Enoch’s eyes widened at the concept. Once he had mulled that statement over a bit, he thought, ‘There must be a mistake. I am nothing. I am weeds grown from mud. I cannot help.’

“We all come from the great primordial mud. And you are no weed Enoch, you are a rare and beautiful fruit, and this is no mistake. In time/space you may find that there is no such thing as a mistake. I have been watching you with great interest Enoch, you and many others. Out of all the fruits in the garden, I have chosen you. That is why you have been brought here, so I may share with you great secrets of the cosmos, so that you may help your kind find peace and prosperity.”

Thoth contained with great discipline the vast majority of the potent energy of his emotion. If he had not, the depth and gravity of it would have destroyed Enoch’s mind. 

Still Enoch wept. ‘Why? Why?’ he asked in his mind with great emphasis. ‘Why help any of us? Humans are cruel, selfish, and stupid. I am no exception. We think only of ourselves.’

Thoth pitied Enoch. “There is far more to you than you imagine. I saw you fend off the wolves to save your tribe. Were thoughts of yourself what compelled you to do this?”

Enoch scoffed. ‘Yes I saved my packmates, and this was my reward.’ he raised his injured, gangrenous hand. ‘A slow and painful death. The same pack mates I saved abandoned me and left me to die. The only reason I have made it this far is because my mate saved me, and I abandoned her as thanks.’

“Ah, but you did not abandon her. You were seeking the fruit of the peach tree when you stumbled upon the orchard. You did not do this for yourself, but for your mate. You are a shepherd Enoch, a keeper of your people. For this, you should feel great pride. For this, I have chosen you to give my messages to humanity, if you so choose of course. The decision is yours to make,” Thoth said, bowing slightly.

‘I can do no such thing. How can I give a message? I do not speak any language, or understand it.’ Enoch thought.

“You will learn the language of the Egyptians, and other languages too. You will learn to speak, to read, to write, to count. If you accept my tutelage, you will learn a great many things.”

Enoch shook his head and raised his gangrenous hand. ‘It is not possible. I am going to die. My wound is cursed.’

Thoth smiled and waved his arm. At the same time, he connected psychically with a device in the floor, signaling for it to raise. A panel in the stone floor slid to the side, and a sandstone pillar rose silently to a height of 4 feet.

The pillar was directly in the center of the room, adorned with intricate and beautifully symmetric carvings. On the top of the pillar, a small crystal pyramid rested. Floating a foot above it was an identical crystal pyramid, only this one was upside down. The beam of light coming from the ceiling lined up to the backside of the  floating crystal with mathematical precision.

“Enoch, if you could, please place your injured hand between the two crystals. I would like to heal it.”

Enoch took a step back, eyeing the strange device warily while he clutched his injured hand. ‘I understand. You will only heal my hand if I agree to be your messenger. Well, my price is higher than that. I do not care what becomes of me, but you must promise me that my mate and child will live in comfort for the rest of their days.’

“You mistake my intentions. I will heal your hand, and be sure your mate and child are taken care of no matter what you decide here today.” Thoth said.

Enoch scratched his head with his healthy hand. ‘What reason would I do what you want then?’

Thoth smiled, this was a crucial moment. “For the same reason that I will ever ask you to do anything, because it is the right thing to do.”

Enoch thought for a moment, then grimaced and walked up to the sandstone pillar. As Enoch approached, the floating crystal began to glow, growing in intensity until a pure white beam of light shot from the tip and down into the waiting crystal below.

‘I only have one more question,’ Enoch thought.

“To learn, one must simply ask.”

‘Did you already know that I would say yes? Before any of this happened?’ 

Thoth smiled. It was an emotion and image that flashed into Enoch’s mind, but physically, Thoth’s eyes sparkled when he smiled. “Nothing is certain.”

Enoch thrust his injured hand into the beam of light and watched in awe as the blackness around the nubs faded away, and a thin lattice of white bone formed, thickened, then became garbed in nerves and tissue, veins and blood, then finally, a sheath of unblemished flesh. 

Enoch pulled his perfectly restored hand from the beam and marveled at it. He looked at Thoth, then back at his hand. ‘Is this what you wish me to teach my people?’

“That, and so much more…”