In Exile (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book III) (26 page)

A CONTEST

Cain and Abel had grown into two strong men. Cain had more of his father Adam’s face and build, heavier and solid, while Abel had more of Eve’s build, taller, yet slender and graceful. They were both outgoing and had made many friends among the numerous Simian tribes in their area. Both men had numerous Simian women who wanted to mate with them, but they preferred to be in the company of Guline’s daughters Gaela and Borea. Each of the daughters had blossomed as well and they had become very beautiful young females.

Adam and Eve were proud of their two boys. Abel was an excellent shepherd and his herds of sheep grew and multiplied. Likewise, the crops farmed by Cain also fared well; his fields produced more and more food each year, and he was also able to expand the amount of land he used for farming over the years. Both young men assisted the Simians convert nomadic hunters and gatherers who lived day by day into a culture that began to herd and farm. This allowed the Simians to store quantities of foods in anticipation of the times when the weather became bad, preventing starvation.

The competition between Cain and Abel increased as they grew, but Cain took it more seriously, and he was resolved to not be outdone by his younger brother. Abel just shrugged it off and remained focused on methods of improving his herds. Adam and Eve noticed this competition but felt that it was a passing phase that the two would outgrow.

One day while Abel was off tending his sheep and Cain was farming one of his new fields with an implement that became known as a plow, Cain was approached by an old-looking Simian, white haired and of advanced age as he hobbled, assisted by a walking staff. Tall for a Simian, the elder also wore a raven-shaped hat, a beak-like protrusion that doubled as an eye shade from the bright sunlight.

“Greetings, young man!” the old Simian called out, with a younger voice that contradicted his aged appearance.

“Same to you, old man. What do you want here?” Cain said as he continued to dig up some dirt in his fields, planting some new crops. Cain was obviously annoyed at being disturbed by the elderly Simian.

“Just a few moments of your time!” the old Simian replied as he smiled at the Human.

“I have no moments to spare on the likes of you,” Cain answered.

Rather than being insulted, the old Simian laughed at Cain and continued, “You will have time for me, young sir. For I hold the keys to your happiness deep within me!”

“How can that be? My troubles are beyond anything you could possibly do. Now you are beginning to waste my time, old man. Go back from whence you came!”

“I will not leave! You need to be changed,” the old Simian yelled back at Cain. Then opening his cloak, he revealed a closed sack filled with something. “You will thank me for what I have in this bag. Its contents will make you far outshine any efforts of your younger brother Abel.”

Cain was now intrigued by the prospect of anything that would allow him to outperform his brother. He stopped his tilling and walked over towards the raven-hooded stranger. “What could you possibly have in your sack, old man, that would help me beat my brother?”

“Seeds that I had been given from one of the Angels defeated in the war of their rebellion!”

“What is special about those seeds?” Cain asked.

“The Angel told me that they will grow overnight and produce the most delectable fruits.”

“And why would the Angel have given them to you? Why did this Angel not come directly to me, then?” Cain asked.

“He was afraid that you would not listen to him, knowing that your parents believed that the rebel Angels tricked them. He explained that the story told to all of you was just a lie, it was the Almighty who cast them out of the Garden of Eden as part of a test, and that the rebel Angels only want the best for all the Humans and the Simians here on Earth.”

“Why should I not believe the stories my parents told me about their own history of being thrown out of the Garden of Eden?”

“That, my young sir, was the exact reason the Angel wanted me to approach you on his behalf.”

“Well, I see no reason to change my mind about that,” Cain responded.

“Exactly what this Angel told me you would say. He told me to give you these seeds, plant and water them today, and if they grow the most delicious fruit overnight, you will see what he says is true. And the seeds and plants are yours to keep no matter what you decide. But he told me that you will find that these plants are outstanding and that your parents and the Almighty will give you great credit for the fruit.”

Cain thought about it for a moment. He had nothing to lose, one way or the other. He would get better and faster growing fruit, and the credit for it. Nor was he under any obligation to change his mind about the rebel Angels. There really was nothing to lose.

“All right, old Simian, I will try the seeds and see how they turn out.”

“Splendid!” the old Simian answered. “I will return in a few days to see how the seeds worked for you.”

“A few days?”

“Yes, you should be able to bask in the glory of producing the new fruit for a few days. You will see tomorrow. The Angel is in no hurry, and he does not expect an immediate answer from you. We will talk in a few days.” The old Simian handed the sack of seeds to Cain and then hobbled away, disappearing into the woods.

Cain took the sack of seeds and planted them in shallow furrows he dragged out of the dirt, making two long rows. He returned and watered the furrows. By then it was beginning to get dark and he headed for home.

Abel met up with him as was customary and they greeted one another, both tired from working in the fields. They were usually met by Gaela and Borea who would have dinner with them and Adam and Eve at the end of the day. After dinner the two young men would escort the two Simian women back to their home in a neighboring mountain’s cave.

Cain was in an extraordinary mood. The prospect of having a secret method to outperform his brother delighted him. And he thought to have some fun with him. Both boys were more interested in Gaela than Borea and Cain came up with a plan to gain Gaela’s favor.

This night Guline joined the Humans for dinner as well and the more he thought about it Cain saw this as a great opportunity for him to win Gaela once and for all. As they were finishing dinner, Cain explained that he had developed a better type of seed that would produce an exceptional fruit and that would prove his superiority over his brother Abel. He proposed a contest, in which for dinner the next night, each of the young men would bring home their most special foods for dinner. Whoever won would have the honor of gaining Gaela as their mate.

Abel declined to take part in the contest and he told them that he did not want to force Gaela to spend time with him because of such a contest. But continued prodding by Cain made Abel agree to bring home the best of his herd for dinner. Gaela loved the idea that the two young men would have to win a contest for her affections.

Borea on the other hand felt left out and was hurt that the contest was just about Gaela. No one was in a contest for her affections. She was used to Gaela getting most of the boys’ attention and never showed her feelings, because she wanted the best for her sister Gaela. And Borea felt even worse that Abel was involved in the contest because she was in love with him and was just waiting for him to notice her more.

The next day Cain and Abel went to the fields. As promised by the elderly raven-hooded Simian, Cain had two rows of the most luscious fruit that had grown overnight. He went and took Abel from his herd to show him as well as his parents, Adam and Eve. He also brought Enoch to his fields, even though it was usually difficult to drag Enoch from his writings. Everyone was amazed at this new fruit and impressed with Cain for having been able to raise such a great crop.

The pressure was now on Abel to bring some of his bounty to the table for that evening’s dinner. Enoch could see that Abel was troubled over this contest, and recalled how Abel tried to get himself out of it from the night before.

“You seem troubled, Abel, about this contest. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not really, Enoch. I did not want to be part of this contest at all. For me to compete I would have to slaughter my favorite lamb over there.” Tears rolled down his face while he pointed at a small yearling ram that was running among the ewes, and frolicking around in the field. “It pains me to think of killing that poor happy creature just so we can eat a meal and have a contest.”

Enoch watched the small but chubby black-faced creature covered in a blanket of soft wool springing almost straight up in the air as it played with other lambs. “I see how that would pain you, my brother. And that lamb is the best of your herd?”

“Yes, it is. And the rules of this contest are to provide the best of my herd to compete with Cain’s fruit. And if I don’t win the contest I will lose any chance of being with Gaela. And to make it worse, this is Gaela and Borea’s favorite lamb too. The two of them join me every day to play with it. The ram is so full of love and life. If I sacrifice the lamb and win the contest, she will hate me for killing the creature, for I know I will hate myself as well for being so cruel!”

Enoch had tears rolling down his face too and the two brothers walked over to the lamb and began petting it.

“What do you want to do then, Abel?” Enoch asked. “Honestly I can’t see you killing this creature. Let us think on this for a while.”

Around midday Gaela and Borea came to play with the lamb and neither Abel nor Enoch gave any hint of the decision that they were struggling with in their minds and heart. After the two young women were called away by Cain so he could show them his new fruit, the two young men continued to pet and comb the lamb’s wool when Abel came up with an idea.

“I cannot kill this creature, there is no way I can bring myself to harm it. Enoch, will you help me hunt a wild boar that we can slaughter for dinner? I will tell them that it is my best lamb.”

“That sounds like a much better idea to me, Abel. It would be better to lose the contest than forever hate yourself for taking the life of such a sweet creature, and one you, Gaela, and Borea so dearly love.”

Having made a decision, Abel and Cain went out into the woods, found and slaughtered a wild boar for dinner. They were careful to cut the meat so it resembled a lamb, to make it appear that it was, in fact, the prize ram that was slaughtered. As an additional precaution that they would not be found out for their ruse, they built a small holding area to hide the young ram and a few ewes back in the woods.

That night Adam and Eve were joined by Gaela and Borea’s parents, Guline and Noriem. Cain brought forth his newly prized fruit, while Abel provided the “lamb.” They were all amazed at this new fruit that Cain had developed and he felt that he was guaranteed winning the contest and as a result, Gaela as his mate.

“Cain, this fruit is the best fruit I have tasted; sweet yet tart, and refreshingly juicy. It is perfect,” Guline said, having learned the language of the Humans after all these years of being their neighbors.

“Yes, Cain, this is wonderful!” Noriem chimed in.

“I created this strain myself!” Cain said proudly. “After many attempts and years of work, I was finally able to grow this strain.”

“That shows you to have intelligence and perseverance, my son,” Adam said proudly, “good traits for someone to take care of a mate and future children.”

Gaela and Borea both smiled at Cain in agreement and he was sure that he would now be announced the winner.

But Guline also enjoyed the meat that had been prepared, as did the rest of them.

“And, Abel, this is the best lamb I have ever eaten! Its texture and flavor reminds me of another meat I have had, and it is amazing that your livestock could capture that taste as well.”

Noriem and the rest agreed and paid Abel compliments for the aroma and tenderness of the meat.

Cain grew increasingly angry that Abel’s fare would even be compared to this great new fruit that he had developed. And he knew that he had a secret card up his sleeve to win anyway. For he also knew that Abel’s prize ram was the favorite pet of both Gaela and Borea. Once they knew they had eaten their pet, they would hate Abel and Cain would win anyway.