Trapped in the Garden of Eden

a new day, a new hope

A new day, a new hope

EVE

"Pissst," Adam remains asleep, "Adam," I whisper, but still he remains asleep. Last night was horrible and awful and... it was just a dream. An unpleasant dream, it meant nothing. I rise up and look around, the sky is a brilliant blue, and the suns golden rays rise lazily in the sky. The thought of God coming back made all the pain from yesterday's disaster disappear. "God?"

"Morning," Adams voice was both welcomed and a disappointment. God still wasn't here. I had hoped that yesterday's mayhem had all been just a terrible dream, but Adam's tired face proved otherwise. I try and turn my new misery into happiness for Adam and this beautiful day.

"Good morning Adam. Did you sleep well?" He gives a slight nod, examining the garden as I had done. "I slept great." I continue trying to forget the actual nightmare I had last night. "I had this awful pain in my head when we first fell asleep but it's all gone today." I wanted to keep talking to tell him of everything but I know I should let him speak as well.

"That's good, no more dream and no tears today?" He's so kind thinking about me and my waterfall like tears.

"No tears today, I'm hopeful for that." I'm hopeful for a lot of things, but so far it seems as though tears are the only thing I can control. As Adam rises he hugs me, but our usual gesture is somewhat estranged. I try and keep my lips in a smile, but once released the smell of him makes my nose twist with disgust.

"What?" he questions taking a step back. Do I tell him he smells poorly?

"Nothing, I just have to... pee." He gives me a look of confusion, but doesn't question me. "I'll be right back." I move away from him and wander off to a covered area. As I squat down I feel uncomfortable and strange. This feels different too.

When I return Adam is gone, I search the area and my mind fills with fear. First God and now Adam! I open my mouth to scream, to curse the snake, the fruit, to curse me. I anxiously spun as I call out for Adam, but he doesn't answer and he is nowhere in sight.

"Adam! Please, you can't take him too! I can't-"

"Hey, I'm right here." I spin around to see him standing taller than ever, his blue eyes twinkling with light. No words, just relief floods me. "You hungry? Because I'm hungry, my stomach keeps making strange noises listen..." I move to Adam and bend slightly placing my ear near his middle. I hear the gurgle of his belly.

"It sounds like you have a baby cub in your stomach, playing with your insides."

"It does, doesn't it?" His pearly white teeth glow in the rising light. "So food?"

"Yes."

The berries fill us up then we proceed to walk along Eden, searching for signs of God or the serpent. We wander a long while just soaking up the sun before there is any other sign of change from the garden. My feet hurt from the trail, the stones and sticks never used to bother me before, but now their harsh edges tear into me. I have to stop a multitude of times to pick little slivers of wood out from my feet. The sticks seemed to leave Adam unaffected.

The garden seems to be the same today. Like it used to be, the sky still a bright blue, the grass still a brilliant green, the trees still stood tall and broad their leaves covering all the branches. Everything feels different, but it looks the same, I don't like the confusion that took over me.

ADAM

A small bird comes swopping down, landing on my head and began pecking at my hair shaking me awake. I swat and shoe the bird away, but he remains persistent and keeps coming at me. "Go away," I say annoyed as I rise up and rush away from the bird, but he follows me. "Go away you stupid thing." I yell picking up a handful of small stones and throwing them at the bird, but the rocks fly in all directions besides at the bird.

I hear Eve calling me and I hadn't even realized I left her, I was too darn focused on the bird, who now was nowhere in sight. I rush back to the clearing where we had slept for the night and see Eve rushing around, pounding on trees, stomping her feet, kicking at the rocks on the trail. "Eve," I called out, stepping closer to her, but she didn't see me. She continues to yell so I walk closer still and speak louder. "Morning." I call out and she turns, fear and then immediate relief floods her face. Her shoulders slouch down and she rushes to me smiling so wide I can see all her perfectly straight teeth. As she hugs me, she makes a weird face when she pulls away from me. I questioned her, but she said she had to pee, I wasn't going to question that further. When she turns around disappearing behind a bush I lifted an arm up and sniffed. Woah, what is that smell? Is that me? (MAKE ALL THIS BETTER?)

I was immediately filled with extreme hunger, my stomach was growling and Eve said it sounded like a baby cub was playing with my insides. But remembering the last time we ate, yesterday now... when took that final bite that ruined everything and suddenly at that I am not as hungry as I just was. But yesterday was a long while time ago and my stomach protested for food, which it had never done before. As we march to the berry bushes and the fruit trees I keep glancing down at my stomach imaging if there was a creature growing inside me. What a weird feeling that would be. But, as ate the growling subsided and the 'monster' inside disappeared.

"Was it all a dream?" I ask quietly. She looks over to me and stops where she stands.

"Was what all a dream?"

"Yesterday." I say turning to face her. "What happened yesterday?" by the look of confusion on Eve's face maybe I had imagined it all. The fruit, the snake, God leaving, maybe it all was a bad, bad dream. But her confusion turns to sadness and I now know that I had not imagined it. I sadly know the horror of yesterday was real, but I need her to say it out loud.

She shakes her head, her hair waving down her shoulders and averts her eyes to the ground as she says "it wasn't a dream. It was all real. And it is all my fault." I want to object to tell her things will be okay, but knowing that God left... I don't know what to believe, what to think about the future of Eden. She continues "God left us because we ate the forbidden fruit. God left because of me."

"It will be..." not okay, "we will survive this." Survive, but not thrive. "You shouldn't blame yourself, what's done is done. There is no going back and undoing it." Eve looks up to me and tears start to swell in her eyes. "Come on, let's go adventure. Let's find something fun to do, to get our minds off of everything else." She seems to like that idea. She grabs my hand and pulls me towards her and through a new set of trees.

EVE

Although the despair of today's reality was a bust, our run through the forest kept us occupied all morning. It was only until the rain started to break through the trees did we realize that the sun has vanished. The sky filled with grey puffy clouds and we headed for cover in a shallow tree. As we watched the sky swirl with pale colors we saw streaks of lightening dart through the sky. Then a moment later the thunder came shaking the trees and causing a cascade of rain to fall through the tree line.

Rain was normal, the garden got rain to help the plants grow and replenish the streams. But the thunder and lightning... that was new, that was violently unsettling.

"To wash away past problems, let us be a new start." Adam says peering out from the tree. The rain continues to pour down, occasional thunder and lightning rampaging through the sky.

"A new start," I whisper, watching the raindrops fall, listening to the pitter patter at their connection with the ground.

"We shouldn't be hiding." Adam says suddenly.

"What do you mean?"
"We are hiding from the rain. Why are we hiding? We should be soaking up the water." He crawls out from the tree and holds out a hand to help me up. "Wash away the dirt and grime." As I stand he reaches out a hand to touch my hair. His face twisted slightly, but dropped his hand and stepped out further into the rain. "Your hair is a mess and I smell like rotten tomatoes." He says plainly as he spins around in a circle, the raindrops flying off his hair and spinning in all directions. I place a hand on my own head and it feels stiff and greasy.

"How strange," I said softly, wrapping my hair around to the front and examining the new texture. Adam has never smelled foul before and my hair has never been anything but light and flowery.

"Eve, come on" Adam calls, hand extended to me. His long face and small almond eyes daring me to come out and be brave.