Genesis

A long time ago as men account time but not so very long ago as the stars account time He looked upon the Universe that He had created and noticed a remarkable thing. In one small corner of His Universe there was a planet on which life had developed. In its own right the appearance of life on this planet was nothing remarkable. There were many worlds in the Universe which crawled with life. That was as it should be; when He had created the Universe He had arranged it so that life could come into being. Life, He had thought, was unimportant but it made for a nice decorative touch.

On most worlds life never became anything than a bacterial scum. On some few worlds it was more elaborate and had developed into things such as sponges, mosses, and yeast. Here and there even more advanced organisms had evolved, baroque monstrosities that shambled through disturbingly elaborate landscapes. On this one world, however, something truly remarkable had happened; sentient intelligent life had evolved. One species, a rather anomalous breed of primate, had somehow cobbled together an ability to use lnaguage and tools. They even had a primitive if somewhat perverse sense of morality. In short they had the seeds of those attributes that distinguished Him from His creations.

He pondered this uexpected development for a time that was both long and short for microseconds and millennia are as one to Him. At length He decided that although these humans had in some small part of His attributes they had none of His essence and were therefore doomed to fail of their promise. He was piqued, however, by the possibility that those of His Creation might possibly rise to be coeval with Him so He decided to give these pitiful primates a helping hand.

He pondered again as to how this might be achieved and at length decided that He would create a man and a woman who were as perfect as it was possible to be for humans to be. These two He would endow with a spark of His essence so that they might transcend the materiality of His Creation.

He saw that it would not do to simply create them and cast them amidst the humans that dwelt in the lands of the Earth. Those folk were cruel and corrupt, given to savageries and the worship of false gods.

He grasped a bit of chaos and shaped it and formed it and shaped it to create an enclave hidden away from the rest of the Earth. Within this enclave he created a garden of perfection which He called Eden. He populated it with plants and animals such as might be found in the lands of the Earth, save that He removed from them that streak of viciousness that taints both man and animal alike. When He was done He looked upon Eden and saw that it was good.

When all was ready he took up a bit of dust and formed it and shaped it until He had formed the body of a man. He did all this in the time that is no-time so that the body lay still and unmoving, inanimate and incorruptible. Satisfied with His work, he breathed the breath of life into His new creation and with that He passed into the man a bit of His essence. The man drew his first breath, sat up, looked around, and said, “Where am I? Who am I? What is this place?” He replied, “You are in the Garden of Eden, the place that I have created for you. You are Adam, the first true man, with whom I am greatly pleased.” Adam looked up into His face and was satisfied for he knew his Maker.

Then He reached into Adam and from Adam’s rib He withdrew a single cell. He took that cell and multiplied it, formed it and shaped it, until He had formed the body of a woman. He did all this in the time that is no-time so that it lay still and unmoving, inanimate and incorruptible. Satisfied with His work, he breathed the breath of life into His new creation and with that He passed into the woman a bit of His essence. The woman drew her first breath, sat up, looked around, and said, “Where am I? Who am I? What is this place?” He replied, “You are in the Garden of Eden, the place that I have created for you. You are Eve, the first true woman, with whom I am greatly pleased.” Eve looked up into His face and was satisfied for she knew her Maker.

Adam and Eve stood expectently before Him and He spoke unto them. “Behold, I have created you as Man and Woman that you may know and love each other. I have created this Garden, filled with sweetness and delight, as a place for you. It is yours to do with as you will, save only that the fruit of the One Tree is forbidden to you.” With that He bade them go and enjoy that which He had created for them. Adam and Eve went out into the Garden where they enjoyed themselves as He had commanded.

There was much that He did not tell them. He did not tell them of the world beyond the Gates of Eden where the sentient primates dwelt. He did not tell them that their time in Eden was to be limited. He did not tell them that they would be banished from Eden and to dwell in the lands of men. He did not tell them that they were the instrument with which He would infuse His essence into the species of man.

When some time had passed and Adam and Eve had explored the Garden and the delights of each other He called forth His agent, the Snake, and bade the Snake to go unto Eve and tempt her into eating of the forbidden fruit. He knew that Adam and Eve would never violate His command of their own volition but that they could be tempted. He desired this so that they rather than He would make the decision that would lead to their banishment from Eden.

And the Snake went unto Eve and tempted her, saying all manner of false things, that the forbidden fruit was the sweetest fruit in the Garden, that it would give her the knowledge of good and evil, and that it would make her as a goddess. The Snake lied; the fruit was but an ordinary fruit, a bit tart but very juicy, and had no special powers. Its significance lay not in itself but in its being forbidden as the fruit of the One Tree.

Eve was tempted by the lying words of the Snake and desired to taste of the forbidden fruit but she was afraid to taste of it alone so she spoke unto Adam, repeating the lying words of the Snake, and tempted him. Together they went unto the One Tree. Together they climbed it. Together they gathered the fruit of the One Tree. Together they ate of the forbidden fruit.

When they had done so and were wiping the juice from their mouths He appeared before them. They knew they had violated His command and thus it was that they knew shame and guilt for the first time. They tried to hide but He called them forth and they came.

“You have disobeyed my command and violated my Garden,” He said. “Henceforth you must leave this place which I had created for you and take your place in the world amongst the soulless ones.” Having spoken in tones of anger, He called forth His servant, Michael, who bore a flaming sword. Michael drove them forth with his flaming sword, drove them through the gates of Eden, drove them out into the desolation East of Eden, and shut the gates behind them.

Adam and Eve looked back at the barred gates and wept, for Eden was the only home they had known, and it was sweet and lovely. Having wept, they turned their backs on Eden and made their way into the world to see what they might find there.

Adam and Eve made their way into the lands of men and there they prospered mightily, for they bore the essence of Him and had souls whereas the sentient primates did not. They and their offspring became kings and queens and rulers of men. He watched with approval as Adam and Eve and their descendents invented the arts of civilization and remade the world. Alas, things did not go as He had intended. The Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve grew powerful and corrupt. They invented gods in their own image and sacrificed the soulless ones to their false gods. They invented all manner of sin and vice and debauchery and indulged themselves.

At length He tired of the evil that His new children did and repented of giving them souls. So he spoke to each of them, whispering that the gates of Eden were open again and they were to come and enjoy the delights of the Garden forever. And they came unto to Eden and passed through the gates, each and every one of them, save only Noah and his family who were abroad on the sea where they were shipwrecked and swallowed by a giant whale.

When He had gathered all of the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve into the Garden of Eden He sent forth a great flood in the Garden and drowned them, each and every one of them, until no man, woman, or child with a soul was left. When it was done and all who had souls bearing His essence were gone, He removed Eden from the world as though it never had and left the sentient apes to their own devices, to make their way in the Universe that He had created as best they could.