Paradise Undone
Lucinda Pharr was intensely religious. She lived her life by the Bible, and that included even the strictest of passages in Leviticus. Given half a chance, Lucinda would have become a nun, and probably slept on a wooden board in a hair- shirt. But her parents wished her to become a scientist, and under the restriction of " Thou shalt honour thy father and thy mother", she had acquiesced. Her friends, a rigid group of like-minded people, called her Luci.
It was sometime in November that Luci came up with The Idea. She was reading her nightly Bible excerpt, and was up to the third chapter in Genesis. It was the story of sin of Eve after being tempted by the Serpent. She started musing. Her train of thought went something like this: "What if the Original Sin never happened? The whole world would be different! Could I prevent it? What if I built a time machine, went back to the Garden of Eden, and persuaded Eve not to take the apple? I'll try it!" The Idea was born.
She went to work. At first she was spending her free time on the project, but it soon came to take over all of her life. She stopped sending in reports. Her group of friends saw her less and less. The time machine of the Idea became a "Temporal Dislocator". Finally, one night in March, she achieved The Breakthrough (as she instantly labelled it). While she was working on a dial to show from when and where the machine had travelled, the white mouse she used instead of a guinea pig appeared in front of her in the "Temporal Dislocator", with the dial indicating 5 hours in the future. She looked over at the cage (comfortable, of course, Luci was opposed to cruelty to animals) where her white mouse capered around, apparently none the worse for seeing itself from 5 hours in the future!
After The Breakthrough, there was not much left to do. She packed food- she wasn't too sure of its availability in the Garden of Eden. There was no need of clothes- shame was only invented after Eve's sin, and she was determined it wouldn't happen this time round. It was in early May that she entered the "Temporal Dislocator", and set the controls for the Garden of Eden.
She stumbled from the machine. It had not been an easy trip through time. As soon as her head cleared, Luci checked the machine over. Half of the circuits had blown, and the damage was irreparable. She was stranded.
Luci surveyed her surroundings. There were fruit trees all around, and a soft warm breeze blew. Not only were clothes yet to be invented, they were also unnecessary. Wild animals gathered, yet they evidently meant her no harm. A songbird landed on her shoulder, and an eagle on her head. She laughed in delight. She'd made it!
The animals parted, and Eve came forward. The birds left Luci and settled on Eve. She wore a look of wondering innocence, though nothing else. Eve spoke. "Who are you?"
"My name is Lucinda Pharr, or Luci."
"I am Eve. Why did you come here?"
"It's difficult to explain. I know something of the future, and I came to prevent an evil from occurring."
"What is evil?"
"Something that should not happen."
Eve laughed. "How wise you are! Are you of HIS Kind?"
"Who is HE?"
"How funny! You speak wisely, but you do not know HIM who made all."
"I call HIM by a different name, that is why I did not recognise HIM."
"What do you call HIM?"
Luci pondered. "By many names. Yahweh, God, the Lord, Jesus and Jehovah."
"How complicated! HE does not need so many names; HE is who HE is. But you seem tired. Come back with me, and meet my friend Adam."
Adam was tall and handsome. There was a gentle strength about him. He, too, wore no clothes, but was evidently unembarrassed, unlike Luci who blushed when she saw him. He and Eve had an easy camaraderie, with something deferential in their manner. There was nothing of the giggling or flirting that Luci would have expected in such a situation at home. Eve introduced them. "Adam, this is Luci." Luci extended a hand, but Adam merely looked at it in puzzlement. She confusedly drew it back.
Luci ate with them that night, but withdrew to the "Temporal Dislocator" when night fell. She felt uncertain- a new emotion for Lucinda Pharr. She went over her plan, then said her prayers and fell asleep.
She awoke next morning to the sound of birdsong. The dawn chorus was indescribably breathtaking, and somehow brighter, more joyful than that at home. Tears pricked in her eyes. Perhaps she would not miss home so much after all.
She met with Eve. "Will you walk with me?" Luci asked. "I have a warning to give you. HE said you must not eat of the tree in the middle of the Garden, didn't HE?"
"Yes, HE did. HE told us that if we eat or touch the fruit of that tree, we will die."
"I want to warn you; to remind you. You must not eat of the tree!"
"Why is it so important that we must not? What will happen? Will we die?"
"No, you will not die- but you must not!"
"If HE put it there, surely there is a reason for it! I will see."
And Eve ran to the tree in the centre of the Garden, and ate of its fruit. A change came over her face. She looked no longer innocent- there was evil in her eyes. Then Adam arrived, and Eve held the fruit out to him triumphantly. Luci watched in horror. Her thoughts ran wild. "Where is the Serpent? There is no Serpent. I am the Serpent! I have created Original Sin. I, Luci Pharr- I am Lucifer!"