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90 bringing oblations in the morning" and at night "giving at- tention to dreams." In spite of all the suffering, Mankind was still around. The people's outcry—"bellowing" in Enid's words—only increased his annoyance. Previously he explained the need to annihilate Mankind because "its conjugations deprive me of sleep." Now, he said, "the noise of Mankind has become too annoying; their uproar deprives me of sleep." And so he made the other leaders swear that what is about to happen— the avalanche of water—would be kept a secret from the Earthlings, so that they would perish: Enlil opened his mouth to speak and addressed the assembly of all the gods: "Come, all of us, and take an oath regarding the killing Flood!" That the Anunnaki themselves were preparing to abandon Earth in their shuttlecraft was another part of the secret that the gods swore to keep from Mankind. But as all the others took the oath, Enki resisted. "Why will you bind me with an oath?" he asked, "Am I to raise my hand against my own humans?" A bitter argument ensued, but in the end Enki too was made to swear not to reveal "the secret." It was after that fatal oath-taking ceremony that Atra-hasis, staying day and night at the temple, received the following message in a dream: The gods commanded total destruction. Enlil imposed an evil deed on the humans. It was a message, an oracle, that Atra-hasis could not un- derstand. "Atra-hasis opened his mouth and addressed his god: 'Teach me the meaning of the dream, so that I may understand its meaning.’ " But how could Enki be more explicit without breaking his oath? As Enki contemplated the problem, the answer came to him. He did swear not to reveal "the secret" to Mankind; but could he not tell the secret to a wall? And so, one day, Atra-hasis heard his god's voice without seeing him. This DIVINE ENCOUNTERS