A seven-year-old Cain was lead along side his mother down the river. He held her right hand in his left, swinging his other arm high over his head. Cain had wanted to go with his mother to see the place where food comes from. Abel, five, was still asleep.

"See, Cain?" Eve asked, pointing ahead of them with the wooden bowl. "We follow the river just a little farther down, and there are all sorts of plants that bear fruit for us to eat."

Cain's eyes grew large. "Just like that? Just from plants?"

Eve nodded.

"But grass tastes bad," Cain protested.

Eve laughed. "Well grass isn't meant to eat, Cain. These plants were specially chosen by God to bear fruit that we can eat." With a smile, she added, "Fruit that doesn't taste bad."

Before long, they had reached a grove of trees and plants of all sorts. There were the fruit trees and vines, but there were also other plants that Cain couldn't name. They grew in the ground, or on it, as opposed to on a tree. Eve saw the direction of her son's gaze, and she said, "Those are vegetables, like carrots and potatoes.

The vegetables were further from them, behind the fruit trees, and closer to the river. "Oh! Can I go?" Cain asked, almost jumping up and down. "Please, please, please?"

Eve looked as though she were considering it. "Well… alright. Go ahead."

He tore off ahead, his mother's hand dropping from his own. It was the fruit trees that caught his attention first. Tall, swaying, and colorful, they looked a lot more fun than some funny-shaped weeds poking out from the ground, even if they were attached to food.

But soon, even climbing trees became boring, and he wandered back over to his mother, who was gathering vegetables. He looked at the small bean-sprouts and asked her,

"Why are some of the plants brown?"

Eve glanced at the plants in question. "Well, Cain, they've died"

"Why?"

She shrugged, half-frowning. "Because that's what God wants."

Cain didn't like the idea of God wanting anything to be dead.

Then he saw one small group of bean plants. They were only as long as his finger, and they had small leaves. The leaves were curling up on themselves, and they were going brown around the edges. He felt sad when he realized that the plants must be dying.

Maybe I can save just one, he thought. Maybe they don't have to die.

But why were they dying? He couldn't fix them if he didn't know what was wrong. He sat down and looked at them. They were pretty droopy. Maybe he could find some way to keep them standing up? They were also brown. Maybe he should get some sort of green color to put on them. What was it that made plants green? Could he use that?

Then Cain noticed that the plants were dry. He looked at the river. The bean plants over there were much greener than those in his tiny group. He had it! His plants must be thirsty! So he ran over to the river and scooped some water into his cupped hands. He dumped it over all his little plants.

Then he waited.

Five minutes later, they were no greener than before. He became bored and went to find Abel.

But the next day when he went back, Cain noticed that his plants were greener than the ones around them. It was working! He went back to the river, and put more water on the small sprouts every day.

"It's okay now," he whispered to the now-budding plants, after checking that no one was in hearing range. "I've saved you! You don't have to die."