Garden Fruit of Good & Evil

It was another beautiful day in the garden. Streaming colors of fire and gold peaked excitedly from the mountaintops far to the east while colors of rose and green lit up lush and vibrant in its path. My skin reflected radiant shades of bright and dark green to match the oncoming morning while my teardrop shape allowed me to hang serenely from my tree like a raindrop frozen in time. A perfect representation of this heavenly oasis.

Back then, I lived high off the ground in the center of the garden where I was gifted to view everything around me. From the creatures that pass down below, the fresh winds of lilac and lavender that filled the air to the display of freedom and power in every bird that flew high above. And this is how it was every day. The sunrise shone upon my face in the morning; the sunset warmed my back in the evening. It was paradise . . . but deep down, I felt like something was missing. That there had to be more to the meaning of life than just beautiful colors and majestic creatures.

Then, one morning, I awoke with quite a startle. The air carried a new scent, something fresh, intoxicating . . . eager. I heard a rustling making its way through the garden and when the leaves cleared, I couldn’t believe my sight. A creature unlike anything I had ever seen . . . and she was walking this way. The other animals of the garden had never once come this close to me, and for the life of me, I could never understand why . . . until that day.

This magnificent looking creature approached with a longing in her eyes, a thirsty shimmer coating her full heart-shaped lips. I knew then my time had come, so I sparked up my attitude and let my garden green shine. ‘So what if I’m the only fruit that has never been eaten in the garden; tonight was my night.’ I invited her senses to engulf my fruity and refreshing allure. ‘Surely, I’m just as good as the other fruits,’ I thought. After all, my scent was captivating, my appearance juicy mouth-watering, and my insides a tropical flavor of heaven.

After an eternity of butterflies and nerves bouncing around like protons and electrons in my core, this luxurious being . . . this enchanting seductress plucked me from my perch. Her soft skin tingled warm against mine as she caressed every inch of my exposed inhibitions. I could feel a shift in the world. A tremble from the planet’s core vibrated dangerously in my chest. I could barely contain myself when the unlikeliest thing happened … she opened me up! And wouldn’t you believe … just as the sun warmed my skin every day, it colored the inside of me to match.

“You are absolutely irresistible,” came a harmonious voice as if an angel began strumming their lyre.

She pulled me closer, conflict danced in her eyes as if fear grappled her tongue, daring her to take a bite. I wanted to scream, ‘What are you waiting for?’ but I was trapped by my own unbridled reverence.

I sat in that tree every single day since the beginning of time as every creature passed me by. ‘What is wrong with me? Why will no one try me?’ All I’d ever done is hang in that God-forbidden tree and I wanted more! Well, I guess she must have heard me because her eyes sparkled like the beginnings of a supernova, and every inhibition seemed to melt down her creamy skin like a volcano teasing the ground with lava tears. She leaned in, her eyes fluttered to the back of her head, and as she leaned in for that first bite, I swear I heard her whisper, ‘That serpent better be right.’

Her teeth sank into my flesh, releasing the dark orbs of my inner core into the world. I was exposed for the first time to an unknown force and the fear of the unknown was exhilarating. Taunting. Begging me to explore what I could only observe. She let my juices drip without abandon across her rose lips, glistening her milky skin like the first day of creation (or so I imagine since I wasn’t there until the second day.)

A strange abstract expression puzzled her face as she swallowed my inner deliciousness. I couldn’t tell if she liked me or not. She looked towards the sky, down to the ground, her eyes holding a new sparkle in them. A wisdom engulfed her as she took in her surroundings, seeing them as if for the first time. Then, her gaze fell upon me as astonishment (or looking back now, maybe it was fright) scrolled across her face.

I felt a hard thud against my back as I hit the ground fast. Her soft, gentle hands let me go like a scorned lover jilted beyond redemption. She ran. Swift and bold. You would think guilt and shame were closing in for the kill. (I had no idea just how on the mark I was.)

I sat there wounded, broken; my insides bleeding out of the gash she left in me. I don’t know what hurt more; the gash in my side, or the tear in my heart. I had never felt so empty and lost in my entire existence. And that’s when it all became clear. I was never being shunned from the garden; I was being protected from it. I was the keeper of secrets; the knowledge of all that is good and evil. And now I was a shell of my former self.

Heartbroken, ashamed, embarrassed . . . take your pick. Whatever I was feeling, I couldn’t stay where I was if I was to move forward. I bandaged my wound, a scar that still haunts me to this day. I left the garden to wander across the desert. The once soothing glow of the sun now turned on me, scorching my beautiful garden skin to broken-heart red. The lack of water turned my sculpted teardrop body into that of a short, stumpy gnome, and that is why the apple gets all the credit for the singularity that changed the passage of time forever.