It's been a while, but I had started this chapter before chapter 3, so this was supposed to be Day 4. Confused? This is where a shadow of darkness enters into the garden idyll...
Day 5
Shel'dam's Mental Log Earthdate 01.04: Have developed a system of days, hours, and minutes based on solar movements. Feeling very warm and fuzzy about this. Have decided to forego zoological project in favor of working on a timekeeping device. Will assign Pene' with task of animal studies in the jungle sector. Hoping that I will not regret it...
Pene' stood perfectly still, her cheeks puffed out with her suspended breath, her eyes turned inward toward her nose. On its tip a long slender insect fanned its broad, beautiful blue-and-gold wings, tickling her with its tiny feet. She had sucked her breath in when she saw the ornate creature flutter over her head as she walked through the jungle, her mouth agape with each magnificent discovery. But now, the feather-light bug seemed to be resting contentedly on her face, so she held her breath, not wanting to frighten it away.
But she was starting to feel dizzy, so she loudly exhaled, and the creature winged away, floating in a zig-zag pattern to a long leaf on a nearby bush. She felt a little forlorn to have to say goodbye to the beautiful thing, but she really couldn't linger in any one place too long. Shel'dam had given her explicit instructions to try to catalog in her mind as many animals as she could while it was day. She had started out well, spotting small web-footed animals with large beaks, who waddled and made something like a "wack-wack" honking sound, to larger furry creatures that had pointy ears long tails, and long strings sticking out of their face. Oh, and they had the most beautiful golden eyes. But the more amazing creatures she saw, the more she would stop and observe them, wondering at how the Maker had given them the exact traits they needed to thrive in the garden.
"Bye-bye, flutter-by," she said with a twinge of sadness, then made a mental note of the name she had made up; Shel'dam would surely be impressed when they had their daily debriefing. She moved on through the jungle, looking at all of the amazing trees and flowers that were growing around her. She felt like Father was speaking to her with every fresh, green leaf, every beautiful bloom, and every majestic tree. And with every rustling branch, every calling bird, and every sweet scent she heard these creations singing praises, telling Him how thankful they were for their life in this beautiful world. She was so overwhelmed with this feeling that she lifted her head and twirled around and around. Look at me, Papa! I'm dancing, her heart cried. She was so lost in her ecstasy that her foot caught on a root, and she nearly fell to the ground. Catching herself, she stood up, and was awed by what she saw next.
There, pulling berries from a bush, was a large, imposing creature, almost as tall as she was, but much more bulky, its body round and low to the ground. Its skin and fur were black and lustrous in the afternoon sun. Its head was large and pointed, and its long arms looked strong enough to tear down the trees that surrounded it. Yet, its hands were almost delicate as they picked the berries from the branches, its fingers long and articulate. Its most impressive feature was its face, with a large, toothy mouth, broad, flaring nose, and two of the most beautiful brown eyes, which looked upon the woman with curiosity, as if it were as impressed as she was.
Pene' didn't know what to do; while she wanted to observe the creature like the others, she also felt drawn to it, as if they shared an unspoken bond. In one fast movement, the animal threw a berry in its mouth, place its arms on the ground and moved a step closer, and the woman jumped, startled. The creature had the same curious look, however, and tilted its head, as if trying to size her up.
The woman stood still and reached out her hand. "Hello?" she said quietly.
The animal took another step closer, walking on its hands, then tilted its head the other way, furrowing its great brow. It made a gentle grunting sound, then took yet another step closer. The woman began to calm down, but still maintained eye contact. The creature reached out to the woman, mimicking her friendly gesture.
Warming up to the animal, she used her innate social skills to connect. "Who are you? You look beautiful. I am Pene'," she said, using her usual gesture. The animal patted its chest and grunted twice, then moved closer.
"Oh, well, nice to meet you…Lady Ape," she responded, not sure where the name came from or how she knew it was a female. Perhaps she just had a sense for it, like she did with all of the animals. She then reached out and touched her great paw, and the gesture gave Lady the confidence to close the distance between the two. The animal reached up and touched the woman's shoulder, then lifted a lock of her long hair. Instinctively, the woman placed her hand on the fur of the animal's shoulder, feeling the soft black hairs and the rippling muscles.
Lady's lips pouted and her eyes widened in a gesture that the woman knew was one of trust. She smiled, and gripped the animal's paw tightly. She had not only made a discovery, but also a new friend.
Shel'dam shielded his eyes as he looked towards the sun as it slowly descended towards the horizon. He noted its position, then turned back to the five-foot-tall stick he had buried in the ground. He observed the shadow that was cast by the light, then etched another mark in the earth at the end of its image. He had made over 20 such marks over the course of the day, and the long hours in the sun had darkened his light skin. Although he had done little else, he felt it had been a productive day. At least now he would have a way to mark the sun's journey across the sky, and be able to further fine-tune his ever-increasing schedule.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement, and turned quickly, expecting yet another animal to have wandered into the base camp, which would mean hours of trying to coax, goad, or bribe it back into its designated location. He was surprised to see the woman, beaming with a proud grin, walking side-by-side with a hulking black furry creature of considerable size. The animal looked fearsome in its build and strength, but the woman seemed completely at ease with the brute as she waved to him and shouted a greeting.
"Shel'dam! Look what I found! Isn't she beautiful? She's so smart, and friendly! And do you see what she gave me?" The woman turned her head to reveal a bright pink and white flower in her hair. "I call her Lady Ape, and she's a woman, just like me!" The great animal stopped and seemed to lift its head proudly with her new title.
"She is most certainly NOT a woman!" Shel'dam retorted with a look of disapproval. "She looks like she could tear us limb from limb. And you brought her into the camp! She needs to go back to the jungle, she looks hungry!" Lady chuffed her lips as if she was annoyed, then turned her back on the skittish man.
"How rude, Shel'dam! I brought her here as my guest! Now you apologize!" Pene' was imperious, her hands on her hips, eyes full of fire.
"Apologize?" he whined, then looked at the noble creature as she continued to turn her back, her long arms folded around her stomach. "Oh, for—Alright, I apologize for my lack of hospitality!"
He looked at the woman and mouthed silently, "She's still not a woman!" to which she mouthed back, "I don't care! Be nice!" Then she looked at the man forcefully and spoke up, "Why don't you offer her one of those bananas we found yesterday."
A few minutes later, Lady was happily munching on the soft flesh of the yellow fruit, and seemed to have forgotten all about Shel'dam's slight. After a hug from Pene', she loped back to the middle of the jungle. Shel'dam stood over his time device with his arms folded as the sun went down. The woman approached him cautiously, wary of his negative mood.
"Shel'dam? I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just so excited about all of the animals I found today," she said, looking up at him with big, apologetic eyes.
"I wasn't frightened," he blurted, turning to her and leaning forward. "This is our base camp, and I do not want creatures running amok in our beds. But I am interested to hear your findings today."
She smiled and excitedly spoke. "Yes, well, I found wack-wacks, and whisker-paws, and Lady even introduced me to her mate. Oh, and I had the most beautiful little flutter-by on my nose!" She pointed to her face, then mimicked the insect's delicate flying motion with her arms.
"Well, it sounds like you had an eventful day, although I still don't understand your connection with this, what did you call it, Ape?" Shel'dam looked quizzically at the woman.
"I can't explain it, but, we became friends like that," Pene' snapped her fingers. "All of the animals are our friends. You just have to trust them, and they will trust you."
"Well then, you shall be our team zoologist," he said, nodding his head. "And I will focus on flora and numbers and heavenly bodies."
"Zoologist," Pene' said, slowly pronouncing the new word. She looked over at Shel'dam's time stick, and noticed the lines in the dirt. "Is this the 'something special' you were talking about last night?"
Shel'dam perked up, his eyes bright with excitement. "Yes! Isn't it amazing? I've created a timekeeping apparatus!" He walked over to the stick and proudly waved his hand over it. "You see, the stylus creates a shadow that moves as the sun crosses the sky, and the marks indicate at which point the shadow was over the course of the day!" He beamed with pride over his invention, and Pene' was proud for him. "Now I can know exactly at which point of the day we should be on the daily agenda!"
Pene' smiled, shaking her head. "It's always about the schedule, huh?" She moved in closer to Shel'dam, looking in his eyes. "I think you worry about when and where to do things and forget to enjoy what you're doing."
He straightened out, moving back slightly. "Well, schedules are important, they help us stay on task and give us structure. Without order, the garden would fall into chaos. Father would not be pleased with us if we let things fall into anarchy."
"But He also isn't pleased when we worry ourselves into a tizzy," Pene' said, reaching out and placing a hand on Shel'dam's arm. "That's why He's given us freedom to go through the jungle and find things out as we go. He wants us to appreciate what we have here. The animals aren't worried about how many things they do in a day. Why should we?"
He started to protest, but she placed her finger in front of her lips and made a gentle "shhh" sound. "Mr. Man, it's going to be alright. Father made everything to work together and live. We should trust Him that it's all good."
Shel'dam blinked, genuinely dumbfounded at her wisdom. She moved in close again and patted his back, running her fingers in a circular pattern on his shoulder. He stiffened momentarily, then relaxed as he felt her soothing touch. She began to wiggle her fingers on his skin, tickling him gently. His eyes rolled back and he snickered, his cheeks pulling into dimples. She giggled as she watched his child-like demeanor. It made her feel good to know she could relieve the pressure that he was putting on his own shoulders.
"Hey, I'm hungry," she said as her stomach twitched. "Let's grab a Life fruit to go and take a walk."
He straightened up, as if he had been woken from a dream. "I had planned to continue tracking the sun's path until it sets, then tabulate the marks and calibrate them into a working chronological model…"
"Uh-uh-uh! No more timekeeping!" Pene' barked, her eyes firm. "Last one to the Tree of Life is a hairy longnose!" She darted off toward the Tree, looking back at him and smiling.
"It's a woolly mammoth, and—" he stopped, seeing her take off, then began to chase after her with quick, smooth strides. "Be careful! We shouldn't be running through the jungle…"
They walked, laughing and munching their fruit, his a red plum and her an oblong purple sphere. She pointed at every new creature, every new flower, and even found a clear spring gurgling under a tree. The man would make observations and note the particulars of every living thing she pointed out, and Pene' placed her hand on his shoulder again. He was beginning to grow quite comfortable with the woman's touch, and even returned it, patting her back and rubbing her neck with his strong right hand.
Suddenly, a growling noise erupted from a clump of trees near a ridge. Without thinking, Shel'dam grabbed Pene's hand, and draw her close protectively. She huddled next to him and watched the bushes shake with bated breath. In a few moments, two large tan animals—what Pene' called whisker-paws but Shel'dam called felines—ambled out of the bushes, a male and a female. Shel'dam, realizing there was no danger, huffed dismissively and dropped Pene's hand.
"It's just the felines copulating, again!" Shel'dam said with a hint of disgust. "Honestly, all that heavy breathing and groaning and rubbing against each other, for what? There's no winner of the contest."
Pene' leaned into Shel'dam and took his hand back. "Well, they don't seem to be hurting each other. Maybe there isn't a winner. Maybe they like it."
"They must enjoy it, as often as all the animals do it in this garden!" He held on to her hand this time, looking to the ridge. "Let's go up there and take in a higher view of things."
They climbed the gentle slope of the ridge, which rose about 15 feet above the garden floor. At the top, a tall, heavily-foliaged tree stood, with shiny green fruit dangling in bunches. Both of them had gotten a little winded after the climb, and saw that fruit of the tree was good. Shel'dam reached up to pluck one of them, when a low rumble echoed across the sky, from far of in the horizon, to just above their heads.
"Shel'dam! Pene'! Do not eat that fruit!" Father's voice rumbled with an urgency they had never heard before. It was so surprising that the two of them physically jumped, and crouched defensively.
"Papa, what's wrong?" the woman spoke up, looking up at the strangely brightened sky. "We were a little hungry, and just wanted a bite to eat."
"I knew something wasn't right about that tree," said Shel'dam nervously. "It's the only one on this ridge!"
"This is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil," the Maker intoned gravely. "You may eat of any tree or plant in the garden, but you must never eat anything from this tree, or you will die."
"Die? What does that mean?" Shel'dam squawked.
"It means that you will stop living, and return to the dust that you came from."
"You mean it'll be like we sleep...forever?" Pene' asked, looked to God with questioning eyes.
"All of this would pass away, but My Truth will last forever. You will need to trust Me that I will take care of you, and that you do not need this Knowledge to live in this beautiful world I have given you. Do you understand?" Even though His voice was firm and uncompromising, the Father's love for His children permeated the air like warm energy.
"Yes, sir." Shel'dam said, placing his hands at his sides.
"We'll stay away from it, we promise," Pene' said, nodding.
The air rustled with movement and the sky dimmed, and the Father had moved beyond them to another place in the garden. Pene' and Shel'dam found themselves clutching each other, their faces frozen in awe. After a moment, they broke hold and Pene' started to walk back down the trail.
"We need to get away from this tree," she said, her voice edged with fear.
"But I want to look down at the garden," he pouted, turning back towards the forest beneath. "This place has a different viewpoint, and I want to observe things from up high."
"You heard the Father," Pene' chided, looking at him sternly. "We don't need to be up here to see that everything is good."
"But I can see so much more ground up here," he protested. "It gives me clarity, and inspiration, and ideas about how to make it better."
Pene' climbed back up and grabbed Shel'dam's arm, forceably pulling him down the rise. "Let's go! It's getting dark!"
Shel'dam huffed with irritation as the woman led him down the ridge to the garden floor, then he turned and gave the tree one last look before falling in step with his mate.
They walked back to the camp silently, and sat quietly munching pears as the sky grew dark and the moon and stars rose in the sky. After a long time, Shel'dam cleared his throat and tossed the stem of his pear into the bushes.
"I'm getting ready for bed," he announced quietly. "Do you need any aloe for your skin, or fronds for your head?"
She looked up at him and then shook her head, as if she were coming awake. "Huh? Oh. Uh, yeah, that would be nice." She looked at him with a faint smile.
"There's plenty of both over there," he said, pointing to the far side of the moss bed. "Could you bring me some, as well?"
She huffed slightly, then walked over and grabbed them off of the ground with a tight jaw. Shel'dam laid back and folded his hands behind his head, looking at the night sky. He was lost in the arrangement of the stars when a large pile of fronds and flowers landed beside his ear.
"You almost hit me with those," he said, jumping up. "That's far too many for my bed. And those flowers are unnecessary."
She placed her hands on her hips, twisting her lips into a look of determination. "If you're going to run me around like that, then I expect my bed to be next to yours."
"And why would you want that? There's only so much space beneath this palm tree, and two bodies take up too much of that space."
"I want to sleep with you tonight," she said, trying to take the edge off of her voice. "It's cold, and I get scared with all of the animals."
"How do you know they're not scared of you?" he quipped with a smirk. Pene's eyes fluttered and she sniffed, then grabbed some of the fronds and flowers.
"Okay, I won't bother you," she said, her eyes growing red and moist. "I'll stay over here and keep myself warm."
Shel'dam sat up straight and watched as the woman slowly trudged back over to her area, sobbing and wiping her face. Seeing her in distresss filled him with an urge to comfort her and make things better. In spite of himself, he knew what she needed, and spoke to her in a strong but conciliatory tone.
"Pene'...you may sleep with me, if you wish. I will make sure you are warm and safe. Come, come." He patted the green moss next to him.
She audibly squealed, quickly sniffling up her tears and nearly ran to her Spot next to his. She dropped her bedding on the ground as he held up a finger.
"I do, however, reserve the right to nudge you if you start to snore, mumble, or sing in your sleep."
"You may nudge me all night long, if you wish!" she giggled, her face large with joy. She kneeled down and immediately began arranging her leaves and flowers into a dainty pile. Shel'dam got up on his knees, watching her with a satisfied grin. He had to admit, the idea of being close to the woman filled him with a strange sort of excitement. But today had been a day of new discoveries and surprises. Why should it stop when the sun went down?
Near the Tree of Life, beneath a low-lying bush, a slender creature with bright green skin and long tail crouched in its nest, observing the couple as they laughed and threw leaves at each other. His tongue flicked at the night air, as if drawing the heat and scent from the air itself. Blinking his large red eyes, he turned his large head to nibble a leaf before returning to his vigil. A desire for the woman and what she shared with the man began to stir his cold blood. Tomorrow, he thought to himself, tomorrow we will meet and we'll become best friends forever...