In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

In their flight from their home village, the family has stopped for a few days in a small abandoned house while they wait for a river to subside.

Chapter 10

The following day was washing day. The whole family worked together for there was much to do and they wanted it all done within a single day if that were possible. The work was unfamiliar to Samuel as he would usually be working in the fields while the women did the washing. But he pointed out that he had no fields to work and it was not in his nature to sit idle while there was work to be done.

The storms of the previous two days had passed but the sun only appeared occasionally between the passing clouds. Despite the lack of constant sun, a steady breeze made it a good day for drying washing.

The people of the village left them alone for the most part. Their only visitor during the morning was Felicity — the second wife of Isaiah who had previously lived in the house they were using. She climbed up the ridge carrying a basket containing a rabbit that had been trapped overnight and some vegetables. She offered the gift to the family and bid them walk with God in their hearts. They thanked her and invited her to join them for some bread and cheese while they took a brief rest from their labors, which Felicity readily accepted.

Felicity made no comment of the women working with their heads uncovered and their hair hanging down their back in a braid. Nor did she comment on the sight of Samuel and Ezekiel working with the women to wash clothing which would normally be women's work. Instead, she cheerfully sat Hope upon her knee and exclaimed at how beautiful the child was.

Isabelle expressed her condolences to Felicity for the loss of her husband. Felicity nodded and then quietly told the story of the torrent which swept the bridge and her husband away. When she was done, she shrugged and said, "God willed it so."

Everyone took that as a signal that their break was over and Felicity took her leave.

And so the day passed. When someone found themselves briefly between tasks, they sat on the blanket with Hope and played with her. Even Samuel joined in with entertaining Hope — a task he rarely indulged in with his own children as he was usually in the fields when they were awake and playing. Besides, he had been taught that looking after the children was to be left to the women. He quickly discovered the simple joy of playing with a child and felt regret that he had not done this with his own children when they were small. When Hope wanted to be fed, Charity and Ezekiel withdrew to the back room away from the bustle.

Finally, the last load was washed and hung flapping in the breeze. Charity and Isabelle turned their attention to the night's meal, preparing a stew from the rabbit and vegetables that Felicity had so kindly gifted to them. Samuel thought about the rabbit and then gestured Ezekiel outside. The two of them collected some supplies from the wagon and then trekked over the ridge and away from the village. They entered the woods and Samuel taught Ezekiel how to set snares for rabbits and squirrels and other such small creatures.

"I taught Ezekiel how to do this when he was a child. Perhaps I should have taught all of you at the same time. If a man can wash his clothes when it is needful, why should a woman not learn how to trap animals so she can put meat on the table? In the morning, when we return to check the traps, we should bring Charity as well."

They returned and washed their faces and hands using water from the rain barrel outside before joining the rest of the family for the evening meal. After they had eaten, they retired to bed. In the back room, Isabelle eagerly performed her wifely duties for Samuel while at the same time, in the front room, Charity did much the same for Ezekiel. Charity also continued to have both Hope and Ezekiel suckle at her breasts at every opportunity in the hope that her milk would start.

Early the next morning, Isabelle worked in the kitchen making bread and looking after Hope while the other three met up to check the traps. When Samuel saw Charity he stopped with a shocked look on his face. Charity had dressed in trousers and a shirt like Ezekiel and had her hair uncovered and hanging in the now familiar braid down her back.

Samuel grunted and scratched the back of his head.

"Are you also to become a man?" he asked.

"No, Father," replied Charity. "I am a woman and have no desire to be other than a woman."

"Then why are you dressed like a man? It is unseemly for a woman to be seen in such clothes."

Charity glanced sideways at Ezekiel who was wearing the same clothes and then looked back at her father.

"We are not going to be seen, Father. We go to scrabble about in the woods where no others will see us. A dress would be a hindrance in the woods. Ezekiel told me there was much crawling about and scrabbling under bushes to be done. A dress would quickly become torn and dirty. I simply chose clothes suited to the task."

Samuel grunted.

"Father, you are the only one who will see me," said Charity. "I would not walk through the village like this for fear of offending others but I hoped you would not be upset. If it is too much for you, I will go and put on a dress."

"No! No!" sighed Samuel. "I understand your reasoning. You do not offend me. It seems God has not finished laughing at me. Let us go before He finds another way to upend me."

Samuel turned and started walking towards the woods. As he walked, he could be heard muttering.

"I have now seen all three of my grown children wearing both dresses and trousers. It would not surprise me if next they would ask me to put on a dress."

Following behind, Ezekiel and Charity heard this and laughed. They caught up with him and walked each side of him — each with an arm looped through one of his.

"Perhaps so, Father," said Charity with her eyes shining with laughter. "Perhaps if we asked of you a task where a dress was most suited — then we would ask you to put on a dress."

"I managed the washing yesterday without needing a dress," grumbled Samuel. "I cannot imagine a task where a dress would be more suited than trousers."

Charity was about to make a joking reply but then she closed her mouth. She walked in silence for a time as she tried to think through the consequences of her father's statement.

"Being large with child," said Ezekiel as he ran his hand over the slight bulge in his belly. "Wearing a dress is much more suited to being large with child than wearing trousers."

"Indeed!" said Samuel with a serious expression on his face. "I imagine that would be true. However, I think God will spare me that particular task."

"Indeed!" laughed Ezekiel. "In that case, perhaps you will be spared the need to wear a dress."

"Perhaps," said Samuel. "That is good for I have no desire to do so."

Charity walked in silence and explored the feelings of walking while wearing trousers instead of a dress. The way the cloth moved against her skin felt quite different. She could stride along freely beside her father without struggle. She felt so much more exposed. Her womanly shape was much more visible like this. She could become accustomed to that. She had no doubt that trousers were better suited to any number of tasks. She shivered as she wondered if she had the courage to flout all tradition and custom by wearing trousers more often. This morning had been something of a sudden impulse rather than a carefully thought out plan.

Then she sighed. She could not hope to convince an entire village to permit her to walk around in trousers. They would call her a whore and whip her or throw stones to drive her away. The thoughts in her head were nothing but fancy. But wouldn't it be a thing of wonder if she could wear trousers as she worked in the fields beside her father.

They arrived in the woods and both Ezekiel and Charity listened attentively as Samuel continued his task of instructing them in the art of trapping and skinning game. The traps had caught two rabbits overnight and Samuel made them take turns removing the animal and resetting the trap.

They brought the two rabbits back to the house and washed up before sitting down to breakfast.

As they were cleaning up after breakfast, they heard a bell tolling in the valley. They went outside and looked down the slope to see the villages in their fine clothing making their way towards the church.

"It must be Sunday!" exclaimed Samuel. "In all of our troubles, we have completely lost track of the days."

The family went back into the house and quickly put on their best clothes. Then they walked along the ridge to the small church above the village. They were greeted as guests by the local villagers and welcomed inside.

The church was very similar to the one at their own village — a simple building with no decorations but for the plain wooden cross on the front wall. They all took their places on the simple wooden benches and joined the service. Charity had Hope sitting on her knee and Hope was happy to sit there quietly and play with the cuff of Charity's dress. The service was lead by one of the village elders in the absence of a regular minister. He gave readings from the Bible and lead the congregation in singing psalms. He gave a short sermon on the topic of adhering to the duties given to them by God and avoiding falling into sin. There were a few announcements — a babe had been born, a couple were to be hand fasted before the congregation on the next Sunday, Samuel and his family were welcomed, a group was formed to build a replacement bridge. The new bridge would not be built until the very end of summer when the river would be at its lowest but the timber needed to be cut so that it could be put away in barns around the village and seasoned. Finally the congregation stood together and sung the Lord's Prayer.

After the service, the villagers quickly dispersed back to their own homes.

Samuel and his family walked down the road to the ford and watched the river racing by. The water was still very high — covering most of the rock on the other side. It was clearly going to be at least another day before they could continue their journey.

The family returned to the small house up on the ridge and they sat around the table in the main room. Samuel took out the Bible and read from the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark — where Jesus taught the crowd using the parable of the farmer sowing seed. In the parable some seed fell on the road where it was eaten by birds and some seed fell on the hard ground where it grew but quickly withered and some seed fell among the thorns where it was choked and some seed fell in the good soil where it grew full and healthy. And then Jesus explained that in this parable the seed was the word of God.

Samuel then turned to his family as was his custom and asked what they thought was the meaning. They all sat and thought carefully.

Ezekiel said, "We must ensure that our hearts are clear and full of God's love. For as a farmer must prepare the soil, so must we prepare ourselves to hear God's Word."

They all nodded and thought some more.

"Are we the soil waiting to receive God's Word?" asked Charity. "Or are we carriers of the seed that God has sent out into the world that we may grow God's Word in a new place?"

"Or do we have within us already seedlings that are new grown which must be nurtured and fertilized," said Isabelle. "For surely we have heard God's Word and now we must strive to follow His path."

And so the discussion continued as the family struggled to understand the words of Scripture and apply that understanding to their own lives.

After the discussion had run its course they sat for a time of silence in contemplation. They finished the session by standing and joining hands and then singing together the Lord's Prayer.

After lunch, Samuel took out a grinding stone and spent time sharpening all of his tools and also all the kitchen knives. Once he was done, Samuel picked up a carving knife and a small piece of timber and started carving a small wooden doll for Hope. Isabelle sat in a chair outside the door where the light was good and sewed patches onto clothes where patches were needed. On seeing what Samuel was carving, Isabelle then took some cloth scraps and sewed a small dress for the doll. Charity and Ezekiel assisted both of their parents in their tasks at one time or another and also made time to play little games with Hope.

And so the Sunday passed quietly for the family.