I remember the day my father died. I was just a boy, hiding in the brush as Tubal-cain’s blade split his skull for a scrap of land. That blood still stains my dreams.

Now, decades later, I stand before the ark—my life’s work, God’s command. The forest Methuselah blessed rises around it, a final garden in a dying world. My sons are grown. Shem loves Ila, the girl we saved. Ham burns with questions I can’t answer. And Naameh… she still looks at me like I’m the man she married, not the prophet I’ve become.

The birds have fled. The animals are aboard. The Watchers stand guard, their stone bodies trembling with purpose.

Tonight, the first drop will fall.

I close my eyes. The vision comes again—the waters rising, the silence after. No more crying. No more killing. Just peace.

But then I see Ila’s face. Pregnant. Begging.

And I don’t know if I’m saving the world… or damning my soul.

What do I do when the rain stops? What if the Creator wants more than survival? What if He wants sacrifice?