Eve, Adam & The Serpent

Chapter I: The First Covenant

So it was that they were cast out of the Garden of Paradise. Within those walls stood numberless trees bearing fruits of such sweetness that no tongue could rightly describe them. And in the very centre of the garden stood two trees: the Tree of Eternal Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was of this second tree that they ate. And so, having disobeyed, Adam and Eve were driven forth, and the Serpent departed with them.

They sat together beneath a tree, outside the gates. Their faces were pale with shock. They could scarcely understand why they had been sent away from all they had ever known. But as the hours passed, and the truth settled heavy upon them, shock turned to rage. They began to shout. To curse. To blame one another for what had come to pass. This was the first quarrel between man and wife, and though it did not last long, while it burned it was fierce. They were angry not at God, not at the world but only at each other.

In time, their fury spent itself. They fell silent, and shame rushed in to take its place. The guilt upon their faces was heavier than any they had felt even when they stood naked and afraid before God in the garden. They were new to such emotions as anger, regret, and the sharp sting of words spoken in haste. But when the fight was truly done, they held no grudges. No bitterness remained. They came together in a moment of quiet clarity, and looked upon one another, and began to weep.

In that silence they understood. They should never have turned their anger upon each other. They forgave one another then, freely and fully, and in that forgiveness their bond was made stronger. Upon that first night outside the garden, they swore a covenant between themselves: that for all the days they should walk together, they would remember this that to forgive one another was their first and greatest victory. And they understood then, even in this wild and lonely place, that goodness might yet be found. In each other. And in the world beyond the gate. For by knowing evil, one learns to choose good; and by knowing good, one learns to recognise evil.

And so it began. The story of Adam and Eve, the first of all humankind upon the earth.

Chapter II: The Voice In The Branches

It was their second day upon the earth. Eve awoke first, while the sky was still soft with dawn. She smiled to herself and whispered a quiet prayer of thanks for the gift of life. Beside her, Adam slept as though carved from stone so still that she leaned close, wondering if he yet breathed. She reached out to shake him gently awake, and then she heard it.

A faint creak, high in the branches directly above them.

She was not afraid. Only curious. She lifted her head and a single piece of fruit fell from the leaves, striking her squarely upon the crown of her head.

And then a voice spoke.

“Surely you will not die.”

It was low and deep, like distant thunder rolling across far-off valleys yet smooth, and flowing like water over smooth stones.

Eve cried out. “Adam! Adam, wake up!” She shook him with all her strength. He stirred, and opened his eyes. Beside him upon the ground lay the fallen fruit. To his right stood Eve, wild-eyed and scanning every shadow.

Adam rose slowly. He brushed the dust from his skin and looked calmly about him. He saw nothing.

Eve spoke, half to herself, half to him. “The Serpent is here. I feel it. Or else… I have lost my mind entirely.”

Adam looked at her, and smiled. He stepped forward, took her hands in his, and looked deep into her eyes. “You are not mad. Which means only one thing the Serpent is indeed here. But why should we fear him? Who is there to fear, if not God alone?”

And then Adam heard the voice. And fear seized him. And he screamed.

Eve laughed and in that laughter, her fear vanished. In its place returned that same bright curiosity that had lived in her heart even before she tasted the fruit. It is a test, she thought. It must be a gift. She lifted her head, and called out clearly into the trees:

“I am not afraid of you, Serpent! Nor was I ever truly afraid. I screamed only from surprise. And so too did my husband. We fear none but God alone.”

At that, the Serpent descended from the shadows and stood before them. Adam rushed forward, bold and brave, to protect his wife but the Serpent slipped away and coiled himself high into the branches, beyond all reach. And from his place above them, looking down, he spoke.

“Adam, my son remember this well. I spared your life just now. And I shall not do so again. And to you, Eve, beloved wife of Adam it gives me great joy to stand before you once more. If you truly fear me not, then come to me. Only then may I bestow upon you another gift. I shall make you both wise, and knowing, and full of understanding in all things. But know this while you walk in my domain, you, Eve, and you alone, shall speak with me. First. And last.”

Chapter III: The Mountain And The Gifts

The Serpent led Eve up a high mountain, from whose peak they could look down upon the whole wide world. They sat together in silence. For an hour, neither spoke. When Eve at last began to break the quiet, he motioned her to stillness. And so they waited another hour, in perfect peace, before he spoke.

“Dearest Eve,” he said, “rejoice. For I shall lift you up higher than the earth itself higher even than the heavens from which we fell. You shall not die. I can make you immortal, if you will but consent. I shall teach you all things knowledge beyond the measure of mortal minds, power to understand and to imagine beyond all boundaries. Yet hear my warning: you shall dwell forever in my world. You shall not die. You shall be born again, and again, and again in every generation, until the day you choose otherwise. You shall live forever.”

And then the Serpent was gone.

Eve stood alone upon the mountain. And before her appeared three things.

The first was a chest filled with gold and glittering stones jewels of such brilliance that they caught the very light. But Eve had seen such things before, in the garden. To her, they were just bright and pretty. She knew nothing of wealth, or poverty, or value. She was Eve, the first woman, and these things meant nothing to her.

The second was a book. She opened it, and upon the first page she saw a man radiant, beautiful, shining with a light that seemed to come from within. He looked almost like Adam, yet fairer still. She turned the page and saw only strange, winding marks, lines and shapes that meant nothing to her. Page after page held only these mysterious symbols. But when she reached the very last page, there he was. The Serpent. She did not understand. She did not know that the shining man upon the first page was he long ago, before he fell from grace.

The third thing was a ring a simple band of metal. She had never seen such a thing. She took it in her hands, and closed her eyes. And then, without words, without sound, something spoke to her. A language older than time itself. It told her what to do. She slipped the ring upon her finger.

A soft dizziness came over her. And then she slept.

When she awoke, the sun was high. It was morning.