Rousing himself from his exhaustion, Shimshon rolled over, got to his feet shakily, and then followed the smell into the nearby forest

S

himshon awoke as the golem finally stopped running through the forest. He blinked and saw the sun setting in the sky. Before them lay a giant river that seemed to stretch until the ends of the earth. The river was shimmering, rippling as it reflected the deep-red rays of the setting sun.

“Reb Shabsi, where are we?”

“Who knows?”

The golem knelt and tenderly plucked Shabsi from his back, placing him on the bank overlooking the vast river. Shimshon slid down the golem’s shoulder, landing hard on the soft ground.

“Ouch!”

“He’ll take you off, my boy, no need to slide off.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Of course, you can trust him, silly child. Pinchas is very trustworthy.”

“But he’s still a golem, not a human being. We have to be cautious.”

The golem glowered at Shimshon, then stretched out on the ground and closed his giant eyes. He began to snore immediately as he fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.