Day 3
And God caused Shel'dam to fall into a deep sleep, and whilst he slept, took a rib out of his side, and formed a helper, calling her Woman. And He breathed life into her spirit, and poured substance into her soul. And He gave her a brain, and gave it great power, to think, to feel, to remember, and to influence the man. And He gave her a great heart, more powerful and forceful than the man's heart, and able to feel emotions much deeper than he. He also gave her a softer, more curvaceous frame, in order to attract the man and make him fall in love with her. And He gave her a womb, so that she would bear many, many children.
God placed the woman in the garden with Shel'dam, and then woke him up.
Shel'dam's Mental Log, Day 3: The last thing I remember was eating a piece of fruit, and then waking up under the tree, with a twinge of discomfort in my right upper thorax. I had slept through the evening and into the next morning. Now I've fallen behind, and will have to do the work of two of me. It's so hard being the first in everything.
She opened her eyes and saw sky. She smelled grass, and heard birds singing. She sat up, her blonde head peeping over the top of the tall grass. She scrunched her nose inquisitively, then got on her feet. She started walking, and turned in circles as she walked, trying to take in all her surroundings. She saw the sheep and cattle, the birds flying and kangaroos hopping, and then she heard a loud bellowing. She stopped, crouching behind a bush. She peeked carefully through the branches and saw it.
There was a great woolly creature, with thick legs, a long floppy thing coming out of its face, and two long curvy pokey things coming out of its mouth. It was an amazing creature, and she blinked as it quietly stood, eat grass in the sun.
"Bleaahhh!" She heard the bellowing again. "Stupid animal! Move!'' She looked, and saw it again.
Its backside was turned toward her, and it was taller than she was, and skinnier, but much like her in every way. It had two long arms, which were alternately gesturing wildly and resting on its hips, and two long legs. And it was squawking and bellowing and making noise. She leaned further out and stepped on a branch, making a loud cracking sound. The tall skinny thing whirled around and jumped slightly.
"Who's there?" it squealed, throwing its large hands up defensively.
She slowly stepped out and looked at the noisy creature pensively. Now that she could see its face, she wondered at its blue eyes, straight brown hair, and attractive face. She raised her hand slowly, keeping eye contact, and spoke out, "Hi?"
Shel'dam relaxed and now stood straight and lifted up a shy hand. "Hello," he said, immediately putting his hand down.
They sized each other up for a moment, then he snapped to attention, his face glowing with recognition. "You must be the assistant who was sent for me. And not a moment too soon. I could really use some help with this big hairy thing," He said, turning with a glare toward the animal.
"As-sis-tant?" the woman slowly pronounced, the word feeling strange on her tongue. She placed her hand on her bosom, and spoke slowly and emphatically, "I am Woman."
"Woman? Hmm, doesn't have much of a ring to it, but it beats 'Hey You.'" The man mimicked her introductory gesture. "I am Shel'dam, and I am the master of the domain. It's my job to organize and classify all of the creatures in the garden, and we're already behind schedule."
He turned on his heels and waved at the creature directly in front of him. "This...Maddening Behemoth will not cooperate. I need him to go over there, with the other large quadrupeds." He pointed to a clearing where a bison, a wolf, and a rhinoceros were lazily moving around a small pond.
"Mad..be..moth?" she spoke, trying to understand. "It's big. I don't think it wants to move."
"Yeaaagh! Yeaaugh!" he shouted again, flailing his arms forward at the creature's rear end. It continued chewing its cud without regarding him.
"Yehaa! Yippy-yi-yay!" the woman moved toward it and shouted, waving her arms over her head and dancing in place. The animal grunted and swallowed its food. Then, in search of more grass, he slowly shuffled forward.
"Well done, Miss Woman! We've got him moving now!" Shel'dam began trailing it as it moved toward the clearing. She followed behind at a short distance. After a few steps, the animal stopped, and Shel'dam moved close to its rear.
"No, you monstrosity, keep moving!" he shouted, then bellowed at him again. There was a rumbling sound, then a puff of fetid air erupted from its buttocks, and into the man's face. He immediately began choking and gagging, and the woman instinctively held her nose. Shel'dam doubled over so that he was under the beast's tail. The air was filled with foulness again as a cascade of feces splashed on his shoulder.
The man began screaming and prancing about, waving his arms, trying to remove the filth. His left foot landed in another pile and he let out a high pitched shout, then ran past the creature toward the pond. The woman held her hands over her face, her eyes large with wonder as Shel'dam flew to the clearing and threw himself into the mirky water. He continued thrashing about, sending several birds flying for cover. Finally, he grabbed a stone and began scouring his body, punctuated by his cries of "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!"
He had rubbed himself raw when he finally calmed down, then turned to see the animal standing in the clearing, lapping blades of grass into its mouth from the woman's left hand, as she stroked its masssive head with her right. As Shel'dam climbed out of the water, he could hear her softly cooing, "Mamb'moth...Mamb'moth...aww, who's my big furry baby?". He stopped, considering the scene before him.
"Well, I guess we showed that one!" Shel'dam sniffed, straightening himself proudly.
The woman looked at him and smiled. "Yep, we sure did." She turned back to the creature and whispered, "And you showed him how not to stand behind a feeding Mamb'moth."
They stood beneath the branches of the Tree, eating purple fruit and watching the sun move past the ridge in the distance.
"So," the woman slurped, juice running down her chin. "We eat these, we'll live forever?"
"That's what the Creator said," Shel'dam explained. "And please do not eat with your mouth full, it's impolite."
"Mmmph?" she mumbled, her cheeks bulging with hunks of sweet fruit.
Suddenly, the air felt cooler and the wind picked up, and they were aware of a Presence near them.
"Good evening, Son. I see you've met your mate, Woman."
"Yes, we've been able to become acquainted with one another today while trying to organize the garden," he nodded, looking upward. "Excuse me, did you just say she was my mate?"
"Why yes, I created her just for you. She's going to help you live, increase, and multiply in the garden. I'm quite pleased with her, if I do say so myself."
The woman looked, hunching herself sheepishly. "Uh, Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but Who are You?"
"Ah, Daughter. I am Your Father. I created you from Shel'dam's rib."
"That explains this!" the man exclaimed, pointing to a tiny scar in his side. "You ripped the bones right out of my own body and created…her?"
"Well, Shel'dam, aren't you pleased with what I have made? She's perfect for you."
He looked at her, taking in her fair, smooth skin, her curved hips, smaller extremities, slighter build, and especially her full breasts. He worked his mouth quizzically, analyzing the woman and assessing her fitness as a mate. He continued to the round face, with its fuller lips, bright greenish-gold eyes, and winsome features, punctuated by her pleasant smile, and framed by long blonde hair that hung in loose waves past her shoulders.
"Well, she has proven herself quite helpful in assisting me with the animals. Indeed, she seems to have a way of making them obey her with minimal effort." He turned back to the sky. "I suppose she will compliment me quite well in completing the tasks I have been assigned. Thank You, Sir."
"Good to hear, Son. And how was your first day in the garden, Daughter?"
She became somewhat demure, trying to please her Father. "Well, Sir, I met a Mammoth, a Wolf, and a pair of bluebirds today."
Shel'dam looked at her critically and then interrupted. "Sir, I must say that we have NOT agreed on the official names for any of these animals. Until we have signed off on them, they will be known as Big Wooly Longnose, Howling Furry Tail, and Blue…tweeters."
"Shel'dam, you really need to relax. I created this garden for you to enjoy and explore, not to fret about."
The man, realizing that God was all too able to force him to take a rest, relented from his complaints. "Well, thank You for Your concern, I will take that as a sign that it is time to retire."
He turned to the woman, and gestured over to the palm grove. "Miss Woman, let's go back to the base camp and prepare for the evening."
They walked quietly, listening to the rush of the wind in the trees as twilight fell over the land. They neared a stand of palms where the ground was covered with a thick carpet of mossy grass.
"So, this is where you sleep at night?" the woman asked, looking hesitantly at the soft green carpet of foliage.
"Yes, it's quite satisfactory, although as you will find out, the animals have no regard for my need for quiet." He sat down on the carpet, reaching out for an aloe plant and spreading its soothing sap on his still-tender skin.
"Oh, let me help you with that," she said, kneeling down and reaching for the plant.
"Miss Woman, I do not need assistance with my evening ablutions," he said, sliding back away from her grasp. "But you are more than welcome to use any of the plants for your own personal hygiene."
She leaned back, her face slightly downcast at his rebuff. "Okay, well, where do I lay down?"
The man looked around and lifted his arm expansively. "Oh, well, there are acres and acres of this soft grass in this grove. Pick any place you would like, just as long as it is not adjacent to my Spot."
She slumped her shoulders slightly, trying to be a good mate but somewhat bothered by his distant attitude. She found a spot about 20 feet away from his location in the palms, and lay on her back, looking at the moon and stars of the night sky. She listened to the sounds of the animals in the distance, and smelled the sweet scents of the garden. She closed her eyes and smiled. Even though she was tired, she was excited about another day of exploring with Shel'dam.