Chapter 5: Immortal Desires {Part 2}

At the edges of the Garden, Eve sat underneath a willow tree. "Ugh! He's so... insufferable! Why can't he just see things my way!" Eve said, muttering her grievances to no one in particular. She just wished to get that feeling of anger out of her. So she decided to complain to the wind and trees; at least they would always listen to her. Unlike a certain someone. "Wrath shouldn't mar a face this beautiful."" A voice said. Eve looked around for the source of the voice. She assumed it was Adam because there was no other speaking creature in the Garden. But she found no one. "I have the solution to your troubles." The voice said once more. And that's when Eve cast her gaze upwards, to the branches of the tree. And that's when she saw... "A talking serpent? How queer."

+ + +

Adam was resting, seated on a boulder and surrounded by a lion and a sheep, two animals he had named. That's when he heard a voice from the distance. "Adam! Adam!" Adam saw Eve approaching from the distance, an excited expression on her face. She then finally arrived before Adam. "You wouldn't believe what I heard! This fruit, it has the power to open our eyes! To open our senses and minds, allowing us to achieve true completeness and perfection!" Eve said excitedly as she showed Adam the fruit. "Oh? Where did you find such a miraculous fruit...wait! Isn't that the fruit the Almighty forbade us from eating! Eve! How could you be so brazen! How could you even touch it! Quick! Throw it away!" Adam said, alarmed. He sprang to his feet and began to approach Eve.

"No!" Eve said, backing away from Adam. "This fruit has the power to enlighten us! You'd rather choose to remain ignorant?! Choose to remain only half of your true self?! Adam! Think! Our lives will be so much better once we eat this fruit; things will change for the better!" Eve said. Adam looked worried. "I'm sure the Almighty has a good reason." Eve scoffed. "A good reason? A good reason to keep us ignorant? To keep us as shells of our true selves? Preposterous. Think about it, Adam! He only wishes to keep us under his thumb. And now.... I'm starting to think you're on his side, because you want me to remain under you too, don't you?" Eve said with venom in her tone.

"What? No!" Adam said. "You never even consider what I have to say! It's always about you! What you want and what you think is always put above what I want and what I think! That's the true reason why you don't want to eat this fruit, isn't it? It's because I'm the one who's bringing it to you. Isn't it." Eve said, her face a careful mix of anger and sadness. "No, Eve, I don't think that! How can I think that! I love you!" Adam said, desperate to calm Eve down. Eve looked at him; she fought back a smirk and said in a sad tone, "Do you even love me? Or do you love the idea of me being subservient to you?" Eve shook her head, seemingly disappointed. "If you truly loved me, you'd treat me as such! You wouldn't do something so... vexing like demanding I play second fiddle! I don't know about you! But I'm not going to live like this anymore! I'm going to eat this fruit and be enlightened! And I'm going to go on my own path! With or without you," Eve said resolutely.

Adam watched in silent horror as Eve brought the fruit closer and closer to her mouth. Eve, on the other hand, was getting more nervous the closer she got to biting the fruit. Just as she was about to take a bite..."Wait!" Adam grabbed her hand. "You're right! I....I shouldn't have treated you that way. But if you don't believe I love you, I'll prove it!" Eve fought back a smirk. "I'll prove it by being the first to eat the fruit, that way, if anything bad happens, you'll be fine." Eve frowned. "No, wait-" she said, trying to stop him, but it was too late. Adam took a bite of the fruit. Eve watched him in apprehension for a few moments. She saw nothing was happening to him. Adam handed her the fruit. She sighed, grabbed it, and took a bite. "I'm truly sorry, Eve, please forgive me," Adam said, pulling Eve closer by the waist and kissing her. Eve smiled internally as she kissed back. 'Well, it didn't all go awry,' she thought to herself. Then, the couple felt a sharp pain in their minds. They collapsed unto the floor for a few moments before the pain cleared away, and then suddenly, they noticed... everything. The first thing Adam did was point out their nakedness. Eve, however, was silent, because she realized... 'I've been tricked,' she thought to herself; an ominous feeling overcame her.

+ + +

The Almighty was not happy when he found out about the couple's disobedience. He punished them by banishing them from the Garden. He made them mortal and took away the soil's blessings. Now they would have to work hard to cultivate food. He stripped away the blessings of the animals; now they would be hostile to the couple and to each other. He took away the blessings of childbirth. Now, Eve will feel pain during birth. As punishment, the Almighty placed her in a role she despised—underneath her husband in authority. The Almighty clothed them in animal furs and sent them on their way.

After roaming the Earth for a few weeks, they finally decided to make their home somewhere near the banks of the Euphrates River. The couple clashed with harsh words and blame. Tensions ran high, but they had only each other. Eventually, they eased their anger and sought comfort in one another's embrace. Soon after, they had their first set of children. And while things seemed happy on the surface, things were not going all too well for the couple...