Tragedy

Long before the age of gargantuan reptilians, before man learnt of the flame and when the earth had not yet used its hind legs, there was The Secret. Then existed the first man on earth, Adam, who was born of The Secret, The Secret told him ‘do not gaze upon me’ and Adam obeyed, without any good reason not to, then The Secret laid behind a giant tree in the middle of the forest. Adam, following The Secret’s rules, lived amongst its world, the green trees grew so tall and thick and legions of leaves grew from an innumerable amount of branches. The soil was so fertile that the grass grew in abundance and thickness, but never too long to be an annoyance or trespass into other shrubberies territory. The rivers, of which there were four, were so pleasantly blue and clear that not only could Adam see the individual grains of sand beneath it, but also his beautiful blue eyes of a different hue than the water. Adam named these rivers Pishon, that flowed through the land of Havilah, Gihon, that winded through the whole of Cush, Tigris, that ran along the east of Ashure, and the Euphrates.

Not only was the water healthy to drink, it had magical properties. Whenever Adam slipped on a mossy rock or cut himself on a branch or piece of shrubbery, he would simply drink any of the water that was nearby and after a night's sleep, it would heal and leave no mark. The animals also thrived alongside Adam, whilst they would still hunt and kill each other for the sake of survival, The Secret forbade the animals to attack Adam for he lived alongside the food chain, not inside it. Adam made plenty of friends with the animals, often playing or running with them through the fields and forests and helping their young learn to walk, eat and hunt. Adam was adventurous and often explored every inch of any land he came across, he traversed the grottos near crystal clear lakes all the way through, the still dripping stalactites that hit the ground in an almost rhythmic pattern. The smell of salt echoed off of every surface in the grottos, Adam breathed in deep that scent until it filled his nostrils and exhaled it from his nose, it was sharp and stung as it entered. He climbed the tall trees all the way to the top and saw the land and the four rivers that separated the land into four chunks.

Adventurous Adam had scaled two-thirds of the earth in his travels. From the greenest of green forests and jungles, to the softest, silkiest sands of the furthest deserts and the deepest, darkest, abyssal waters of the ocean, in which The Secret granted Adam undying breath to swim. Along the voyages he met various creatures he had never seen before in the lush forest he called ‘Eden’. One, with an iron plate in place of a back, crawled onto the sands that separated the ocean from land. At first Adam was going to lift it and aid it back to the water, however it seemed adamant to stay on the sand, so Adam obliged. The creature laid down gently, and after a light push released its eggs deep into the warm sand, all while Adam watched. Then, after turning to look Adam in his perfect, blue eyes, hurriedly fled back into the ocean, Adam sat and waited on the beach for sixty days and nights, only traversing back and forth for food which he gathered from the surrounding trees, berries, fruits and the lot. After sixty days and nights, the eggs the creature laid had begun to hatch into a hundred little identical creatures, each individually breaching the sand, and after a glimpse at their surroundings ever so slightly in passing, then toward Adam, the first living creature. They flopped their flippers toward the ocean.

Then little creatures scuttered toward the baby critters, they had armour and weapons for hands, Adam came to name them ‘Crab’, and the baby critters ‘Turtle’. They scurried toward the babies not with malicious intent but pure survival instinct. Adam stood firm, he drew a line in the sand with his foot and declared ‘you will leave the youth untouched, for I am Adam, child of The Secret, I command you to stop!’ Then The Secret's voice boomed from the sky, loud as thunder, ‘Adam, you have no authority, for these creatures are all my kin just as you are’. ‘But the little critters, they will be killed by the crabs after I had just so safely guarded them for sixty days and nights’. ‘And if you so relentlessly fight these creatures away, what then? They may starve to death for you have taken their sustenance, the trees around you Adam, and the bushes too, they are my children just as you are, yet I let you pick the berries from them. Say I forbid you from picking the delicious fruits from the trees, what then?’ The Secret rebutted ‘I shall starve’ Adam replied. Then The Secret started again, ‘I told you, you live alongside the food chain, not inside it, you have no right to say who gets to eat, nor what nor when.’ 'But’ Adam replied, but The Secret shut him down, ‘no Adam, I have spoken, leave the critters and creatures to their business. Adam turned a moment, the little critters looked up at him, their eyes still fresh with the milky white of the egg and innocence. Then Adam turned and walked past the critters in a storm of confused anger, who then intently marched forward as a group.

Adam then later sat upon a fallen tree, his knees curled to his chest. He sat for some time, long enough for The Secret to take notice, ‘are you alright Adam?’ it asked, ‘I am upset with you, how could you let those creatures do that to those innocent youths’. ‘I already told you Adam’, The Secret replied, ‘I understand but, what if it were me? Would you let the creatures eat me? I know I don’t live inside the food chain, but if I did?’ Adam questioned. ‘I would, which is why you are alongside it’, The Secret replied. Adam then experienced a brand new emotion, Adam's beautiful golden aura was tainted blue, for Adam was the first to experience depression. The Secret left Adam, but Adam got no less sad, the days passed, then came the weeks, he sat curled up, even refusing to eat the berries and fruits from the trees. The Secret became worried, for if Adam kept his sadness so rampant, and stomach so empty, he would surely not last. So one night Adam was awake crying, as was now usual, he suddenly grew relentlessly tired, he tried to fight it, sensing one of The Secret’s tricks at play, but nonetheless Adam fell victim to slumber.

After several day and night cycles he awoke once more, he sat up from the dirt and gazed upon the land unchanged from its previous state. Though he noticed a slight pain on the left side of his abdomen, when he looked he saw remnants of an injury of some kind that had healed over. He stood up and turned around, ready to declare his anger to The Secret and curse it out once and for all, but when he stood up, what was once behind him was now revealed. A beautiful woman was picking the fruit off of the surrounding trees, and placing them in a basket. She had lovely long black flowing hair down to the bottom of her back and her movements were delicate as she made them. Adam became dumbfounded, for after so long of being the first and only man, Adam was now staring at the second. She turned and noticed him staring at her, she grew a gentle smile and had a frolic over to Adam , ‘hello Adam’, she started, ‘I am Eve, The Secret made me for you’. Adam was still astounded by the mere sight of another like him. He urged the basket of fruits forward towards him, ‘please Adam, eat as much as you like, you look frail.’

So Adam did as he was told, and indulged in the sweet berries and fruits Eve picked. He ate for days and nights to replenish his strength. As The Secret had planned, Adam, with his new found Eve, regained himself and his strength once more, though unknown to The Secret, Adam still held a small animosity towards it. Adam and Eve were the perfect couple, Adam took Eve and showed her all the hidden corners of the earth, the tucked away areas that were beholders of such hidden beauty. And Eve taught Adam how to weave things out of fibres and care for the greenery. Adam introduced Eve to all of the animals and creatures that greeted her with warmth and delicacy, and every morning Eve sang to the birds of the world that would flock and gather to her, where she would have prepared various foods for them. They lived with little to no intervention from The Secret, much to Adam's pleasure.

One day Adam had left Eve alone to go explore again the earth’s surface, Eve wandered the surrounding area that they made their home. A clearing in the jungle where they had woven thatch into sleeping beds, where they rested, and remnants of ash from the fire they had made in the middle for light. Eve climbed over fallen gargantuan trees and under dangling green vines, into a large open field of tall grass that grasped at her waist, as she reached down to cut some of the lengthy green grass, she heard the crunch of the grass as if movement came toward her. Quickly jolting her head up Eve saw a man, no different to her nor Adam, he had short black hair and was covered in leaves, in his left hand he brandished a completely black, dagger-tipped spear. ‘Oh hello’ said Eve not knowing better, ‘I didn’t know The Secret made another of us’, ‘yes’ the man replied hesitantly ‘it happened last night whilst you both slept, it brought me here to teach you both things’. ‘What teachings?’ Eve asked, ‘I shall teach Adam to use this spear’ the man said, ‘and I shall teach you clothes like mine, for you are naked’. ‘Naked?’ Eve said, ‘yes naked, your flesh should not meet the wind for it is shameful and disgusting’. So Eve begged ‘oh please I had no idea, teach me to make clothes so we may cover ourselves, we mean not to shame or disgust The Secret’.

The man then smirked, and taught Eve to weave clothes out of the grass that were around them. Eve made clothes to cover her breasts, crotch and rear end, whilst she made Adam’s clothes to just cover his crotch and rear end. After she put her clothes on, Eve immediately felt much better, ‘thank goodness’ she said, ‘I am finally covered, quickly, I must run to Adam and deliver his clothes to him, he is still naked’. The man grabbed her arm halting her in her place, ‘wait’ he beckoned, ‘before you so quickly run back to Adam, you must deliver this to him’ he handed the void coloured spear to Eve, the spear was so dark it had no discernible features, only a long stick with what looked like a sharp point at the climax. ‘You must give him this spear, I call it ‘Tragedy,’ and tell Adam it is his tool now, as soon as it enters his hands he will know how to use it.’ ‘Would you not like to come along?’ Eve asked, ‘no thank you, I have done my part, I must now leave, but please Eve, remember my teachings’, ‘the man pleaded, and before Eve could say goodbye to the man, he sank below into the tall grass not to be seen again.

Eve ran back home, she jumped over fallen trees and slid under dangling vines, all while maintaining her balance from the weight of Tragedy. Eve eventually returned home to Adam tending to the fire, ‘Adam’ she called out frantically, ‘The Secret has delivered a message to us, we’re naked for our flesh is to the open wind, it is shameful and disgusting quick, wear this I made you, it is called ‘clothes’. Adam was confused, ‘naked? Shameful?’ he asked, ‘yes quickly, otherwise the secret may become upset’, Adam, though he did not fully understand why, wore the clothes Eve made for him, because if Eve made it, it must be right. Eve quickly handed Tragedy to Adam, ‘and this is a spear, it has a name it is called ‘Tragedy’ and it is your tool now’, Adam saw the tipped point of the Tragedy and understood what he must use it for, hunting. Though Adam knew they existed alongside the food chain, not inside it, and now understood Eve had fallen victim to some sort of trick, whether by The Secret or not he was unsure. Though knowing what The Secret said, and the rules they had to abide by, Adam still embraced Tragedy with both hands, accepting his role in the situation. ‘It is okay now Eve’ he said, ‘see? I have clothes and the spear now, we’re safe again’, Eve then calmed down and sighed in relief, slumping into her bed, ‘I’m tired Adam’ she slurred out, ‘then rest’ Adam answered.

Eve then later awoke to a beautiful smell, a thick savoury scent filled the air that made saliva pool in her mouth. She sat up and saw Adam in front of the fire, next to him laid a dead, gutted lion with Tragedy sticking out of it, ‘come’ said Adam, ‘taste the fruits of our labour,’ Eve rubbed her eyes still exhausted, yet climbed over to the fire and ate some of the lion meat that had been laid atop of the fire. Immediately it had become the best taste she had ever gotten before, ‘Adam this is delicious’ she said in awe, ‘I know’ Adam responded coldly. Though the scent of cooked lion not only woke Eve, but also The Secret too who had now witnessed the same scene Eve had.

‘What on earth have you done!?’ The Secret boomed throughout the skies, Adam, almost expecting The Secrets interruption, stood quickly up and plucked Tragedy from the lion’s corpse. ‘We done as we were told!’ Adam shouted, ‘and who told you to slaughter your kin, and roast them upon and open fire!?’ The Secret questioned, ‘you did’ Adam said scornfully, his eyes covered by his angered brows and pointing Tragedy into the sky. ‘No I never, I never! I told you, you exist-’ The Secret tried once again to remind Adam, but Adam didn’t want to hear it, ‘Oh curse you! I say curse you! In my name as Adam, first man!’ The Secret’s voice boomed louder than before, this time it was furious ‘your name has no authority Adam! You have no authority Adam! You have betrayed me in the most vile way imaginable!’ Adam then shouted ‘imagine how we feel! You did not even want to tell us we were naked? And bring shame to us!?’ The Secret paused for a second, before lowering its voice to a more confused tone, ‘who told you that you were naked?’

Eve spoke up, ‘the third man you made, to teach Adam to use Tragedy and me to craft clothes for us.’, ‘I never made a third man’ The Secret boomed, ‘who cares!?’ Adam shouted, speaking over both Eve and The Secret, who then responded, ‘I ought to send a flood to wipe you off the earth!’ Adam then, rather combatively, screamed ‘then send it! Send one million floods, and we will craft one million boats!’ The Secret sat silent before speaking once more, ‘you disgust me Adam in how you are acting,’ Adam then spoke for the final time, ‘I am acting as I should be! As the king I should be! Adam! First and king of man! And my first decree? I shall look at you behind that goliath tree you hide behind.’ The Secret sat in silence longer, before challenging Adam, ‘Then come.’

Adam, furious, charged toward the tree that truly was goliath, it reached the clouds in the sky and was as thick as thirty trees lengthwise. Adam reached the tree, and after climbing the thick roots that dug into the ground, reached the point of no return, and peered behind the tree where The Secret said he resided behind. Adam's mind could not process all the information that was flooding it as he looked upon The Secret, Adam’s brain began deteriorating. So for the safety of Adam and Eve and also out of betrayal and disgust, The Secret removed the memory of itself from the minds of Adam and Eve and anything that it taught them. And as Adam’s mind began recovering, and Eve’s began recoiling, The Secret got up, and left them on earth all to their lonesome.

This is the difference between Adam and Eve. Eve was tricked into betraying The Secret, whereas Adam knew exactly what he was doing, and chose to continue. That is the Tragedy of Adam and Eve.