Malach sat at a distance, gazing beyond the carpenter working with his tools. He had been slyly visiting the workshop for the past three days, each day sitting and planning how he would use it. It was the perfect tool to bring down the fruit and the ideal weapon he could wield to win against the dogs. The carpenter knew his workshop was being visited by the boy but paid no attention to him. His set of orders for this month kept him busy. But today, he was curious. What was the young lad frequenting a dusty old workshop for? He looked at Malach, whose gaze was fixed on a piece of wood hung on the workshop wall. It was a simple catapult. The carpenter thought of the farmer down the road. The poor soul was always fighting to keep the local kids off his orchard. He looked at Malach and smiled. Malach felt the carpenter's gaze on him.
The carpenter called out - "I'm sure a smart boy like you would not waste his time in a workshop unless he needs something?"
Malach turned towards the carpenter. "I want the catapult you've hung on the wall"
"Why would a young boy need a catapult? You do realize that your Headmaster will have you whipped if you hurt the other boys at school, right?"
Malach just stared at the catapult. Then, he replied - "I don't have any gold to pay for it."
The carpenter waited.
"But I will bring you a crate of apples if you give me that catapult."
The carpenter smiled. Malach knew that he knew.
"Stealing from someone, what is not yours, is wrong you know."
Malach did not reply. The carpenter walked up to the wall and pulled the catapult off the hook.
"Come here, young man."
Malach ran up to the carpenter in excitement. The carpenter offered the catapult to him. Before Malach could grab it from his hand, the carpenter pulled away. Malach waited.
"For every apple that you fell to the ground with this, you owe an act of kindness" said the carpenter.
The boy was puzzled for a bit. And then he smiled. This was an easy deal, thought Malach to himself.
"Sure. I'll walk to the temple every day and help the old priest fetch water from the well. I'll even help my neighbor carry water home. Sure. Anything."
The carpenter smiled and offered the catapult to Malach. The boy quickly grabbed it and made his way out of the workshop gate. He would loot the orchard, cook up a story and convince this fool of a carpenter what a kind boy he had been.
As he headed out, he heard the carpenter's voice trail off - "You owe me one now..."
Malach was hurrying down the road. Barak would rendezvous with him at the entrance to the temple this evening. Malach was already late. He would have to be home before sunset as well. The holy hour was not far away and his mother would not think twice about giving him a red backside if he turned up late for the festive dinner. Malach encountered a huge crowd gathered on the street leading up to the market. He managed to squeeze through the crowd and reached the other side. He looked back and saw a man lying on the ground with his head split and blood spilling forth. The womenfolk standing around him were hurling curses at the soldiers whipping the man fallen on the ground. Malach could not make much sense out of what was happening there. He left the scene in a hurry, eager to plan for tonight's visit to the orchard.
The plan seemed perfect. Malach would shoot down the apples, Barak would collect them and if it came to it, Malach had a few pebbles in his pocket to take aim at the dogs. Malach was glad that the peaceful night had set in. It had been a chaotic day, with a huge crowd following the soldiers whipping and dragging the man at the market up to the rocks on the hilltop. Now the expert could go to work with no one disturbing him. He signaled to Barak and his friend jumped over the wall. Malach stood on the wall and took aim at an apple. A single shot brought down the fruit upon a metal plate left unnoticed on the ground. As the clang of the apple on the metal resounded in the orchard, Malach cursed his luck. At the sight of the dogs running in, Barak took to his feet, jumped over the gate at the other end and fled. Malach knew that he should be doing the same. But the sight of the lone apple on the ground would not let him leave in peace. All that planning had to bear him at least one fruit. He made up his mind. He jumped off the wall and ran towards the apple. The dogs were not far away now. He quickly picked up the apple and turned at the dogs in the distance, only to realize that his catapult was missing. Only one way out now - run! He jumped over the gate but the dogs followed him over it. He heard the farmer's voice in the distance. He ran across the street, into the bushes, through the fields and up the hill. The vicious mongrels managed to follow him all the way up the hill. The boy decided to hide behind a rock, while the dogs were being called off by the farmer. Malach was scared. This was not what he had planned for. He waited for the dogs to leave and then slowly emerged from behind the rock. Suddenly, there was a grinding noise from behind him. One of the rocks on the ledge was moving. Malach hid behind the nearest bush and watched. A figure crept out from behind a cave that was covered by the rock. Malach stood still. The man emerging from the cave rested himself on the ground. He seemed to be gasping for breath. Malach slowly approached him.
The man kept muttering something. "Mahyeem...Mahyeem.."
Malach looked at his face. Somehow it seemed very familiar. He recognized the carpenter who gave him the catapult. His body was smeared with mud and blood oozing out of every pore.
"Mahyeem.."
Malach was not sure what he should do. He looked down at the lone apple in his hand. He was not sure he wanted to do what he was going to do. All that hard work, he thought.
"Mahyeem..."
He looked again at the carpenter. Malach remembered his words. An act of kindness for every apple felled.
Malach gave the apple to the carpenter. The man chewed on the juicy fruit with what was left of his broken teeth. Malach sat there and stared at the skies for a while. The carpenter sat up on a rock nearby.
"Please do not tell anyone that you saw me."
Malach did not reply. He just sat there and stared at the carpenter's weary face. Soon he heard the farmer calling out to his dogs again. Malach knew it was time to leave. He was sure of a sore backside before bedtime tonight. Maybe he would be spared a little bit of pain if he got home early enough for dessert. He took to his feet and headed down the hill. Before he crossed the field, he looked back, up at the rocks on the hill. The man had disappeared from his seat near the cave. Malach made his way back home.
On a sunny day, Malach followed his mother and her friends up to the rock cave. The women huddled together near the empty cave and cried their hearts out. Malach could not understand why. He tugged at his mother's hand.
His mother pulled Malach to herself, hugged him and said "He's back from the dead! Truly, the son of..." and trailed off into a wail.
Malach stared at the distant streets of Jerusalem from the hill, thinking about the carpenter he had met two days ago at the cave.
He thought to himself and smiled "Whoever you are carpenter, now you owe me one!"
The carpenter called out - "I'm sure a smart boy like you would not waste his time in a workshop unless he needs something?"
Malach turned towards the carpenter. "I want the catapult you've hung on the wall"
"Why would a young boy need a catapult? You do realize that your Headmaster will have you whipped if you hurt the other boys at school, right?"
Malach just stared at the catapult. Then, he replied - "I don't have any gold to pay for it."
The carpenter waited.
"But I will bring you a crate of apples if you give me that catapult."
The carpenter smiled. Malach knew that he knew.
"Stealing from someone, what is not yours, is wrong you know."
Malach did not reply. The carpenter walked up to the wall and pulled the catapult off the hook.
"Come here, young man."
Malach ran up to the carpenter in excitement. The carpenter offered the catapult to him. Before Malach could grab it from his hand, the carpenter pulled away. Malach waited.
"For every apple that you fell to the ground with this, you owe an act of kindness" said the carpenter.
The boy was puzzled for a bit. And then he smiled. This was an easy deal, thought Malach to himself.
"Sure. I'll walk to the temple every day and help the old priest fetch water from the well. I'll even help my neighbor carry water home. Sure. Anything."
The carpenter smiled and offered the catapult to Malach. The boy quickly grabbed it and made his way out of the workshop gate. He would loot the orchard, cook up a story and convince this fool of a carpenter what a kind boy he had been.
As he headed out, he heard the carpenter's voice trail off - "You owe me one now..."
Malach was hurrying down the road. Barak would rendezvous with him at the entrance to the temple this evening. Malach was already late. He would have to be home before sunset as well. The holy hour was not far away and his mother would not think twice about giving him a red backside if he turned up late for the festive dinner. Malach encountered a huge crowd gathered on the street leading up to the market. He managed to squeeze through the crowd and reached the other side. He looked back and saw a man lying on the ground with his head split and blood spilling forth. The womenfolk standing around him were hurling curses at the soldiers whipping the man fallen on the ground. Malach could not make much sense out of what was happening there. He left the scene in a hurry, eager to plan for tonight's visit to the orchard.
The plan seemed perfect. Malach would shoot down the apples, Barak would collect them and if it came to it, Malach had a few pebbles in his pocket to take aim at the dogs. Malach was glad that the peaceful night had set in. It had been a chaotic day, with a huge crowd following the soldiers whipping and dragging the man at the market up to the rocks on the hilltop. Now the expert could go to work with no one disturbing him. He signaled to Barak and his friend jumped over the wall. Malach stood on the wall and took aim at an apple. A single shot brought down the fruit upon a metal plate left unnoticed on the ground. As the clang of the apple on the metal resounded in the orchard, Malach cursed his luck. At the sight of the dogs running in, Barak took to his feet, jumped over the gate at the other end and fled. Malach knew that he should be doing the same. But the sight of the lone apple on the ground would not let him leave in peace. All that planning had to bear him at least one fruit. He made up his mind. He jumped off the wall and ran towards the apple. The dogs were not far away now. He quickly picked up the apple and turned at the dogs in the distance, only to realize that his catapult was missing. Only one way out now - run! He jumped over the gate but the dogs followed him over it. He heard the farmer's voice in the distance. He ran across the street, into the bushes, through the fields and up the hill. The vicious mongrels managed to follow him all the way up the hill. The boy decided to hide behind a rock, while the dogs were being called off by the farmer. Malach was scared. This was not what he had planned for. He waited for the dogs to leave and then slowly emerged from behind the rock. Suddenly, there was a grinding noise from behind him. One of the rocks on the ledge was moving. Malach hid behind the nearest bush and watched. A figure crept out from behind a cave that was covered by the rock. Malach stood still. The man emerging from the cave rested himself on the ground. He seemed to be gasping for breath. Malach slowly approached him.
The man kept muttering something. "Mahyeem...Mahyeem.."
Malach looked at his face. Somehow it seemed very familiar. He recognized the carpenter who gave him the catapult. His body was smeared with mud and blood oozing out of every pore.
"Mahyeem.."
Malach was not sure what he should do. He looked down at the lone apple in his hand. He was not sure he wanted to do what he was going to do. All that hard work, he thought.
"Mahyeem..."
He looked again at the carpenter. Malach remembered his words. An act of kindness for every apple felled.
Malach gave the apple to the carpenter. The man chewed on the juicy fruit with what was left of his broken teeth. Malach sat there and stared at the skies for a while. The carpenter sat up on a rock nearby.
"Please do not tell anyone that you saw me."
Malach did not reply. He just sat there and stared at the carpenter's weary face. Soon he heard the farmer calling out to his dogs again. Malach knew it was time to leave. He was sure of a sore backside before bedtime tonight. Maybe he would be spared a little bit of pain if he got home early enough for dessert. He took to his feet and headed down the hill. Before he crossed the field, he looked back, up at the rocks on the hill. The man had disappeared from his seat near the cave. Malach made his way back home.
On a sunny day, Malach followed his mother and her friends up to the rock cave. The women huddled together near the empty cave and cried their hearts out. Malach could not understand why. He tugged at his mother's hand.
His mother pulled Malach to herself, hugged him and said "He's back from the dead! Truly, the son of..." and trailed off into a wail.
Malach stared at the distant streets of Jerusalem from the hill, thinking about the carpenter he had met two days ago at the cave.
He thought to himself and smiled "Whoever you are carpenter, now you owe me one!"
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