In the Beginning (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book I)

by John J Higgins

The serpent slowly unwrapped himself from her body and rhythmically shifted his body back through the stream. He wanted her to think that he clearly intended to notify his fellow serpents of his find so they could all hurry back and pluck all of the fruit for themselves.

  His hurried movements awoke her from her trance. Her mind was now racing as she watched Serpentalia disappear back into the woods. This Tree may have the fruit that is the secret to everything here. She never understood really why she was here in Eden. All of a sudden she existed and was with Adam. When Eve asked, Adam told her that he didn't know either how he got to Eden other than the Almighty told him that He made him out of the clay from the Earth. Eve wondered if there was more to the story. What if they really could be as powerful as the Almighty Himself, or better yet, what if they could be even more powerful? What if they just were being kept here, prisoners in paradise?

  And that creature, Serpentalia. He was a very strange sort. He made her have feelings within her body like she had with Adam, but the serpent was much better at it, making the feeling more intense than she thought possible.

  The serpent looked so different from her and Adam but he could speak and travel upright. He was sleek and had a powerful effect on her just like the Almighty did in many ways. She could still feel the sensation of how she felt in his embrace around her neck. But he would soon disappear as one of those winged creatures, along with some others like him, all more powerful than the Almighty. Serpentalia and his kind would eat all of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, and they all would be changed.

  But there would not be enough. Once he and his kind changed she would not have a chance to be a winged creature herself. There was also something very seductive about him, and he raised feelings she had only had for Adam before. What capabilities would he have with all that knowledge and power? He would be irresistible!

  She thought that she should speak with Adam about this, ask him more questions about this fruit, and get his advice. He had been in Eden longer than she. But if she left the Tree unattended some other creature could come upon the Tree and eat all of the fruit themselves. And she promised to watch the Tree of Knowledge while Serpentalia was gone. On the other hand, Serpentalia too could make it back with the other members of his species and devour all of the fruit. They would be winged and powerful Almightys without her!

  In the back of her mind, she repeated what the Almighty had said about the fruit from this Tree. According to the Almighty, if she or Adam ate of it they would surely die. This creature Serpentalia raised other issues about the Almighty with her. For example, she had never seen the Almighty fly, she had only seen Him walk, or be carried by other Angels.

  The other creatures that flew and were building the pyramid had eaten of the fruit, according to Serpentalia. The serpent took a chance and revealed his secrets with her that he didn't want the Almighty and other creatures to know. Serpentalia was asking her to guard the Tree of Knowledge so he could later eat of the fruit. He certainly wouldn't eat fruit that would kill him. The serpent knew so much about the Tree and its fruit and about the Almighty that what he said must be true. It was only the Almighty being selfish that made Him not want her or Adam to become powerful like Him; they were mere playthings for Him.

  It's settled! she thought. It will be worth the risk for me to eat of this fruit and then to be able to fly and to know all of the things of the Creation, good and evil!

  She walked over to the Tree of Knowledge, hiding her excitement at accessing all the knowledge and power. She looked around quickly to make sure no one was watching her, and then she reached up and grabbed the piece of fruit that both her and Serpentalia had been smelling earlier, and pulled it off the branch. She sniffed it again; it looked to be one of the ripest pieces of forbidden fruit on the Tree and it smelled wonderful. One final glance to make sure she was alone. There was no one else in sight as she pulled the fruit close to her mouth and bit deep into the red skin and pulp of the fruit.

  It was just like Serpentalia had stated -- it had the best taste she had ever known. And she enjoyed chewing it in her mouth as it made her body begin to tingle. She took another bite and the juice ran down her chin. Then another and another. She finished the fruit quickly, delighting in each bite.

  But soon after she had eaten the fruit, the taste in her mouth changed from sweet to bitter and she began to not feel well. Her stomach began to twitch in waves of pain too, as did the rest of her body. She began to feel swollen and uncomfortable. She laid down on the ground near the Tree and closed her eyes to stop a spinning feeling that was coming over her. Her mind began filling with all sorts of thoughts, good things and then terrible things she could not even began to imagine a few moments before.

  Fear began to grip her. It was as if the bright warm sun had turned cold and there was no heat coming from it any longer. Her skin began to tighten with goose bumps, prickly on her skin, another sensation she had never experienced before. She reached around but there was nothing to put over herself to make her warm. She made herself get up and walked back into the water, the same water that only a few minutes before had soothed her. Now it only made her feel even colder. She shuddered as she thought. I am alone. All alone.

  Her mind continued to race. What had she done? Now she was going to die. Die alone! Adam had not eaten of the fruit. He would not die. How much time did she have before she would die? Her body would stop working, but Adam would stay healthy and live forever and she'd be gone. No one else will understand. The Almighty would just replace her as though she never existed. She'd be the example of disobedience for all the future ages.

  The Almighty told both her and Adam them that He could not be near them if they ate of that fruit. Would He make her leave Adam? She would have no one to talk to. Neither Adam nor the Almighty would be in her life.

  She then had a feeling that was welling up inside her. She became angry as she thought about that serpent. That creature that had told her nothing bad would happen. She looked at her reflection in the water. There were no wings forming on her back. She would not be able to fly. She had been lied to by that evil creature. Now she knew what evil meant! She needed to harm that serpent. Make him undo the harm that he had caused. Or she would make the serpent die too.

  She needed to clear her mind of all these thoughts and feelings, but couldn't. She needed to find Adam. But would he want her now that she had eaten of the forbidden fruit? He had already disposed of another mate who had betrayed him by leaving him. Now she had set things in motion that would take her from him. How long did she have before the Almighty found out?

  Her mind raced, then she came up with another plan. What if I get Adam to eat the fruit too? He will be with me. Then I won't be alone. Maybe the Almighty will forgive us and change his mind about us having to die if both of us are at risk. Eve reached up and grabbed a couple more pieces of the ripened fruit and headed off to find Adam.

  Chapter 44

  A TRAGIC DECISION

  Luciferael reverted back into his own magnificent form as soon as he was clear of Eve's view. Serpentalia's form was not pleasant for him as it restricted his movements. Now he was free to fly once again, and he shot up into a nearby tree where he could stay close and observe her without being seen. His disguise as a serpent had worked well. It wasn't long after he had left her that she reached up and picked the piece of forbidden fruit they had been sniffing earlier off the branch. He smiled broadly as she first took a bite and then devoured the entire piece of fruit.

  He was quite happy with himself. That was easy! Those Humans were quite gullible. Reviewing his interaction with her, he could have easily put her in a trance. He had not even used much of his charm with her.

  Oddly, he noticed as he was thinking about his conversation with Eve that he found her beautiful in an earthy way. Mammonael had observed Jarahmael and Lillith engage in some earthy mating ritual, and his mind thought about that possibility with Eve. His body wanted to join hers when he had been so close to her. He
wondered if that act was pleasurable in the same way he enjoyed diving into newly-created stars. He thought again about Jarahmael and Lillith. Had Jarahmael discovered some new form of pleasure that was not offered by the Almighty to him first?

  He watched as Eve folded onto the ground soon after eating the forbidden fruit. She was laying there for a while. Wonderful! This Human must be dying already, just as he had planned and as the Almighty promised. Well, that would end the problem of the Humans quickly.

  But if she had died from eating the fruit, how would he get rid of the man? The Almighty seemed to have taken a special liking to him. He had given him two of these females already and neither had worked out well. If Adam found her dead body under the Tree there, it would act as confirmation of the Almighty's warning and Adam would never eat that fruit.

  Maybe I should move her body to the stream and let her float down. Perhaps Adam will think it was an accident. Well, better that than to lose the chance to get the man to eat of the Tree, he thought.

  Better yet, he could hide the body and disguise himself as Eve. It worked with changing himself into Serpentalia's form. He could bring Adam back to the Tree and tempt him too. The male couldn't be any smarter than the female. He'd best get moving, so Adam wouldn't suspect anything.

  Luciferael pulled himself up on the branch and was about to stretch out his wings to fly over to Eve's body, when he suddenly saw her move. He froze in place and slowly dropped himself down behind the bushes as Eve stood up.

  Eve is not dead! How can that be? Now what is she going to do? He watched her stand there under the Tree for a while and then walk over to the stream and get back into the water. She wasn't in the stream long before she got back out. He watched as she walked back under the Tree of Knowledge, reached up and took a couple of pieces of the forbidden fruit off the Tree. Bundling them in her arms she then walked off, and headed in the direction of the hut.

  He suddenly remembered Serpentalia. Better deal with the real Serpentalia before someone or something stumbled upon the creature. Luciferael flew over to the place where he had left the serpent standing in a trance. He will never know that I changed myself into his form! He was going to release Serpentalia from the trance but then thought better of it. It was best to make sure the serpent remained in a trance for now, and keep him out of sight, so Luciferael hid the serpent in a nearby clump of bushes. Luciferael did not need the serpent stumbling into Eve or Adam until everything played out.

  Luciferael took off into a slow quiet flight at tree top level and tracked Eve on the ground, making sure he stayed back far enough that she could not see him. He watched Eve carefully as she walked into the hut in the clearing, which must be where she and Adam slept. He circled around to see if Adam was nearby and when he saw the Human male was not there yet, he landed in a tree nearby and waited for Adam to return.

  Eve did not come back out of the hut until Adam walked into the clearing and called out for her.

  "Eve, I have some of that fruit you liked from over on the other side of Eden."

  "Please, Adam, come inside," she called out to him.

  Adam found her lying on the straw, her body covered over by some large palm leaves.

  Eve put a smile on her face trying to look as though nothing had changed. "That's wonderful" she said but began to cry before the phrase was out of her mouth.

  "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Adam responded as he began to look upset himself. "The only time I have been upset like that was when Lillith had left me. What could have possibly happened that would make you feel like this?"

  Eve grabbed his hand and pulled him next to her, placing her right index finger over her lips to indicate that he should just stay quiet.

  Luciferael had watched Adam go into the hut and decided to land softly behind it so he would be able to hear what they said.

  Once Adam was in the bed beside her she sat up, grabbed Adam and held him, tucking her head under his chin and sobbing into his chest.

  Adam instinctively began holding her tight with his left arm and began stroking her hair with his right hand.

  Eve was sobbing heavily and was unable to do anything but hug him. She wasn't even able to speak.

  Adam tried to reassure her. "Eve, everything will be all right. There is nothing that we can't get through together. It will be all right."

  She only sobbed harder when she heard that.

  "Now, now. Just let it out. It will be fine."

  They remained like that for a long time. Whenever she would try to say something her tears came out stronger as did her sobbing. Eventually she had run out of tears, but Adam still held her close.

  "It's all right," he said, taking her face in his hands and looking into her eyes. She could not look directly back into his, and she focused her gaze downwards onto the floor.

  "Just tell me what's wrong. I can help. You were so kind to me after Lillith left. I will never forget that. I learned from Lillith leaving me that I could be forced to be alone. I don't want to feel like that ever again. You helped me heal from that pain. I love you because of it. Let me help you."

  "Do you. . . do you mean that?" she asked still looking down.

  "Yes, I mean that. You and I are a team. We do things together and for one another. The Almighty has made us a pair. I know what it's like not to be a pair. To be one without the other is very lonely. We can work this out, whatever it is."

  "I don't think we can, Adam. I made a terrible mistake."

  Adam laughed. "What kind of mistake could you have possibly made? There is nothing here that can harm us, Eve. The Almighty loves us more than anything and has given us all of this. We are his greatest Creation. Don't you remember him telling you that, the day he created you?"

  Luciferael shifted his weight when he heard that comment and his face began to turn red with anger.

  "I have done something that cannot be forgiven, Adam."

  Again Adam told her, "It cannot be that bad, Eve. We can straighten out whatever it is. Just tell me, I can't help you with something when I don't know what happened."

  "You promise?" she asked.

  "Yes, I promise," he answered emphatically.

  "All right. Remember when the Almighty showed us the Tree of Life?"

  "Yes, I do. What did you do to it? Destroy it?" he asked as he smiled.

  "No!" she answered quickly. "Remember that he also showed us the Tree on the other side of the stream?"

  "Yes, I do. Did you destroy that one too? That one should be destroyed anyway!" he said, starting to laugh.

  She began to sob again. "I am serious. You promise to stand by me?" she asked.

  "Yes, I promise!" he added, nodding his head.

  "I went to the stream between the two trees there to bathe this afternoon. I had fallen asleep in the stream as I sometimes do. Then a while later, I was awoken by a creature traveling past me through the water."

  "What sort of creature?" Adam asked.

  "It was a serpent, that's what he called himself. He told me his name was Serpentalia. He was in a hurry and I asked him why. He said he was in a hurry to go eat from the other Tree there."

  "The Tree of Life?" Adam asked. "I thought that was only there for us?"

  "No, no, from the other Tree, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil," Eve responded.

  "Did he die from eating the fruit of that Tree?" Adam asked.

  "No, he never ate the forbidden fruit."

  "Well then, there is no problem," stated Adam. "Nothing has been disturbed."

  "That's not true," Eve said sheepishly. "Some of the fruit was eaten."

  "How could that be, you just said that the serpent did not eat of the fruit?"

  "He tricked me!" she blurted out. "He told me lies while he was talking to me!" she said as she began to sob again.

  "Lies?" asked Adam.

  "Yes, lies! He told me that the fruit of that Tree would make us into gods like the Almighty Himself. That it made Humans like us into the winged Angels that
work on the pyramids. That they had eaten of the fruit and it gave them the ability not only to fly but also to build large structures like the pyramid here in Eden. He told me that the Almighty had lied to us, that He just didn't want you and I to become strong and with the knowledge that the Almighty possesses."

  "You believed him? A creature you had just met?" Adam asked, pulling back from Eve. "You do know that was the only commandment that the Almighty gave us?"

  "Yes, I know. But he talked to me about how the Almighty didn't fly like the Angels, how He was afraid that you and I would know as much as He did if we ate of the fruit."

  "Why didn't you wait for me Eve? Why didn't you come talk to me?" Adam asked as he began to turn pale.

  She began to cry again and said, "He told me to protect the fruit while he was gone. He was in a hurry, that he had been looking for this fruit for a long time. He wanted me to keep the secret that the fruit was special. And that he was going back to get the rest of the serpents so they could eat of the fruit and become as powerful as the Almighty."

  As she was speaking, she thought it was best to keep out the part that the serpent told her that he trusted her with the secret because she was an obedient creature and that she would not eat of the fruit as the Almighty had told her not to eat it. An omission that was not lost on Luciferael as he eavesdropped.

  Adam became silent and then dropped back on their bedding within the hut. He stared up into the ceiling for a few minutes and then cupped his head in his hands. Eve reached over and tried to put her arms around him again. But he pushed her away. She just lay next to him and cried.

  After a long while he turned his head to face her.

  "So you ate the fruit?"

  "Yes," she said softly.

  "How much did you eat?"

  "I ate a whole one. I just couldn't stop myself once I started."

  "If we explain this to the Almighty, that you were tricked by this serpent. Maybe He will forgive you," he said, thinking there could be some hope.

  "What if He makes me die as soon as finds out that I disobeyed Him?" she asked.