now?”
"Not really, no , ” Smith answered with the air of a man just marking time until he can get away.
"Major Smith , I know it’s a lot not only to take in but to believe, but it really is important. I have traced the history, and I’ve studied scrolls and tablets and stone carvings to get this far. I have a mission and I need your help to see it through. I know it seems unreal but, believe me, you’re in it up to your neck and you need to choose a side before the side chooses you.” He sat back in his chair and looked at Smith frankly.
"You’ve got to admit, it’s all bloody queer, isn’t i t?" Smith answered him defiantly. "What would you say if this was all suddenly thrown in your face, eh?”
"I never had that luxury, I was born to it. My father was in the Order, as was his father, ad infinitum.”
Smith looked at him and tried to puzzle him out. Why was he making such an effort? He didn’t seem mad but what he was saying was madness, complete and utter madness.
”Where are you actually from, then?" he finally asked.
Michael shrugged and tiredly said, "I’m not important here. The important thing is for you to know who everyone is, so stop interrupting and let me get on with what I’ve got to say. Can you do that?" A smile flashed through his features as he said this and the tension was once again broken.
"Fair enough, I’ll listen. But I want answers when you’re done. Is that a deal?”
"That’s fine with me ; that’s exactly what I want. I want you to know what’s going on," he answered, putting out his hand to seal the pact. Smith took it.
"Where was I? Ah, Lilith. Now this is where it starts getting complicated. Lilith is also to be found in the ancient Sumerian legends.”
"Sumerian, I take it that’s pre-biblical?”
"Indeed, Lilith was a spirit who lived in a willow tree, tended by the Goddess Inanna. Inanna was the Goddess of love but that’s not important. Lilith wasn’t a goddess; she was only a demon or a spirit. That is, she was of the spirit world but didn’t belong to the pantheon of the Gods. Demons are by nature greedy and evil, and Lilith was no different from the others. She wanted power. For that reason, she hatched a plan and seduced the mortal king who ruled at that time, a king named Szaran — ”
"I know this name. Maria told me about him yesterday.”
Michael nodded an d ignored the interruption. " — and Szaran raised a mighty army to march on the Gods. It’s a bit more complicated than that, actually, but I wouldn’t want to bore you.”
"No, please, I want to hear this now.”
"It goes something like this : Szaran actually loved Inanna but he knew he didn’t stand a chance because he was only a mortal and she was already promised to Dumuzi who was a sort of divine shepherd. Lilith told Szaran that Inanna secretly desired him, not the shepherd, and all he had to do was raise a mighty army to crush the Gods and Inanna would be his for the taking."
Michael gave Smith a quizzical look to see if he had understood. Smith nodded for him to continue.
"Lilith , in the mean time , had slept with Szaran. She disguised herself as a beautiful maiden and, after a while, Szaran fell in love with Lilith, not Inanna, and he soon lost interest in waging a war. This obviously didn’t sit well with Lilith, who was only interested in power, so she gave Szaran an ultimatum: march on the Gods or lose her. So he raised his army and marched on the Gods.”
"Was she that beautiful?” Smith asked, thinking of Maria.
"Allegedly Solomon suspected the Queen of Sheba of being Lilith, but whether it was for her beauty I don’t know."
Michael gave Smith a waggish look. "No, I’m only joking. She was very hairy and apparently the Queen of Sheba also had very hairy legs, and that was a good example of Solomon’s wit. That she disguised herself as a beautiful young maiden is all the tablet says. How, I don’t know.”
"Aha, I see.” Though he didn’t.
"Anyway, the
"Not really, no , ” Smith answered with the air of a man just marking time until he can get away.
"Major Smith , I know it’s a lot not only to take in but to believe, but it really is important. I have traced the history, and I’ve studied scrolls and tablets and stone carvings to get this far. I have a mission and I need your help to see it through. I know it seems unreal but, believe me, you’re in it up to your neck and you need to choose a side before the side chooses you.” He sat back in his chair and looked at Smith frankly.
"You’ve got to admit, it’s all bloody queer, isn’t i t?" Smith answered him defiantly. "What would you say if this was all suddenly thrown in your face, eh?”
"I never had that luxury, I was born to it. My father was in the Order, as was his father, ad infinitum.”
Smith looked at him and tried to puzzle him out. Why was he making such an effort? He didn’t seem mad but what he was saying was madness, complete and utter madness.
”Where are you actually from, then?" he finally asked.
Michael shrugged and tiredly said, "I’m not important here. The important thing is for you to know who everyone is, so stop interrupting and let me get on with what I’ve got to say. Can you do that?" A smile flashed through his features as he said this and the tension was once again broken.
"Fair enough, I’ll listen. But I want answers when you’re done. Is that a deal?”
"That’s fine with me ; that’s exactly what I want. I want you to know what’s going on," he answered, putting out his hand to seal the pact. Smith took it.
"Where was I? Ah, Lilith. Now this is where it starts getting complicated. Lilith is also to be found in the ancient Sumerian legends.”
"Sumerian, I take it that’s pre-biblical?”
"Indeed, Lilith was a spirit who lived in a willow tree, tended by the Goddess Inanna. Inanna was the Goddess of love but that’s not important. Lilith wasn’t a goddess; she was only a demon or a spirit. That is, she was of the spirit world but didn’t belong to the pantheon of the Gods. Demons are by nature greedy and evil, and Lilith was no different from the others. She wanted power. For that reason, she hatched a plan and seduced the mortal king who ruled at that time, a king named Szaran — ”
"I know this name. Maria told me about him yesterday.”
Michael nodded an d ignored the interruption. " — and Szaran raised a mighty army to march on the Gods. It’s a bit more complicated than that, actually, but I wouldn’t want to bore you.”
"No, please, I want to hear this now.”
"It goes something like this : Szaran actually loved Inanna but he knew he didn’t stand a chance because he was only a mortal and she was already promised to Dumuzi who was a sort of divine shepherd. Lilith told Szaran that Inanna secretly desired him, not the shepherd, and all he had to do was raise a mighty army to crush the Gods and Inanna would be his for the taking."
Michael gave Smith a quizzical look to see if he had understood. Smith nodded for him to continue.
"Lilith , in the mean time , had slept with Szaran. She disguised herself as a beautiful maiden and, after a while, Szaran fell in love with Lilith, not Inanna, and he soon lost interest in waging a war. This obviously didn’t sit well with Lilith, who was only interested in power, so she gave Szaran an ultimatum: march on the Gods or lose her. So he raised his army and marched on the Gods.”
"Was she that beautiful?” Smith asked, thinking of Maria.
"Allegedly Solomon suspected the Queen of Sheba of being Lilith, but whether it was for her beauty I don’t know."
Michael gave Smith a waggish look. "No, I’m only joking. She was very hairy and apparently the Queen of Sheba also had very hairy legs, and that was a good example of Solomon’s wit. That she disguised herself as a beautiful young maiden is all the tablet says. How, I don’t know.”
"Aha, I see.” Though he didn’t.
"Anyway, the
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