Clark Collection I

One day the girls were helping Aunt Edie in her garden. Edie was planting some tulips while the girls played in the yard.

“Aunt Edie? How did all of the animals live in the ark?” They asked.

Aunt Edie looked up from the flowers she was planting. “The ark? As in Noah’s ark?”

The little girls nodded. “There are so many animals in the world. How did they all fit into that tiny little boat?”

Edie laughed. “I think Noah would be offended to hear his ship called a boat.” She pulled off her gloves and stretched.

“There wasn’t room for all those creatures to walk around.”

“Did they get seasick?”

“It must have been so noisy.”

“Can you imagine the fussing!”

“And just what did they do with all that poop?!”

Edie admired a bloom on a tulip flower, her ocean blue eyes beginning a silver twinkle. “I imagine that they weren’t awake to poop -- or fuss.”

“They weren’t awake?” Two little heads swiveled in a single motion.

“They were ALIVE when they went into the ark.”

“You can’t be saying that God raised them from the dead later!”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Edie chuckled. “What do bears do in the winter?”

The girls stopped; completely still, as the implications rolled into their minds.

“Once God shut the door,” said Edie, patting the dirt around a flower, “the animals bedded down for a long nap.”

“Hibernation,” whispered one little girl letting the word, the concept, bounce through the air.

“They slept through it.” The other crinkled her soft green eyes imagining a boat full of sleeping animals and a few adults playing cards as the rain poured down outside.

The girls exchanged a glance. Well, that explained it. They were sleeping.

As a thought occurred, a small frown furrowed one’s brow. “But still, there wasn’t enough room, surely,” she said.

Catching on, her twin looked at their aunt, confused. “Yeah, there are too many animals on the earth to fit in there.”

Aunt Edie couldn’t hide her smile. She moved toward the porch swing. “Come here my sweets,” she said.

The girls eagerly climbed into the swing. Aunt Edie was going to tell a story. If truth be known, she was famous for them.

“You know that I am not a Bible scholar, though I do have some ideas.” Aunt Edie thought for a moment then began to weave a story.