Eve and the "Serpent" [closed]

[Ohia_Lehua]

Closed for Asobininryochan​

At first there were sounds. The gentle song of the swaying trees, rocked by the wind. Birds chirping with creatures unseen yet already known waking just as she did.

The sense of smell brought with it the crisp greenery of newly unfolded grass, the sweet fragrance of flowers and off in the distant something musky but not unpleasant.

Breath.

Movement.

Eve opened her eyes and bright light blinded her, the shapes and images before her taking focus with every squinted blink.

“Eve.” Above her stood a man, face soft and smiling with a hand held out.

This was the first time she had seen this man, yet she knew him like she knew of the world around her. “Adam.” She replied taking his hand.

His excitement was contagious and Eve followed Adam as he showed her their world alike.

Each day they woke with the sun. Venturing where they wished, snacking on what they would and resting under the shade of trees. Animals were friends and the two humans spent much of their time watching the birds fly or the fish swim. Little was said between Adam and Eve, what was there to say to someone who experienced all that you did and with nothing to question day after day went on nearly exactly the same.

Days blurred by without event and too soon Eve found herself at a point in her life where each day seemed to be missing something.

“Adam?”

Adam who sat at the creek’s edge playing with the butterflies turned at the sound of his name, the ever present smile on his face. “Eve?”

“Can we go that direction today?” She asked pointed westward, a direction that they seemed to skirt around.

Adam looked in the direction that Eve had pointed, the smile on his face dimming. “I-“ His brows wrinkled and he blew the butterfly perched on his shoulder away. “A tree stands in a meadow, a tree we cannot eat from.” He explained going into more detail at the prompting of Eve.

With an answer in sorts to her answer Eve let the matter go, the tree and its existence fading from her mind.

Days numbered by and again Eve found herself gazing off into the distance.

“Adam?”

Sprawled under an oak tree Adam opened his eyes and sat up. “Eve?”

“Are we not allowed to go westward?”

Adam thought about the question. “The only thing forbidden is to eat from the tree.” He answered. “I have just stayed from it because nothing forbidden can be good to be around.” Adam said simply and closed his eyes again.

The logic made enough sense so Eve let her westward desires fall silent to the back of her mind.

More time passed until yet again Eve brought up going westward. “I would like to go westward.” It was the first time Eve had expressed a singular want and it didn’t go by Adam unnoticed.

“Why?” There was concern in Adam’s voice. “We should not be near the tree.” He cautioned.

“Because I would like to.” Smile Eve before it turned into a frown at Adam’s next words. “But it is only the eating of the fruit that is forbidden correct? Not the proximity to it?”

Adam frowned unable to argue Eve’s question. “Correct.” He said after a while. “I would rather stay here where the deer dance with the foxes.” Adam said pointing to the playing animals.

Even sighed looked once more westward before falling silent. Less time than it took the sun to set Eve spoke up again. “I wish to go westward.”

This was the first time Adam look annoyed and Eve felt guilty having caused that in Adam. “I have no such wish but if you want to go.” He dismissed turning back to his swim.

It hadn’t been permission that Eve was looking for but now that she had it there seemed no reason for her not to go. “I’ll be back.” The words felt silly coming out of her mouth. Of course she would be back, where could she go that would keep her from Adam.

Adam stopped swimming and looked at Eve, worry etched on his smooth face. He didn’t know what to say, this was the first time since Eve woke up that she wouldn’t be by his side. The feeling almost moved him to join her, to journey westward but he wanted nothing to do with the tree. “Okay.”

Joy filled Eve’s being, her smile brighter than it had been in months gave clue to the depth of her want. With no words for departing Eve turned and felt heading for the first time purposefully westward. She didn’t know what she would find there, if nothing else she could see that this tree was all about. Honestly Eve expected it to be just like every other part of their small world; green, plentiful, beautiful and serene.

A worn path lead her to the great waterfall, the furthest west she had ever gone and Eve stood there past the fall’s mist and stared out into the trees looking for anything different. “It looks the same.” She assured herself, unsure with why she was paused, rooted to the ground. Birds overhead flew to the west without harm and Eve felt relief that the imaginary border she had created in her mind did not harm the blue birds with their long tails. “If the birds can.” She nodded placing one foot then the other in front of herself, again and again and again.

The trees thinned after some time and Eve spied a sapphire lake, the largest she had seen and in the distant past that mountains with snowcapped peaks. It seems that from where she stood upon a hill, a valley dipped down spotted with patches of trees, clearings and waterways. It looked just like the rest of what she had seen but there was a sense of something more, something wild that sent a chill up Eve’s spine.

Off to the right of the lake was an irregular ring like formation of trees that cleared in the middle showcasing a single oddly formed tree. It was the only kind of tree she had seen grow in that shape and at once she knew it to be the forbidden tree. Naturally it was where she headed to first, eager to find out what made this tree so forbidding.

 

[Asobininryochan]

The Serpent climbed the branches of his tree until the sun completely bathed him in warmth. There, he rested, his scales glistening in the morning light. As his tongue tasted the scents that lulled him to slumber, a new fragrance stirred him back to consciousness.

‘A new food?’ he thought as he stretched to give himself a better view of his surroundings. As his serpentine eyes adjusted to the brightness of the day, he spotted an animal that walked on two legs. However, she seemed not like the birds that he occasionally ate: for she resembled more like the rodents that often satisfied his hunger.

On the other hand, the stranger only had fur on her head (and some in between her legs). Moreover, the strange thing that walked on two legs moved closer to him. Upon closer inspection, he surmised that this might also be a weird kind of monkey; although they normally swung from tree to tree and not walk on the ground.

As the space that separated them disappeared, his tongue sensed that the animal is a female. In addition, the bulbous breasts on her bosom also confirmed his conclusion as she circled his favorite sunning tree. ‘She must be an ape,’ he mused as he observed that the absence of a tail on her posterior.

However, unlike those hairy oafs that often disturbed his many naps, this one seemed to possess some intelligence. He wondered if he could communicate with this creature as he chose to position himself so that he might meet her face to face. Slithering out of the foliage, he finally revealed himself to the female and hissed:
“Good… morning!”

 

[Ohia_Lehua]

Eve stepped into the clearing in awe. The meadow was beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful place she has ever set her eyes on. The grass here was a shade until any other she had seen and the pillowy feel of it under her feel almost begged her to lay down and relax. Even the tiny rainbow colored flowers here were unlike any other. Kneeling Eve gently brushed a scarlet petal amazed at the velvety softness, the scent was also new to her and she bent closer to smell the subtle sweet and flowery smell.

Standing Eve slowly spun edging closer to the mighty tree in the middle. That too was something new and Eve was almost tempted to reach out and touch it but the image of Adam's worried face drew her hand back inches from a leaf. It was probably best if she just let the tree alone.

Turning her back on the tree Eve marveled at the perfect circular shape of the meadow.

Speech was the last thing Eve expected to hear and she spun on her heel in search of it's owner. Curiously a brightly colored worm revealed himself, outstretched from the forbidden tree. Morning? She was slow to respond take by surprise. "It's closer to noon but I suppose a good morning will do." She smiled at the creature for the first time at a loss. She had no idea what this giant talking worm was. In all other matters the words and their meanings just came to her but in this instant there was nothing. "What are you?" Eve asked steping closer to peek at it's build. "I've never seen one such as you." She muttered, her hand raising out to touch him unconsiously.

Distanly she wondered if Adam knew the word for this animal, making a note tell him of her discovery when she saw him later in the day.