(A/N: I'm back in the Bible fanfiction boat, baby! Time for this new story of mine to test the waters. You don't have to do much except tell me what you think! Violent reactions optional.)
Disclaimer: I'm not part of the people who wrote the Bible, and of course I'm not God. This AU was also partly inspired by one of my friend's ideas; but I used it with her permission.
The Sea of Galilee was dotted with boats, the way it was normally, if this day wasn't the Sabbath, the day of rest. These boats belonged to fishermen, who were setting out to acquire their first catch of the day. Many of them glanced down at the sparkling waters, wondering what kind of catch awaited them, whether it be a poor one, or – if the Lord wished – a large one.
Though you, reader, might be confused as to why these fishermen didn't bring any nets with them when they set out. But the answer was clear and simple: in this alternate world, they didn't need nets.
One such fisherman who was out on this fine day was named James, and he was the son of a fisherman who was Zebedee. He looked out to another boat – the boat of his friends, Simon and Andrew, who were brothers. He waved at them, and then turned around to the stowaway who was hiding under a sheet.
"John, you can come out now, I know you're there." James called. A face peeped out from under the sheet, and slowly John, his younger brother, showed himself. "Is Father not here?" John asked James, who shook his head. "No; otherwise I wouldn't have told you to come out. You know Father wouldn't allow you on a fishing boat, and you're just lucky he had to travel to get a new table since Simon wrecked the last one."
"Look, I'm sorry about the remark I made about his father, alright?"
"I think now he knows you didn't mean it." James crossed his arms. "But seriously, don't ever say such things in front of someone like Simon. You know how his temper can get."
John walked up to his brother, and then looked around at the other fishermen, before turning back to his brother. "I didn't come here just to chat, Brother. Can you do the magic now?"
Chuckling, James nudged his younger brother. "You do the magic yourself."
"You know I wasn't born with that kind of power." John raised his eyebrows. "Father won't prohibit me from going on potentially dangerous fishing trips with you for no reason."
"Relax," James flexed his fingers, before walking to the edge of the boat. "I'll make sure you won't drown. Don't think I'll save you from Father's anger when he finds out, though."
"Just do it, James, or the others will beat you to that catch!"
"Alright!" The older man looked down at the lake below, and then stretched his hand out towards the surface of the water. Ripples shot out from under his hand – even though it wasn't touching the surface of the water – and then James lifted his hand.
A large bubble of water emerged from the water, and James lifted it higher, so that John could see the amount of fish that was still swimming inside the water. He cheered with amazement at the feat that his brother had done, and felt even happier when he felt the same exhilaration inside his brother's veins.
Yes. In this world, the fishermen use the power of water to aid in their exploits. And it didn't stop there. John, James's brother, isn't able to use such magic, but instead he can read the thoughts and emotions of other people. Many other people possessed this ability, and others had the ability to control fire, wind, flora, and metals. More had the gift of creating visual art.
Unlike in the world you know, reader, magic here is considered a gift from God.
And yet unbeknownst to these people, a greater gift from God was already standing in their midst.