LILITH

"Adam?", i said softly, tapping his cheek gently, "are you still awake?"

He moved and let out a deep breath, but he didn't say anything other than a quiet murmur in response.

I smiled.

I carefully got out of bed as Adam's soft snores filled the room. I looked at him while encircling my bare body with my arms. In his slumber, he had a kind face, parted lips, and messy, ruffled dark hair that had a bit of leaf caught in it from the hills. Shivering slightly as the night wind rushed in and gave me goosebumps all over, I turned to stroll over to the open window. I hurriedly shut it, rushed to get my dress off the bed, put it on, and then strode over to a tiny closet in the far end of the room.

There, i took one of Adam's cloaks to cover my head with. It was unwashed and reeked of dirt, sweat, and delicious fruits, just like him before a bath. I endured it as i left the room. It would have to be enough.

I shuffled barefoot down the hallway, my feet banging against the hardwood floor in my haste. I secretly prayed that Adam would be sound enough asleep for me to go and return. The house was quiet, as it often was at night, and as I walked down the stairs, I thought that it had never felt so unsettling.

Once i was out through the door, i shut it quietly and glanced around. My chest was oddly thumping, and I was experiencing an oddly exhilarating sensation throughout my body. I had never before left the house without Adam by my side. He didn't like it so i didn't do it but it seemed surreal to be outside by myself now. The once-routine sounds of crickets and croaking frogs now struck me as interesting, like music I had never heard before.

I turned to sprint along the house's side toward the backyard garden. My fingers were twitching with excitement as I ran my fingertips along the wall's edges. There was no need for a fence on the sides of the house, so there was only a clear grassy gap before the shrubs reappeared. Beyond the shrubs was the gate to Eden.

There was a tiny, narrow creek that flowed from east to west in the backyard of the house. The water was crystal clear, making the speckled fish at the bottom easy to see. There was no bridge and the only way to cross was over five perfectly positioned rocks. I carefully hopped on them one at a time, being mindful of their dampness. As I hopped, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the stream- i thought i looked different.

Another bush appeared after the stream and this time, I walked into it, using my hands to push the tall plants out of the way so I could make an opening. Wild insects fluttered by; some of them were flies, and I huffed in annoyance at their unpleasant buzzes. To get rid of them, I swatted at my hands.

The garden.

It was beautiful.

It was always a shade brighter than everything else, as if it were standing beneath a different sky than our own and casting a glow over nature in her in modest splendor. The soil was a lovely earthy brown, the grass seemed to be every shade of green and even at night, the birds sang jubilantly. 

It was spacious and open, sandwiched by a stand of cypress pines. As i walked in, i noticed the tress bearing various fruits threw silvery shadows on the grass. Daffodils exploded from the ground as a meadow extended away from the center. Peonies graced the garden's edges, while beautiful hyacinths encircled the hedges. The grass had a sweet smelling fragrance that sprang through the air.

As I walked through, butterflies floated in the air on their velvet wings and a hedgehog ambled by lazily. Now that the breeze's lullaby was much more audible, I could hear the little creatures scurrying and shuffling in the underbrush. A white fluffy bunny gave me a timid peep. 

I bit my bottom lip as I peered up toward the center, where the tallest tree stood with its fruits glistening in an alluring way. What made it so special? The creator had said we would die if we ate it. What made it so different from the others?

What made me so different from the others?

I stopped where I was, disregarded the squirrels' curious looks from where they were perched on a tree branch, and knelt down. 

I yelled, "Lord?" as I took off my cloak and said, "I need to talk to you." 

As my palms began to sweat profusely, I gingerly wiped them on my dress. Up until that point, I hadn't considered exactly what I would say. I no longer desired to be Adam's wife. Why? because I didn't appreciate how he treated me harshly or how rough he was with me.

Because it didn't feel good to have him touch me anymore.

What if i was the one with the problem? After all, the other Edenic women were happily married to their chosen husbands. Did I believe that I deserved better simply because I was the queen? 

No. 

I looked all around. No response.

"Please, just answer me", i begged, "its urgent"

He was here. The creator was here. He was always here and i could feel him, so why wasn't he responding? I stared up at the sky as a strong wind blasted against me, carrying with it dry leaves on the ground and the end of my dress. I covered my face with my arms, closing my eyes and waiting until it stopped. Then i looked up again. Even fewer stars were now strewn about, and the air was starting to smell like rain.

I called out once again, this time with a trembling voice, "Lord?" Thunder rumbled in the distance, shaking the ground beneath me and making me jump with its booming sound as a flash of light raced across the sky.

I turned my head to the side where the house was. I only hoped Adam hadn't been awakened by that. 

As i turned back to the sky, it seemed to grow darker and i wondered, what was happening in the heavens?