Trapped in the Garden of Eden

Love?

The King

Death will soon to overtake both Adam and Eve but, Eves fear turned into joy and Adams fear turned to humor.

"We will no longer have to run. We will no longer be in pain or feel hunger or thirst." Eve spoke, a small smile pulling at her lips as Adam and eve held each other.

"Death by monkey" Adam laughed. "Or squirrel!" Eve burst out laughing.

"A squirrel? Then we would be eaten for a week before we to actually die." They both laughed a while as the monsters grew nearer.

"I'm not scared anymore." Adam says, trying to focus on Eves face in the dark.

"Adam, I am no longer afraid as well."

"God is still with us, right?"

"Yes Adam, God has been with us this whole time. He never left us; he's been here the whole time." Eve stated staring into the dark clouded sky.

"Will we get to be with him once we die? Do you think we will get to see him again?"

"Yes, I know we will see him again." Eve was unsure but she hoped and prayed every day that he would come and save them. "He will save us from our misery, one way or another." Now as the animals grew nearer there was no doubt in Eve's mind that they would see him again.

"I prayed that we will see him again, even if it is just to apologize. He was so good to us, and we messed everything up." Adam thought back to the fruit. If Eve hadn't... but he stopped himself from blaming her. This was both their faults, and now they were going to face their final punishment. They waited for the beasts to come but the growls hushed; only a hiss remained. They both look to the gate then to the ground. The serpent. He slithered through the doorway.

"Well, well, how did you survive this cold cruel world without me?" the snakes smooth voice, and beady round eyes had no effect on Eve this time.

"We had God to keep us alive. We never needed you. You tricked us and we believed your beautiful lies." Eve was no longer afraid and only believed that God was all knowing, all power, they were never to be as strong as him; but that was okay, because they knew he had everything in control.

"God kept you alive? You both are a mess. You lost hope in him."

"We lost hope in you." Adam said stepping towards the snake but holding Eves hand in his, she stepped forward with him. The serpent hissed but Eve spoke louder.

"I don't blame you," she said "it's in your nature to be lying and manipulative. I blame me for not listening when God spoke. I blame me for losing hope in him but I always believed that worst come to worst, my faith would bring us back to him. Eventually, even if I have to make it up to him for the rest of my life." Eve was crying now but, not in fear but, with love. She would make it right because she always believed even when she couldn't see God, couldn't hear his voice, she believed. The serpent hissed again and just like magic the gate disappeared cutting the serpent in two.

"Be gone serpent, you have tormented them long enough." God's voice was back and Eve and Adam cheered with joy, they rejoiced. But their rejoice was short lived when God's wrath came down upon them once again. "Why did you lose faith in me?"

"Because you left. We no longer saw you." Eve's voice broke through the garden, making the trees shake, and ground break. The garden was still crumbling.

"But I am always here." God stated, breaking through the darkness, and descending a beam of light.

"But it didn't feel like you were here." Adam said moving towards the light, reaching out thin fingers to grasp the beam.

"It felt like you didn't care what happened to us." Eve felt the ground stop shaking, heard the trees leaves halt and everything was silent again. "Everything went wrong and we begged you to come back but you didn't." Eve was in tears now, she believed but she knew that she did lose faith. She did curse God's name, she did try and bargain with the serpent. She wanted to escape the garden, she didn't see another way. But she came back to God. She kept coming back, falling to her knees, and begging for forgiveness and mercy. She prayed every day, even when she lost hope. Adam and Eve felt hopeless but they never gave up hope in a better life, a life with God again.

"Just because I wasn't physically there for you when you were in need, doesn't mean I wasn't there at all."

"So you watched us suffer?" Eve spoke softly, not wanting to hear the answer, but needing to know the truth.

"You let these things happen?" Adam questioned, rage filling him once again. Eve grasped his hand seeing the pain radiate through him and at her touch he calmed.

"I gave you one rule and you broke it. You had to be punished."

"You literally threw the wild animals at us and said there's diner, catch it!" Adam spoke with humor and resentment, his new shield to block emotion was sarcasm.

"You don't understand the trials and the errors of your ways. After everything you both went through; from the fruit, to the animals, to the structure of the garden itself. Still you don't know what good I gave you from the start. What good I have done and continue to do throughout your lives." The garden started to lighten and the grass grew green and lush.

"Why did you leave us when we needed you the most?" Eves question wasn't bitter but honest and bare. If looks could kill the blank stares of confusion, betrayal and frustration would have knocked God off his pedestal and sent him falling to earth himself.

"Yes, all mighty why did you leave when they needed you the most?" The serpent hissed, shedding his skin as it slithered towards the beaming light. Eve jumped at the sound and turned to see his slithering smile lean into the light. When his tail whipped the beam he immediately moved back. The light seared his scales and he proceeded back up the slope to the gate. The serpent could never die it lives in all of us. He lives on to push questions upon humans about God's power and ability time and time again.

"Why hurt what you claim to love?" Adam questioned. God wasn't too good with questions Adam thought as God only gave them dissatisfactory answers, usually leading with more questions.

"Have faith in me." God spoke, reading Adam's mind. Reading his doubt and concerns.. "Ask and it shall be given. Pray constantly and your prayers will be heard. Speak and I will listen." Adam had gained some satisfaction from the answers God had provided but Eve was still unsatisfied. And God could see it in her eyes.

"I'm sorry my child but, things shall not always be the easiest. But, you have to have faith in me, in all you do. Then you might understand my trials and tribulations." Eve gave a solemn nod and grasped Adam's hand tightly as she lead the way to a new life. A better life. A life doing as God would, in hopes to understand his ways. To hopefully one day gain his forgiveness for their sins. To reflect on why he had tormented and trapped them in the Garden of Eden.

"Through the gate and to a new life." Eve spoke guiding Adam through and to a new life. But before she took the last step out of the garden she turned to see the garden restored. She looked up to God to ask to stay, but she felt his presence say you are no longer welcome here.

"My children you disobeyed me but, you never lost me in your heart. Go and procreate and continue to tell your children and their children to come, of me and my doings. Go. I wish you well in the world ahead. Even though you will not see me I am always there. Always."