccesary to topple the mighty Philistine with nothing more then a stone and a sling, for that is all that I need with you, oh God. A single woman stepped before my path unknowingly, diverting me for a moment's time so as to not knock away the babe from her arms. Foolish woman, don't simply walk out into the road with a child in your hands, it's surely a wish to be trampled! By sunset, I had reached the campsite and saw the mighty mammoth of a man standing triumphantly in the battlefield before it, laughing loudly and holding his massive spear at his side. "Bring me a warrior, or make me a God!" cried the man, his voice deepened by his size. Upon his face was the warpaint of the Philistines, black and white markings which covered the entire face and made them resemble demons from hell itself. Our many troops fell to their knees before him, not wishing to die, as he let out yet another laugh. Heretics! Traitors to God! How dare ye call yourselves men when ye bow to a monster who can be toppled with a single stone in God's name?! I ran in anger, and in my haste I reached for my sling. There were no time for words, I would run into the battlefield and strike this giant down, I would silence him once and for all. This mammoth of a man, what did I hear his name was from the man whom had provided me water along my journey? Goliath the Violent? It was no matter... for when I faced him, he would be no more. And so in time I stood before this mammoth of a man with both my own nation's army and his own laughing at me, Goliath standing over me with his spear in hand. "Foolish boy... you dare challenge me?" No words. I reached in my back pocket, searching for my single stone... ... yet it was not there. My eyes widened in fear, as I saw the skies darken overhead. A blackened rain began to fall around us, as the mighty Philistine roared with laughter once more, simply lifting his spear high and looking down unto me with eyes made of embers. "You are not he who is destined to bring me to fall, young boy... you are nothing more then a misguided fool who believes he can topple the great Goliath." The realization was like a slap in the face, as he brought his spear down to crush me at his feet... I was no David, and there was no stopping this mighty, unholy man. |