Evelyn had been granted three wishes. She decided to use only one. She wished herself to the beginning of mankind into the Garden of Eden, in place of Eve. No sooner had she conceived it, her wish became reality. She stood in a harmony she had never imagined, marveled at gentle animals that would not run away, the squirrels she could pet and the birds she could cradle in her hands, tigers that nestled at her feet. It was peace. It was paradise. But that was not what she had come for. She knew she must hurry, before the memory of her intent faded into bliss. Dashing through the primal orchard rich in its eternal blossoms, birds singing nonchalantly around her, she arrived finally at the tree, the tree bearing the gift of knowledge. She reached above her and tore a succinct fruit from the branch. This time it would be different, she thought to herself as she bit into the fruit, causing the forbidden juices to mix with her saliva. This time she would not share the apple with Adam.
Story #128
9 comments:
according to the Gnostics...
Now, God had set Adam to name every beast, bird and other living thing. When they passed before him in pairs, male and female, Adam-being already like a twenty-year-old man-felt jealous of their loves, and though he tried coupling with each female in turn, found no satisfaction in the act. He therefore cried: 'Every creature but I has a proper mate!', and prayed God would remedy this injustice.
God then formed Lilith, the first woman, just as He had formed Adam, except that He used filth and sediment instead of pure dust. From Adam's union with this demoness, and with another like her named Naamah, Tubal Cain's sister, sprang Asmodeus and innumerable demons that still plague mankind. Many generations later, Lilith and Naamah came to Solomon's judgement seat, disguised as harlots of Jerusalem.
Adam and Lilith never found peace together; for when he wished to lie with her, she took offence at the recumbent posture he demanded. 'Why must I lie beneath you?' she asked. 'I also was made from dust, and am therefore your equal.' Because Adam tried to compel her obedience by force, Lilith, in a rage, uttered the magic name of God, rose into the air and left him.
-- Hebrew Myths by Robert Graves and Raphael Patai (New York: Doubleday, 1964), pp 65-69.
My muse sent me a link about the Lilith legend:
http://www.hagalil.com/archiv/2000/09/lilith.htm
The article (in German language) attempts a rehabilitation of Lilith who merely tried to assert her equality and who, after being cast out of Eden, continually attempted a reconciliation with Adam and Eve. Adam is all the time trying to maneuver Lilith into the role of a mistress, meanwhile painting a picture to Eve of her as a demon, when what he really resents is the idea that she is as good as he is. His equal. Eve's subservience leaves him quite bored with her (Eve).
In my story, Evelyn takes it one step further by turning the tables on Adam. I won't try to predict what will happen next.
mmmmm....Apple pie.
I can't predict what will happen with Mankind. We can guess by the original story that whoever eats the fruit of the Tree Of Knowledge will be cast out, so at this rate Evelyn [nice name!] will get the boot and Adam will remain in Paradise -- or until he discovers temptation all by himself (and he will have seen the results of yeilding to it through her, so will be better informed of the conseqences).
To answer a previous notion: No, I had never seen your tangent on the Creation story before, it is a unique "what if?". I made mention of the Lilith story as an example of others tales where someone came before/instead of Eve -- her tale merely adds to the history, yours changes it. :)
All I know is my muse forces me to bake apple pies all the time.
As it should be.
I love my destiny. My muse can have all the apple pies she wants.
Like it.
Saki has a failed story in which a Victorian Eve keeps coming up with reasons why the apple SHOULDN'T be eaten, thereby messing up God's plans. The story failed because Saki didn't like her character.
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