The Exile Series

Good morning. My name is Eve. Thank you for letting me come talk to you. I'm sorry it's just me. Adam wanted to come, really he did, but he has to work. He works very hard. Ever since we left the garden he doesn't seem to do anything but work. I never see him during the day unless I go down to take him his lunch or something. Sometimes I think that's why Cain turned out the way he did... But that comes in another part of the story. I came tonight to tell you what happened: how things were at the beginning, what we did to ruin it all, and what things have been like since.

It's been a long time since we left the garden, but I'll never forget it. It was more wonderful than you could possibly imagine. It was never too hot or too cold, and the rain was kind of soft, and warm, and always smelled sweet, as if it was full of flowers. There wasn't anything in the ground that would hurt your feet when you ran. I don't remember what the mosquitoes ate, but whatever it was it wasn't us. We knew all the animals by name, and they knew us, too. We played together. Adam and I ran with the deer in the evening, and wrestled with the tiger cubs in the morning, and sometimes took naps in the afternoon with the bears. They were so soft and warm! Nobody was ever frightened or angry or hungry, and no one ever hurt one another, even by accident. All of the things that grew in the garden were good to eat, leaves and nuts and fruit - everything. Some were sweet, some were salty, some were crunchy, and some were cool and smooth. Whatever it was always seemed to be just exactly what you wanted to eat right then. But the very best thing of all was how the garden felt... It seemed as if all the love and peace and joy in the world were swirling around you, like bubbles in champagne ... all tickley and tingly and alive... it always felt as if you were going to break out in laughter or singing any minute. I felt like that a little bit once, later on, when my first baby was born, and we'd rock on the porch on a sunny afternoon when the world was full of light and it seemed as if everything would stay perfect forever. Sometimes I still get that same feeling, when God comes to see Adam or me... But he doesn't come very often any more, and he doesn't stay long, and the feeling doesn't last. It's never the same as it was in the garden, when we were with God all the time.

I still don't know why we did what we did. We knew better. God told Adam not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, and Adam told me. And for a long time we didn't. We had everything we needed, and we were happy.

But one day I was just lying on my back sort of looking up at the trees and singing a little song to myself when a voice right down on the ground next to my ear said, "Psst! Eve! Wake up!" And I turned my head and there was Snake, not six inches from my nose. And I said, "Hi, Snake. What's new?" Of course I knew that there wasn't anything really new because God made Adam and me last of all. But it was a way of saying, "Let's make conversation."

And Snake said, "Let's do something different. Let's do something really exciting instead of sitting around doing the same old boring silly things all the time."

"So I said, "Snake, what do you mean, 'bored'? I'm not bored. Adam and I have lots to do and we always have fun."

And Snake said, "Boy, are you dumb. What a pair of stick-in-the-mud old-fashioned scaredy-cat fuddy-duddy sissies you two are. I'll bet you never do ANYTHING without asking God's permission first."

So then I said, "But Snake, we don't have to ask. We can do whatever we like. God gave us the garden to live in and take care of for Him."

Then Snake said, "What about eating from the tree in the middle of the garden?"

And I said, "But Snake, if we eat that fruit we'll die!" I didn't know what 'die' meant but it sounded simply dreadful and I was sure I didn't want to do it.

And then Snake said, "Oh, grow up! Haven't you figured out yet that that's just God's way of keeping you on a short leash? He just doesn't want you to have any fun. If you ate from the tree you'd be just as smart as He is, and you could do anything you wanted and then where would He be? You wouldn't need Him any more. He just wants you to stay dumb and ignorant and dependent forever. Get with it, you guys! Stop being such a goody two-shoes! Live a little!"