Before Death, Part I: Chapter One, The Prophecy--Part V

That day, the first angel to appear to her after her departure from paradise presented himself. 

Carrying the bag and band of water bottles did not prove as irritating as one might have thought. She was used to carrying different harvests of fruit and grain in the Oasis. Just because it was paradise did not mean she did not have her share of responsibilities. She realized she had not seen any predatory wildlife since the bird and snake fight. She looked down at her feet, hoping to not accidentally step on something vicious hiding in the dunes as she walked past. The last thing she wanted was to step on anything by mistake. The only thing visible the entire distance ahead was the sea of sand surrounding her. 

She squinted her eyes at a growing figure in the distance. What is that? she asked silently. It was at that moment she realized she really had not had any interactions with other beings than herself since she left paradise. For a second she thought the image was fake and she was imagining the whole thing. It was just standing there in the middle of what looked like a sandstorm, a bright light cloaked in shadow against the light of day behind it. 

"Hey!" she yelled with her hands cupped around her mouth, hoping the presence could hear her over the blowing sand. The figure didn't move so she couldn't tell whether it heard her or not. She pressed forward against the building curtain of grainy fog until she couldn't see anything in front of her anymore. Visibility completely blocked, she gave up, closed her eyes and decided to wait for the storm to pass. 

Return to Eden, a voice called out from the center of the vortex.

The bright, shining light appeared to be moving toward her progressively, closing the distance between it and her. She realized she wasn't imagining anything. This presence was looking for her. When it finally stopped in front of her, she wasn't able to see its face, but she could tell the figure looked masculine and threatening. He was four meters high sitting on a dark horse, and his giant brown wings were dipped in flaming iron. There was a hood covering his face, so she couldn't pick out any details or specific characteristics of it. She felt he was the embodiment of strength and exuded an aura of power that dripped with lust. He smelled of spice and wine even though he looked as if he smelled of sulfur and smoke. Bronze skin smooth as a marble statue gleamed as the fire emanating from his body and surrounding the horse burned out. 

Jaw set with sternness, he declared, "Woman, you are to return to the Oasis immediately. Your insolence has been suffered long enough. The master demands your return. To deny His will is of grave consequence and will not go unpunished. An order of Man is a direct order of God, as he is your provider and protector elected by the Hand of God Himself."

"No," she said calmly, not seeming to care about the angel's dramatic display of aggression. 

"No?" he asked, shock made plain. He had never been refused before. "To deny him His," he started again.

"No," she interrupted. 

"But God said--," he corrected. 

"I don't care," she concluded. She was unmoved by the display. 

"You have to care," he convinced. 

"I do not."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Why should I?"

"Because it's your fate. Eternal damnation? The end of paradise as you know it."

"Then I have nothing to lose. I left paradise days ago and haven't looked back since," she shrugged.

"How can you say something like that?" he questioned. 

"Because when he refused to look at me as a human being just like him he denied me that right. So to willingly subject myself to that kind of erasure even though they were the exact qualities why he claimed to love me in the first place is wrong. I am not the monster here," she said. The confidence and conviction in her voice were palpable. 

"Do not deny your fate and return to the King of the Earth in your proper home where you were created and shall remain throughout Eternity. I shall grant thee clemency for two moonrises past. By the third rise of the moon, if you have not returned to Paradise there will be grave consequences as we have now discussed, and I shall not show you mercy."

She looked at him in his eyes, as if grabbing hold of his soul, yet once again unmoved. "Do it now for all I care. You will learn. Go back and tell your master, I am not a mistake, nor am I flawed. You have misjudged your creation for although you attempt to destroy me in this world, you will not. I am the missing piece. I am the Love for which you seek. There is no you without me. There is no dawn without the night. I need not seek for I am the one thing I cannot escape. I give of my Self freely for I am the Source of Living Water, but you must learn what it is like to survive Your Creation without Me. So I will let you paint your narrative. I will let you believe your lie. Make of me the Devil because you refuse to accept and receive the Light. You are your own misfortune. But just as I cannot, you are the one thing you cannot escape. It may take a day or one hundred thousand millennia, but you will see. I need not convince you of anything you already know to be true."

With that said the angel descended from the horse, spread its huge wings, and departed into the sandstorm encircling them. 

She closed her eyes tight and opened them again. The sand had stopped spinning and flying, the area once again calm, but the horse the figure left behind was standing there. She started walking again and realized it was following her along her path. She stopped once again and looked at the horse, puzzled.

"Now why did he leave you here?" she asked. The horse let out a gentle grunt as she reached out her hand to it, palm up. It rested its nose in her hand. "Are you here for me?" she asked. The horse lifted its head out of her hand and seemed to bow to her in response. 

It had long, shiny hair and an intelligent demeanor. "What is your name?" she asked it.

The horse gracefully dropped to one knee and bowed. She noticed the gorgeous brown horse had a thick streak of white in its mane that contrasted dramatically with the dark brown of its coat and wings.

"Do you have a name, gorgeous?" 

She reached in her bag and grabbed some fruit she found before she left the river, offering it to the horse. The horse whinnied gratefully, enjoying the unexpected treat. "Well, I shall spend more time with you so I can get to know you and call you something appropriate, how does that sound?"

The horse closed its eyes and seemed to bow its head again. They resumed the walk together side by side.

The next night she was still walking when a second angel approached her. This one looked as though he were made in the Light, but she was not convinced of his legitimacy. He had long, flowing blonde hair and porcelain skin. His beard was the same color as his hair and just as long. His dress was all white and covered his feet. On his right hip a holstered sickle rested. He had piercing green eyes that twinkled in the night. Although he looked like he came from light, there was a darkness radiating from within. She remained quiet, and they all walked together a while, in silence. 

"You know why I'm here," he said. 

"Yeah," she said, unbothered once more. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Not really," she said. She stopped and patted the horse on its side, stroking and petting it as if it was the most important thing in the world.

"Well, I do," he said. 

"And?" she replied, genuinely confused by his statement. She did not turn her attention from the horse. 

"Shouldn't what I think matter to you?" he inquired.

"Why would it?" she responded. 

"So you don't even care about what this means for me? If I have to go back to Him and say I wasn't able to convince you to return. Do you think about anyone other than yourself?"

"Your destiny is your own. Me going back with you or not doesn't change that. If anything, me going back with you only prolongs your destiny because you have to learn the lesson regardless. Me putting a fast track on your ticket just means you took the express route. That's all," she finally turns to face him and pats him on the chest. "You're tough right? You got this. You can grow from it."

She rubbed above the horse's leg and said, "Let's go, Persistence. We will rest when we reach our destination."

"I know of the contract between you and the first angel from last night," he professed. "If you do not make your decision and return to the Oasis by two moonrises past there will be grave consequences upon you for your defiance. I can assure you I will not show you mercy. There will be no salvation for your soul. May your line be protected from your insolence."

"My line need no protection from me. I am their protection. I will teach them how to honor themselves. I will teach them to seek their own understanding. My insolence, as you call it, is a reflection of my dedication to them. My dedication to them is what guides me in my own understanding. I have harmed no one, but I will if I must. My wrath is reserved for those who deserve it," she said with a shrug. 

He stood behind her, growing more and more upset by her refusal to succumb to his wishes. "You really don't want what is going to happen to you if you refuse to go," he said, then disappeared into the night. 

A feeling of dread started to weigh in the pit of her stomach that she hadn't noticed before, her discomfort growing.

Brushing the feeling aside, she looked at the horse. "Persistence," she repeated, rubbing its head. "Do you like that? For you were a gift of the first angel, and have now witnessed the second right alongside me. Together we will persist until the end of time, no matter what comes our way." Persistence bowed its head, and she rested hers on top of it, rubbing its long face lovingly in her hands. "Thank you, gentle spirit," she said.

Just before the last moonrise of her warning, she and Persistence finally reached the sea she had been hoping for. Instantly the sight of the water rejuvenated her, and she and Persistence both ran to embrace it, grateful the desert was behind them. She laid down on the beach and let the tide roll over her body. The waves were beautiful and gentle, and she could feel their pull in the center of her stomach. Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer of thanks, and focused on being one with the waves. 

As she lay there arms and feet spread out like a starfish, she felt a darkness fall over her. There must be a third angel coming to her tonight. She took a deep breath and sighed, preparing for the final confrontation. She opened her eyes to see that she was right. 

"Hello," the angel said, hovering above the water in front of where she lay. 

"Hello," she replied, raising her torso up and resting on her elbows behind her. 

"How has your journey treated you so far?" he inquired.

Shocked, she looked at him a bit confused. "Do you really care how it's going?"

He laughed at her question, but it wasn't a rude or mean laugh. He seemed to understand her hesitancy. "Yes, of course I care. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't, I can assure you of that."

She studied him closely. He was larger than the two previous messengers, and he looked even larger as he rose from the waves. His skin looked multicolored under the moonlight, like hundreds of refracted rainbows sparkling all over his body. He was beautiful. The long, thick and wavy black hair reached below his shoulders and down his back, curls dripping seawater. If she didn't know any better she would think he was a god. As she marveled at his appearance, she almost forgot she knew what he was coming to tell her. It was her final warning. If she did not return to paradise by next moonrise, she would suffer the consequences.

Still not trusting him she said, "The journey has been one of deep self-reflection, determination, and a measure of my strength." She looked back at Persistence, who was laying down by the water resting, but keeping a watchful eye. "I have thoroughly enjoyed it." 

She turned back to face the angel, "Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"Yes, actually," he said, stepping down from the waves and sitting beside her. He picked up a shell from the ground and turned it over in his hand. He offered it to her and asked, "Why don't you want to return to paradise?"

"Why would I return?" she replied. "I have everything I could possibly need out here." She gestured with her hands to the expanse surrounding them. "I literally have every possible option to discover whatever I want to do or who I want to be out here. I lead myself. If I want to eat, I eat. If I want to drink, I drink. If I want heat, I build a fire. If I want cool, I can rest in this cleansing water. There is no one to tell me when I can or tell me that I can't. I need no permission because I am my own authority. I am the master of my own destiny. If I enjoy myself, I can thank me for it. If I am not, only one person takes blame. Magic exists out here. I will always choose magic. Why would I ever be a fool and choose anything else?"

He sat there in silence with her for a while, pondering what she said. "You said if you want to eat, you'll eat, but what if there is no food?"

"Then I will starve."

"You're okay with that?"

She laughs. "Of course."

"But what if you die?"

She looks at him confused. "Die?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "Die. Death. The end of being. The finality of life. The separation of the physical from the spiritual. There is an emergency in paradise that requires your help. You are not just leaving Man, you are abandoning everything that depends on you that you left behind. The animals, the angels of paradise, the trees, fruit and flowers. Do you not care about their fates?"

"Their fates do not depend on me. I am neither their creator, nor am I their destroyer. It's funny you mention that because the angel last night said the same things," she said, rising from the ground to stand. "He asked me if I cared that he would disappoint god if I refused to return with him and that his fate was connected to my own."

"And what did you say?"

"I said that is not my problem. His fate is his and his alone, and if god was willing to punish him because of me, he was going to be punished regardless." She brushed sand off the backs of her legs and started walking farther along the coast.

"Damn."

She shrugged. "It's true."

"Is it?"

"I think so," she said, stopping to stare at the moon hung high in the sky above the water. "He is no more beholden to me than the moon." She holds up her hand in a delicate fashion, as if to cup the moon in her palm, preparing to drink in its light. She drops her hand to her side again and turns to look at the angel. "Do you know why I love the night?" she asked. 

"I do not. Please, enlighten me."

"I love the night because darkness is necessary for rest. When I close my eyes in daylight, I cannot see what is happening around me, but the light still shines through. The heat radiates off my face, and it drains me. I lose energy quicker in the daylight because of the aggression and intensity of the day's disposition." 

She resumes walking. "But at night," she turns and smiles at the moon again. "At night, no matter what I do, the air is cool, the moonlight is refreshing, and I can rest. Even if I do not close my eyes, I rest. There is darkness in front of me, but I can see. The world is louder at night because most beings are not trying to survive, they are recounting their experiences from the day passed, ready to bring it to a close. But it is peaceful. I have felt nothing like it ever before in my life."

"Well, I am glad you have peace," he replies.

"And it is my responsibility to protect it," she asserts.

To this response he is noticeably shocked. "I do not understand," he says. "What is there to protect?"

"The very essence that is peace itself," she answered plainly. 

"Why would you need to protect it?"

"Because when I was in the Oasis, I did not have it."

To that he stops walking and gently grabs her hand as if they were old friends. She looks down at her hand and tries to yank it away, but he is too strong. His grip wasn't threatening, but she didn't say he could touch her, either. He held fast to her hand even after she looked at him disapprovingly for not releasing her.

He held her stare just as intently which intrigued her, but he did not seem to pose a threat.

"I did not say you could touch me. Release me."

"I will in a minute," he replied. "But first you have to answer me this."

"I have to?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I would like you to," he corrected. 

"What do you want to know?"

"Is Man the problem? Would you return to paradise if he wasn't there?"

She stopped and looked out over the water. "The water here stretches out to forever," she mused. "There's nothing like it in the Oasis."

"You are right," he agreed.

She looks down at her feet then turns and looks to her left, away from him. "Persistence!" she yells back to the horse, now that she notices the distance between them. The horse was still laying in the spot from before when she first met the angel. 

Persistence trotted up to her, softly nudging its head into her back. "Hey there," she cooed, patting the horse on the firm, rigid yet graceful body with her free hand. Catching him off guard, in one fluid motion she swung her leg up and straddled the horse, forcing the angel to release her. The angel looked at her shocked. She threw her head back and laughed. Then she and the horse took off down the coastline.

The flowers in her hair flapped in the wind. She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of the wind hitting her face. It was rough, but cool. It didn't hurt, but it was uncomfortable momentarily. When she opened her eyes she saw they were approaching a large rock formation. The rocks looked like mini-mountains, but loomed largely over the beach. She wasn't afraid, but she was tentative. She patted Persistence to signal she wanted to get down once the horse slowed to a trot. The angel was chasing them from the water, not far behind.  

When he finally caught up, he laughed. "You are something else," he said as he smiled and shook his head.

"I know," she agreed with a wink.

She looked up at a cave that had formed in the giant karsts. "Oh, that looks interesting," she said as she began walking toward the opening.

The angel studied her demeanor as she walked toward the cave. "But you don't know what's in there," he said.

"That's the best part," she informed. "It means I can find anything, but I'm destined to find something."

He watched her as she turned her back to him and walked toward the mouth of the cave. Almost instinctively, when she reached the opening she yelled into it. She smiled as she heard her voice echoing off the dark cave walls. 

"Persistence, stay here and I'll be back soon, okay?" She rubbed Persistence's head and kissed between the eyes. The horse walked right into the mouth of the cave and laid down to rest.

"I'm going to build you a fire," she said. "That way when I walk away you won't feel alone without me, okay?"

He walked up next to her and stared into the cave mouth. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." She started walking around the cave, grabbing large rocks and placing them in a pile. Three meters from the horse she pawed at the ground, digging with her hands and built a pit. Around the pit she placed the rocks she gathered, and inside of it she threw the dead twigs and dried things she saw being blown around the beach. 

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm not thinking. I'm just doing." And with that, she reached in her carrying bag and grabbed her stones she found at the river. She rubbed them together as she was more accustomed to the practice now and the fire was started. She walked over to Persistence and rubbed her head. 

"This way, you will have something to keep you comfortable and warm in my absence." She grabbed one of the longer sticks she had set aside and lit the end of it with the burning fire. 

She turned to look at him one last time, "I'm going in now. You coming?" 

"I don't think I should," he replied. "Before you go any further, I must warn you. Tonight is the last night you have to be away from paradise without penance for your opposition."

"I know," she said. "I plan to make the most of it."

"With that I shall go," the angel replied as he went back to the water then disappeared from view.

She turned her back to the sea, took a deep breath, let it out, then moved forward. She watched as the flames' reflections danced off the cave walls and marveled at the beauty inside. It did not take long for the fire to be the only light available. 

"I hope I don't get lost in here," she said aloud, then laughed at the thought. "But if I do, then I definitely won't return to paradise tomorrow, and maybe god won't be able to find me, either." She chuckled to herself and shook her head. 

She noticed the temperature in the cave dropped, but she was not cold. The prickly tingle of imagined icicles being traced along her body sent a chill up her spine, but she still didn't feel cold. Rather, she felt like her body was on fire, but the air around her was sending momentary shock tremors through her as she walked deeper inside. She touched the wall of the cave and could feel the moisture in the sediment. The cave was wet, but the air wasn't damp or moldy. She couldn't tell how large the cave was at this section, when she held up her torch, it didn't light up anything but the circle of space directly around it. She couldn't make out the different formations on the cave ceiling. 

"I must be inside one of those tall rock formations," she said, talking to herself out loud. There was energy radiating all around her. It wasn't of her, but it was definitely calling to her. She could feel it in the air. There was a faraway dripping sound that she could hear repeating itself every few seconds. The rhythm of the drops was calming even though aside from her torch, the cave was cloaked in darkness. Another dripping sound was growing louder in rhythmic opposition to the first drops. The drips and drops echoed in competitive synchronical repetition, creating a melodic ambiance. She ran the torch along the wall to her right, hoping to see some kind of indication of where she was going. Nothing stood out. Tracing her hand along the textured wall, she followed it until she reached a split intersection. 

She could either take the tunnel to the left or the one to the right. At first she walked to the right, but the dripping sound grew fainter by the second in that direction. 

What am I even looking for? she thought. I'll know when I find it, was the thought that crossed her mind as soon as she asked the question. 

"Okay," she said tentatively. She turned around in a circle to make sure she was still alone, but she did not see anyone else. She finally reached a dead end, and before she turned around to head back, she stopped and studied everything about the little corner of earth she found. She ran her hands along the walls and sometimes the sediment would crumble under the pressure of her fingers, but for the most part they were solid. "There's something in here. I can feel it," she said quietly. "I need to go back."

It wasn't long before she was back at the intersection and turned to go in the other direction. Tired of walking, she was about to call it a night and head back to Persistence, when she saw something ahead. There was a glow coming from the opposite end of the tunnel, and she immediately became excited. 

"Hello?" she called out ahead of her, but nothing responded. There weren't even sounds of anything being disrupted or scattered by her imposing voice. "I'm all alone in here," she said. "Good."

Her footsteps quickened with the excitement of what was to come, and her cheeks flushed. The air was still cool on her face, but it wasn't as forceful as the chills she felt when she first entered the cave. Once she reached the opening she stood there a moment in amazement, soaking it all in. The floor dropped thirty to forty meters in an underwater cavern in front of her. She couldn't see all the way to the bottom of the floor, because it was full of water. There was no way to tell how deep the lake really was, but it was huge inside of the cave. The inside of the cavern glowed in multiple blues, greens and purples. She looked across the cavern to the other side and saw the steam rising from the water in wafts, tendrils that curled up tight on the surface of the water, but as they reached for the ceiling, they stretched and uncurled as if  being pulled apart. The surface of the water glimmered like a million tiny sparkling gemstones, waiting to be pulled out of the water. The water was still, but the sparkles made the water look like it was dancing. 

The walls of the cavern made it look less threatening with all of the blue, green, and purple reflections refracting on them. She couldn't sense any movement from living things, but the shadows of the stalagmites and stalactites moved across the walls like they were beckoning her to come closer. The waterfall in the back of the cavern proved there was running water coming from somewhere, possibly an underground aquifer that served as source, except the lake wasn't filling up or rising--which meant there was possibly an outlet somewhere in the lake wall, too. 

"Beautiful," she breathed. She followed the smooth spiral foundation on the left that led to the shimmering water below. When she looked up she saw multiple speleothems hanging from the ceiling like sharp stone icicles. There was moss and grass all over the walls of the cave that added the warmth of life to the stone structures surrounding it. Colorful mushrooms were scattered across the structure. Once she reached the waterfall, she dropped to her knees and stared deep into the water, marveling at its beauty. She had never seen anything like it before. Even the lake she found when she first left the Oasis wasn't this glorious with the sun glaring down on it from above, but it had moved her nonetheless. How could this happen in the complete darkness and solitude of the cavern with no definitive source of light?

She reached out and touched the water with her hand. "It's warm," she said aloud. She grabbed one of the empty water bottles and filled it with the running water. She took off the bag and sling, placed them on the floor next to where she was standing, removed her coverings, then stepped into the water. The ground under the waterfall was level and shallow enough for her to sit down to bathe. She took off her coverings and stepped into the pond. It had been days since she last bathed at the river, and she just kept walking the entire time. 

"I'm going to relax and enjoy this," she said to no one. She rested her back against the sediment surrounding her and closed her eyes. She was so excited to find this place she didn't realize how tired she was. She rubbed her body with her hands trying to clean all of the dirt and dust off her from the beach. Once she finished her hygiene practices she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, plugged her nose with her thumb and forefinger, and dropped to her knees, fully submerging her head underwater. She listened to the waterfall sounds distorted by her ears being completely full of water, but it was still pretty loud. When she came up for air she wiped her face and wrung her hair out. She didn't have anything to dry off with, so she grabbed her clothes and walked to the cave entrance to reunite with Persistence and go to sleep.

When she fell asleep she had a fitful dream. In it she was back at the Oasis, but she wasn't physically there. She felt like she was floating. 

"So we have made them in Our image," the voice said. "This time, she is of him so she will understand her priority and main purpose in life is to help him, and not focus on her own frivolous desires. She is there to let him lead her, because he was before her in the world, so he is more knowledgable of the world. She is to nurture his aspirations and be of assistance to him in whatever he needs."

"And what of the other, my Lord? What if she returns?" a voice replied.

"Ha. She will not return. She is too haughty and flawed to admit she misses this," the figure gestured with his arms. The voice was deep and controlled. He was covered in a black cloak with a hood, but she wouldn't have been able to see his face anyway because his back was turned. From what she could tell, the figure was talking to the angel from the first night. She could see light shining on the iron tips on his wings. 

"So we are to go to her together this nightfall and carry out our original instructions?" the angel double-checked. 

"Yes. After tonight she can spend the rest of eternity regretting her decision to disobey me," the figure affirmed. 

What the hell is that supposed to mean? she thought. 

"Did you hear that?" the angel called out. "I just heard something!"

Oh, shit, she thought as she immediately turned away from the conversation and ran. She closed her eyes and took off toward the sunlight. She wanted to get out of the trees and brush and let the light hit her face and eyes, but right as she was about to break the tree line she was stopped dead in her tracks by the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. The thing resembled herself, but shaped like a gazelle, long and sleek. She had tan long, firm legs and curves that looked soft as clouds. Their hair was similar, but hers looked more intricately groomed. The thing had breasts like hers, but they were smaller. All in all the thing looked fragile. Like it had no idea that there was an entire world outside the confines of this Oasis to be explored. She watched as the thing that looked like her but was not her delicately touched the leaves on the trees and talked to the birds. She couldn't hear the conversation the birds and the thing were having, but she wanted to, but she didn't want to scare her. She looked around to see if there was something she could use to hide and talk to her, when she saw a serpent sunbathing between some leaves not too far from where the birds were talking. 

She walked up to the serpent and touched its head with her hand. Its eyes were closed, but she could feel a pulse. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and when she opened them she was sitting on the rock where the serpent had just been. She turned her head to the left and right and realized she was actually inside of the serpent. She stretched out one leg, then another. She turned her head left and to the right again, then started walking over to the group of chatterers. Upon noticing her presence, the birds immediately took flight and left without another word, but the beauty turned to the serpent and said, "Oh, hello there!"

"Hello," the serpent said, eyeing the creature up and down. "You're new here."

"Oh, yes," she laughed. "I was just created today, and this place is beyond beautiful. I cannot believe how amazing it is here!"

"Yes, it is amazing," the serpent replied. "You say you were just created today?" The serpent blinked and tried not to look too interested. 

"Oh, yes. God said Man was very lonely and needed a help mate, so God thought to make me so that Man won't be lonely anymore."

"Really?" the serpent asked. "That was very thoughtful of him. And is man happy now?"

"I hope so," she giggled. "It's actually a really romantic story. See, when Man was naming all the animals by himself, he realized they all had mates, but he didn't. After a while he just couldn't take it anymore so he cried to God that he needed me."

The serpent flicked its tongue and tasted the air, "Interesting. And how did you come to be?"

"Well, he wanted us to be really close, so God put Man to sleep and took one of his ribs and made me from him. This way we're literally made for each other, and we're connected for life," she swooned. 

The serpent replied thoughtfully. "Are you sure you want to be connected to him for the entirety of your life?"

The beautiful creature looked ethereal while it deeply considered the question. The way its eyes enlarged and looked in such serious contemplation for the first time ever looked like something out of Heaven itself. 

"Well, I guess I never thought about it like that before," it said. "I mean, I wouldn't be here without him, so why wouldn't I be with him for the entirety of my life?"

"What if you didn't have to be?" the serpent asked.

"What do you mean?" it asked.

"What if you didn't have to share him with the wild animals where he decides to stuff his cock? What if you could be you without the obligation or burden of carrying him and being of service to him for the entirety of your life?--Which is exactly what is going to happen if you stay this course," the serpent informed.

The creature laughed merrily and said, "Have you ever talked with him? He is amazing. I would be so honored to have him around forever. The wealth of knowledge he has is beyond anything I am capable of. The time he takes to teach me the things he loves, the things he hates, the right way to care for this world. He's been here longer than me, so he knows more. I am proud to be of service to him. As far as wild animals, I don't know anything about him doing any of that."

"If you say so. Well, what types of things do you like? Has he asked the same of you?" the serpent asked.

"What I--what?" the creature stuttered. It was obviously caught off guard and hadn't expected to be asked what seemed like such a basic question. "No, I don't believe he has," the creature admitted. "But I wouldn't know what to say if he did anyway, so I guess it's reasonable that he hasn't thought to yet."

"Hmmm. You should get on that as soon as possible then," the serpent replied. "Or before you know it, time will have slipped away from you, and you won't even know who you are anymore."

"Serpent, I just got here today. I do not even know who I am right now. What I know is I am in literal paradise. I am not worried about any of the rest of that," the creature assured with a wave of her hand. Her hair was lifted in the wind of her rapid movement, adding an air of mysticism to her words. 

"True, true," the serpent conceded. "I just wonder if the things that are important to you will be important to him as well is all. You deserve nothing less. So what are your favorite parts of this place so far? What have you done since you arrived?"

"It's so beautiful," she gushed. "The running waters, the beautiful animals. There's a unicorn, you know! It is one of the most majestic creatures I have ever seen in my life. You saw I was just talking to the birds. They were very friendly, but as soon as you came over they flew away without a word. It was strange."

The serpent winced at the thought of the unicorn. She hadn't thought about it since she left the Oasis, when she was braiding her hair getting started for the journey ahead. 

"Oh that sounds amazing," the serpent replied. It flicked its tail back and forth then raised it in the air and curled it. "I don't know what could have been wrong with the birds. Maybe they have somewhere urgent to be? So of the things you've seen since your arrival, what do you like?"

"How peaceful it is! And the trees! And the fruit! Oh it's so wonderful! I really enjoy eating. It is one of the most pleasurably stimulating experiences I have ever imagined. Tasting the flavors of all these wonderful things. Watching the angels fly in the sky as they sing is an unforgettable experience as well. There is just so much here. I am grateful," the creature bowed its head in thanks. "The water is cool but not cold, everything is so green! I think green is my favorite color. But I am really excited to experience the night time. Man told me it is truly beautiful at night here. He said it is so beautiful it will look like we are almost close enough to touch the stars. But I think my favorite part of the Oasis is the trees. They are beyond beautiful."

"Oh, yes, the trees. Have you eaten of all of the trees here in the Oasis?" the serpent asked.

"It's so great. We can eat from any of the fruit-bearing trees we want. Well, except for one. God said we can't eat from that tree or touch it, or we'll die, so I make sure to stay far away from it. I have no idea what death is, but it sounds awful."

"Which tree?" the serpent asked.

"That one," the beautiful creature pointed a tentative, slender brown finger in the direction of the tree in the center of the Oasis. The serpent followed her finger with its eyes and burst out laughing. 

"Why do you laugh, serpent?" the creature asked, offended. 

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, it's just, your answer was so dramatic," the serpent stifled its chuckle and collected itself. "If you eat from that tree you will not die."

"Yes, I will. God said, 'You may eat of any tree here, but not of the Tree of Knowledge, for when you eat of it you will know the difference between good and evil and surely die.'"

"I know the lore," the serpent said, flipping over onto its feet. "But I also know the truth."

"What truth?" the creature asked.

"That if you eat of the Tree of Knowledge you will not die. God doesn't want you to eat of the tree because when you do you will be like him. Your eyes will be opened, and you'll know the truth, too. Think about it--you have your own life, but you are created merely to serve your husband. No one asked you if you were okay with that. You didn't get to choose that for yourself, and who are they to choose that for you? The truth is that if you eat of the fruit, you will finally be able to see yourself as your own person, and if he eats of it, your husband will be able to see you and respect you, too."

The creature sat tentatively for a minute and the serpent went back to sunbathing. It closed its eyes and raised its belly to the sun. A smile seemed to form across its face as the creature sat in silence, shocked by the unraveling of information she just witnessed.

"Umm... Excuse me, serpent?" the creature said.

"Yes, creature?" 

"How do I go about finding out what I 'like'?" the creature inquired, gesturing with its hands.

"Well that depends on what feels good to you," the serpent replied.

"What feels good?"

"Yes. You see, you have emotions, and feelings, and they let you know when behavior or the environment you're in is suitable or tolerable to your liking. If you are not enjoying yourself you will start to be irritated and possibly even frustrated. You will become uncomfortable and less pleasant. It's a testament to whether the things you are experiencing at the time are safe or not."

"Safe?" the creature asked.

"Oh, yes," the serpent replied. "You see, outside of this Oasis, there is a whole other world to explore and adventure. With that adventure you will have struggles and tasks to complete that will depend on your ability to adapt and protect yourself. The best thing is, you can literally do whatever you want whenever you choose to. You can live on your own terms, you don't have to answer to anyone but yourself. If you want to do something, you can do it so long as you have the necessary supplies, but also, if you don't want to do something, you can choose not to simply because you don't want to--whether you have supplies or not. It's freeing. Freedom is what I call it. And I love it." 

"Oh," the creature said. "That sounds hard."

"I like to think of it as more of a satisfying challenge than hard."

"But isn't that what Man is for? Isn't he better prepared for these things?" the creature asked earnestly.

"What if you could be more prepared and better than he could ever dream?" the serpent retorted. 

"I don't know. I think I have everything I need right here. I mean, like I said before, I just got here. You're talking about a lot."

"I understand," the serpent accepted. "But your life will only be what you make of it. Just think about it. Well, good luck to you then." The serpent turned back over onto its feet then took off into the trees. 

When there was a far enough distance from the creature's line of sight, she forced herself out of the serpent's body. She was choked up with emotion. Not only had Man went to God crying about being lonely, he forced him to create another woman for him, just like her, but smaller, needier, more fragile and weak. She was enraged. She wanted to scream. She opened up her mouth and right before she forced the most wretched, awful, enraged sound out of her throat she woke up.

She sat up straight where she was. Persistence was laying at the mouth of the cave, sleeping peacefully. She got up and walked to the beach, thinking about what just happened. It was still nighttime. The moon shone brightly in the clear night sky. The waves melodically rolled over the beach like it was grabbing onto it, trying to hold on because it didn't want to go back home. 

"He ordered a replacement," she said to the water. "He ordered a replacement, and he broke her." The water didn't speak, but it did comfort her. "Well, I did say he could try to replace me, but I never thought he would do that to her." 

"And if he has her already, why is he still worried about me?" she continued. "I should be inconsequential. He has his replacement. I should be able to go on and live my own life the way I want without them hounding me about going back. They don't need me there anymore."

She stood on the edge of the water a little longer, thinking about the conversation she witnessed before she talked to the new woman. She looked up at the moon and said, "They're actually plotting on me tomorrow. I can't believe they've already resolved the issue and still want to bother me about going back. Tomorrow night, I will make them wish they never decided to come fuck with me. They better not come starting some shit because I will make them regret it." That said, she turned on her heel and walked back up to the cave to lay down and go back to sleep. 

The next dream was much happier. She was standing on top of a hill, looking below, at all of her beautiful daughters. There were too many to count. She started to float and looked at the sea of women with her hair, her eyes, her height, her shape. They were more than beautiful. They were powerful. Tears of joy came to her eyes as she looked at their faces. They were all ages: some were adult women, holding onto and supporting the smaller ones who could not support themselves. There were small children and teens, young adults and elders, and she saw her energy in all of them. She looked at them and felt protective of them. They would be looked at as weak, but they were not weak. She saw their futures before they could see it themselves. As she looked at her progeny she knew she made the right choice when she left the Oasis.