My adventure with Rani, Ariel, Jamie, Kim, and Krishna began in a field in Midian. I was not in what I was wearing that morning; in its place was a yellow robe with Japanese patterns in red. The sun was rising overhead and bright. There was a lot of sheep in the field and for some reason, a lone sheep wandered off. Rani took off after it followed by us.
"Rani! Rani, wait up!" I called out.
We went into the highest mountain and into a cave, and in there, we saw a light purplish ethereal light from inside.
"Guys...I think I know what it is...I learned about this in PSR class..." I said in wonder.
"What is it?" Ariel asked.
"It's the burning bush!" I exclaimed softly. The other girls marveled at the sight.
On the other side of the cave, I saw the same man in the dark red shepherd robes looking at the burning bush. He had olive skin, dark wisps of curly hair, brown eyes and a beard.
It's him! I exclaimed in thought.
He stretched out his hand to feel the burning bush but it didn't burn him.
"Moses..." A voice in the wind was calling his name. The shepherd looked around warily. "Moses...Moses...Moses..."
So that's his name! I exclaimed as I watched with my cousins and Ariel.
"Here I am." Moses answered.
"Take the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground." The voice gently instructed him.
Moses turned to the burning bush warily.
"Who are you?" He asked the voice.
"I am that I am." The voice answered within the gentle flicker of the flames.
"I don't understand." Moses was confused.
"I am the God of your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." The voice revealed.
I looked wide-eyed and in awe of God's presence within the burning bush.
"Wow...!" I gushed.
"You were born of my mother, Yocheved! You are our brother!" A woman's voice sounded.
That's the same voice I heard in the dream! I realized in thought.
"Sure, you were raised a Prince, but you are so much more than that." I heard my uncle Joshua's voice now. "You're the son of a Hebrew slave through and through, and I think it's time you start embracing your roots."
And I heard the voice of Ben before he regained his memories of Sweeney Todd.
"Joshua's right, man. Sometimes you're gonna have to punch back and tell them, 'No, this is who I am'. That's how you know who you are." Ben told him.
"Girls! This is holy ground!" Rani reminded excitedly and softly as we took off our sandals.
"What do you want with me?" Moses wondered.
"I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, and have heard their cry." God explained to him.
Moses flinched at the sound of the whip, and the man crying out.
"STOP IT!!! LEAVE THAT MAN ALONE!!!" Moses' younger self was yelling.
Moses hung his head in shame. From a distance, I felt sorry for him. I am my mother's daughter. I see the good in people, even though other people who judge them don't.
"So I have come down to deliver them out of slavery, and bring them to a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And so, unto Pharaoh, I shall send...you." God explained even further.
"Me?!" Moses was shocked and in fear. "Who am I to lead these people? They'll never believe me, they won't even listen."
"I shall teach you what to say." God said.
LET MY PEOPLE GO!! Moses' voice said.
That's right! He told the Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go! I thought.
" But I was their enemy. I was the prince of Egypt, the son of a man who slaughtered their children. You've... You've chosen the wrong messenger. H-how can I even speak to these people?" Moses protested while pointing out what had happened.
"WHO MADE MAN'S MOUTH?!"
Moses reared back in fear as the fire from the bush flickered violently. I yelped in fear as I held on to Ariel; knowing my fear of fire was intact.
"It's okay, Mei!" Ariel hugged me close as well as my cousins.
"WHO MADE THE DEAF, THE MUTE, THE SEEING OR THE BLIND?! DID NOT I?! NOW GO!!!!!" God roared at Moses who trembled. I too was this close to a panic attack now.
Moses felt the loving breeze from God as he was floating.
I felt it too now on my face as God reassured me that everything was okay.
"Oh, Moses...I shall be with you when you go to the King of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not listen." God said, gentle and forgiving. "So I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders. Take the staff in your hand, Moses. With it, you shall do my wonders. I shall be with you, Moses."
The voice repeated Moses' name as Moses felt at peace and filled with awe with God's love for him and the Hebrews.
While he went down from the mountain and to his home, we wondered about what to do next.
"So, what's our strategy?" Jamie asked Rani since she is the Sorceress. Rani has the powers of all the sorcerers combined including all four elements: Air, Earth, Fire and Water. She also has a fifth element: space, including rainbows.
Krishna, Kimiya, Jamie and I are Rani's decoys. Krishna has the sword to the Pridelands, and she has the powers of earth. Kimiya has the bow and arrow to the Pridelands and she has the powers of the wind, and of nature like insects and locusts. Jamie has the slingshot to the Pridelands and her powers are of ice and snow. I wield the quarterstaff, and my powers are of the moon, and of water. I can create moonbows, moonbeams, rainbows with the water, all the colors of the rainbow with the moon's emotions. With Sweeney, he has a brooch pinned to his Victorian vest and when he wields it, it becomes the Sword of Saint Michael, the Archangel. With it, he has the powers of the sun, including solar beams, sun drops, sunbows, sunbeams, and different rainbow colors to see into another person's soul and aura. He also has the power of fire; he uses it for warmth and light, and he could use it to send enemies to the eighth and ninth circles of Hell.
"We stow aboard and see what will happen when we go to Egypt." Rani planned out. So with the wave of her scepter; we became little people like the Borrowers. Rani and I were hidden beneath Moses' robes while Ariel, Jamie, Kim and Krishna were in a bag that the camels carried. I poked out my head and saw that we were now at the palace in Egypt and there were two high priests---one short and plump while the other was skinny whom were done with their magical tricks. Moses' staff was a snake and it ate the two snakes that the two priests were teasing it with.
Then I positioned myself back inside with Rani.
"Has he tried anything yet?" Rani whispered to me.
"No...at least not yet." I whispered.
Something happened then and I poked my head out to see that the Pharaoh's heart had hardened. God told Moses that this would happen. I hid again.
"I do not know this God...neither will I let your people go." The Pharaoh snarled, pushing past Moses.
"Rameses, please, you must listen..." Moses tried to reason with the King of Egypt but to no avail.
"I WILL NOT BE THE WEAK LINK!!" The Pharaoh yelled, pointing a finger at Moses.
Now, it was Rani's turn to act. She came from behind Moses, standing up for him.
"HEY!! ENOUGH!!" Rani roared, glaring at the Pharaoh named Rameses.
Moses was unable to say anything as this was going on.
"Who or what are you?!" Rameses demanded to Rani.
"Never mind who I am. GET AWAY FROM HIM." Rani snapped back as the sparks from Rani's fingers came.
The Pharaoh walked away just as Jamie, Krishna, Kim and Ariel walked in. I was still in Moses' robes.
"Tell your people as of today, their workload has been doubled, thanks to your God." Rameses glowered.
Moses gasped silently in horror.
"WHAT?!" Krishna screeched in anger.
"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Rani protested, mirroring Moses' reaction. The other girls protested too.
"Or is it thanks...to you!" Rameses slammed the doors shut.
Now was the time to reveal myself as I slid out from underneath Moses' robes.
"I gotta tell you, Ra, you're braver than I am." I told Rani honestly as I revealed myself to Moses casually.
"All right, I don't know where all of you came from...God didn't tell me that there were a couple of children hiding in my robes." Moses said wearily.
"We overheard your conversation with the Pharaoh, we had to listen." Ariel said calmly.
"We've come a long way. I think it's time we get acquainted." Rani explained.
"Yes, I believe we do." Moses said seriously. "Who are you, and how did you come here?"
"Well, Moses...my name is Rani, and I'm here to help. These are my sisters and cousin--Krishna, Kimiya, Mei and Jamie. And this is our friend, Ariel. I got your name just by God saying it." Rani figured out.
"We were at the burning bush. We saw you, but you didn't see us." Jamie explained. "You didn't notice that we did, but it happened."
"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Moses asked all of us.
"I'm sixteen years old." Ariel answered.
"Krishna, Kim and I are seven, Mei's about to turn eight. Jamie's thirteen." Rani answered.
"You girls should know that what I am doing here is dangerous, and you really shouldn't be here alone." Moses pointed out sternly.
"Well, technically, we're not alone. We're with you, and you're an adult." Rani added.
"She's right, sir. Even before we came to you, we were in a group." I chimed in.
"What's up with that guy that just walked out and punished the slaves? He have it in for you?" Krishna asked before Moses asked another question.
"Somewhat...yes. God did say at the burning bush that Pharaoh wouldn't listen to me. It's just happened, and he's already told me he won't let them go." Moses explained.
"That tough, huh? LEMME AT IM." Krishna's temper rose and she went straight towards the doors but me, Kim, Jamie, and Ariel held her.
"Krishna, no!" I protested.
"Krishna, focus!" Kim reminded.
"Come on, it's over." Jamie calmed.
"Easy, Krish." Ariel eased.
"I-it's not that simple, Krishna. Nothing about this is." Moses said in protest.
"Why?" Jamie and I asked in sync. That was because we knew each other as adopted sisters in our past lives. She was Jillian while I was Mirai.
"Well...for one thing, the Pharaoh is my brother...my adopted brother." Moses revealed.
That was quite a shock for all of us. The Pharaoh who had his heart hardened was his adopted brother.
"Yikes! That makes things so much harder, doesn't it?!" Rani gaped.
Moses nodded.
"WHAT?! THAT PINHEAD IS YOUR BROTHER?!" Krishna screeched.
"Well he certainly didn't act very brotherly to me!" Jamie pointed out.
Kim and I nodded, agreeing.
"Again, it's not that simple." Moses explained. "You think I want to confront him? You think I want to be his enemy? I don't, in fact that's the last thing I want, is to have Rameses as my enemy, but I have no choice. My people have to be set free."
"I bet you had a bond with him, didn't you?" Rani asked after listening in on Moses' point of view.
"I did. For a long time." Moses nodded sadly. "I never thought it'd be like this. So I have to press on."
"Maybe we can help." Jamie offered.
"You can help by finding your parents first." Moses suggested. "Like I said, the situation is already dangerous, and you're not safe from Rameses' wrath."
"Fair point." Ariel agreed.
"You said so yourself that we shouldn't be alone. Maybe if you can look for our parents with us, we'll get out of your hair once we find them." Krishna convinced. "There's more to us than you think you know, dude."
"I'll hold you to that promise. Traveling by yourselves isn't a good idea." Moses instructed. "Until we find your parents, just stay by me, and my wife, Tzipporah."
"Rani, I don't think we met her." I said to Rani.
"No, we haven't." Rani agreed.
"Krishna, Kim, Jamie and I met her. She's very beautiful." Ariel described. "And she told us about how Moses and her met." She added with a giggle.
Me, Rani, Kim, and Ariel fawned at how Moses and Tzipporah fell in love but Krishna didn't.
"It's Moses..." An old man grumbled. He threw a ball of mud at Moses' face and he slid to the ground.
"Look out!" Ariel noticed the mud ball.
"OH NO!!" Rani yelled.
"Moses!" Tzipporah came to her husband's aid and so did Jamie, Krishna, Kim, Ariel and I.
"Sir, are you okay?" Jamie asked concerned.
"ALL RIGHT, WHO DID THAT?!" Krishna's temper flared.
"Krishna, focus! Help us get Moses up!" Kim reminded.
"Got it!" Krishna calmed down and helped.
"You're gonna be okay, Moses." I reassured.
"Wow, that was one hard fall. You okay?" Krishna asked Moses.
"So, Moses...how does it feel, when you get struck to the ground?" A man's angry voice sounded. He had cream skin and was lean and lank from being hard at work; with tousled raven hair and a beard. He was wearing a dark red vest and pants.
"I didn't mean to cause you more pain." Moses answered honestly. "I'm just trying to do as God told me."
"God?! Since when did God start caring about all of us?" The man scoffed angrily and demanded. "In fact, Moses, when did you start caring about slaves? Was it when you found out that you were one of us?!"
"Who do you think you are?! He's TRYING TO HELP!! YOU WANNA PICK A FIGHT?!" Krishna shot back at the man demanding answers from Moses.
"Don't listen to him!" Tzipporah agreed with Krishna on the matter.
"No, he's...he's right." Moses looked down in shame.
"Huh?!" Krishna looked confused.
"I didn't see because I did not wish to see." Moses answered truthfully, still looking down.
What did he mean by that? I wondered silently in thought.
"You didn't see because you didn't wish to see? Ahhh! Well, that makes everything fine then...doesn't it." The man still didn't believe everything until--
"Aaron! You shame yourself!" A woman scolded the man, who seemed to be her brother. She had her mother Yocheved's features with olive skin and a gentle smile; her long dark curly hair was in a ponytail. I blushed but I focused on the mission at hand.
"I thought you would have known better by now!" Uncle Joshua chided at the man named Aaron.
"Oy! Yer oughta be nice to yer brother, eh?" Sweeney agreed with the woman and uncle Joshua. Another thing was revealed about Moses and it was quite a surprise.
"Wait, what?! This guy is Moses' brother?!" I gaped shocked.
"He certainly didn't act like one!" Rani wrinkled her nose.
"He has two brothers?! One adopted and one real?!" Krishna was confused.
"Miriam..." Moses looked up at the woman who is his real sister. I didn't know what had happened between them back then but I listened in as Miriam gave her brother a gentle smile. "I'm so sorry..." Moses buried his head in his hands in shame.
"Moses, hear what I say. I've been a slave all my life, and God has never answered my prayers until now." Miriam gently cupped her brother's face in support. "God saved you from the river. He saved you and all your wanderings and even now, he saves you from the wrath of Pharaoh. God will not abandon you, so don't you abandon us."
Miriam joined Tzipporah, Ariel, Jamie, Kim, Krishna, me and Rani now in support of Moses.
"And we will be with you, Moses, no matter what." Uncle Joshua added in support. "It's so good to see you, old friend."
We all looked into the doubtful and angry stares of the Hebrews. Moses was going to prove to them that God works in mysterious ways and that (He/She/They) the God of The Hebrews answered their prayers.