1. Out of the Garden

CHAPTER 1

OUT OF THE GARDEN

         

          Nephi turned east.   The rising sun would not be hidden by the tree tops much longer.  Looming in the distance were the dark silhouettes of the temple pyramids climbing high into the sky with their steep sides and sharply angled corners.  At the top of the tallest pyramid was a flat ceremonial platform.  The first beam of sunlight through the windows of the temple-palaces would be carefully marked by the Elders of Zarahemla.

          Until now, Nephi had walked through the forest on the soft, narrow dirt paths he easily followed.  When he reached the first stone-paved street of the city, he stopped momentarily in the shadow of the central pyramid.

In comparison to his own garden home, the city streets of Zarahemla were brown and treeless.  The most heavily traveled streets had been paved with stone so that mud during the rainy season would not hinder the wagons loaded with goods for the market place.

Nephi had purposefully selected a secluded space away from the city for his own home.  He built his hut in six days.  At the end of each day, he saw that his work was good and he was pleased with his creation.

First, he cleared and leveled enough ground for a simple, one room structure.  Then, he made a typical rectangular hut with walls made from wood covered with adobe and whitened with lime.  The roof was constructed next from shorn wood lashed together to form the beams which were then expertly thatched together with native palm fronds to be water tight, even in the heaviest rains.   One central opening facing east served as a doorway. 

Surrounding the hut was a garden with orchids and other beautiful flowers.  Nephi lovingly tended his garden every day and had names for all the many animals he frequently found there.  Chickens always scratched through the yard to peck at scattered seeds.  Included in the garden were trees of every kind; palms, dates, bananas, bamboo, ferns and other tropical shrubs.

Nephi spent most of his time alone in the garden.  After completing his own new hut, he anxiously anticipated the day he would find the right girl, get married, and share this hut with his wife.

Upon entering the streets of Zarahemla, Nephi paused and took a deep breath.  He filled his lungs with the air and then let it out slowly.  He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind to help him relax.  It didn’t work.  His heart beat rapidly and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, even though the early morning air was cool and calm.

At this early hour, few people had risen from hammocks in their own village huts on the outskirts of the city.  First, fires for cooking would be prepared, and water brought from the river.  Afterward, attention would be given to the smaller children, the chickens, the pigs, and the usual morning chores.

Later in the day, the streets of Zarahemla would become crowded with merchants who would set up their tables with all sorts of merchandise to sell.  There would be haggling over the cost of apparel, jewelry, necklaces, beads, bread, fruit, knives, and just about anything else for which they sought gain by the exchange of money.  At the end of the day, those who already had the most money expected to have even more.

Since the streets were nearly empty, nobody was likely to notice Nephi, recognize him, and ask what he was doing, or question him about why he was headed towards the judgment-seat.  Nevertheless, Nephi felt the tension grow in his nerves.  He was closer to returning to a dreadful destination of unpleasant memories than he had been in a very long time.

Because of the tragic events he had witnessed there in the past, Nephi would forever associate suffering and pain with going to the judgment-seat.  Nevertheless, he had promised his father that he would do it, saying, “I will go.  May your will be done.”  He was determined to fulfill the mysterious mission his father desired no matter what trials and afflictions or consequences it meant for him personally.

Nephi had agreed to meet with his father without a full knowledge of his father’s plan.  His father wasn’t forcing him to come.  But he also hadn’t satisfactorily explained why the judgment-seat had to be the only place they could go.

“I’ll be waiting for you there,” his father said reassuringly.  “You’ll learn how important this is to me.  Be sure to bring your personal seal.  We won’t need to stay very long.”  He had never insisted quite like this before.

Nephi started to walk again towards the pyramids.  His thinly sandaled feet left no tracks on the hard, stoned streets.  He even quickened his pace to get there faster.  He knew the best way to go.  The route was still familiar.  He had passed through these same streets leading to the judgment-seat many times when he was a boy, at least ten years ago.

Although the streets were still mostly the same, so many other things had changed in the intervening years.  The familiar route had a totally different feel to it than before.  The judgment-seat itself, more than anything else, symbolized how much things could change in not many years’ time.  The closer Nephi got to the judgment-seat, the larger and the more ominous the new pyramids with their towering temple structures appeared.  Judgment-seat was the common term used to refer to the entire combination of pyramid-like structures erected at this site. 

The murders committed at the judgment-seat still divided the people into contentious factions.  A few people still believed that Nephi’s father was a great prophet and leader, but most of the people had apostatized and were fooled by the Nehors and the band of Gadianton into believing that his father was a liar.  Those in power now were wicked men who had seized control of the government to advance their evil ways.

The previous night had been a long one for Nephi.  He had tossed and turned in his hammock with many unanswered questions.  Sleep had come fleetingly at best.  His father’s few words echoed over and over again in Nephi’s mind.  Things like, why would I need to be sure to bring my personal seal?   Why does father seem so reluctant to answer my questions?  If “I’ll be waiting for you there” meant father feels the way I do about the judgment-seat, then why can’t we meet somewhere else?  Who else might I be seeing besides father?  Will Timothy be there too?  Will he be required to testify again?  Will the entrance be guarded by our enemies?  What commotion will result if father, my brother, and I all show up at the same time!?

“It’s all set then.  We’ll meet just after sunrise.  Don’t worry, son.  I know that going to the judgment-seat will be different for you than before.  This has nothing to do with your mother’s death, however.  Everything will be fine.  You’ll understand later why I am asking you to do this.”

Nephi’s father acted like the meeting planned for the next day was urgent, but had stopped speaking about it and departed rather abruptly, leaving him with so many unanswered questions.   That was so typical of his father, to say only your mother’s death instead of your mother’s murder.

His father seemed very confident that everything would be all right.  Trust in his father allowed Nephi to act in faith.  Despite the counsel to not worry, a constant stream of questions ran through Nephi’s mind all night.  What unknown dangers would confront them?  What about their enemies who were in control there now?  How difficult would it be to receive permission from the guards to enter the temple palace?

The history of the judgment-seat murders made it more difficult for everyone to enter the temple-palace.  Previously, people came and went as they pleased.  Now, guards constantly watching the pyramids would stop and question anyone they didn’t like.  For Nephi, his immediate family members, and their few loyal friends, entering the temple-palace these days was potentially dangerous!

This early in the day, at least fewer guards would be present.

Nephi quickened his pace through the central streets of Zarahemla so much that he practically ran into the massive courtyard which encircled the many elaborate structures of the judgment-seat.  The individual pyramids were called either temples, or palaces, or oftentimes temple-palaces.  The tall pyramids with flat tops were the ceremonial platforms.

The exact position and construction of each pyramid was carefully planned to assist in the study of the movements of the sun, the moon, and the stars.  Since the sun had just risen to the height of the tall temple-palace on the east side of the courtyard, somewhere inside the twin temple-palace on the west side, the Elders of Zarahemla were discussing the significance of this morning’s observations.

Rushing into the courtyard from the west, eyes nearly closed against the morning sun, Nephi stumbled.  Forced to slow down, and to look down, he pressed onward more cautiously.  He wanted to avoid looking up to where his mother last stood anyway.

He crept towards the largest of the pyramid structures.  This was the impressively high ceremonial platform palace at the center of the surrounding pyramids.  The shadow cast by the steeply-sided structure was divided from the light in the open courtyard.

Most people would climb the steep steps on the outside of the pyramid to view the sunrise on the platform from the very top.  Nephi, instead, moved stealthily along the base of the pyramid to reach a ground-level entrance on the east side.

Small beads of perspiration again appeared on Nephi’s forehead.  His heart beat rapidly in his chest.  The closer he came to the entrance, the more alert to danger he became.  Nephi took a deep breath through his nose and blew it out his mouth.  He smelled the dust of the ground and became acutely aware of the uneasiness of his soul.  A silent prayer for courage was offered when he reached the corner of the palace where he had to leave the shadow and step out into the glaring sunlight.

Nephi took the next step and turned the corner.  Suddenly exposed to the light, he instinctively felt naked.  His natural tendency would have been to turn back and hide in the shadow once again.  He no longer had the choice to remain concealed.

He heard the voice of a man from somewhere who hissed, “S-S-S-Stop!!”