The moon was bright and easily lit the path along the lake. He recalled a spot along the bank that he had found earlier while looking for a particular kind of berry that he liked. It would be a good spot to sit and muse over his new found memories while enjoying a late night snack. When he arrived he gathered a large handful of the delicious fruit and sat down leaning against a large tree to enjoy it. He could hear the splash of fish as they broke the surface in pursuit of flying insects then fell back to the water clutching their prize. The moonlight was bright enough that he could see the white flash of their bellies as they slapped the surface with their tails to gain that extra couple of inches of height that could mean the difference between eating or going hungry. He thought about his new found memories as he squeezed the savory fruit one by one against the back of his teeth with his tongue releasing a flood of delicious juice that he swallowed before chewing the pulp. When he had finished all that was in his hand, his first thought was to get up and get some more but he was so comfortable and so relaxed in his thought that he dozed off into a deep trance like sleep even though he had not felt like sleeping when he left his bed.
The noise of the birds waking and the commotion that accompanies the passage of dawn into full day light woke Eve. The familiar sounds of the birds along with the awareness that she had actually dreamt of her parents comforted her as she lazed with her eyes closed for a few moments allowing herself to awaken slowly and relish the morning. She remembered then that she and Adam were supposed to go to that special place in the garden that Adam had seen yesterday with the old man. She was looking forward to the journey as she never tired of exploring her beautiful environment, and she especially looked forward to sharing the new adventure with the man that she loved. She opened her eyes fully expecting to see him either lying beside her or standing over her with his big hands full of whatever delicious morsels he had gathered for their breakfast. Much to her disappointment, he was not to be seen. He must be gathering our breakfast, she thought as she began her morning toilette. He had still not returned when she finished which alarmed and slightly annoyed her. She was accustomed to him being there when she awoke so his absence raised some concern. She called his name loudly but he did not respond. Now she began to worry. She settled for the fruit that was available at hand for her breakfast and was formulating a plan to search for him when Slick came by.
“Good morning, pretty lady,” he said cheerily. “Did you sleep well?”
“Hello, Slick,” she said. “I’ve been wondering where you were,” she added, ignoring his question. “You left so suddenly yesterday I didn’t get the chance to introduce you to Adam. Are you all right?”
“I could meet him now,” he replied, ignoring her question.
“Oh, Slick,” her eyes darted past him searching the shoreline. “He’s not here now. I don’t know where he is and I’m worried. He has never gone off like this before.”
“Perhaps he has gone off with the old man again,” he exclaimed, moving closer as he sensed her vulnerability. “Probably nothing to worry about,” he added reaching for her hand.
She yielded her hand to his, taking notice of the smoothness of his skin, and took comfort in knowing that someone else was close and sympathetic. “We were supposed to go see the forbidden trees today. Adam told me about them and the beautiful place where they are and I was looking forward to seeing it. But now, I don’t know what to do,” she said weakly, her eyes tearing up.
“It’s all right,” Slick said comfortingly as he tried to maneuver himself into a position to embrace her. She stepped back turning to survey the landscape looking for any sign of Adam’s approach, not really noticing the serpent’s subtle movements. “I can show you the forbidden trees,” he continued. “I have been there many times.”
“But I can’t leave without Adam,” she retorted. “What if he comes back and I’m not here. How will he know where I am?’’
“I’ll draw a large arrow in the dirt here that will point the direction that we have gone,” he said pointing toward the path. “He will know from the direction where we have gone and will come join us there.”
Since she had no better plan of her own, and she really did want to see the forbidden trees, this sounded reasonable so she consented. After another round of calling in several directions and receiving no response they were ready to set off. She vacillated between peevishness and concern. On one hand Adam had no right to leave her like that while she was asleep. If he had to leave he should have woke her up to tell her where he was going and when to expect him back. On the other hand he was gone and she could not think of what could be so important to him that it would take precedence over their trip to the forbidden trees, a trip that he knew she was anticipating with great excitement. So she was concerned that his absence might not be voluntary. “I wonder what could be more important to him than going to the forbidden trees with me?” she ventured.
Slick sensed the peevishness in her voice and thought for a moment to formulate an answer that would be sure to increase her dissatisfaction with Adam. “You know, that’s a good question,” he said. “I can’t answer for Adam, but for me I would answer absolutely nothing. Walking with you would always be top priority with me. But there must be something that has Adam’s attention,” he added trying to encourage her ire without seeming to.
“Oh, Slick, do you think so?” she asked. It was more of an acceptance than a question and was followed closely with a weak moan of despair as she turned toward him and began sobbing. He put his arms around her comfortingly, congratulating himself on this brilliant maneuver. By the end of the day, Adam would be out of the picture, and beautiful Eve would be his. They began walking again, more slowly now, and his arm remained around her and hers around him.
Adam awakened with a start. The sun which was usually still behind trees when he awoke was high above the tops of the tall trees on the opposite side of the lake. The direct rays coupled with the reflection off the water, flooded his eyes with light and partially blinded him. Confused at first, he wondered where he was but almost instantly recalled the events of the night. Panic set upon him as he remembered that he and Eve were going to leave early this morning to go to the forbidden trees. He knew she would be awake by now and probably be scared or angry to find that he was not there. He rebuked himself sternly as he started for home at a fast trot.
Getting there seemed to take forever . He did not realize that he had wandered so far last night. He looked around quickly, but Eve was nowhere in sight. He called to her and received no reply. Where can she be, he wondered, this time surveying the area carefully for any clue or sign that might indicate her whereabouts. Surely she would not have gone to find the forbidden trees by herself, he thought. His eyes fell upon something strange, something he had not seen before. A short stick was sticking up from the ground. She must have put it there, he thought as he hurried over to examine it more closely. The stick had been stuck into the ground in the middle of an arrow pointing toward the forbidden trees. It appeared as though she had indeed set off on the journey by herself. I’ll bet she is really angry, he thought. He figured she had every right to be angry with him after the stupid thing he had done going off like that in the middle of the night and then falling asleep somewhere else. All he could do was hope that she would forgive him and not stay angry at him for too long. He didn’t know if he could stand for her to be mad at him for very long. The very thought of it filled him with remorse and he knew as he set off down the path that he must find her as soon as possible and try to regain her favor.
To Be Continued…
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