Adam’s attention whipped back to his immediate situation when he felt a dreaded presence of something dark and ominous hovering over them, a form he could not identify, like millions of writhing snakes in the putrid air above. It seemed to be seeking them as though they were its prey. He knew they had to find shelter, and fast!
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Taking his broken and cherished woman by the hand, he gently lifted her up and winced when he saw her bloodied legs and feet. She stood there, staring at him with great pools of tears in her eyes. It was a heartbreaking sight. They didn’t even have coverings to protect their feet. The toughened soles of their feet could not hold up against the dangerously hot crusty ground. They needed some protection.
Adam looked around, urgently, for small pieces of bark cast off by tumbling tree limbs. Then he searched for a sharpened rock, finding it, he made a rough cut of the bark the size and shape of their feet and then carefully measured and cut four pieces from the edge of his garment, placing each piece on top of the bark. From his covering, he cut long strips of leather for lacing the bark and padding to their feet and ankles. Awkward, but adequate, the coverings would protect their injured feet as they crossed the brutal terrain. He amazed himself at how quickly he thought out and accomplished his goal. With that, he gave thanks to the Creator for his inspiration. Still feeling a dark oppression, Adam looked for two small, but sturdy sticks. One end he sharpened, and the other end became a tool for maneuvering over hot rocks and debris. Once equipped, the couple set out across the bleak and hemorrhaging landscape to find shelter. The couple used walking sticks to make sure the ground was secure beneath them. On occasion, the sticks would puncture through a crusty spot, causing the molten rock to ooze around the stick. Having a moment of awareness, Adam swirled his stick in the molten rock, then quickly drew it out and let it harden at the base of the stick. Before it cooled completely, he whacked off the bottom accumulation of, what was now, black stone. In this way, he made two small bowls for each of them, one for water and one for food. He made two small holes in the top edge of the bowls and, again, using his garment, he cut long pieces of leather rope. Now they could carry them securely around their waists. They followed the only light they had - the setting sun to the west, where its companion light, a bloody moon, was rising. Finally, they came to a place where they thought they would be safe. Three huge rocks tumbled together creating a makeshift shelter. They would rest there. They were tired, hungry, and without water, but for now, they could bear it. At least they were safe from the raging storm. Adam made a little divot in the dirt for their hips and cleared away any rocks, then he took off his covering and laid it beneath them. The soft, cushy wool helped ease their bruised and aching bodies. Then, in like manner, Eve loosened her robe and lay next to her husband, spreading her covering over the two of them. In the darkness of the night, Adam felt her tears as they dropped silently onto his chest. Though Eve couldn’t see them, tears also spilled from Adam’s eyes. His heart ached over what he had brought upon them by his disobedience to the Creator. All he knew was that he had to hold onto God’s faithful promise… that he had a “plan.” ... In the morning things didn’t look or smell any better. The air was still hard to breathe, their eyes burned from all the smoke still rising from many brush fires, and a brownish haze covered the sun. Wearily they rose, looked deeply into each other's eyes, and humbly gave thanks to their Creator for protecting them through the harsh night and not abandoning them. Adjusting their coverings, they picked up their sticks and continued toward a rock outcropping that led to a hilly area. All around them, they saw pieces of rocks that were fractured inside. At other times, they picked up stones that were dark and shiny on one side and like unmarked brown on the other. Strangely, these two types of rocks were all around them.1 As they traversed along a descending canyon ridge, they saw an enormous opening at the base of a hill on the opposite canyon wall. It gave the appearance of being a cycloptic giant watching them. As they made their way down into the canyon, they hiked across a patch of ground littered with thousands, if not millions, of the red jumping creatures, dead and dehydrated. Apparently, they suddenly died from a blast of hot, searing air, which |
roasted them alive, instantly and caused their delicate bodies to fall like pebbles from the sky. The couple’s bowels grumbled for lack of food. Questioningly, they looked at each other as if to ask permission to partake of a "creature." In the Garden there was such an abundance of food – fruit, nuts, leaves, they never considered eating something of flesh, but here they were in new circumstances, and they were starving for food.
This time Eve waited for Adam’s decision. They knew from watching the jumping creatures in the Garden that they were not scavengers, but rather they fed upon the Garden’s greenery and flowers on their four tiny jointed legs. They even had little kneecaps!2 Adam and Eve quickly picked up a handful and started feasting on this, the Lord’s blessing of food. Looking up to the heavens, Adam said, “God, King of the Universe, by whose hand all things exist, we give you thanks.” Then they started feasting on the crunchy little critters. Since they were roasted alive, their salts concentrated and they tasted like the small seeds from the giant yellow flowers in the Garden. Their energy instantly responded to the nourishment, as did their spirits. Adam laughed when Eve smiled in satisfaction. He reached out and plucked a tiny locust leg that stuck in her teeth. They shared a moment of laughter and then being acutely aware of their surroundings, they quickly stooped down and filled their small handmade bowls with their nutty tasting bounty. Later, they would make a leather pouch to carry them in, but for the present, they had to keep moving and find water. Their mouths were beyond dry, so they gently bit down on the tip of their tongues to produce some saliva for moisture. Their thirst was overtaking them. Both had pounding headaches from dehydration. Adam looked carefully at the surrounding area. Somewhere close by there had to be water. He could all but smell it. It was close! Think, Adam, think. Remember your life before the Garden. You knew how to find water then. Find it now! Scanning the hills around them, he looked for some rounded domed rocks. “There! Eve, look over there!” Eve’s eyes followed to where he was pointing the stick. There they were, two small anticlinal limestone domes, porous enough to pocket water, yet weak enough to release its life-giving substance with a solid blow. That’s just what Adam did. He took his walking stick, tipped in hardened molten lava, and hit the rock with one strong, solid blow. To their delight and great relief, water started trickling from a crack in the rock. Then, suddenly, the break blew open from the pressure behind it, and an abundant flow of water gushed out. Yes, indeed, Adam smiled; it pays to be desert-wise. Again, they looked to heaven, assured that God would never “leave them or forsake them.” They were wise, too, not to drink too much water lest they over-swell their stomachs with inflated locust body parts. Before continuing, they simply had to rest, and what better place than leaning on the solid rock and listening to the life-giving water trickle down the face of it. It collected in a pool at the base of the rock, so they took off their makeshift shoes and put their sore, aching feet into the refreshing and healing water. There was something in the water that eased the aching pain, and which caused the area around the sores on their feet to slightly fizz with a whitish foam. They didn’t know what it was, but they could sense and see that their feet were healing.3 He wanted to remember this place of refreshment, so he looked around for some distinctive rocks. What he found were three almost clear, white medium-sized boulders. They were like the ones they saw earlier, which seemed to be fractured inside. Carefully arranging them, he stacked them one on top of another. Again, he paused, raised his hands, and praised the Spirit of the Creator for His kindness toward them. Each time they acknowledged the goodness of God, they became more confident in their heart that God was on their side and that He would lead them through this valley of death. In what seemed like just moments, hunger and thirst satisfied, they fell asleep. This time wrapped in each others' arms they felt comforted and loved, not just by each other, but by their Creator, as well. |
Endnotes for Chapter 5
1 Evidence of a meteor strike are “shocked” quartz and tektite stones, as well as sink holes, if the strike is in a water basis area.
2 Grasshoppers with four legs and tiny little kneecaps turn into locust when they become over-populated, and start bumping into each other. The chemical serotonin is released and the creatures turn into flying locust, swarming in up to the billions. Amazingly, they can cover 125 miles a day at 50 mph, consuming all vegetation in their path. Because of their jointed legs with kneecaps, they are the only Kosher insect, but they have to be of the red, yellow, spotted, or white kind. Too, they must he roasted or boiled alive to avoid a chemical change that gives them a bitter taste. Other than that, they take on whatever seasoning is applied to them. They are the ancient “high-energy” snack! Ready to try some? I am. In 2013, I took this picture of a red locust in my garden. My stats were obtained from www.blog.pjvoice.com
3 www.chem.wisc.edu Healing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in limestone’s chemical composition.
In measuring time: Think about it. You read what I came up with. First, I researched the most ancient way of keeping time. Everything far post-dated our Holy couple. However, I found two ancient clocks very interesting. The oldest was a vessel that contained water. It had a spout underneath it, which drained into a bowl. The drips measured the elapsed time. One major problem with that clock was that, as the water pressure decreased the drips showed down. The other ancient clock was a 6th Century clock designed by, who else, the Chinese. Those very aesthetically designed clocks used the slow burn of particular sticks. At the end of the stick was a small string. When that burned through, a little gong struck a metal medallion. The stick was infused with incense, which gave off a pleasant scent. My notes from: www.listverse.com
For the purpose of this new style of publishing, I am including the first five chapters of " ...and Afterwards" . If you, the reader, would like the remaining chapters, please contact me by email at: klvr2009@gmail.com. I will send the balance of the book chapters as soon as they are formatted.
1 Evidence of a meteor strike are “shocked” quartz and tektite stones, as well as sink holes, if the strike is in a water basis area.
2 Grasshoppers with four legs and tiny little kneecaps turn into locust when they become over-populated, and start bumping into each other. The chemical serotonin is released and the creatures turn into flying locust, swarming in up to the billions. Amazingly, they can cover 125 miles a day at 50 mph, consuming all vegetation in their path. Because of their jointed legs with kneecaps, they are the only Kosher insect, but they have to be of the red, yellow, spotted, or white kind. Too, they must he roasted or boiled alive to avoid a chemical change that gives them a bitter taste. Other than that, they take on whatever seasoning is applied to them. They are the ancient “high-energy” snack! Ready to try some? I am. In 2013, I took this picture of a red locust in my garden. My stats were obtained from www.blog.pjvoice.com
3 www.chem.wisc.edu Healing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in limestone’s chemical composition.
In measuring time: Think about it. You read what I came up with. First, I researched the most ancient way of keeping time. Everything far post-dated our Holy couple. However, I found two ancient clocks very interesting. The oldest was a vessel that contained water. It had a spout underneath it, which drained into a bowl. The drips measured the elapsed time. One major problem with that clock was that, as the water pressure decreased the drips showed down. The other ancient clock was a 6th Century clock designed by, who else, the Chinese. Those very aesthetically designed clocks used the slow burn of particular sticks. At the end of the stick was a small string. When that burned through, a little gong struck a metal medallion. The stick was infused with incense, which gave off a pleasant scent. My notes from: www.listverse.com
For the purpose of this new style of publishing, I am including the first five chapters of " ...and Afterwards" . If you, the reader, would like the remaining chapters, please contact me by email at: klvr2009@gmail.com. I will send the balance of the book chapters as soon as they are formatted.