In the Beginning (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book I) (32 page)

Chapter
43

Adam and Eve woke up at the usual time that morning. Eve went out and gathered some of the fruit from the Tree of Life which stood to the east of the hut and blended it with some of the many other fruits nearby. Adam, in the meantime, collected some water in the nearby stream into a hollow gourd and brought it home. They ate breakfast, enjoying the taste and texture of the bounty of Eden. It was wonderful, the best things to eat in the whole Universe. As was customary for the two of them, after breakfast they would go for a walk around Eden looking at the colorful plants and lush greenery. The soft warm breeze felt good on their skin. Adam was relaxed and content, for as much as
he struggled with his first mate, Lillith,
his relationship with Eve was much different. Maybe it was because Eve had been created directly out of his own body, but in any event they definitely got along better with one another. As a result, Adam grew very protective of Eve and delighted in making Eve happy. She, too, tried to please him in any way that she could.

After their walk together, they would do something separate from one another on most days. It gave both of them some solitary time. Each could then explore a bit on their own. Eve was very interested in the flowering plant life, while Adam enjoyed interacting with the other animals and creatures in Eden. Adam also explored some of the caves within the mountains attached to Eden and he kept an eye on the progress the Angels had been making on the pyramid complex. The building process fascinated him.

On this particular day, Adam
left Eve and went to the north end of Eden to alter a type of plant so it would yield more fruit.
He had decided to tie the plants up onto some wooden poles to expose more of the fruit to the sun, in hopes that it would ripen faster. And that was his
self-appointed
task for the afternoon.

Eve was down by the river in the center of Eden to take her usual bath in the warm waters and midday sun. She bathed for two reasons. The first was that she enjoyed the water on her skin and the second was that she always wanted to feel clean for Adam. Her bathing spot was near the embankment where the two Trees of the Almighty had been placed, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

As she was lying in the water, she looked up at the newer of the two trees as her mind wandered. She thought back to a few days earlier when the Almighty and a few of his Angels came to visit Adam and her in the evening. The Almighty always made her feel totally at peace. She needed nothing else when He appeared. The Angels that traveled with
H
im were amazing as well,
although
she sensed they had a coldness to them that the Almighty did not.

It had been a
n odd
visit, as she recalled. The Almighty had placed this Tree of Knowledge near the Tree of Life, with instructions to her and Adam not to eat of its fruit. Otherwise, whoever ate of it would "die." It was something that neither Adam nor she had heard of before, that there were types of fruit that could be so destructive. Even stranger was that even though the Almighty knew that the fruit of the Tree was so dangerous to them, that He would place the Tree within the Garden at all, much less have both her and Adam to look after it, regardless of the risk.
Well, the Almighty is the Almighty
, she thought,
and I am sure He knows what is best for us.

Eve shifted her long brown hair as she sat back against a rock in the river, enjoying the coolness of the water as it cascaded over her body. Looking around her, she noticed that both Trees were in bloom and the sunlight danced across one branch and another. She enjoyed the fruit from the Tree of Life, it was always delicious. She never grew tired of the taste as she would with some of the other fruits that were in the Garden. She often switched from one fruit to another so she would not tire of any one flavor.

She noticed that the red fruit on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil looked very ripe today. The fruit from that Tree
never fell
to the ground. Rather it would be reabsorbed into the Tree itself as new pieces of fruit would constantly spring forth from another location on another branch. She could not help but wonder about the taste of the forbidden fruit in passing, but there was always so much other food around that it was just out of curiosity, and she wouldn't entertain the thought for any length of time. Funny, she hadn't really thought about it all day until now.

Eve did not understand the concept of dying, nor did Adam, but they did know that eating from that Tree would show that they were disloyal and did not love the Almighty. They had a sense that the consequences of disobedience would separate themselves from the Almighty and that they would eventually not exist any longer rather than be immortal as they were now. All of little concern to either Adam or Eve, as they had no intent of being bothered with eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, content as they were in Eden and with their own lives. And besides, she kept reminding herself, there was always more than enough food and variety of foods to eat in Eden.

She grew tired of thinking about these Trees and brought her mind into the present, and she acknowledged the warmth of the sun on her skin. The sound of the water bubbling over her body made her tired. Her eyes grew heavy and she closed them and fell
a
sleep. After dozing for a short while, she opened her eyes when she heard the sound of
water gurgling as
someone
was approaching
through the water, crossing the stream. She expected to see Adam but instead saw this strange reptile creature
sashaying
past her going to the other shore.

"Good day!" the creature said to her.

"Good day to you too," she responded. Her eyes took in this creature that stood about six feet tall, thin with multicolored scales. Its eyes were different from hers, green in color but the pupils were not round like hers and Adams, but were like elongated vertical slits. She was not sure what to make of this creature, but it was
moving
upright past her, was able to talk and seemed intelligent.

Eve collected her wits, and with her curiosity aroused, she called after the creature that was now approaching the shore. "Who are you? I haven't seen one of your species here in Eden before."

Spinning about, the creature responded: "I am Serpentalia, head of the serpents here in Eden and on the Earth. We do not come out often, but I felt like a midday stroll this day. Generally we move around quietly not wanting to be seen or noticed, we prefer it that way." He moved in such a way that a beam of sunlight reflected off the various colors that comprised his scales, showing beautiful bursts of color.

"Where are you going?" Eve asked.

"I was a bit hungry and decided I wanted to check out some of this luscious fruit on this Tree right here," he said as he
traveled
over to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Eve called out, "Be careful! That Tree has bad fruit and it is not to be eaten!"

Serpentalia responded back, "Who told you that? This is the finest fruit in Eden, better by far than the fruit of the Tree over there!" his head now pointing back across the stream to where the Tree of Life stood.

"Why, I was told by the Almighty, He who created me, that the fruit of that Tree is forbidden and that if I or my mate Adam would eat of it that we would surely die," she said emphatically.

"Come over here," he enticed her with his voice.

As she walked up to him and the Tree he raised himself up a bit
more
and placed his face near one of the ripened fruit, His tongue rolled out into the air near the fruit as though he was teasing it with his tongue and took in a long slow breath, absorbing the fragrance.

"This smells delightful!" he said as he
shifted
his face near the back of Eve's head as he breathed out seductively along her neck, and then mingling his
fragranced
breath into her hair that was already warmed by the sun.

"There is no rule against smelling it, is there?" he teased.

"I suppose not," she replied, suspicious of this creature as well as his interest in that Tree and its fruit.

"Come, all I want you to do is to smell it! You said you were forbidden to eat of it, right?" The reptile continued to tease her.

Eve moved in closer herself and took in a long slow breath, smelling the scent of the fruit. Serpentalia slowly moved his head around the back of her neck to the other side as she breathed in, and gently brushed his head along the other side of her neck.

"How does that smell?" he whispered into her ear.

"It smells delightful," she said, as her body reacted to the proximity of this creature, despite herself.

"Smells deep and sweet like a ripened melon with a pinch of peach and strawberry!" he said, moving his head again back and forth along the side of her head as he whispered into her ear.

"Yes," she responded dreamily, her focus on the serpent; his soft breath and words were almost hypnotizing her and stirring strong feelings in her body.

"So tell me now, who is your Almighty that forbids you such pleasures?" the serpent cooed aloud.

"The Almighty" she answered in a soft voice, distracted by her thoughts of the serpent. "I know of no other name for Him."

"You are telling me that something called the Almighty, who has no name, is the one that told you that you could not eat of that fruit?" he said, brushing his face again closely to the back of her neck, as he continued to speak softly.

"Yes," she responded, flustered by the feelings this serpent evoked in her. She could not help paying more attention to the serpent, who moved in so close behind her that she felt
her own warmth reflect off his scales all along her spine.
She thought that this reptile also seemed forbidden in many ways, but her body screamed at her to bask in the
radiation
that came off this creature's body, strong and powerful but yet not defined, hidden and extremely mysterious.

She gathered her wits about her and forced herself to focus on the discussion she was having with this reptile about this Tree of Knowledge.

"Well that may be where the problem lies. I have heard that it's the finest fruit in all of Eden and that it also has magical powers," Serpentalia said, caressing her neck as his face moved over to the other side of her head. "Not only is its taste beyond compare, but the creatures that eat of the fruit become as powerful as the Almighty. In fact, they become creators themselves. He moved his head in front of her, looking deep into her eyes. "They also allow themselves to be called by name and not just by title, like your Almighty. Have you seen any of those Beings that have been working on the pyramid on the eastern side of Eden?"

"Yes," she responded, looking into his eyes. "My mate often watches the work being done over there."

"Then you know there are other powerful Beings here, don't you? Those Beings you saw, who can fly, have already eaten of this fruit. Why do you think the Almighty wants to keep this Tree here, not far from the pyramid?" Serpentalia said, moving his face closer to her lips.

She could smell the scent from the forbidden fruit trailing along with his breath, sweeter than Adam's. "It gives them the power to fly as well as the power to build large things like that. They become gods themselves." He leaned his head back a bit. "Does your Almighty fly and build things?" he taunted.

"No," she responded as she thought in detail about how the Almighty appeared before her and Adam. "He appears out of the sky and then onto the Earth, carried and surrounded by these long winged creatures, called Seraphim and Throne Angels. I have never seen Him fly by Himself."

Serpentalia moved his head in closer, almost brushing her lips again. "Have you ever seen this Almighty of yours build anything?"