They lay these gifts at the mouth of my cave

I have fled as fast as my legs could carry me, far out into the Judea Mountains, to hide from Saul—only to find out this new reality: I can no longer go unnoticed. I cannot disappear whenever I feel like being alone, because my new admirers are close behind me. They follow me everywhere, no matter how cleverly I try to evade them. 

“Shoo!” I wave my hand at them. “Go, go away! Look, your footprints leave a trail right here, in the dust, and guess what? It leads to me. The king’s spies are sure to spot it, and then... Then comes Abner, his first in command. He’ll sniff me out. I don’t want to imagine what he’ll do to me.”

“But—”

“No, no But! You’re putting me in danger, really, you are. Go back, go sing your praises elsewhere, not to me—but to the king!”

In reply, my fans crowd around me even closer. My heart softens a bit as they start serenading me. “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands!”

“Enough already,” I say, but to no avail. 

Boys and girls swarm all over the place, they come in droves, carrying bouquets of wildflowers, baskets loaded with fruit and baked goods, and bundles filled with dates, nuts, and raisins, in short, anything to help sustain me here, in the wilderness. 

They lay these gifts at the mouth of my cave and expect me to smile upon them with grace and gratitude. I do, even though I have no use anymore for what they bring, because I figure it would take years to consume all that food. 

Worst of all are the laurel wreaths, which my admirers insist on hanging over my head and around my neck. Usually I enjoy attention, but now, this is ridiculous! It has become overbearing, at best! Already, all this attention is beginning to choke me. 

And yet, I am afraid I can no longer live without it.

Last night I told them not to decorate Goliath’s sword—but did they listen? By the time I fell asleep, the damn thing was covered with vines and jasmine blossoms up to the hilt, to the point that no one could recognize it as a weapon. 

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A tale of madmen and kings, youth and old age, prison cells and freedom's ring. It's drawn from Biblical history, enjoyed through the eyes of modernity, and it vividly recreates character and place. 
-Sheila Deeth, Top 1000 Reviewer