Years after he slipped away from the valley of Shadow, back in the quiet solitude of the Migdal Eder, Zorek Avnim looked up and saw four friends approaching.
He had known for many years that these four would show up one day.
Evidently, this was the day.
He greeted them by name as they approached him.
“Elhanan!”
“Sibbecai!”
“Jonathan, son of my brother Shimeah!”
“Abishai, son of my sister Zeruiah!”
“Welcome! Welcome! Welcome to the Migdal Eder!”
“Did you bring any leather straps?”
The four young men stopped and looked at each other with eyes that were full of questions. They looked at Zorek Avnim with eyes that were full of wonder.
Then they nodded their heads slowly as they reached into the pouches that were on their belts.
Each man pulled out a long leather strap.
Zorek Avnim showed them how to make the center crease.
Then he showed them how to swing and release.
The four young men came each day for many months.
When the day came that each of them could split a rock that was the size of a man’s fist and do it 20 times out of 20 from 200 paces away, Zorek Avnim took them up on the roof of the Migdal Eder.
He took them up on the roof in the moonlight.
Zorek Avnim reached into his pouch and pulled out the four remaining stones he had lifted from the brook at the bottom of the Valley of Shadow.
He took out the four remaining stones.
He said to the four young men, “The monster man that wanted to kill everyone in the Valley of Shadow had four younger brothers who grew up to be just as big.”
The monster man had four younger brothers who grew up to be just as big.
They grew up to be just as big.
He handed the light brown stone with dark brown speckles to Elhanan and said,
“Keep this stone with you always, Elhanan.
When Lahmi tries to kill you, you will kill him with this stone.”
He handed the dull yellow stone to Sibbecai and said,
“Keep this stone with you always, Sibbecai.
When Saph tries to kill you, you will kill him with this stone.”
He handed the dark grey stone to Jonathan and said,
“Keep this stone with you always, Jonathan.
When the monster-man with 6 toes on each foot and 6 fingers on each hand tries
to kill you, you will kill him with this stone. You will kill all 12 of his murderous fingers.You will kill all 12 of his murderous toes.
You will kill him with this dark grey stone.”
Then he handed the snow-white stone to Abishai and said,
“Keep this stone with you always, Abishai.
When Ishbi-benob is about to kill me,
you will kill him with this stone.”
His face full of panic, Abishai leaped to his feet and asked,
“How will I know where to be?
And when will I know to be there?”
“You will be there, Abishai.
Never give it another thought.
Just keep the stone with you.”
Zorek Avnim hugged each of the other men.
In the months that followed, Lahmi and Saph and their six-toed brother and Ishbi-benob who – the biggest and the angriest of the monster-men – each fell to the ground with a deep red spot on their head.
They had a dark red spot on their head.
They had dark red spots, and their skulls exploded.
And the land was quiet for awhile.