Noah's Nickel

Excerpt from

Noah’s Nickel

Prologue

Ancient times

Noah steered the enormous wooden vessel as best he could. His family and animals were safe. They’d survived the Great Flood by building this enormous boat, ‘Thanks be to God.’

The water receded substantially, and more land appeared on the horizon. He almost landed on Mount Ararat, but decided that he should hide his ark. He’d just tell any survivors that he landed it on Mount Ararat, if there were any others who survived the catastrophic flood.

Another mountain appeared, and he steered the ark towards it.

Noah smiled. An enormous hole appeared in the mountain—the entrance to a large cavern. He aimed the ark towards the giant hole and counted his blessings. No one would ever find his beloved ark here. The wind picked up and blew the ark straight towards the cave’s entrance.

They floated into the cave. The ark’s roof barely cleared the entrance. It floated in the cave for days before the water receded.

Noah and his family stepped foot on dry land for the first time in ages. He even knelt and kissed the ground. Now he’d repopulate the earth with more humans and animals. But first, he’d block the entrance to the cave so no one would ever find and destroy his precious ark.

With the water now mostly receded, Noah studied the surrounding land and compared it to the maps he’d saved. Gasping, he realized they’d drifted thousands of miles from their homeland.

He wasn’t sure exactly where he was, but he knew that he was somewhere in China.

Chapter One

“Where are you taking me again?” Victoria Ventures asked her handsome fiancé, Tommy Manchester Garrison. His straight, sandy-blond hair, sea-green eyes, and Scottish accent reminded her of younger Ewan McGregor.

“Why can’t you just be surprised?” Tommy shook his head in frustration.

He drove the rental car from Magnolia, Kentucky to...wherever Tommy’s imminent surprise took them. But ultimately, they’d catch their flight tomorrow from Louisville to Los Angeles, then on to Shanghai. They were about to scratch another Disney park off their Bucket List.

“Thanks for coming, by the way.” Victoria referred to her Great-Grandmother’s funeral. She’d passed peacefully in her sleep at the age of 101.

Tommy reached his hand across the center console of the rental car and squeezed Victoria’s hand. With a sympathetic tone he said, “I’m sorry I never got to meet her when she was alive.”

“She lived a long life. Her social life was better than mine. She’d stay up until midnight playing Spades with her neighbors.” Victoria referred to Granny’s favorite card game. Snapping her fingers, she added, “Her mind was still sharp as a tack.”

“I’m glad we could change our flight to Los Angeles and still catch our International flight to Shanghai.” With one trip, they’d planned to visit all three Disney parks in Asia—Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

“Me, too. But I feel so guilty about going to Disneyland a few days after Granny’s funeral,” she sighed.

“I know. But you could use a vacation. And besides, from what you’ve told me about Granny, she would’ve wanted you to still go on this trip,” Tommy rationalized.

Chuckling, she said, “You’re right. She was always on the ‘go.’ If you said ‘go’ she’d grab her purse without even knowing where she was going.” Pausing, she turned to Tommy and asked, “Speaking of ‘go,’ can you at least give me a hint as to where we are going?”

“Fine, I’ll give you a hint. It’s three-hundred cubits long and costs forty dollars a person,” he said with an irritated tone.

Remembering that ‘cubit’ was an ancient measurement, Victoria held her arm out and studied the length from her fingertip to her elbow—one cubit. “A football game?”

“No, but a good guess. We’re almost there. Now, I need you to close your eyes for a bit. The signs will give it away and ruin the surprise.”

Sulking in her seat, she closed her eyes and said with an acquiescing tone, “Fine.”

Tommy parked the car, helped her out, and guided her to…the surprise.

“Okay, open your eyes in three, two, one,” Tommy counted down.

She opened her eyes, and incredulity flooded her. She hadn’t known what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this—an enormous wooden ship. Kicking herself, she should’ve figured out Tommy’s hint—three-hundred cubits long.

“God gave Noah the dimensions for the Ark in cubits. ‘And this is how you shall make it. The length of the ark shall be three-hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits,’” Tommy quoted Genesis 6:15. 

She stared in awe at Noah’s Ark.

Chapter Two

“I’ll admit, the Ark Adventure was pretty cool,” Victoria said from her First-Class seat on the plane headed to China. The seats laid back to form a bed. A half wall partitioned them from the rest of the passengers.

Squeezing her hand, Tommy smiled and said, “I knew you’d love it. But admit it, if I had told you where I was taking you, you would’ve rejected the idea.”

“Oh, absolutely. When I first heard about the Ark Adventure on the news, I laughed at the undertaking and predicted it would go bankrupt as a cheesy tourist trap. I mean, one hundred million dollars to build a full-scale replica of Noah’s Ark? That’s insane. But they did a magnificent job. And what a boost to Kentucky’s economy.”

“And you liked the zip line, too.” Tommy winked.

“Oh, heck yeah, I did. I’d never been on one before. I wanted to go on the one at the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, but when I saw that it was over the alligator pit, I chickened out.” She recalled her recent trip to Florida.

“They seem pretty safe. But I’m with you. I’d be the one that was riding it when it broke.” Tommy shuddered at the horrific notion.

“Be careful who you tell that to. You’d have to surrender your ‘man card’ for being afraid,” she chuckled.

Tommy reached into his pocket and retrieved a nickel. Flipping it in the air, he caught it and said, “But nothing bad ever happens to me if I carry my lucky nickel.”

“What’s lucky about it? Is it one of those rare, three-legged buffalo ones?” she asked, curious about her future husband.

“It’s somewhat valuable, but not enough to keep locked away. I found it on the grounds of Castle Garrison, right before I saw you get off that helicopter with Lilly. I thought I was pretty damn lucky to have met you. I’ve carried it in my pocket ever since.” Tommy kissed her cheek.

“Ah, you’re so sweet.” She kissed him.

“Noah must’ve had a lucky nickel, too. Or whatever their coins were called back then. God chose him and his family to survive the Great Flood.” She smirked.

“Rumors of the ark’s remains have filtered throughout the centuries, but there’s no definitive proof of its existence.” He arched his blond, right eyebrow with a quizzical expression.

“Except for the Bible, of course,” she bantered. “I’m surprised no one has found it. I mean, the Bible even says that ‘it came to rest on Mount Ararat,’” Victoria made air quotes with her fingers.

“Some rumors say that it was found, and that people flocked to take a piece of it as a souvenir and good luck talisman. Millions of believers supposedly took a piece of the ark. Thus, there was nothing left for us archaeologists to find,” Tommy explained.

“Or perhaps after ‘it came to rest on Mount Ararat,’ it didn’t stay there and floated somewhere else,” she argued.

“Or maybe Noah just lied about its final resting place to keep it safe,” he speculated with a shrug.

“Champagne?” An Asian flight attendant held a tray with filled champagne flutes.

“Yes, please. That’ll help me sleep on this long flight.” Tommy grabbed two flutes from the tray and handed one to Victoria.

Raising her flute, she said, “To Noah’s nickel.”

Chapter Three

“The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel! Are we staying there?” Victoria asked from the backseat of an Uber. Her tone oozed with excitement. ‘Like a kid at….’

“I’m afraid not, my dear. I originally planned to book our week here because it’s the most luxurious hotel in Shanghai Disneyland. But once I saw this other hotel, I knew I had to book it. It’s perfect for my young-at-heart fiancée. Plus, it’s closer to Disneyland.” Tommy grinned.

Slightly disappointed, she sighed as they drove past the fancy hotel. In the distance, gigantic Tinker Toys, several stories tall, caught her attention. Pointing, she said, “Tinker Toys. That must be a ride from Toy Story, like the one in Disneyland Paris. Funny, I don’t recall a Toy Story ride when I went online. Did we get a FastPass for Toy Story?” Victoria asked.

“Actually, those Tinker Toys are not in the park.” Tommy flipped through his iPhone.

“Not in the park? Then where….?” Before she finished her question, the Uber driver pulled up to the Toy Story Hotel.

Tommy simply grinned, obviously enjoying her immense surprise.

Clutching her hand over her heart, she gasped, “Oh, Tommy. It’s perfect, the Toy Story Hotel.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a big kiss.

“Whoa, get a room. Oh wait, you did,” the Uber driver joked.

They exited the Uber and wheeled all their luggage into the hotel lobby. They were immediately transported into Toy Story. Decorated with oversized toys, Victoria felt like she was in Andy’s room. Children squealed in a large play area with slides built into the oversized toys.

Excited about sliding down the cool slide, she pointed and said, “Oh, let’s go in there.”

Tommy kissed her hand. “You and your shiny objects. Promise me you ‘won’t grow up.’”

Victoria stopped abruptly, and disappointment washed through her. “Ah, man.” She snapped her fingers and stomped her foot like an agitated toddler not getting her way.

“What is it, my dear?” Tommy stopped next to her with a concerned expression.

Pointing to a sign, she slumped. The sign read, Ages 2-12.

Tommy chuckled, “We’re too old. Come on, let’s go see our room.” He gestured towards the elevator.

“Don’t we have to check-in?” Turning, she searched for the check-in desk.

“I just did, on my phone from the Uber.” Tommy held up his left wrist which sported a blue magic band. “Our bands are our room keys, park tickets, and FastPasses. Plus, we can use it to charge meals and souvenirs to our room.”

“Wow, how modern. I saw electric car charging stations on the drive here.” She marveled at the energy efficiency of Shanghai.

They arrived at their room and entered with a scan of Tommy’s magic band. The beautiful suite greeted them with framed pictures of Woody and Buzz Lightyear. A living room boasted a leather sofa, love seat, and chairs facing a giant flat screen television. A small kitchenette filled the corner nook. A large bedroom with a king size bed occupied the adjoining room via sliding doors. But the most spectacular part about the room was the amazing view—Disneyland Shanghai.

Drawn to the park like a moth to a flame, Victoria walked to the sliding glass doors and opened them. Stepping out onto the balcony, she marveled at the view. “Main Street USA.”

“Actually, here they call it, Mickey Avenue.” Tommy pressed his warm body against hers from behind, slid his arms around her waist, and kissed her neck.

Turning around, she asked, “Why am I feeling déjà vu?” She referred to their first kiss on the balcony of the Grand Floridian Hotel at Walt Disney World in Florida.  

“In keeping with tradition.” Tommy kissed her.

Savoring the long kiss with her soon-to-be husband, she pulled back and asked, “Now what?”

Tommy rubbed his toned abs and chuckled, “We eat.”