Adam and Eve

Part One:

Adam and Even gaily made their way known with all the animals in the garden of paradise that was created for them by God. The Lord had landscaped it until it was perfect. One fine summer day Adam and Eve were walking in the flawless garden and spake thus to each other:

Adam: “You will never know how much I love you,” he said pulling her to his side carelessly as they walked together holding hands.

Eve: “My love for you is deeper,” she whispered with a smile as she spun around in front of him. They kissed deeply in the warm sunshine when suddenly appeared God who spake thus:

God: “Greetings, my children. I hope this perfect day that I hath made pleases thee above and beyond.”

Adam: “Yes, Lord. Most pleasing.”

God: “Why speakest thou tone so? What forlorns thee?”

Adam: “Why Lord, it is our hearts that are always exposed and susceptible. It is thee who knoweth all. Yet there art none like us.”

God: “Glaciate not thine heart toward me, Adam, for all is for thee and it is perfect.”

Adam: “Ifsoever I try to cloak anything let it be my immedicable heart, oh Lord.”

God: “I am the Lord who is creator of all. I am the Eternal One lasting evermore.”

It was here that God created a shade tree and a picnic which appeared with dinner rolls and red wine. They all sat down on the lush grass and with the wave of his finger God created white puffy clouds which provided a severe reprieve.

Adam and Eve sat quietly, inly waiting for God to speak, yet he did not. So Eve thus spake:

Eve: “Father, cans’t thou describe thy love for me?”

God: “It is a selfless love that I have for all my creations.”

Adam: “My Father, there art no secrets with thee. Thou knoweth my heart. So tell me why are my feelings for my woman different than my feelings for thee and thine zebra, Lord. Alak! They are different from all other longings. I looketh into her face and I see my yearning. Why is this? It is as if though I suffer and languish in the moil of my desire.”

God: “It is so that I rested on the seventh day. I hallowed that day and blessed it. It was in the erstwhile days that I fashioned the Earth and the heavens and yet no herb nor lily of the field had sprung. So it was then that I created rain and a great spring that came up and watered the earth. There was no one to till the earth or to prune the forsythia and azaleas. It was erelong from the dirt that I made man, thee, and gave thee the name Adam. And I breathed into thine nostrils my very own breath so as to give thee life because I am a life giver.

“I gave thee this garden here in the East and dominion over all the animals that shall ever be. It was the entire land of Havilah which is full of gold and onyx that I gave thee. I commanded thee to rule over the animals and to till the land by the river Euphrates, the fourth river. I gave thee everything with the exception that I spoke to thee and said, ‘Adam, thou may freely eat of every fruiting tree of the garden that I hath made for thee, but of the tree of knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil, thou may not even touch it or thou will surely die.’

“Yet, it was on such a perfect day as this that thou were forlornly and sad, depressed and grieved. I asked, ‘why in such a paradise as this art thou so?’ You were not happy with the animals because they couldn’t speaketh as thou doth speaketh, for they each have their own language that is true unto their own kind. And you were lonely and without any help whatsoever. So I cast a deep sleep over thee in which I took a rib from thine cage and made for thee a helpmate as a partner. It is true I saw that it was not good that thou should be alone. And even now thou nameth her woman; flesh and bone of thine own flesh. Is it true?”

Adam: “Yes, Lord.”

God: “And then it shall be henceforth that thee shall be the example, Adam, of why men shall leave their father and mother to become one with the woman as in one flesh. I hope this will relieve thy yearning.”

And with these final words God left the garden in peace and turned a blind eye to Adam and Eve and their nakedness for the first time. But it was the garden snake, Nahas, that was watching and listening. The snake was the craftiest of the animals and could speak to Adam and Eve in their own language. This came as a surprise to Adam and Eve. So the snake was crafty and entered thus:

Nahas: “Hello, good friends. My name is Nahas. I trust you are well. The Lord sent me here to meet with you. He is aware of the fact that you and the lovely animals of the garden cannot speaketh amongst each other with the same language. I asked the Lord to bless me with thine language so that we may communicate with each other as friends should.”

Eve: “How amazing is that!”

Adam: “That is great, forsooth! Shall the other animals speak with us also?”

Nahas: “Nay, they shall not. God has gifted only me with thine tongue so that I may tell you something.”

Adam: “What is this that God wishes us to know?”

Nahas: “Was it not said by God that thou may eat of all the fruit of the garden but one, Adam?”

Adam: “Yes, He said that I may eat of all the fruiting trees of the garden but the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, nor shall I even touch it lest I shall die.”

Nahas: “Yes, precisely. But He told you this before He created the woman, so the rules do not apply to her. Thus she may eat of this fruit if she desires and not die. God realized that you were under the impression that she may not eat from it also. This is why thou hath never shown it to her.”

Adam: “Yes, God forbade me to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge when He placed me alone in the garden. I agree it must therefore be safe for her to eat.”

Eve: “Shall I try it then? Where is it?”

Nahas: “Follow me and we can all walk together to the tree of knowledge in the center of the garden.”

And with those words spoken, Nahas, Adam, and Eve walked to the center of the garden laughing and joking in search of the tree of knowledge. God still had His eye turned to their nakedness and knew not what was happening.

Nahas: “See that beautiful tree with the pink and white flowers abounding? It is that fruit, Eve, which thee may freely eat of.”

Adam: “Yes, Eve, please try it. I was the only one told not to.”

Nahas: “Try it freely, Eve, and tell us how it taste. How does it feel?”

So Eve studied the tree carefully before making her selection. She walked under its branches and waved her long white arms through the green leaves and stems of the tree, ever so delighted at finding that the tree even existed. And for the first time she was excited to explore, to learn and know, just from having touched the tree.

Nahas: “Go ahead, dear. Give it a try.”

Eve: “I can hardly decide which one. They are all so beautiful and shiny. I am lost.”

Nahas: “There, the one hanging lowly on the branch. It is ripe for the picking.”

Eve reached out her beautiful, slender, pale arms and with eager fingers anticipated in her mind how it would taste. She swallowed loudly as her nervous throat began to tighten up under the anxiety. She reached for the fruit and touched it. Then, slowly, she raised the heavy fruit to her watery mouth and deliberately placed it to her lips.

She kissed it for a moment and noticed how delightful it smelled. Her throat and mouth were full of water from the effects of the fruit into which she took a loud crunching bite. She chewed loudly with enthusiasm as a new wonderful flavor burst forth.

Nahas: “Is it not so bad after all?”

Eve: “It is perhaps the most spectacular thing I have ever tasted!”

Snake: “Now, Adam, knowing that God is fair and just, dost thou thinketh the Lord will allow for thine woman to eat of this fruit and not thee also? Are not all things equal in the eyes of God?”

Adam: “I was told it would kill me should I even touch it.”

Nahas: “You will know nothing of death, Adam. Give her a kiss.”

Adam: “What meanest thou?”

Nahas: “Hath not her lips touched the fruit? How long shall you walketh in the garden without kissing thy partner who hath eaten of a simple fruit? Giveth her a kiss.”

And so Adam leaned in and kissed Eve on the lips.

Nahas: “See, you are still alive. This too you shall eat and you will live. This is a promise.”

So Eve reached into the tree and plucked another beautiful fruit body which she so pleasantly handed to Adam who also ate and did likewise enjoy.

Adam: “It seems that thou were right. It is because of thine knowledge, Nahas, that we are in great spirits! Thank you so much.”

Nahas: “Don’t forget me, friends.”

Eve: “We will never forget thee, Nahas.”

And with this the snake went away and Adam and Eve played in the garden together under the pretense that God was no longer watching them. They basked in the sun with their nakedness and touched each other like little children do as they grow up and begin to explore themselves. God saw this and became angry with their indecency.

God: “Hello, my children. Wherefore art thou on this perfect day that I hath made?” the voice of God called out.

Adam and Eve jumped up and being aware of their nakedness began to search frantically for a way to conceal themselves.

Eve: “Adam, look here! We can use these large fig leaves to conceal ourselves and God will never ask why we are doing thus,” she said as she scrambled to tie the fig leaves together. They helped each other quickly and had concealed their bareness before God made His way upon them.

God: “Greetings, my children. What a fine day today is. Is it perfect enough for you? How is the temperature?”

Adam: “Yes, Lord. It is another perfect day that thou hath created. So much to live for and be thankful for.”

God: “What do you think, Eve?” God asked the woman who became severely bashful and unable to speak as she tilted her head toward the ground. “What is this contraption you have cloaked yourselves in? What behavior is this?”

Adam: “Eve thought it would be a good idea to cover ourselves because we were naked.”

God: “Is this true, Eve?”

Eve: “Yes, Father. I was ashamed for our nakedness when thou called out.”

God: “Who told you that ye were naked!?” God inquired angrily as He began to shake. A darkness began to cloud the sky for the first time and Adam and Eve began to tremble. The wildlife of the garden could not be found nor heard. Mighty quakes in the earth began far away and volcanos began to open up. Giant tsunamis made their presence known at the borders of the earth and all the fish did hide even down deep. Only the snake, Nahas, peaked out from a distant corner of the garden and did enjoy the spectacle.

Eve: “It was one of the animals thou created Father.”

God: “Quiet! Hold thine tongue woman. You were an afterthought of my design and are no longer allowed to speak when I am present. Now tell me, Adam, who told thee that nakedness was of thine ways!”

Adam (trembling): “Lord, it is true. The woman doth not lie. It was thine garden snake, Nahas, that said Eve could eat of the tree of knowledge because it was only I who was forbade to do so.”

God: “What ignorance! Now ye have cursed thineselves forever! Neither of ye shall stay in my perfect garden any longer. It is now, woman, because you hath been foolish enough to listen to the snake, that thou shall bring forth children with great pain and misery. This will be thine lot, woman! And for thee, Adam, whom I created to till the perfect earth in happiness so that it may bring forth fruit for thee, shall toil away the long hours of the day and it will yield but very little for you in return. This shall be thine lot, Adam!” And it was thus that God lengthened the day by three hours that Adam may till longer the hard ground.

Nahas: “Now, now. Harken to all this anger and wrath! I only know of one person capable of such atrocious behavior! Look at how he deals out punishment for mere nakedness upon a man and a woman who are, after all, alone in this perfect garden that sits in the East. Where they not created so?”

God: “Nahas, thou hath caused me great sadness. Upon my perfect creation thou hath played the deceiver. For this you will surely pay the price. Henceforth this moment, thou shall crawl upon thine belly and devour the dust of the ground. The man will seek to kill thee in all of his future days and generations to come and the woman shall curse and fear thee. Thou will be devoid of feelings, happiness, and family. Nary a friend shalt thee ever have upon this earth and thou will spend out all thine days hiding from all of its inhabitants who will seek to crush thee underneath their hoof! Thou shall be devoid of a heart and only in the sun shalt thou find but a moment of warmth from thou cold world.”

Nahas: “Is that really necessary? To curse generations who have yet to come? Who have yet to appreciate thou kindness and love, oh Lord?”

God: “From this moment!” God shouted and Nahas fell to the ground and slithered away before the woman who shrieked with a great voice. It was now that Adam truly feared God for the first time.

Part Two:

As the Earth and all the inhabitants of God’s great and perfect creation began to settle, Adam and Eve began to live a life of peace once more. Adam no longer felt such a yearning in his heart as before, as Eve had now conceived their first child, Cain.

Eve: “Adam, it has been with the help of our Father that I have conceived our firstborn. Do you think he will allow us to do so again? For I think it will be nice for Cain to have a younger friend to play with.”

Adam: “We will always try and pray for Father to continue to bless us.”

It was during Cain’s first year that Eve brought forth another son which they called Sable. Both children were happy little babies and gave Adam and Eve much joy. But it was with their third child that God took the opportunity to remind the woman of how angry He still was with her. This story was left out of the first version but is as follows:

Eve: “Behold, Adam, I am again with child. This shall be our third. We will bring even more light and joy upon the Earth once more.”

Adam: “It is truly my cup that runneth over and my life which abounds with joy. We have so much to be thankful for.”

It was so that during Eve’s first twelve weeks that she was tired and weary. It was a more burdensome pregnancy than that of the first two of Cain and Sable. Though many things were by now expected; the swollen breasts, the almost constant urge to urinate, and her back was in tremendous pain. There was a constant ache which moved around her lower back and poor Eve could never get comfortable. But she often remembered the words of God who said that she would bring forth children with great pain. However, she could not have imagined that it would be a constant aching pain, a pain that throbbed throughout her entire body.

This pregnancy also brought with it much vomiting and nausea. It was guaranteed that every morning, regardless of the night’s sleep, she was going to be sick. This only exhausted her even more and by the time the mornings were over, all she could do was sleep. She often pleaded with God for a moments rest from pain and nausea but He seemed to be completely absent from their lives since the garden.

Eventually, the feelings in her belly of a moving baby reminded her of why she was willing to endure so in the first place. Children were a true delight to her and Adam. Her belly began to swell more and more with each passing week. She moved about with her arms constantly around her belly as she held the child to be. As the mornings became more bearable, Eve proved to be a woman full of color and warmth as she eagerly anticipated the arrival of their third child.

Eve: “This child will not be as the other two for he moves and tosses much differently than Cain and Sable did,” Eve spoke one glorious day with her arms underneath her belly.

Adam: “The child will bring us much happiness. We will have much to do when he arrives and shall make sure that his happiness and health are our main concern. His brother’s will love him.”

It was during week thirty that Eve noticed that the child in her belly became quite still. The child no longer moved about as it had done previously. She began to bleed heavily one day and concern for the child began to rise in her mind.

Eve: “It is as if though the child has left me. I can no longer feel the child moving, nor can I coax him to do so. It has been several days already. What is the child doing?”

Adam: “This is not something we have experienced before. Where is God with our answers?”

Later as the evening turned into night, Eve became tired from the loss of blood which burdened her throughout the previous days. She wished to be alone so she went and laid down inside the tent. Later in the night, as Adam was sleeping with they boys in the opposite tent, Eve began to cry out in agony unlike ever before.

Adam: “My dear, what is wrong!” he shouted as he ran to the tent flap and pulled it back. There before him, stretched out on the blankets, was Eve holding a dead infant against her breasts. She was covered in blood and fluids which saturated her covering. Tears flowed from her face as she cried looking at the dead child.

Eve: “It was a girl,” she acknowledged, “but why isn’t she moving?” she said through the tears never looking away from the child who was pale and gray.

Adam: “She is dead. How can that be? We have God on our side.”

Eve: “She can’t be dead. How could she be born dead?”

Adam: “We must ask God to take the child with Him.”

Eve: “No, I’m not ready,” Eve said as she began clutching the child against her bare breast once more.

Adam: “Dear, you must let go,” and he took to his knees and held out his arms to accept the child, but she couldn’t find it in her to let go.

Eve: “She is mine!” she cried.

Adam: “Hold her if you wish. But let’s pray.” And with that they prayed loudly and shouted unto the Lord who did appear as an Owl.

Owl: “It is sad that the child was not able to live. I am still angry with ye from thine behavior in the garden. Ye will only know suffering and languish from all thine efforts henceforth. Take the child to the bottom of the foothills and bury her there. She will come to me and await thine own arrival in my heavenly kingdom,” thus spoke the Owl who disappeared as quickly as He had appeared.

Adam and Eve were upset but planned to do as the Lord had told them. Adam decided to go alone in the night so that Cain and Sable would not have memories of their father putting the child into the ground. He navigated his way to the foothills as instructed and laid the child near a large rock and fell upon his knees.

He cried by a stream that gently flowed nearby and made a soft trickling sound. He took a stick from the edge of that stream and began to dig with earnest into the ground where he was to place the dead infant. When the hole was finished, he took the child which was wrapped in a white cloth, and gently placed her into the ground. It was the strangest and strongest feeling Adam ever had to endure; that of burying his very own child. It was now that a forlorn Adam, with the grave packed firm, began to trek homeward in the late hours of the night.

Part Three

Another year went by and Adam and Eve were both ready to embrace their opportunity to bring another human into the world and give it the happiest life they possibly could. They were worried about the happiness of their children growing up without the actual presence of God in their life, but they knew they could always count on His presence in their heart.

Eve was by the river when a sudden nausea came over her. She felt heated and dizziness followed the sickness. She was able to wash her face and returned to Adam as quickly as she could.

Eve: “It seems as if though I may be with child again.”

Adam: “That sounds incredible. But thou dost not look well, will thee go and lie down?”

Eve: “I must. I feel exhausted and have not done very much today. I became sick suddenly down by the river and I still feel faint and feverish.”

So it was that Eve went to the tent and lay herself down in the quiet to relax. Adam was beside himself at the prospects of having another child. Would it be a boy or a girl?

As Eve was sleeping Adam and their two sons, Cain and Sable, sat in the soft grass under a shade tree playing with a basket of fruit.

Adam: “See here, Cain, this is a strawberry. It is red and has a sweet flavor. Do you like it?” And he would give the young child a bite of the fruit and watch him carefully as he chewed it. Likewise, Sable would be given a piece of fruit from the basket and Adam would explain its color and flavor.

Adam: “Sable, this is a banana. It is yellow and even sweeter than the strawberry. Do you like it?” And he would give both children a small piece of the banana and watch them eat it with smiling faces.

The days grew into weeks and thus it was so that the weeks became months. It was in the cold at the end of the year that a new voice cried out in the still of the starry night for its mother’s breast.

Eve: “He is surely a cute and healthy child is he not? Look how he peers out of tiny eyes.”

Adam: “What shall his name be? Didn’t you mention that you liked Luke?”

Eve: “Yes, but I have changed my mind about that. I think Able is a very fitting name.”

Adam: “So it is Able that he shall be called.”

Eve: “What a tiny head fills my left eye.”

Adam: “Yes, and look at those grubby hands!” he laughed.

Eve: “Can you imagine how small his heart must be?”

Adam: “Your face is so peachy, dear. It’s not just the child that looks amazing in these moments.”

Eve: “Bring the others here.”

And so Adam brought back Cain and Sable to place before them the new child.

Eve: “See, this is your brand new brother, Able,” she whispered softly.

Part Four

And it was so that over the years, Adam and Eve watched their children, Cain, Sable, and Able, grow older with each passing day. The children could be seen reaching and grasping for things, trying to walk on unsteady feet, and with each milestone of Adam and Eve’s parenthood, each child’s first for today became one less first for tomorrow. Every birthday celebrated was just a reminder of the time that has ever so quickly passed. It was not to be easily forgotten that no longer would anyone live forever. Every feat for each child was a bittersweet moment in the book of time gone by for the parents.

Eve: “Adam, as I watch our children play, I know that we have been good parents. We have made grave mistakes with our own lives but we have done really good with the kids. Do you think it will make a difference when they are on their own?”

Adam: “Remember that the Lord said that our sons will leave us to start out on their own someday. It can only be hoped that the Lord would not send bad people out into the world.”

Eve: “They are outgrowing their clothes so quickly. I can hardly keep up. Their tiny little baby feet are now the feet of young boys. It is so hard to comprehend. Each day that passes I am teaching them more about how to get along in this world without me as opposed to how to continue in this world along side of me.” After making this statement Eve began to sob and Adam took her into his arms.

Adam: “I do not think that they shall ever abandon us. That was not the Lords intention. But they will never grow up and have children of their own if it was up to us. We would only keep them as children forever.”

Eve: “Sometimes I watch them play with each other and it is really neat to watch each one develop into their own being. I am so amazed when one does something on their own in their own way. Daily they are teaching me who it is that they will become. Think about that. My own children teaching me who they are and who they are going to be as each day passes, not the other way around.”

Adam: “It is fascinating when I bathe them. Cain and Sable love water as much as the beaver, but Able would rather go dirty year-round. They are each becoming their own.”

The years grew upon the children and the three boys, now teenagers, were as strong and sturdy as their father. Cain took after his dad and became a great tiller of the land, working hard all the long hours of the day. Abel was a strong man as well and became a keeper of many head of sheep. Sable was a helper of both his brothers and his father.

One day Able decided that it would be a fine opportunity to make an offering of his fattest firstborn livestock to the Lord. He took three fat firstborns to the offering table and slit their throats with a long knife. The sheep each fell to the ground and shook as blood spewed from their throats until their life was gone. Able placed the stock onto the stone table and built a fire which consumed the stock and made a great smoke unto heaven. It was obvious that God took delight and was pleased that Able had slaughtered the baby sheep.

The next day Cain took his best crops and placed them on the stone table. He tried to build a fire, but only smoke blew into his face and eyes causing him to cry out in anger.

Cain: “This is bullshit! Why won’t the fire start! Why!” and he took his offering and threw it onto the ground cursing the entire time and stomping the fruit and vegetables.

Able: “What is it that causes my brother’s wrath so?”

Cain: “Well if it isn’t the most favored and beloved of all. Come Able let us talk.”

So Cain and Able took a walk into the farthest reaches of the field.

Cain: “Hast thou forgotten that I was here first? That I am the oldest? I have taken up father’s work as a tiller of the land. How hard can it be to watch sheep grow and multiply?”

Able: “Yes, thou art the first born. I am just thine follower and younger brother. I have not the skill for tilling. Dost thou wish to share the load in some way? Is there something more that I can do for thee?”

Cain: “You can stay the hell out of my way! You are always favored with the Lord, father, and mother. Everyone is always so pleased with all thou doth, yet thee are weak like the sheep you keep!”

With these last words Cain reached down and picked up a large stone. He tackled Able to the ground and after a great fight, Cain had his knees on Abel’s chest with the stone high above his head ready to come smashing down.

Sable: “Stop! Cain!” Sable shouted as he came running up from behind and tackled Cain to the ground.

Cain: “What is this? Why art thou here!?” he said, peering at his brother.

Sable: “I followed thee after thou tried to make thine sacrifice. I tried to call out to thee, but thou were too far away. Today is the Sabbath which is why the fire would not start. We are not to make fires on the Sabbath. Try again tomorrow, but do not be angry with thine younger brother, rather, be his leader and example of how to live.”

Cain: “Today is the Sabbath? How could I have forgotten!? I thought the Lord was rejecting my offering.”

Able: “Let us go home, Cain. I will give thee two of my best sheep in return for some of thou fine vegetables and fruit. Tomorrow you can offer the sheep up to the Lord.”

Cain: “I am sorry, Able. Never again shall I rise up against my brothers in anger. Please forgive me.”

And it was so that these things happened.

END