Page 5 of The Golem of Mala Lubovnya
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Afew more weeks passed. Rabbi Eleazar did not come to the attic, which was both a relief and a torment. The golem continued to spend his days watching the masons. The youngest man paused in his work several times each day to look across the street and up at the attic window. He gave no sign that he saw anything, but he would frown a little. He probably couldn’t see through the glass since it was still grimy on the inside, and while the sky was bright, the attic was quite dark. The golem waved at him, even though he knew he was being foolish.
At night the golem had taken to removing his clothing completely so as to better explore his body. He found little creases and crannies that were especially sensitive to touch, like the lines where his legs joined his torso. He also felt as if something were missing, and he wished someone else would touch him as he’d been touching himself.
On a bright, blustery afternoon, the golem watched out his window as the glass rattled in its frame. The last of the bright leaves had fallen from the trees, and they now whirled and scurried down the street. Women tied their head scarves more tightly, and men held on to their hats. When a woman leaned out her window to flap a small rug, a passing donkey shied, causing its loaded cart to topple firewood onto the pavement. The donkey’s owner yelled at the woman before stooping to gather the sticks; she yelled back. The golem smiled. He enjoyed watching the little dramas that unfolded outside his attic.
Just as the man was loading the last of the fallen firewood, a carriage turned the corner. It was a grand, gilded thing pulled by a pair of chestnut horses. The golem had never seen anything so fancy on the street, and perhaps neither had anyone else, because people stopped to stare. The carriage wasn’t moving very fast.Clop-clopwent the horses’ hooves on the hard pavement, until the carriage halted in front of the shul. The golem had to crook his neck to see, and even then his angle was poor. He caught only a glimpse of a round, beardless man climbing out of the carriage and entering the front door.
Not long afterward, men came hurrying to the shul from every direction. Among them was the family of stonemasons. Loud voices rose to the attic—not praying but arguing. The golem stood near the door, wringing his hands, wondering if this was the danger Rabbi Eleazar had mentioned to him.
Those suspicions seemed confirmed when footsteps came from the stairway. The rabbi flung the door open, then recoiled slightly in surprise when he saw how close the golem was. He recovered quickly. “Follow me,” he ordered. His face was set in grim lines.
Their progress down the stairs was quick. Emotions roiled inside the golem’s head, and he couldn’t identify them all. Better not to try, he decided. Better to simply concentrate on his master’s orders.
But it was hard to concentrate on anything when they reached the large foyer on the ground floor and dozens of men gasped all at once. The golem froze. He wanted to bolt back to the safety of his attic, where there was nobody to stare and gape at him. Instead, he hung his head and gazed at the patterned stone floor.
“What isthat?” demanded a loud voice.
“A golem,” Rabbi Eleazar answered. “God has allowed me to create this creature to protect us. Blessed be the Lord.” He muttered a short prayer, and several of the other men joined in.
Someone stepped closer. The golem glanced up and saw that it was the man he’d spied getting out of the carriage. His head was bare, unlike the heads of the other men the golem had seen, and a golden cross dangled from a chain around his neck. “It’s certainly very large, Rabbi. A miracle indeed. But it can’t protect you from the duke’s soldiers, and it won’t protect you once the people in the city take up arms against you. I’m telling you, Eleazar. You and your people must leave before things get any worse.”
Leave? The golem imagined the street deserted. No more stonemasons or passersby, no more evening prayers. Would he be permanently abandoned in the attic, or would his master return him to nothing but globs of damp clay?
The golem couldn’t see the rabbi’s face, but he saw that the man’s shoulders were set straight and firm. “We will not leave, Gospodin Novák. This has been our home for centuries.”
“I know, I know. And I come to you now because we are friends and I respect you. You are a good man. But the plague has begun to spread again, already worse than last year at this time, and people whisper among themselves:Why are the Jews not stricken as we are?”
“We are not responsible for this plague! We have no quarrel with the gentiles, no reason to want them to die. All life is valuable to us, regardless of faith, and murder is a sin.”
The hatless man nodded. “I know. I think even the duke knows this. But… he is also badly in debt.” He shrugged. “If the whispers grow loud enough, he can easily stir people against you. And if you are accused of crimes or killed, he can seize your property. You know this, my friend. It has happened elsewhere.”
“It will not happen here.” Rabbi Eleazar turned to look at the golem. “Follow me. You will show Gospodin Novák what you can do.”
The gathered men muttered excitedly and followed as the rabbi and Gospodin Novák led the golem out the large front doors, down a few steps, and into the street. Women and children came running up, exclaiming loudly, as the crowd arrayed itself in a large circle. One face near the front caught the golem’s eyes: the youngest stonemason. His eyes were very round and his mouth slightly open. The golem gave him a small smile, but the man didn’t smile back.
“Unhitch this donkey,” Rabbi Eleazar commanded loudly. The donkey had been standing patiently, perhaps enjoying the respite from its labors. It didn’t complain as its owner untied it and led it a few feet away. The rabbi turned to the golem. “Lift that cart.”
The cart was large and awkward, but the golem got his arms underneath it and lifted. He was careful to not disturb the firewood. The burden didn’t feel especially heavy, but the onlookers cried out in surprise. The golem looked at his master and waited for the next order.
“Carry it away.” The rabbi pointed down the street.
The golem obeyed. The people backed away from him as he drew near.
“Bring it back,” the rabbi called.
The golem spun around. He retraced his steps and replaced the cart exactly where he’d found it. It jostled a little as he set it down, jarring a few sticks loose. He picked them up and placed them back atop the heap.
“Yes,” Gospodin Novák said, shaking his head a little. “It is very strong indeed. But I don’t see that it’s enough.”
“Then I will show you more. And you will tell the duke what you saw. He will not dare to send his men against us then.” Rabbi Eleazar looked around for a moment, until his gaze caught on a large tree. He pointed at a thick branch perhaps ten feet up. “Golem, break that off.”
The golem was sorry to damage a tree, but his master had ordered him. He plodded over, again scattering the crowd. He leapt up, grabbed the branch with both hands, and pulled, breaking it from the trunk. Again, the people gasped.
“Break it into small pieces,” said the rabbi.
The golem did, snapping the wood as easily as he might tear paper. It felt good to use his strength. For the first time, he wondered how much he was capable of. Without being told, he gathered the broken chunks of branch and set them in the cart.
