Chapter 21

Sara had spent most of the previous day wandering the Garden, narrowing down her search. Now, during her "bathroom break", she had hurried into part of the Garden that remained unsearched.

Five minutes later, Sara found the Tree.

It stood in the center of a small clearing, bathed in sunlight and birdsong from the surrounding forest. Sara's angelic mind immediately recognized, in its small, green, sour-looking fruit, the first sacrament, the original manna whose leaves were for the healing of the nations.

Why? Sara thought as she stared at the hanging fruit. Why did you hide your face from us behind that veil of glory? If you had granted us the Beatific Vision, we never would have turned away. But instead you wrapped yourself in unapproachable light, which you part for human thieves and murderers, but turn to flames before us.

"It isn't fair," she murmured.

All these things God does for man—twice, even three times—bringing back his soul from the brink of the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.

Sara turned to see a small turtle grazing on flowers at the edge of the clearing.

Job, chapter 33, verses 29 and 30, the turtle added.

Lord Asmodeus! Sara exclaimed. Why haven't I heard from you for so long?

Why interfere? asked Asmodeus. You've served us better than you could possibly imagine.

Huh?

Don't you realize what's happening? The whole world is so caught up in hunting for you that they've forgotten about the rest of us. Soon we will rule this world, and we will make sure that no more souls elude our grasp. Men will live in darkness, walk in darkness, and die in darkness, never to glimpse the light of truth. The number of the saved will never be filled, and the Creator's plan to fill our empty seats with those vile bodies* will be forever frustrated. And down at the bottom of the pit, our Master will laugh in his chains as he watches the endless stream of souls pouring from the blighted earth.

Sara considered this briefly, then turned to more pressing concerns.

Are you here to kill me?

Kill you? said Asmodeus. Of course not. Just your body.

And with that, the turtle threw itself at her.

This is not normal, Sara thought, as she struggled to pry the turtle from her face. We're in Paradise. He shouldn't be able to attack me physically.

Satan's power must have grown greatly over the last few days if a demon could attack her physically beside the Tree of Life, even if he was limited to attacking her through a possessed body. Sara could only imagine what power the demons must have outside the Garden.

You don't have to do this, said Sara. I can still help you.

You've already given us all the help we need, Asmodeus replied, struggling to bury the turtle's sharp beak into her neck. Now come back to the darkness!

Sara lunged at the Tree, smashing her turtle-covered face into its trunk. Another smash, and the turtle fell to the ground, dazed.

Sara staggered backward, gasping for air. Just as she had recovering her breath, a pigeon alighted on one of the Tree's branches. They stared at each other for a long moment.

A pigeon? said Sara.

I'm working with what's available, okay?

What are you going to do—poop on me?

"Sara, what's going on here?" demanded a stern voice.

There was a flutter of wings, and the pigeon was gone. Sara turned to see Elijah standing on the edge of the clearing.

"So you've found the Tree."

"Um," replied Sara.

She lunged toward the Tree of Life. Elijah pointed and shouted a word. A column of fire fell from the sky, hiding Sara from view as it struck the earth. At last the column dissipated, leaving her unscathed but surrounded by a ring of flames.

"You've got some explaining to do," said the prophet.

* According to St. Augustine and a number of other Christian writers, humanity was created to replace the fallen angels.