The Story of Eve

“It all seemed so easy, in the beginning, if I had only known how things would turn out.” As Eve gazed across the barren land, she spotted that all too familiar city sitting in the horizon. A tear ran absently down her cheek as she thought, “Had I only known how heavy the price was to settle my curiosity.” Unable to restrain herself, Eve’s mind drifted back to the past.

Her first real memory she had was Adam peering down at her. With no thoughts or language to call her own, she knew she was vulnerable. But instinctively, she realized Adam was no threat to her. In fact, he seemed more like a shield, protecting her from the unknown, which at the time was everything.

Patiently, Adam cared for her, feeding her and taught her how to talk, care for herself and learn the ways of Eden. As time passed, Eve learned they were not alone in the garden. Along with an abundance of animals, others would appear to visit with them. Angels is what Adam told her they were, and occasionally someone special would come to visit, the only one Adam would bow to, and he told her he was The Creator, the god of all.

It was strange when The Creator came to the garden, for he would only talk to Adam, never to me. One time after The Creator left, I asked Adam why this was so, and he answered, “I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s because you were created from a part of me and not the earth as I was. Since you are one step below me, he thinks you are not worthy to be spoken to.”

When I thought about what Adam had told me, I came to realize how little the angels even spoke to me, how little I must have seemed to them. Distraught, I found myself exploring the far reached of Eden whenever Adam had visitors. Then one day, when I found myself in the far corner of the garden, I heard a voice. “Eve, what troubles you so?”

I looked around, expecting to find Adam standing nearby, but he was nowhere to be found. Again, the voice called out, “Eve, look down at your feet.” When I looked, I found myself facing the head of a serpent peering through a thicket, staring at me. Needless to say, I was surprised, for I never thought it was possible for animals to speak. When I asked him who he was, he just smiled as much as a serpent could and replied, “It doesn’t matter who I am, but it does matter what I want to show you.”

I thought to myself, “What could this serpent show me that I already haven’t seen? I’ve searched the entire garden. Nothing could be nothing new to discover.”

As if the serpent could read my thoughts, it hissed, “Who said anything about it being inside the garden? What I want to show you lies beyond the tree The Creator has forbidden you to eat from.”

I involuntarily shuttered when the serpent mentioned that tree. Adam told me I was sure to die if I even dared go near it. Still, I found myself listening to what the serpent had to say.

There’s more to this world than what the Garden of Eden has to offer. Beyond its walls, there’s another world waiting for you, a world full of wonders. You think Adam is the only other person who exists, but you are wrong. Countless others live beyond this prison you survive in. In here you are trapped in cage, and you exist only to entertain The Creator, and someday soon, The Creator will tire of you and will dispose of you like rotten fruit. Before that happens, wouldn’t you like to see what the outside world has to offer? It would be so simple. A door leading to the outside world lies just beyond the forbidden tree and all you have to do is walk through it. There someone more powerful than I will greet you take show you what you have been missing.”

Is it true, I thought to myself. Was Adam mistaken when he said I would die? It’s just a tree, something I could easily walk around. If a gate does exist on the other side of it, what’s the harm of seeing the outside world for myself? As if the serpent dragged the words out of my mouth, I heard myself saying, “Show me the way.”

I followed the serpent as it slithered on the ground, ever leading towards the tree of doom. But before we reached it, the serpent circled around it and there appeared a gateway, wide opened and unguarded. Beyond the gate lay an ocean of sand and in the distance were what appeared to be stones rising towards the sky. The serpent said,” the sand you see is called a desert, and the stones in the distant is called a city. There you find countless people living there, without a god to burden them.” The serpent leered at me. “If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself.”

I turned back and looked at the garden and thought to myself, what do I have here? One man who looks after me, a god to ignores me and angels to don’t give me a second thought. With little to lose and a lot to gain, walked through the gate. The serpent didn’t follow me, but as soon as I stepped into the desert, an angel appeared before me.

“Congratulations, Eve, you have stepped into a new world, a world like nothing you have ever imagined. My name is Lucifer, and I will be your guide in this realm.”

I was amazed at finding an angel would speak to me without Adam being close by. I asked Lucifer why he wanted to show me this new world, and he answered, “Because it is there and The Creator wishes to hide it from you, thinking you don’t deserve to know of its existence. I’m here to tell you The Creator is wrong. Come, follow me, and I will take you to that city.”

Though the city appeared to be far away, it only seemed like a moment when I found myself walking among hundreds crowding the streets. Stone buildings, reaching towards the sky, surrounded me and everyone we passed stared at me in shock and awe. I asked Lucifer why they looked so strangely at me. He replied, “Can’t you see for yourself? They are wearing garments and jewelry. They are ashamed of nakedness and choose to adorn themselves in clothing and trinkets. This is the way of the real world. They think for themselves and of themselves living for their own desires and pleasures.”

It was then I tried to cover my nakedness with my arms and hands, but my efforts were in vain. As if from thin air, Lucifer produced a piece of cloth and wrapped it around my shoulders.

“This should do for now,” Lucifer said. “Come, let us enjoy the pleasures this city has to offer.”

From there, Lucifer escorted me from store to store, where I sampled all sorts of foods. Never before has my tongue tasted such sweetness. And the red water, which Lucifer said was called wine, warmed my body, and lightened my head. “Don’t drink too much my dear,” he said. “Or you won’t be able to make back to the garden tonight.”

As if from a distance, I heard myself slur, “Why would I want to go back?”

Time passed and before I knew it, I found myself by the gate to the garden with Lucifer standing beside me. “Time to return to your cage, my darling. Don’t forget to tell Adam about what you have discovered and invite him to see what you have seen.”

After promising to do just that, I returned to Eden and found Adam searching for me. “Where have you been?” Adam shouted at me. I have been searching everywhere for you.”

I smiled at Adam and said, “Not everywhere. When the sun rises tomorrow, I will show you where I have been.”

Adam looked at me quizzically. “I would be very interested in you showing me where you have been, and by the way, what is that thing you have wrapped around your shoulders?”

I lifted a corner of my shroud and placed it in Adam’s hand. “It’s called cloth," I said. "What do you think of it?”

“It has a strange texture, soft, but resilient. Does this come from where you have been?”

“Yes, my dear, and there is more. So much more to discover. Tomorrow, I will open the door for a new world for you to explore.”

From that moment on, I never saw Adam truly smile again. After spending forty days in that forbidden city drinking wine, gorging on all sorts of food, and fornicating in all matters imaginable, we crawled back to Eden.

Saying we were corrupted, The Creator banned us from the garden leaving us to fend for ourselves. Sadly, it was the only time The Creator ever spoke to me. Not with words of love or kindness, but with words filled with bitter disappointment. Adam never forgave me, believing I had led him down this path. Though we stayed together, there was always a void between us.

Afterwards, we lived on the edge of civilization, but never daring to return to it, in fear of being further corrupted and becoming lost in its wickedness. I now wear animal skin for clothes, but I still long for the texture of cloth to caress ny skin. For the rest of my life I will ever be shameful of my weakness during that moment in time. Never again did I lay my eyes on Lucifer, but I knew he was out there lurking in the shadows, waiting to tempt the innocent, and stray them away from God.