Joseph struggled to reach home. The blood from his ankle dripped and it itched. He stretched his arms down and unbuckled his sandal belt hoping that this would help him with his pain. The sandal was covered with sticky blood. Some of its color was already darkening from a red color into a brown one. His lite brown foot touched the ground and as soon as the skin felt the ground he squirmed in pain. The ground was hot as fire, rough and the bite on his foot hurt. He felt the wound pounding. Tears streamed down his face. He tried to walk a few feet in search of soft green grass, limping but the discomfort was too much for him. He sat down on a rock. He didn't put his sandal on immediately. Instead he just waited. As he did, sweat rolled from his forehead. His cheeks became red, like hot peppers and heaved trying to endure the pain. He knew that if he didn't receive medical attention he would lose his foot. He had to continue, but he didn't know how to do so. He began in between sobs and whispers to pray to the Lord.

"Lord... I am in pain... I can't walk. Help me. God, I love you and I offer this blood for you," he said pointing at his foot. Tears streamed down his eyes.

"God, help me. I was only doing my job. This wolf! Why did you create wolves in the first place?" He asked God with anger and tears streamed down his face again.

"God, I'm sorry. Please help me!" He said. He cried under the sun. His tears were cold against his cheeks and despite everything they did soothe him as he sat there. The foot ached and he remembered for an instant, the moment when the wolf bit him on his foot. Then, he saw something approach him. It was a lion. Joseph stopped crying immediately. He froze. In his mind he thought he was dead. He didn't whisper or moan or do anything. The pain of the foot didn't even exist because the fear of being devoured by the lion was worse. He knew that he couldn't outrun him. There was no way that he could save himself. The lion had a long, red mane. It walked with grace. His eyes dark, his muzzle large, as the rest of his body. The wind grazed the lion's beautiful mane and Joseph remained as still as a stone. Then, the lion stood, standing very still. He was at least standing there at a distance of maybe seven feet. Joseph had forgotten about his foot. His breath shook and he tried to remain calm. His tears stopped rolling off him and a line of water remained on his cheek. It was so hot outside though, that the lion roared in all of its might and splendor.

"God, my flesh will die, but my soul returns with you. I love you," Joseph whispered and she closed his eyes and squeezed them shut.

"That is why I have chosen you," he heard a low and loud, but beautiful, magnificent, royal voice. Joseph still had his eyes shut, but then slowly he opened them and saw that the lion was still in front of him. The lion laughed. Joseph's eyes opened wider and wider, stunned.

"Yes. I have chosen you, among the rest. For I have seen your heart and the hearts of your brothers and from all of them, I have chosen you, my son, to be mine. You shall be exalted," he said. Joseph licked his lips. He didn't know what else to do or say. He just stood still and wondered if this was another one of his strange dreams.

"It's not a dream," the lion replied. Joseph's jaw dropped.

"How did you know I was thinking that? Joseph asked him. The lion shook his head

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that I have come so that you could meet me personally. By the way, your mother wanted me to tell you that she misses you dearly," the lion said.

"My mother?" Joseph asked him. The lion gave him a quick nod and then the images of his dead mother Rachel appeared in his mind. Rachel was dressed white. Her hair was long and beautiful and no longer covered. It was dark and wavy, filled with life. Her skin seemed to have a beautiful glow and she stood with grace in front of what seemed like a huge mansion. Surrounding her were beautiful shrubs with fruits of red and yellow. He couldn't recognize what they were.

"They are the fruits of heaven,"the lion replied. Joseph heard the reply, but he never took his eyes off the vision of her mother. He missed her so much. Rachel had died while giving birth to his brother Benjamin and her time with her children had been shortened.

"Mom?" Joseph mumbled at her. His mother gazed up at him and waved. Tears streamed down Joseph's face.

"If this is a dream, it's the best dream I've ever had in my life," Joseph said. The lion walked towards him. The lion's shape and form made Joseph shudder, but his presence calmed him. The lion approached him and then he placed his head under Joseph's chin. Joseph nervously touched the lion's mane.

"Joseph, I'm here to bless you my son. May God bless you with your anointing. I always loved you since the day you were inside of me until the last day I set my eyes upon you. I want you to know that my love will always be with you. Always. Never forget that I'm always going to be in your heart although, now, I give you to your real father, God," Rachel said and then the cloud that had opened to allow him to see where his mother was began to disappear.

"Mom," he whispered.

"She is fine, Joseph. She has served her purpose here," the lion told him.

"Am I dreaming?" Joseph asked the lion. The lion smiled.

"What do you think?" the lion asked him. Then, the lion distanced himself from Joseph.

"Where are you going?" Joseph asked him. The lion walked on. His tail moved very slowly, its hair waved in the wind.

"What's important isn't where I'm going, but where you're going," the lion said. Joseph looked down at his wounded foot. Then he looked to see the lion, but the majestic animal was gone. He saw his father's tents and property like fifteen feet away from him.

"What? But... how is this possible?" Joseph asked to himself. How could he reach the valley of Hebron when he was still at Shechem? That was like a seven dog walk! He looked at his foot and it was stained with blood. He moved his foot in circles and it felt better.

"Joseph!" A little boy shouted with a huge smile. He had beautiful, short, dark curls and cinnamon, brown colored skin, just like Joseph. He had big, brown eyes, and very long and beautiful eyelashes, just like Joseph. The was dressed in red and white.

"Benjamin!" Joseph said. He waved and smiled back at the boy. He got up from the rock and he walked towards the boy who was already running towards him. A woman was running after the boy. She had a long white and purple dress. Her red, brown hair was completely covered and she wore a turban over her head.

"Benjamin, leave Joseph alone!" She said. Benjamin crashed into Joseph's arms. Joseph moaned.

"Benjamin!" The woman scowled at the boy, but Joseph waved at her.

"Dina, no it's okay," Joseph said, but Dina looked down at him and noticed Joseph's bleeding foot.

"Joseph, what happened to your foot?" She asked him.

"I got bitten by a wolf," Joseph explained. Dina's jaw dropped.

"What? Come, come, brother Benjamin," Dina told him. Joseph followed both of his siblings down the hill towards his father's tents and he noticed that he no longer needed to limp. He walked fine.

"It's a miracle," he said. Dina tilted her head towards Joseph. Little Benjamin reached out his hand to grab Joseph's hand. His big brother took the hand.

"What do you mean?" Dina asked Joseph. Joseph was laughing and jumping. Dina placed her hands on her hips.

"What is going on here?" She said looking at him suspiciously. She raised one of her eyebrows. Joseph was laughing.

"I've been healed. He healed me!" Joseph shouted with joy.

"Who?" Dina asked him.

"The lion!" Joseph replied. Dina shook her head and moved forward towards her father's tents.

"You're crazy," Dina said as the three of them approached the tents. The women there were feeding grains to the camels. Joseph waved at one of them, Zilpa. She was wearing a simple, white gown with a blue belt. She waved back at Joseph. The one hump camels bowed their heads to eat the grains. Zilpa was petting a camel. Joseph walked by the animals' pen towards the main tent. There were five large tents that formed a huge circle. It looked like a huge mansion tent. The tents were made with goat hair. Some areas were grey and others were dark. An old man with gray long hair, with a mustache and long beard came out of the main tent. He was wearing a simple gown with a red belt and coat.

"Joseph? What's going on? Why are you here all alone? Where are your brothers" Jacob asked him.

"They're at Shechem, father. I was... bitten by a wolf," Joseph said. Jacob immediately walked towards Joseph to look at his wound. He was worried.

"Where?" Jacob asked him.

"Here,"Joseph said pointing at his foot.

"Quick, come into the house, quick!" Jacob instructed and Joseph obeyed.