The Apples of Eden

The Apples of Eden

Part One.

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A man said to the universe:

"Sir I exist!"

"However," replied the universe,

"The fact has not created in me    

A sense of obligation."

A Man Said to the Universe

by Stephen Crane from

War is Kind & Other Lines: XXI, 1899

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Before.

Meridian, Mississippi – Summer, 1984

It was a beautiful summer day, but that wouldn’t help.

            Nona and Val Menion were happy; their happiness manifest from the smiles spread wide on their cheeks and heightened by the fact it was Nona’s ninth birthday. It was a standard hot summer day in Meridian and they were plopped beneath the shade of a large oak tree. The old oak was surrounded by tall messy grass in the empty lot adjacent to their house and was a recurrent spot for them to play. Beneath the tree a circular patch of matted earth was evident of how much time they spent there, and the remains of an old decaying platform tree house built before they were born clung to the branches above.

            Nona teetered on her knees and leaned in close to watch Val; the late afternoon was silent but for the noise of crickets and buzzing mosquitoes and Val could feel his sister's eyes fixed on his hands working deftly on the project before him.

            Lying across Val’s lap was a Red Rider BB gun Nona had received for her birthday just minutes prior. Nona had pleaded with Val to show her how it worked and they retreated to their familiar hangout beneath the oak tree. Val was carefully pouring the copper BB’s in the tiny hole of the gun and Nona giggled every time they spilled into the grass. Nona searched like a hound to recover each one and only for them to roll off her tiny palm and back into the grass. Val stopped for a moment and regarded his sister. Her blonde hair was wild and unkempt. Her white birthday dress was already dirtied with grass stains and tiny pieces of crushed leaves and dirt. She was small for her age but that was the only thing undersized about her. Val was only two years older than his sister but Nona emulated and worshiped him like only a younger sibling can. In spirit Nona was a baby tiger; a spunky, rambunctious, and rebellious girl whose behavior was stoked by Val. Together they were like thieves in the night, never leaving each other’s side. For Val, Nona was a sidekick; a minion to which he could guide and teach and share adventures with. For Nona, Val was a superhero; her own personal superhero that took her under his wing like a master training an apprentice. Alone they were playful and mischievous but together they were a team with infinite potential.

            When the gun was finally loaded Val leaned the gun against the tree and picked up the two small juice boxes sitting to the side.

‘Okay Nona,’ Val said handing her the two juice boxes, ‘Go put these on the crate like I told you, and I’ll show ya how to shoot em on the first try.’

            Nona held the boxes in her small hands like a pair of small dumbbells and listened to Val with absolute obedience. When he had finished she scrambled to her feet and ran like a wild child to the wooden crate a few paces away. She leaned over the box and stood the boxes next to each neatly, just the way Val had described; not too close together and the front of the boxes facing them. When she thought they were just right she turned and ran back, sliding next to Val like a runner stealing second.