#TheSongofDeborah part 10 by #mrfb

Last week, Barak revealed the tragedy that left him orphaned and scarred. Lapidoth has almost started to open up emotionally. Will Lapidoth finally be able to reconnect with his wife the night before they go to war?
Meanwhile, Bennoam plots his own adventure and Jael and Heber try to make sense of Sisera's new orders.

EXT. LAPIDOTH’S TENT - EVENING

Lapidoth meets Deborah at the fire pit. She stirs a giant pot of soup. He removes his head covering and kisses Deborah’s cheek.

Deborah ladles soup for him and herself. Lapidoth says a short prayer and they drink quietly.

Lapidoth clears his throat.

   LAPIDOTH: Barak leaves in two days. It will ensure we have a day to be ceremonially clean before we battle.

Deborah spills soup over the edge of her cup, burns her hand. She sucks on the blister.

   DEBORAH: What battle?

   LAPIDOTH: I shall lead Ephraim into Hazor the day after tomorrow. 

Deborah spills soup again.

   DEBORAH: What?

   LAPIDOTH: While the whole of Sisera’s army gathers in Zaanaim, Hazor is unprotected. We’ll assault Hazor from the south.

   DEBORAH: You agreed to do this?

   LAPIDOTH: I volunteered.

   DEBORAH: If you were to fight at all, I thought you would go with me, up to Tabor with Barak.

   LAPIDOTH: Barak said this effort is

essential.

   DEBORAH: I hope you realize what you are doing.

Lapidoth looks at her until she looks away. He sets aside his cup.

   LAPIDOTH I am offering him my life, what is left of it.

   DEBORAH: What are you talking about?

Lapidoth SIGHS heavily.

   LAPIDOTH: Dearest Deborah, when our boys died, I died, too. I lost our business, I lost our home. I can’t even make love to you. All I do is sit out there and watch sheep. Yet, somehow, you managed to find the peace that eluded me. My life ended, but yours seemed to begin.

   DEBORAH: Lapi, I- 

Lapidoth waves his hand.

   LAPIDOTH: At first, I was angry. I knew you loved our boys, but doubt grew. I was happy to see you heal, but I faded under your success. Your beauty, your anointing, mocked everything I did, mocked everything I was. Your calling was so clear, so defined, while I stumbled in darkness.

   DEBORAH: I never meant to outshine you. I-

   LAPIDOTH: Please. I am trying to ask your forgiveness. I deeply regret that I have not given you the passion you deserve.

   DEBORAH: There is more to life than passion.

   LAPIDOTH: But you deserve more. You’ve wasted your beauty and your youth on me. I just want you to know that if there were another man, I’d understand if-

Deborah leaps to her feet.

   DEBORAH: How dare you! How could you think so little of me?

   LAPIDOTH: I would understand, that’s all.

A tear runs down Deborah’s cheek.

   DEBORAH: Of all the men in Israel, you have given me more freedom than any woman could desire. I dare not ask for more. I beg you: do not grant me permission to be unfaithful.

Deborah dries her eyes, stirs the soup.

   DEBORAH: You haven’t explained why you will fight Hazor. 

Lapidoth stares into the fire. Looks up.

   LAPIDOTH: Deborah, I want my life to be more than a sentence in history. I want to be more than just Deborah’s husband. I want my life to count for something. There has to be more than a mediocre shepherd in this weary frame. There has to be. I have to believe that somewhere inside me is a warrior who will fight for his friends.

Lapidoth slaps limply at his leg.

LAPIDOTH: That little punk might be the best thing that ever happened to me. After you, I mean. When I look at Barak, I see our boys. I see what might have been. I shouldn’t, but I do. I love him as if he were my own son. He makes me want to live again. And if living means dying, that is what I will do. Deborah, I can’t let Barak do this alone. I can’t let Sisera kill anyone else’s sons.

Deborah takes Lapidoth’s hand.

   DEBORAH: Japeth and Asa knew you loved them.

   LAPIDOTH: Did they?

   DEBORAH: It was Sisera who murdered them, not you. Not you! You sinned neither before me nor before God. That is how I have peace. Please, dear Lapidoth, find your peace.

Deborah kisses his cheek, the corner of his mouth, his mouth. Lapidoth slips his fingers between their faces, turns away.

                                                   FADE TO:


EXT. LAPIDOTH’S TENT - MORNING

Inside the tent, Deborah, Lapidoth and Barak speak in muffled voices.

Behind the tent, Bennoam furtively stuffs bread into a sack. Evie sneaks up on him.

   EVIE: Gotcha! 

Bennoam startles. He grins.

   BENNOAM: Evie! Wow, you scared me. Good one!

   EVIE: Ben, if you are running away,

you’ll need water, too. 

Evie hands Bennoam a water skin.

   BENNOAM: I’m not running away.

   EVIE: Come on, Ben. You’ve been sneaking stuff for the last two days. What gives?

   BENNOAM: Nothing.

   EVIE: Bennoam ben Abinoam, you are

planning to stow away in the cargo going to Mount Tabor.

   BENNOAM: Am not! And don’t tell on me.

   EVIE: You’ll have to pay me to cover for you.

   BENNOAM: All right, name your price.

Evie taps her lips with her fingers as she thinks.

   EVIE: My chores. For a month.

INT. THE SMITHY - DAY

Heber, his arm in a sling, leans against the door jam. He watches Jael hammering.

   HEBER: You just get more and more beautiful.

He kisses her cheek.

   JAEL: I’m glad that you are feeling better. I was scared. I was so scared.

They kiss passionately. Jael lets her hammer fall to the floor.

                                                   FADE TO:


I/E. THE SMITHY - LATER

Heber ties his belt one-handed. Jael straightens her hair and dress. She busies herself at the fire.

Outside, sound of horses, JINGLING harnesses, CREAKING of wheels.

   HEBER: It’s Jabin’s men.

   JAEL: I wish they would just bring all those chariots here. Why do they have to relocate you?

   HEBER: Secrecy. News of aging chariots might boost Israel’s morale too much. Besides, I won’t be going all the way to Hazor. Just far enough to keep the problem chariots out of sight. There I can teach Jabin’s men how to repair them on their own.

   JAEL: I suppose it is cheaper to move one human rather than nine hundred chariots.

   HEBER: You’ll need to keep up appearances.

   JAEL: Business as usual.

Heber kisses her hand. Jael smiles.

   HEBER: You sure give one terrific send-off.

   JAEL: Just make sure you come back. I’ll keep the fire going for you.

Heber goes out to meet MASHKET and ZEKRUPH who have dismounted from an iron chariot.

   HEBER Ah, gentlemen. I shall gather my things. Please, allow us to water your magnificent horses.

As the men wait, Jael pours a bucket of fresh water into a trough. The horses drink noisily.

Heber uses his free hand to toss a satchel into the chariot. Something catches his attention at the base of Mount Tabor.

In the distance, an ISRAELITE SCOUT creeps into the woods. Heber silently gets into the chariot.

The Song of Deborah #6

Last week, King Jabin kidnapped Abby's cousin Tirzah. Barak asked Deborah to go with him to fight Sisera. Lapidoth and Deborah argued about her going, but Lapidoth gained a new understanding. Today, Barak, Deborah and Lapidoth arrive in Naphtali meet Barak's family and speak with the elders. 
Meanwhile, Sisera almost has his "save the cat" moment. Jael is one of my favorite characters. She's gutsy, strong and good with a hammer. I wonder what the real Jael was like.
The hyrax (coney or rock badger) http://www.liv.ac.uk/~sdb/Safari-2011/Images/6318-rock-hyrax.jpg is noted in Proverbs 30:24-28. 

 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.

In my research, I found out other interesting facts about hyraxes. They "don't do mornings," needing to warm up in the sun before they get active. It's hard to tell males and females apart. They can make good pets. I love their cute faces with the hidden fangs.

EXT. SHEEP FIELD IN NAPHTALI - DAY

   Under the acacia tree, Bennoam pets a hyrax.

   HOOFBEATS. Bennoam puts down the hyrax.

BENNOAM: Go on, back to your family.

   The hyrax stays put, sniffs at him. Bennoam finds the last crumbs of a treat in his satchel. He offers it to the hyrax. Its whiskers tickle his finger.

BENNOAM: There you go, girl.

   Dust rises as horses approach. Barak, Deborah and Lapidoth ride in an open and seemingly almost empty wagon.

   Bennoam waves and runs to meet them. Lapidoth signals his two horses by flicking the reins gently.

LAPIDOTH: Whoa. Easy now.

   The horses slow to a stop. Barak hops out.

BENNOAM: Barak! Wow! Horses!

   Barak puts his arm around his brother. He turns to Lapidoth.

BARAK: Lapidoth, this is my brother Bennoam ben Abinoam. Ben, this is Lapidoth and his wife, Judge Deborah.

   Bennoam bows.

BENNOAM: Pleased to meet you, Ma’am. Sir. (looks around) Wow, neat horses! Hey, did you lose our donkey, Barak? Can we have horses again?

BARAK: No I didn’t lose her. And yes, we might get horses sooner than you think.

   Ben fist-pumps the air. 

BENNOAM: Yesss!

BARAK: Ben, we are going into town to meet with the elders. Please help your sisters get lunch for our guests.

BENNOAM: Okay. Are you gonna fight Sisera, Sir? His chariots are iron. You should see his horses. They’re gigantic!

   Bennoam gestures grandly and trots like a horse. 

BARAK: Ah, Ben?

BENNOAM: Oh. Right. Lunch. Bye.

Bennoam trots off, pantomimes driving a chariot. 

INT. MEETING HOUSE - DAY

   Barak, Deborah and Lapidoth finish meeting with fifteen LEADERS of Naphtali. They rise, clap each other on the shoulders or shake hands.

   Barak takes the hand of a YOUNG MAN his age, fixing his eyes on his. The Young Man’s smiles, but his eyes are grave.

INT. THE SMITHY - DAY

   Jael dunks glowing metal into a tub of water. It sizzles and spits. She uses her teeth to pull the glove off her free hand, wipes perspiration from her face.

   She doesn’t look up when the door opens and Sisera enters. She puts the glove back on. She rolls her sleeves up to her shoulders.

   With tongs she pulls another blade from the fire. She holds it to the anvil and hammers. Between each stroke, she swings the hammer in a full circle. She never misses her target.

JAEL: The order’s almost ready, Heber. Just two more scythes. See? I told you I can run the smithy until you’re better.

SISERA: You could melt that stuff at twenty paces. 

   Jael misses her swing. She wheels around.

JAEL: Sisera! Get out!

SISERA: Jael. I missed you.

   
   Jael turns back to the anvil.

JAEL: I haven’t missed you. (swears) Now this one’s too cold. Go away.

   Jael shoves the blade into the fire, yanks another blade from the coals. She hammers with gusto. Sweat gleams on her lean triceps.

SISERA: I can’t change what I did to Heber. But I deeply regret it.

JAEL: Yeah, sure. Big deal.

   Sisera reaches into a satchel hanging across his chest.

SISERA: Jael, I know I may not buy your forgiveness or your affection. Even so, I did bring you a gift. I heard that Heber’s arm is infected.

JAEL: Yeah, and he’s got a fever, thanks to you.

SISERA: I brought balm.

JAEL: Balm? From Gilead?

SISERA: Yes. I shall place it here.

   Sisera lays a small, ornate box on the work bench.

   Jael looks carefully at him. He wears no armor but a decorated tunic.

JAEL: What, no sword? No armor?

SISERA: Jael, it is not like me to so confess, but the violence I did to Heber was not of my own. Jabin himself was behind it.

JAEL: It seems unlikely that the king would take such interest in our business.

SISERA: Nevertheless, he ordered me to convince your husband to break all ties with Israel.

JAEL: (screaming) You didn’t have to break his arm!

SISERA: I followed orders. That is all.

JAEL: Heber is a good man. He rescued me when you abandoned me. Who protected me from my people? It was Heber the Kenite, not you! Heber!

SISERA: No, it was I. How do you think he found a living in this wilderness? It was I who gave him work and dignity.

JAEL: You took his dignity, you never gave it!

SISERA: No, he sold his own dignity. For the price of a chariot and my protection.

JAEL: I hate you!

SISERA: Of course you do.

   He kisses her until she almost returns it. She slaps him. 

JAEL: Get out.

SISERA: Jael, you loved me once. I would give anything to make you happy again. (beat) I know it’s too late for you and me, but should Heber recover, it would be a kindness to let me know that the balm helped. I do have one more request of you.

JAEL: You change your skin like a lizard, like a snake, and then ask favors? 

   Sisera draws a larger present from his inside his tunic.

SISERA: Please, Jael, accept this too. It is from the East.

   He looks at the package a moment, turns it over, places it next to the balm. His hand rests on it.

SISERA: I desperately want to see you open it. But it is your choice. 

   Jael swallows.

   Sisera waits.

JAEL: I will.

   He hands the present to her. It is wrapped in coarse papyrus that CRINKLES pleasantly. She folds the paper back.

   She removes a small pillow, dyed deep red.

SISERA: It’s called silk. Feel it.

   Jael strokes it.

JAEL: It’s like nothing I’ve ever known! It’s soft, but it feels strong. And almost sticky. But it’s smooth!

   She holds it to her face.

SISERA: You like it, then? Until you may once again rest your head on Heber’s shoulder, may it bring comfort to you.

JAEL: It whispers. I’m overcome. It’s beautiful.

SISERA: My lady. 

   Sisera turns crisply and leaves.

   Oblivious, Jael rubs her face into the pillow. She inhales its scent.

JAEL: And the fragrance! It’s almost spicy, a trace of, of what? It smells like-

   Jael inhales again. She smiles. Her eyes fly open.

JAEL: Like Sisera!

   She flings the pillow into the coals.

#TheSongofDeborah part 3 by #mrfb

Last week, Sisera convinced Heber to stop helping Israel. Deborah and Lapidoth are in a rough spot in their marriage. Barak has something dreadful in his history but is about to step into his destiny.


EXT. THE SMITHY - MORNING

Jael and Heber lean over opposite sides of the anvil. He cradles his broken arm against his chest. She opens her hand above the anvil.

JAEL: Ready? Give me your hand.

Heber starts to extend his right arm with his left, then stops. He shakes his head.

JAEL: Come on, the swelling’s down, so now’s the time. Give me your hand.
HEBER: It doesn’t matter now.
JAEL: What do you mean? You’re right handed. You need this arm.

Heber looks away.

HEBER: Not any more. I’m finished.
JAEL: You’re not finished, Heber. I can run the smithy until you’re better. You know I’m good with a hammer.
HEBER: It’s not just the business. It’s the threats, the harassment. I can’t live this way any longer. I give up.

Heber drops his head. Jael puts her finger under his chin. They look into each other’s eyes.

JAEL: If that is what you wish. Yes, let’s return to Sinai, to our own people. We’ll start over. With fresh ore. No more scrap metal! No more threats, no more Sisera.
HEBER: Imagine: to no longer have to serve evil men. To not have to feed enemy as well as friend. Yes, let’s return home! Only–
JAEL: Only what?
HEBER: Only we cannot.
JAEL: It’s been a long time. Our people may have forgiven, even forgotten. Isn’t it worth the chance?
HEBER: I’ll not have you shunned and shamed. The price I will pay is one matter, but you, Jael? No, we cannot go back. Set my arm, Jael. We will stay.

Heber lays his arm across the anvil.
Jael braces herself, pulls hard on Heber’s arm. Heber cries out above the GRINDING of bone, passes out.


EXT. BARAK’S HOUSE - MORNING

Spindly flowers sag near the entrance of Barak’s stone house. A donkey mouths a spike of crab grass.
Barak kisses his sisters MESHA, NAOMI, SARAH and EVIE. He tussles Bennoam’s hair.
Their lovely sister NOAH hands Barak his traveling pack. As he takes it, her opened hand reveals a hideous scar. It is old enough that neither of them notice it.
Barak ties his pack to the donkey’s back.

NOAH: Do be careful, Barak.
BARAK: I will. I shouldn’t be more than a couple of days. Don’t forget our emergency plan.

Noah rolls her eyes dramatically, recites in singsong.

NOAH: If trouble, go to old man Harhas’ in Kedesh, or to Aunt Mim’s past the hill. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t play with flint and steel. We’ll be fine, Barak.
BARAK: I know you will. Keep Ben out of trouble.
BENNOAM: Hey!
BARAK: And Ben?
BENNOAM: Yeah?
BARAK: Keep Noah out of trouble.
BENNOAM: You got it!

Ben sticks his tongue out at Noah, pulls it back in before Barak can see him.


EXT. THE PALM OF DEBORAH - EVENING

Eighty PEOPLE in small groups form a crooked line heading up a hill. Some hold objects or animals. Most frown.
Three fresh-faced teenage girls, TAMAR, ABBY and AZUBAH, walk about, interviewing people and writing on clay tablets.
Under a palm tree, Deborah speaks to two MEN. A low table before her is bare except for a handful of documents on one corner weighted by a chunk of glassy blue slag.
Next to Deborah stands PEREZ, a nice-looking teenager with peach fuzz starting on his lip and chin. Perez busily writes. He shakes his hand to relieve a cramp, writes again.

Yards away, sweaty and dusty, Barak dismounts from his donkey.

BARAK: Just like you practiced, Barak. Stay calm. Just like you practiced.

Barak leads the donkey past the line. He avoids the glares and GRUMBLES of the crowd.
A strand of hair has slipped loose from Deborah's head covering and plays about the corner of her mouth. Her lively eyes dart, then fix upon her audience, then assess Barak with a piercing and pure gaze.
Feeling naked and almost swallowed by her beauty, Barak stumbles. He bangs his toe, drops the donkey’s lead. He wipes his hands on his thighs.

DEBORAH: You, sir. Who are you?

Barak swallows. He steps toward her.
The donkey follows him.
Perez, protective, draws closer to Deborah. He fingers a knife in his belt.

BARAK: I am Barak son of Abinoam of Kedesh Naphtali.
DEBORAH: Welcome, Barak son of Abinoam of Kedesh Naphtali. You must now go to your place.

Deborah gestures toward the back of the line.
Those nearby LAUGH. Deborah glares. They stop.

BARAK: (stammers) Judge Deborah, I didn't come all this way to talk about goats and petty offenses. I come about Sisera’s move on Zaanaim!

Deborah jumps to her feet, bumping the table. Papers scatter. Barak catches the blue slag before it falls.
Deborah clenches Barak’s arm. She lowers her voice.

DEBORAH: Sisera’s move on Zaanaim?
BARAK: Yes. Something’s going on. Sisera is raising tents on the plain.

Deborah signals Perez.

DEBORAH: That is all for today.

Perez nods, turns to the two Men and speaks with them. The Men frown and gesture, but they leave. Perez calls to the other Assistants.

PEREZ: Tamar! Abby! Sis! Judge Deborah has called recess.

Deborah lowers her voice again so only Barak will hear.

DEBORAH: You must speak with my husband. Come.

#TheSongofDeborah part 2 by #mrfb

Last week, I introduced you to Sisera, the bad guy, and Deborah, the heroine. Fast forward 3 decades. Here's where the movie really starts. To introduce the rest of the players, this installment will be longer.
Heber is a Kenite, meaning that he is a long way from home. In Hebrew, Heber = "comrade" and Jael = "mountain goat." Deborah means "bee" and Barak means "lightning bolt." I wonder if Russell Crowe would like playing Lapidoth. He's been doing those kinds of roles lately.
Fun screenplay tip: in the weeks to come, see if you can decipher what the color blue means.
Oh, parental guidance suggested for violence and sexual situations. I promise there will be no bad words or smoking, though.

INT. 35 YEARS LATER - HEBER’S SMITHY - DAY

Hammers and tongs neatly line the walls of HEBER’S blacksmith shop. Air shimmers above a glowing fire pit. A chunk of glassy blue slag holds down a diagram written on ragged parchment. Next to it rests a device like a spring.

On the anvil perches JAEL, a sexy forty-something with olive skin and tousled black hair. Her shoulders flirt from her loosened dress, her long legs circle Heber’s waist.

Heber, dark skinned, shirtless and muscular, kisses Jael’s neck. He caresses her thigh with a massive hand, murmurs delightedly.

HEBER: I’ll have to show you my creations more often.

JAEL: I’m so happy for you, Heber. You’re a different person when you’re inventing      things.

Jael abruptly hops off the anvil, picks up the springy device.

Heber shivers from desire but dons his apron.

HEBER: I expect it may change the way people ride. Maybe change the world.

JAEL: When will you start using these – what did you call it? Lateral dampers? Are you going to sell them to Sisera?

HEBER: Sisera?

JAEL: Nine hundred chariots, that’s eighteen hundred of these! That would be about–

Heber snatches the damper from her hand.

HEBER: Why is it always about money with you?

JAEL: Money? It’s about a better life! Don’t you see that? 

Heber places his invention in a drawer. He slowly closes it.

HEBER: Jael, there are some things a man cannot sell to his enemies.

JAEL: You’ve already sold yourself, so what does it matter? 

Heber clenches his fists. Unclenches them.

HEBER: You’d better head home. I have work to do.

Jael draws her hair back, straightens her dress. She goes to the door.

JAEL: I’m sorry, Heber. I’ll see you at home. 

Outside, HORSES GALLOP. A chariot SKIDS to a halt.

JAEL swears.

HEBER: Who is it? 

JAEL: Sisera. What does he want now?

Heber hides the parchment document in a slot with other papers.

SISERA barges in. Two menacing THUGS follow, strut toward Heber.

HEBER: Good day, General.

SISERA: Heber, I’m disappointed.

HEBER: Sir?

SISERA: Word has it that someone is supplying the Jews with new farm equipment. Equipment with blades and handles.

The Thugs push Heber against the anvil.

Jael tries to intervene. Sisera grabs her, neatly pulls her arms behind her back. She kicks, can’t connect.

SISERA: I told King Jabin that I knew you wouldn’t do such a thing, that Heber the Kenite is loyal to the crown. Heber the Kenite certainly wouldn’t be selling weapons to the King’s enemies!

The FIRST THUG punches Heber in the stomach. Heber sucks in air but doesn’t cry out.

The SECOND THUG holds Heber’s hand just above the coals in the fire pit. He laughs at Heber’s frightened eyes, then relents. Heber yanks his hand away.

Jael struggles against Sisera.

JAEL: Time was when a man did his own dirty work!

SISERA: Now, now, Jael, a gentleman must keep his hands clean. 

Jael eyes the tools on the wall. One has a hooked end.

The Thugs pummel Heber until his knees buckle. They wrench him back to his feet.

JAEL: Sisera, make them stop! Please! Heber!

Sisera clamps both her wrists in one hand, caresses her face with his other.

SISERA: Tell me you prefer a laborer’s rough and dirty hands to these.

JAEL: Leave us alone, you mixed blooded Canaanite pig!

SISERA: Time was when you didn’t mind this mixed blooded Canaanite pig. Time was you liked this mixed blooded Canaanite pig. Time was you would have borne this Canaanite pig’s child.

Heber coughs up blood. His eyes connect with Jael’s.

SISERA: Or maybe time was you did bear this Canaanite pig’s child! 

The Thugs break Heber’s arm. Heber crumples to the dirt. Jael shakes herself free. She drops to Heber’s side.

JAEL: Heber! Heber, answer me! Heber!

Unhurried, Sisera and the Thugs depart. On the way, Sisera picks up the blue slag, bouncing it in his hand. He dashes it to pieces on the anvil.

EXT. SHEEP FIELD IN NAPHTALI - THE NEXT DAY

BARAK, a handsome Israelite shepherd, early twenties, sits under an acacia tree. His eleven year old brother BENNOAM plays above him in the branches. 

Bennoam tickles Barak’s head with a straw puppet. Barak swats as if it were a fly. Bennoam pulls it out of the way, then repeats.

Without looking, Barak speaks.

BARAK: All right, Ben, you have my attention.

BENNOAM: What are you doing, Barak?

BARAK: Thinking. What are you doing?

BENNOAM: Watching you. Getting bored.

Bennoam swings down from his branch, hangs before Barak.

BENNOAM: I know! You’re thinking about a girl. Barak’s got a girlfriend! Barak’s–

Barak scowls but speaks gently.

BARAK: Knock it off, Ben.

Bennoam plunks in front of Barak, sits.

BENNOAM: I’m sorry. Tell me. Please?

BARAK: Ben, you’re in front of the sheep.

BENNOAM: You weren’t watching the sheep.

Barak stretches out his legs. Hideous scars mar his shins. The scars are old enough that neither he nor Bennoam notice them.

Barak smiles kindly.

BARAK: Very well. I am thinking that I need to see Deborah.

BENNOAM: That old lady in Ephraim?

BARAK: She’s not old.

BENNOAM: To me she is.

BARAK: Do you want me to tell you or not?

Bennoam nods.

BARAK: It looks like Sisera’s up to something in Zaanaim. There are piles of ore and a continual fire. I saw more tents and more troops, too.

BENNOAM: But Deborah’s in the other direction.

BARAK: She’s the judge for all of Israel. She will know what God wants me to do.

BENNOAM: You, Barak? How? You’re not even an elder.

BARAK: I know. That’s why I need to see Deborah.

BENNOAM: Oh. 

Bennoam shrugs, turns for home.

Barak fidgets with his staff. He gets up and follows Bennoam.

BARAK: Hey, Ben! Tell your sisters they’ll need to start cooking earlier tonight. I’m going to slaughter an extra lamb. (to himself) I’ve got a long journey ahead of me.

EXT. LAPIDOTH’S TENT - NIGHT

Moonlight paints the sands blue-white. The muffled BLEATS of sheep rise and fall.

A slender hand opens the flap of LAPIDOTH’S darkened tent. Lapidoth’s wife DEBORAH emerges: beautiful, outdoorsy, barely forty.

She lays a mat and bolster on the sand. She reclines, shifts, turns, finally lies still.

Sweat glistens on her lip. Her hair curls damply. She looks at the sky, closes her eyes. Drowses.

Lapidoth, fifteen years her senior, grey-bearded and stern, appears behind her. He tightens his robe.

LAPIDOTH: Deborah, what are you doing out here?

DEBORAH: Oh! Lapidoth! I am sorry; I could not sleep. 

Lapidoth faces north.

LAPIDOTH: It is not safe for you to be out here alone. You know I do not like it.

Deborah makes room for Lapidoth. She pats the mat.

DEBORAH: Forgive me. You are awake, too. Why? 

Lapidoth sits beside her.

LAPIDOTH: Today Heber said he will do no more business with me. There was a – a disagreement.

DEBORAH: A disagreement? You two have long been friends. Surely you may make amends.

Lapidoth rises and paces.

LAPIDOTH: Would that we might! You know that Heber also labors for King Jabin.

DEBORAH: Yes, chariots and weapons for the Canaanites, plows and hammers for Israel. Has something changed?

LAPIDOTH: It seems the king of Hazor is a better customer than I.

DEBORAH: So Heber has finally chosen. Is it not better, then? A true enemy is better trusted than a friend with two faces.

LAPIDOTH Perhaps. In the past, Heber’s dual alliance provided a strategic buffer for Israel. But now, Jabin’s armies may freely access both the north and south of Israel. I fear war is imminent.

DEBORAH: I see.

LAPIDOTH: And this is why I do not sleep.

Lapidoth scans the sky. One bare foot touches the mat, one is in the sand. Deborah rests her hand on his leg. Lapidoth looks at her tenderly.

In the moonlight, Deborah’s bared arm shines white, her loosely braided hair gleams blue-black. Palm trees WHISPER in a distant oasis.

LAPIDOTH: Deborah, if tonight were the last of all we knew, what would you want more than anything?

DEBORAH: I think I should like to make love with you, right here in the moonlight!

LAPIDOTH: (abruptly) Don’t be foolish. Come inside.

Deborah looks up at the moon as if to say goodbye. Wilted, she meekly follows him into the tent.