Chapter 1
And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. Judges 19:1 NKJV
Adena glanced up shyly at her new husband Arvad. He was tall and slender, but she could see the muscles in his arms and legs. His wavy crow black hair fell to his shoulders, the same length as his beard. She briefly wondered why he had come so far in search of a wife. Adena shook the thought out of her head. She didn't want to be married to him. Adena's mouth formed a pout.
"Adena, let's stop here for the night."
Adena glanced around. It was still pretty bright out, but she could see that the sun was slowly disappearing beyond the edge of the horizon. "Must we?" She whined. "Can't we find a house in which to lodge overnight? I don't want to sleep on the ground."
Arvad glanced down with annoyance. His voice hardened. "We're stopping here."
"So don't listen to me." Adena mumbled. She slid of her donkey into the shade of a sycamore tree. "I don't like it. What if we get robbed or something?"
Arvad roared with laughter. "Adena, Adena, who would rob a poor group of small travelers?"
Adena turned away, her cheeks aflame from Arvad's slight. "Plenty of people I'm sure," she mumbled to herself.
Arvad watched her turn away with pity and a little disgust. He'd had to pay a dear price for her to become his bride. But it was worth it. Chocolate brown eyes and windblown honey brown hair complemented her nearly flawless complexion. He closed his eyes with the memory of the night before. She had been all deliciousness then. 'Ah well,' he thought as he turned away to make camp.
A Week Later
"This is your home?" Adena exclaimed with a hint of displeasure in her voice.
"Yes, it is." Arvad's voice held pride as he looked at his cozy little cottage.
"It'll do," Adena said eyeing it critically. "Is there a place I can bathe? I'm filthy from the journey!" Adena's voice had risen steadily through this declaration.
"There's a mountain stream behind the cottage."
"B'emet? (Really) That's the first thing I'll do." Adena grabbed a satchel of fresh clothes and headed down to the stream.
Arvad watched her go, disappointed that she hadn't wanted to see the inside of her new home. He shrugged his shoulders. 'It'll give me time to unpack,' he thought despairingly.
Adena entered the cottage an half hour later fresh from the stream. "That was sooo refreshing."
"Glad you liked it." Arvad faced her. "A tour of your new home?"
Adena tilted her head as she considered it for the briefest second. "B'vakasha (Please)."
Arvad swept his hand around the room. "This is the main living area. Back here . . ." He strolled to the doorway and swept aside the cloth partition. "This is our bedroom." He allowed Adena a quick peek before showing her the steps to the roof.
When the tour of the house and surrounded acreage was completed, Adena sat in the shade of a mountain tree. "Is there a village nearby?"
"There's one several hours into the valley. I usually only go there once or twice a month."
Adena's eyelashes drooped as she contemplated this. "Is there any chance that you'll be going there? I should like to meet my new neighbors."
"I think we could work it in, in the next several days."
"Todah."(Thank you)
The next night as Adena lay in bed next to Arvad her thoughts turned back in time before she was married and before that dreadful night.
"Chaim, swing me around!" Four-year-old Adena cried.
"I'm tired." Adena's older brother Chaim gasped.
"More, more, more!" Adena sang as she hopped around Chaim.
"Regah (one minute)."
Adena smiled into the darkness at the fond memory of her own innocence. Of course, back then she had no clue of the shadow that was going to be cast over her life. Adena wrenched her mind away from the dark unsettling topic as she yawned. Here she was beside her husband and all she could think about was how her life could have been different. Adena stifled a yawn and let her eyes drift closed as weariness overtook her.