Escape to Death by HarryT How It Could Have Ended writing prompt entry |
The Israelites in Egypt were in chains. For 430 years, they slaved under the whips of the Egyptians, their prayers and cries for help echoed unheeded into the scorching desert sands. Until the daughter of the Pharaoh, who was bathing in the Nile River, discovered a baby in a basket. Her father granted her permission to raise the child in the palace. The baby was Moses. He grew up as a prince and military leader. Life was good for him until he killed an Egyptian guard who was beating a Jewish slave. As he escaped, he saw a burning bush and heard the voice of God telling him to go back and lead his people from captivity. Moses returned and told the Pharaoh that the death of his son was because of the enslavement of the Israelites. And if he did not set them free, more evil would befall him. Moses used the death of Pharaoh's son and the period of mourning that followed to organize the Israelites. They made a daring escape as the Egyptians slept. Uncertain of the destination, Moses had the band kneel and pray. After a few moments, a cloud appeared. They followed it during the day and at night when it turned to fire, showing them the way as they fled through the shifting sands of the desert. However, a haunting fear ripped through the people. They knew they were not safe because in the distance they could hear the echoes of the pharaoh’s army chasing after them. Scouts from the rear of the column reported a massive tide of chariots and soldiers coming after them. Panic arose when they arrived at the shore of the roiling Red Sea. What were they to do? They had no boats and Pharaoh’s army was approaching. They could hear the pounding of horses’ hoofs and the shouts of the charging soldiers driving fear in the hearts of every man, woman, and child. Desperate, they huddled together on the shore. Behind them, the thundering hooves and chariots of the Egyptian army drew closer. To turn back would mean they would be slaughtered by the on-rushing army. Moses, seeking to calm the panic in his people, raised his arm and pointed his staff at the sea. A miracle happened. The Red Sea rolled up into two giant walls of water, creating a pathway of dry land. Moses bid the Israelites to enter the pathway. At first, they were afraid, but as the Egyptian army approached, they had no choice. They rushed onto the path that was created. As the last of the Israelites entered the canyon created by the walls of water, an arrow fired from a chariot pierced Moses’s heart. His arm dropped and his staff fell to the sand. The walls of water crashed down and swallowed the entire group of fleeing Israelites. All drowned, the Red Sea had become Israelites’ watery tomb. On the shore, Pharaoh’s army watched in stunned silence as the Israelites vanished beneath the waves. Then cheers of triumph rang from the soldiers’ mouths in victorious celebration. The general of the Egyptian army walked to Moses’ body, held it up by the hair and chopped off Moses’s head. When he returned to the palace, he presented it to his Pharaoh Amenhotep II.
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