Eve caught her breath at the beauty of the place as they approached the area of the forbidden trees. Her tears had proven therapeutic in that they cleared away some of the tension and anxiety that Adam’s absence had caused. She remained a little upset with him but still would have preferred him to the present company. But she did have to admit that Slick had been a real comfort to her. He was quite charming with his sharp wit and quite funny as well. After she regained her composure and they were able to travel in a normal manner he had kept her in stitches with his antics. She would not have been able to find this place on her own although she suspected he might have taken a roundabout way to get here presumably to spend more time with her. She chose to regard that as a compliment and while she regarded him as a dear friend, she sensed that he would like to take their relationship to a more intimate level but hoped intensely that he would not indicate so.
The old man had a nagging feeling that something was amiss but was having trouble putting his finger on it. He had been concerned about his children since he had been forced to tell them how things had come about. He was sure that they had not understood everything he had explained but he was also sure that if they took the time and approached it together they would come to a reasonable understanding that would make their lives more comfortable. He did not want them to live in fear, either of the world around them or of him. But right now, something was not right. He thought perhaps the memories that he had unveiled for them during the night might have been more than they could bear. He had hoped that the memories would serve them and allow them to be more like their natural born children would be, but perhaps the whole idea of birth and death was too much for them to handle right now. If that were the case, he certainly did not know how he would be able to rectify it but he knew that he must go to them and offer them comfort if necessary.
As Eve and Slick settled back in the shade of the forbidden tree to relax for a while and rest up from their long hike, the first signals of hunger began to stir. She had only eaten a small breakfast and the stress of the morning and the walk had consumed much energy. She looked around for something to eat but the only food in sight was the fruit on the forbidden tree. It was the most beautiful fruit Eve had ever seen and the aroma of the blossoms permeated everything with the most delicious scent she had ever encountered. “I’m so hungry,” she said to Slick. “I think we should go into the forest and find something to eat then come back later.”
Slick looked at her incredibly. “We are sitting under a tree that bears the most delicious fruit in the garden and you want to go somewhere else to eat?” he asked.
“We can’t eat the fruit from this tree,” she replied. “Adam said if we eat the fruit from this tree we will surely die! Oh, Slick, I’m so hungry but I don’t want to die!”
“You won’t die if you eat this fruit. I eat it all the time and do I look dead to you?” he mocked.
“But the old man told Adam that if we eat it we will die!”
“Well, you will not surely die. The old man knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like him knowing good and evil,” he said as he stood to reach for a particularly perfect fruit. He took a large bite and began chewing it slowly. He pushed the fruit toward Eve, “Here, eat some! It is delicious.”
Eve looked at him in disbelief then at the fruit that was so close that she could smell how good it must taste. “Knowing good and evil,” she said. “Is this a desirable thing?”
“It is what makes the old man seem so smart and powerful. It is what allows me to live free in the garden and not have to answer to anyone. Don’t you want to be like the old man? To do whatever you want whenever you want? Here, take a bite!”
She could resist no longer. Taking the fruit in her slender hand she took a bite and began to chew. It was even more delicious than she had anticipated. The more she chewed, the sweeter it tasted. Finally she swallowed still not sure what to expect. As the delicious morsel slid down her throat she suddenly became aware of Slick’s hungry eyes leering at her in a way that she had not noticed before. She looked down at her naked breasts and suddenly she felt self-conscious about them being exposed to his glare. She noticed his eyes drop to the soft tuft between her thighs and her reaction was to cover herself with her hands. She quickly reached up and pinched off some leaves from the forbidden tree and held them in front of her covering her nakedness as well as she could.
As Adam reached the clearing, he spotted Eve and Slick under the forbidden tree. He saw that she was fidgeting with some leaves in front of her and that Slick was laughing uproariously pulling at them as though trying to take them from her. As he drew nearer they spotted him and Eve called out to him. Slick immediately turned and withdrew to the edge of the pond and pretended to be admiring the water lilies there. Adam approached cautiously. He expected Eve to be angry and he thought the best thing he could do was to start apologizing and not stop until she was ready to take him in her arms and forgive him. He opened his mount to speak his apology but noticed that a half-eaten fruit lay at her feet. “Have you eaten the forbidden fruit?” he gasped in horror. “Oh, Eve, are you dying?”
“Yes, I ate some of the fruit. It is delicious, and no, I’m not dying. I’m fine,” she said. There was no hint of anger in her voice.
“But the old man said we would die if we ate it,” he said.
“But Slick told me that was because he did not want us to eat it. When we eat it our eyes are opened and we become like the old man. Look,” she said. “I’m not dead. I have gained wisdom Adam. I feel wonderful. Here try this. Please, Adam, eat this and see what it will do for you. It tastes wonderful and it will give you wisdom. Please try it,” she implored, holding the fruit out to him.
Adam’s heart was pounding. He wanted to please Eve more than anything in the world, but he did not know if there would by a consequence for disobeying the old man, or if there was, what form it would take. He felt like his options were limited. He reached out and took the fruit and took a huge bite which he quickly chewed and swallowed. She was right. It was truly the best tasting food he had ever eaten. His head seemed to clear. Since last night, he had felt like he was walking in a haze of confusion. But now he seemed able to see through that haze. His new found memories were no longer just a blur in his mind. He was able to look at things clearly and judge the goodness or lack of it in them.
As he turned and saw Slick by the pond looking back at him and saw that Eve had tried to cover herself with leaves he suddenly felt exposed and ashamed. He turned and headed for the nearest clump of bushes that he saw. Beyond them in a small clearing was a fig tree. Its huge leaves will cover me, he thought as he gathered several. Nearby was some tall grass and he quickly broke off several long stems and twisted them into a make shift belt. Eve was at the fig tree now gathering her own leaves so he broke off some more stems of grass for her to use. As he finished fashioning a belt and necklace to hold her leaves, he thought he heard the old man coming.
“Shhh,” he shushed Eve. “We must hide from the old man,” he whispered. They ducked down in the tall grass and remained very still.
When the old man saw the serpent and the partially eaten fruit under the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, he knew things were dire. There was no sign of Adam and Eve except the partially eaten fruit so he knew they must be hiding. He called, “Adam, where are you?”
To Be Continued…
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