—Nevertheless you did kill him?
—I was present at his death.
—Present with a knife.
—Mine was not the only hand on that knife.

—You left the young men below?
—As we often had before.
—And took your son up the mountain alone?
—As was our custom.
—Did you meet anyone?
—Nobody you would see.
—You exhaust me.
—And yet you keep questioning.

—Your boy carried the wood?
—My son was not a boy.
—Did your son know what the wood was for?
—Yes, and the knife.
—Why would he carry them?
—He had always done so.
—He trusted you.
—He believed in sacrifice.
—But you had brought no offering.
—I was summoned to the mountain with my son.

—You bound his hands and feet?
—I helped him bind himself.
—I find that hard to believe.
—Nevertheless, I was too old to overpower him.
—I see. Exactly how old are you?
—You wouldn’t believe that either.

—Once he was bound, you cut him.
—First we prayed.
—Of course.
—I heard his confession.
—Of course you did.
—He had doubts.
—He had doubts?
—Or so he confessed to me.
—But by then you had bound him.
—In keeping with the covenant.

—Nevertheless you did kill him?
—I was present at his death.
—Your son was bound. You held the knife.
—His rightful father guided my hand.
—How many fathers did he have?
—
—You exhaust me.

—You burned the body afterward?
—As we always have.
—On wood your son had carried?
—Yes.
—And came down the mountain alone.
—I did.
—And yet you expect to father nations.
—It has been promised.
—In keeping with the covenant.
—Yes.
—An old man with an old wife whose son has died.
—I don’t ask you to believe.
—Are you sorry?
—I regret my weakness.

Copyright © October 13, 2009 David Hodges

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