Samael and the forbidden fruit

The silvery light was struggling to cut its way through the dense pine trees to reach the heart of the woods, where two barely distinguishable figures were looming in the dark: A frail, feeble body with delicate features cowering on the ground, shrinking back and failing in its attempt to disappear from the tall muscular predator circling her. Their voices lingering in the air above them before being carried away into the night, forcing the terrified animals back into their caves and dug up holes.

“Where is it?” asked a gravelly calm voice.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about” replied the anguished prey.

“Don’t lie to me. Don’t even dare lie to me. I am the inventor of lies.” He hissed.

“Stop it Samael. You’re scaring me. I thought we’re friends.”

“You thought wrong. NOW GIVE ME WHAT’S MINE.” He shouted.

“I told you already”, she said, her voice trembling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know you have it. I saw you take it. I was there, remember? I was the one who told you about it in the first place.” He clenched his fist and bared his teeth, “Where… is the rest… of that forbidden fruit…. Eve?” he demanded. Fumes could have been coming out of his flared nostrils at that moment.

The forbidden fruit, from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, also known as the wisdom tree. It has been foretold that whoever eats from it will certainly die. But why was Adam and Eve still alive, you may wonder. That’s the riddle that no one has ever been able to solve. Because conveniently, no one was there when Samael put his clever plan into action. God had just caused Adam into a deep sleep and was busy making a woman from the rib he had taken from the man’s side. While Adam slept, and God busied himself in his workshop, Samael was in the Garden intertwining two roots from the two most important trees: the tree of wisdom and the tree of life, otherwise known as the tree of immortality. Therefore, a small amount of the resin belonging to the tree of life was running through the trunk of the wisdom tree, being transported to its fruits.

“You took a bite from it. Your pathetic submissive husband also took a bite from it. I know because I’m the one who tricked your sorry asses into doing it. Now, where is the rest of it?”

“I left it… in the garden,” tears glistening on her soft pale face.

“LIAR.”

“I swear to God”, her eyes widened as the realization of the words that escaped her quivering lips dawned on her and she covered her mouth in disbelief.

A deep sardonic laugh rumbled causing a flock of birds to burst out from a tree nearby, “I swear to God, you say? You were just kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and you already started misusing the name of Yahweh, your God?... I’m impressed.” He let out another laugh which faded quickly and was replaced instead by a look of utter disgust, “You filthy ungrateful human… I warned him you know. I told him that this little project of his is a bad idea. I told him that it was going to backfire, but he wouldn’t listen. No, he said. You’re wrong, he said. I will love them and I will cherish them. And this will be enough for them to stay, he told me. What a fool! If only he ate from his wisdom tree, maybe he would have known better”, he said mockingly.

Eve passed the fruit to her son Abel which was later stolen by Cain after killing his brother. The fruit was passed down for thousands of years, leaving a violent trail of blood and chaos in its wake. It is believed, from the stories told about his “wisdom”, that the last owner of the fruit was King Solomon. After that, the fruit never resurfaced and its whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

*************************************

“You selfish bastard…” his eyes shoot up into the ceiling scanning the corners. “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? WHAT DO YOU WANT?... You either want it all or nothing… Nothing is ever good enough for you, is it?... You keep asking for more and more and more. WELL GUESS WHAT. I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE YOU.”

He sits defeated on the empty queen size bed, “You think just because you fabricated the greatest plan of all time to save us, we are forever in your debt?… Well no one asked you to, no one forced your hand…”

He stands back up, paces the room and gestures sharply, “What did you save us from anyway?... Death? Sin? Suffering? … Because, guess what… We are still dying… We are still sinning… And we sure as hell are still suffering… So I guess your great plan was for nothing. It failed miserably. You failed… And somehow you still give yourself the right to plan our lives…

If we follow your plan, we go to Heaven… If we don't follow it, we burn in hell. And you have the audacity to call that free will… The only thing worse than not giving someone a choice is manipulating them into believing that they actually have one.

And guess what, we followed your stupid plan and we didn't win. WE PRAYED AND PRAYED AND PRAYED AND SHE’S STILL DYING…” his voice breaks and a lump forms in his throat, “she’s dying... We trusted you would heal her. And you didn’t. The cancer spread…. You win."

Tears roll down his cheeks building themselves up into a soft sob. “I lost everything. For you. And you don’t even care. You’re not even here… Are you?”

Emptiness fills the room and silence becomes deafening.

“That’s what I thought.” He adds, disappointed.

Suddenly, a tall muscular figure appears out of thin air. The sobbing defeated man jumps, his face turns pale and his breathing quickens struggling to find words.

“Don’t be scared”, said Samael, “I have heard your prayers and I’ve come to answer them.” Samael extends his arm, his palm facing upwards and inside it rests the forbidden fruit.

Thus, Samael became known as the God of mayhem, the traitor of the gods. He managed to execute the greatest prank of all time, tricking the god of gods by using his own creation against him. And this aforementioned creation, was more than happy to oblige.