Genesis One

Day 1. Early afternoon.            It was one of those days when the air was as still and lifeless as the fish piled in the market.  There wasn't a trace of wind, and the only things that came through the tiny window cut high in the mud-brick wall of the room that was my office as well as my home were flies and mosquitoes and the occasional scorpion that wandered up the side of the building.  What was good about such a day was that when you went outside there was no wind to whip the dust in your face.  What was not good was, that without a breeze, if you weren’t careful, the sun could cook your body like bread on a hot stone.

I had a feeling that the old man was going to be trouble the moment he came into my office, or the moment he appeared there I should say, since I didn't actually see or hear him come in.  He wasn’t angry, frightened or upset.  People didn't come to see me unless they had a problem―a serious problem.  Yet this guy was so calm as to be almost serene.  His physical features were ordinary enough―an old man with long white hair and a full, equally white beard that covered most of his face.  Despite his obvious age, his eyes were bright and piercing, and he stood tall and straight and refused my offer to be seated.  When he finally spoke, his speech was formal and without a hint of accent.  The man could have been from as close as Larsa or as far away as Nippur.

"One of my children is missing and I want you to find him," he announced without introducing himself.  "He is a shepherd, and he lives in the hills south of here, not far from the place called Eden.  His name is Abel."

Eden, yeah, I'd heard of the place.  It was about half a day's journey south, not far from the village of Eridu.  They say it used to be a little garden-like village until a woman ripped off some special fruit that belonged to the headman.  Tried to blame it on a snake. The headman got pretty pissed and kicked the woman and her husband out of the place. Supposedly no one lives there anymore except the headman and some caretakers.

"You said Abel lived in the hills?" I asked.  "That would be closer to Eridu than to Eden.  The only hills in this part of Sumer are just northwest of Eridu."

"You speak truly,” my visitor replied.  "The home of Abel is in a tiny hamlet outside the village of Eridu, at the base of the hills, not far from the place called Eden.  I have heard that you are very good at this sort of thing.  Everyone says that Shlem of Ur is the best at finding lost people.  I would do this myself, but I prefer not to get involved at this time.  I am very busy."

Sure you could do it, I thought to myself.  Just spend all day traveling in the hot desert or roaming the stinking city slums, talking to strangers, asking dangerous questions and getting nasty stares and maybe even assaulted and pummeled in the bargain.  Walk the open roads and the back alleys.  Stalk the markets and taverns.  Mingle with thieves and gossips, seek out the cleaners of latrines, risk your life by questioning enforcers.  Sure, you could do it.  Everyone thinks they could do my job, but few actually have the skill or the stomach for it.  This guy didn't fool me.  He wasn't too busy.  He didn't want to get his hands dirty.

I nodded agreeably.  "Okay, you could do it yourself, but you're too busy and so you want to hire me.  That's fine.  Let's start with some information about you.  Then we'll talk about your missing son."

"Who I am is unimportant," my visitor said, although it was clear from his tone that he was anything but unimportant.  "What is important is that you find my missing child.