Remembrance of Eve *NANOWRIMO13*

Chapter 6

Hand in hand we walked through new territory. It was no longer morning. We needed to find a place to sleep for the night. We needed to find something to keep us warm. As we walked, we noticed our friends, the sheep and goats were following us. Maybe we would be able to sleep near them, using their body heat to warm us.

The land was now rough. The wind blew harder. It was more difficult to walk here than it was within Eden. I had not realized how we had been protected within Eden. We never felt the storms there, though now we realized that they had ravaged the area recently. Trees were down, with great gashes in the earth where they had been torn from their roots. Broken branches and leaves littered the forest floor. Was this what we had to look forward to for our weather?

Adam and I looked at each other, I could see the wonder and confusion in his eyes. This morning we had been comfortable, now everything had changed.

“This will be worth it,” I whispered.

“It will. It is too late to look back now.” Yet, he stopped, and took a long, last look at what had been our home. Then, resolutely, we faced forward, and continued on.

“Where will we sleep tonight?” I asked.

“With this weather, I do not think a nest in an open glen will work for us. The wind will be cold, and we no longer have your woven mat to protect us from the cold. We must find some place that protects us from the wind. I hope these skins the Lord gave us will help keep the cold out. They seem to help keep us warm now.”

“They do help with the cold. But what will we do for nighttime. The sun is moving on toward night, and we have no place to sleep.”

“I am looking for a thicket. It should help keep the wind out, if there is one left. It looks like there has been something terrible here.”

We continued walking through the forest, when, suddenly, we were out of it. We were on an open plain, rising up to a low hill. The trees were behind us.

“What shall we do?” I asked. “Shall we go on, or turn back?”

“ I saw a thicket just before the forest ended. We had better go back there, and find a better place to stay tomorrow.”

He took my arm and guided me across a huge broken tree and into a quiet thicket. It was protected by trees which had not been blown over by the wind. The tree we had to cross to get into the thicket lay close to the ground, providing shelter. This was a cozy, warm place to spend the night. Adam placed his basket near the fallen tree and reached in to retrieve his knife.

“I will cut some of those leaves to help keep us warm tonight. Would you see what we have left to eat, please?”

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As he left the little shelter, I curiously looked into the basket, wondering what Adam had found for us to eat. I was surprised to find two melons, peaches, and pears. There were also three or four different kinds of nuts, mixed together and among the fruit. They would be a welcome addition to our meal. What would we do for food tomorrow? We had been told that we must work to eat, and that it would not come easily. We must be cautious with this that had come so easily—not eat it all today.

I was surprised to feel a gentle bump against my legs. Suddenly I became aware of chomping and gentle baaing in our thicket. The sheep and goats had followed us! There was something familiar to keep us company. I pulled out a melon, two peaches and a handful of nuts. The nuts were still in their hard outer shells, so I found a rock, about the size of my hand. I placed the nuts on a large flat rock and sat down next to it. Carefully I pounded one of the nuts. It broke open with ease. Humming as I worked, I gathered the fruit of the nut and set it aside, and chose another nut. Soon I had a small pile of nuts ready to eat, some of each variety.