Tears fill my eyes as I realize I shall never again see another sunrise. I slept past dawn so many times in the past. Now I think only of how many mornings I have wasted.
What has my life been, these many long years of endless toil? What legacy do I leave behind, I who shall be cursed by all generations for having brought death into the world? I am at fault for the tears shed by grieving families as their loved ones succumb to the punishment that befalls all mankind.
My granddaughters curse me when their pains come upon them each month, despising me all the more when their babies are born. My grandsons blame Adam for every poor harvest. It seems everyone forgets that they too have fallen prey to the adversary's deception.
I am no longer the beautiful young woman who captivated Adam at first sight, although he still looks at me as if my face has not wrinkled and my hair has not silvered. In my eyes, he will always be the handsome, muscular caretaker of the paradisal garden instead of the stooped tiller of soil, his hands withered with age.
Just as I was not the first person to live, I will not be the first person to die. After all these years, I still think daily of my son. Imagine everything that was gentle and kind, and that was my Hevel. As for Cayin, it's been so many years since I've seen him that I nearly feel we would be strangers if we were to meet, but a mother never forgets.
Adam notices me wandering alone outside our small hut. He tries to coax me back inside, but I sit entranced by the myriads of stars. I began my life surrounded by God's creation, and I will end it the same way.
I close my eyes and lean into Adam's arms a final time as memories pass before my eyes.
