Fools
Motley Magazine About Us ---- Issue #6, March 2005: Death's Folly,
---- A Bite of the Apple, ---- Bubblegum Girl,
---- Witch Kingdom,
---- Herman,
---- The Kid Catcher,
---- |
A Bite of the Apple by Larry Centor
“...but from the Tree of Knowing of Good and Evil -- you are not
Genesis 2:17
Adam was tooling around in the Garden of Eden. It wasn’t like he
“So when I send you to get something for dinner, I can say,
“What’s a rhubarb? In fact, what’s a giraffe, and what are acacia
“A rhubarb is what we’re going to have if you don’t do something
“You look lovely when you’re naked,” smiled Adam.
“What’s naked?”
“See,” said Adam, now with a huge grin, “I did do something
“What did you do?”
“I invented a word.”
“What word?”
“Naked.”
“What’s naked?
“You already asked.”
Eve was getting madder by the second [a time reference with which
“I see naked as being the way we are now, here, at this particular
“You’ve never seen another woman. I’m it. You’re it. That’s it.”
“You’re forgetting the Big Guy.”
Eve smirked. “Well we certainly don’t think too much of ourselves, do
“Him!” Adam responded quickly, pointing skyward. “Him. The Big
“Too bad there aren’t two Big Guys around,” smirked Eve, even more
“Doing what?” asked a perplexed Adam.
Eve glanced back, winked and continued on her way.
Eve was munching on some piece of unnamed fruit or other, and staring at
“That’s pretty good eating stuff,” said a sibilant voice. “Nice and
"Can’t,” said Eve, although she had spotted the speaker.
“Why not?” asked the voice.
“Big Guy said, ‘No,’ and I’m pretty sure he means it.”
“What could possibly happen?”
And now Eve saw a long twisting shape peering at her from the low branches
“Nah! The Big Guy is always saying things like that. Why would you die?
Eve pondered that for a moment. “Big Guy didn’t really say,” she said.
“There you are. Take a bite. You’ll like it. I promise.”
“That’s what Adam said.”
“About the tree?”
“No-o-o. Not about the tree.”
“Let me get you a nice piece.” The tree shook gently as the long
“Take it back to Adam. Have it with dinner. Maybe with the rhubarb
“What’s rhubarb?”
“Only one way to find out.”
Adam was munching on something when Eve found him just past where a
“What’s going on?”
“Huh?” replied Adam, brightly.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ve just invented three words, and I’m about to invent a fourth.
“Sure. What’s your new word?”
“Nag!”
“Nag?”
“Nag!”
“What does it mean?”
“It doesn’t mean. It is.”
“Is what?”
“You.”
“Ewe?”
"No. Ewe is not you. And we haven’t even invented homonyms. Boy,
Eve was bright enough to realize that this conversation was only leading
“I brought you a present.”
“You brought me a present. Really? What kind of present? Where is it?”
Eve drew her hand from behind her back. “Here, take a bite.”
“What is it?”
“What do you want it to be?”
“I want it to be an apple,” said Adam. “I’ve decided I’m into naming
“Okay! It’s an apple.”
“Where’d you get it?”
“From a tree,” sounding just a tad evasive.
“What tree?” suddenly paying more attention.
“Oh, you know, that Tree of Knowing.” Eve’s voice trailed off.
“You do know the Big Guy said we’d die if we ate from that one
“You believe everything you hear?”
“I am short a rib,” said Adam thoughtfully.
"The long twisting thing said we wouldn’t die if we ate it.”
“You believe everything you hear from long twisting things?”
“It’s the only thing I’ve ever heard.”
"Could be wrong. Could be a trick. Why take a chance? I got
“Bet the apple’s better.”
“What kind of apple is it?”
“What kind of a question is that?”
“If I’m going to eat an apple I’m not supposed to, I’d at least
“How can there be more than one kind of a thing?”
“You and I are the same -- but different. It has to have a name
Eve was getting red again. “You mean that before you eat the
“Right.”
Eve thought a moment. "Okay, it’s a Rome.”
“I don’t like Rome’s,” said Adam. “I prefer Empires.”
“Oh for God’s sake,” said Eve, taking a big bite. She swallowed,
Eve was starting to fade from existence right before Adam’s eyes.
“Help me. I’m fading. I’m fading.”
In a few moments, she had disappeared entirely from the Garden of
“Hey, Big Guy,” said Adam, “could you use another rib?”
|