Enmity

by Paul J Fowler

  This is life as it should be!

  Such were the thoughts of the tall, beautiful woman who strode through the middle of the busy scene. Watching her family brought a smile of deep contentment across her perfect features.

  “Hello, Mother Eve!” was the constant refrain of children’s voices. Hugs and smiles were in abundance as boys and girls made traveling even a short distance time-consuming. But to Eve, this was not an inconvenience or a distraction. Each entreaty for affection was warmly reciprocated, and Eve knew every child’s name. People of all ages in the city looked at her with fondness and respect, nodding or smiling in greeting from a distance as she worked her way through the near-constant press of excited children.

  Tonight marked the beginning of their seventh-day celebration, a day of rest and worship which concluded the next evening. Harvest offerings were also beginning, a ten-day festival, which marked one of the few times during the year meat was consumed. An abundance of food was prepared so there would be enough food for the seventh day, during which most labors were not encouraged. Family from afar would also be coming to the city for the Harvest celebrations, and they would be hungry.

  Eve leaned upon her staff, peering into the bustling, central courtyard with deep satisfaction. Over six hundred seasons old, she had raised children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and more.

  Surely we have been better grandparents than we were parents...

  Happiness was evident on her face as she basked in the joy of family soon gathering to eat, rest, and enjoy themselves. Dark, curly hair fell to Eve’s shoulders. Bright, curious eyes shone from her smooth, lovely face. Her arms and face were bronzed by the sun. She was sure she had a few wrinkles beginning around her eyes. When she complained aloud about her discovery, her husband Adam said: “Nonsense, nothing about you has changed in a hundred years.” Eve had pulled a single gray hair out of her head just days ago, upon seeing it Adam grinned and said nothing.

  She had her last child just a few years ago, twenty, to be exact. A delightful boy named Jathan. When she passed six hundred years, she was sure her child-rearing days were over. Jathan was a beautiful surprise. Like her son Seth, Jathan’s coloring favored her, but in every other way, he looked like Adam. She smiled as she recalled Adam playing on the floor again with another child. Her son had guard duty today. Jathan was probably patrolling one of the lower fields, paired with a cousin.

  Crops had been plentiful, and summer was gently fading. Harvest offerings had begun. Her family was returning, and that made Eve happy. When she and Adam were younger, many of their children had left to start their own tribes. Some had departed because of conflict, usually with Adam. Others left out curiosity to see the world beyond their borders, not heeding Adam’s warnings. Yet some would pilgrimage home to worship, trade goods, and tell stories. Young people would need spouses. This was yet another of Eve’s gifts and passions. She loved observing a child’s gifts and temperament, cataloging them in her mind as she considered suitable mates for them in the future.

  These were happy times. What a contrast to their past. The years of anger. The years of conflict. She knew what life without hope could be like. She knew the pain of loss in ways only Adam could comprehend. The anguish caused by the death of Abel and his wife, then Cain and his wife Awan, banished. Eve shuddered at the thought of the years that followed. The despair of heart, her tumultuous relationship with Adam, and the struggle to merely survive. Hunted by the Fallen and later the Nephilim, the vicious offspring of the Watchers. Moving from place to place, suffering loss after loss.

  It was Seth that changed them. When Seth was born, Eve began to have hope after one-hundred and thirty years of despair. Seth was God’s gift to her, a strong and noble child who filled the empty place of her absent sons.

  “Oh, I was horrible to Adam,” she mused aloud to no one. “Lord, forgive us both.”

  So often, Seth was caught in the middle of their conflicts. Yet Seth’s humble faith changed them both, softening their hearts, not only towards each other but to God himself. Seth became like a brother to Adam. They multiplied each other’s strengths, accomplishing so much together. “Finally, a man I can set my back against!” Adam would proudly say to her. Together they fought back against those who had hunted them. Eve breathed deeply as she recalled the past days. When Seth and his wife Ahavva finally married, it marked a turning point for their people. Eve remembered when their child Enosh was born, and a new season began in earnest.

  We called on You, Lord. We found Your mercy after so much failure. We began to build. One God above all, indeed You have been so kind to us...

  Eve replayed memories of days long ago, a mixture of recollection and thanksgiving. Sadly, as Adam’s people returned to the One God, the men of Cain sought false gods. High places to new Baal’s began appearing everywhere.

  Eve was taken from her thoughts by a tug at her skirt. Looking down, she saw a handsome, fair-haired boy of eight years, Enoch, the son of Jerod. Enoch was the seventh son in generational succession from Adam. The number seven was a blessed number among God’s people. Very quickly, Enoch had demonstrated that he was uniquely gifted. Like Adam, he was given to dreams and visions. Often, he would be found on the city wall gazing to the East, lost in his own thoughts. Sometimes Enoch would predict a future event or share a vision, speaking with unusual insight and intelligence. Then he would rejoin playing with other children as if nothing were uncommon about his divine communications. Enoch was honored with privileged access to Adam and Eve, both for his gifts and place as a future patriarch.

  “I had a dream Mother Eve,” Enoch explained innocently, his adorable young eyes looking upward towards her. Eve lowered herself to one knee and hugged him deeply.

  “Little patriarch, tell me what you have seen,” she asked him. Enoch looked a little uncomfortable with his title but was determined to obediently deliver his message.

  “My head was hurting, I told mother, and she made me lay down,” Enoch explained.

  “Was this today, Child?” Eve asked.

  “Yes, First Mother. I woke up a few minutes ago. When I told mother my dream, she charged me to find you,” the boy stated.

  Eve was now focused intently, a growing sense of concern rising in her.

  “When I was dreaming, I saw some hens sitting on their eggs,” Enoch continued. “But there was one egg left alone a few feet away from the hens. The chickens clucked and made noises but did not gather the egg. Then I saw a serpent hidden a few feet away. Without motion, he watched the egg for some time. His head and neck the color of brown earth, but his tail as green as the grass it rested upon.”

  Eve froze inwardly as the boy said this. She struggled to breathe as she tried to remain calm, not wanting to upset Enoch in her alarm.

  “Tell me the rest, Son,” Eve prodded.

  “The serpent moved quickly to steal the egg and take it away. Suddenly a fierce rooster appeared and attacked the snake, and the two began to fight. As they fought, blood was spilled, and the rooster became a man. The serpent took the form of a cold man with wings. They fought beside the river. He had a companion like him, another cold man with wings,” Enoch concluded, pointing towards the distant Fourth gate.

  Eve looked across the plaza to the archway that led to the Fourth Tower courtyard. Beyond its gate were the Lower Fields and the closest river to the city.

  Eve grew pale and struggled to draw breath. Any effort to hide her emotions from Enoch was futile.

  Enoch touched Eve’s face, noting her concern, then gently took her hand.

  “Don’t worry, First Mother. The rooster is Seth,” Enoch finished calmly.

  “Go now to your mother, Enoch!” Eve directed. She then turned and rushed across the Plaza, entering the Fourth Gate courtyard. She could not dismiss the anxiety within her. Dreams were not always definite, especially regarding time and even place. Nevertheless, the i
magery was too troubling not to take immediate precautions.

  As she saw the guard assigned to the Fourth Gate Tower, Eve called to him, “Where is Seth?”

  “He was inspecting the outer guard stations today, then the lower fields before the evening meal,” The guard replied. “One of Kenan’s sons just ran through here, asking for Father Adam. I could not understand him.”

  Eve looked in the direction of her home and saw Adam, armed with his battle staff, running rapidly towards the gate. Seepha, his dog, was right behind him. Kenan’s son, Mica, also running and carrying a spear.

  As Adam approached, she spoke to him. Eve was now concerned that Jathan was in the field too. When their eyes locked, she suddenly felt his strength. Adam was strong, and Adam was wise. He touched her arm lightly as he passed. Adam had work to do. She watched his tall, powerful form move swiftly towards the gate; thankful he would soon join their sons.

  “Off the tower – follow Adam. Sound the alarm,” she commanded the guards. “Call everyone into the city - now!” A gong was repeatedly struck. Another gong replied from every city gate. The noise instantly transformed the small city into a beehive of motion.

  Chapter FOUR

  In the Lower Fields

  “When man began to multiply on the face of the land the and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.”

  Genesis 6:1-2

  A vulture, perhaps?

  Seth, curiosity growing, strained to get a better look.

  No, not a vulture.

  It did not move right. Adam’s son watched as the movement in the air was punctuated with spasmodic drops in height. Wounded perhaps, or dying of hunger possibly, the bird’s natural motion was affected? Seth had seen something in the air earlier in the day but at a greater distance from the city. Whatever it was, it had drawn his attention to the plains beyond the river several times during the day.

  Unease was growing in the back of Seth’s mind.

  Something is not right...

  Tension growing within, Seth looked up the hill towards his home then back again towards the fields. The city was secure and showed no signs of distress. He looked upstream towards the farm fields, laborers in the distance slowly walking back into town for the evening meal – nothing amiss. Seth then looked downstream to the flocks.

  Where is the other guard?

  Seth only saw one guard. There should be two. It looked like he was reclined, conversing with someone. Then he saw a daughter of Adam gathering something near the edge of the water. The stream was partially blocked there, pooling deeply before trickling south again. And he saw the movement in the sky again, east of the stream’s edge, still distant but rapidly drawing closer.

  “No!” Seth cried, waving his arms frantically.

  Desperate to get the young ones’ attention, he signaled and yelled, but they remained oblivious. Seth had to cover almost a thousand paces in just a few seconds. Javelin in his right hand, he raced downstream towards the pair. While at full stride he used his left hand to adjust the war club that was slung on his back, a smooth curved shaft that ended with what appeared to be a round black stone. The weapon was an exceptionally crafted gift from his father, Adam, given many years ago. The club was a lethally efficient tool that had saved his life many times over. He loosened the weapons obscured in the harness that was draped over one shoulder. Two spikes there, plus one hidden in his belt. Long, thin, and hard as steel, these stabbing weapons ended in a point as fine as a sewing needle. Slender and easily concealed, the weapons were another deadly design born from his father’s genius of invention. Adam called them “Thorns of Eden.”

  “Away from the water! Get Back!” Seth yelled as the girl finally looked upstream.

  Bewildered, the girl froze in place. Seth still had over two hundred paces to cover. He looked to his left and saw a shape in the sky moving closer, its form getting clearer. Not a vulture, something far worse. It was flying lower now, over four hundred paces away, and picking up speed. The wings were moving, and the man-shaped form was now easily recognizable.

  “Where?” he voiced aloud, “Where?”

  He could run no faster. Seth recognized her now, she was a great-niece, the daughter of a younger kinsman. She was a lovely girl of about sixteen seasons old. Seth could not remember her name. Mother would instantly, that was her gift. He motioned for her to move away from the stream. The puzzled expression on her delicate face turned to terror. Why was her Chieftain running towards her brandishing a weapon?

  The girl had just begun to obey Seth, moving away from the edge of the stream. He could see her fear now, not of him, but her realization that something must be terribly wrong. Finally, the guard began to rise in concern.

  One hundred paces away from her, Seth looked to the left across the water and saw the winged figure gliding quickly towards the stream.

  Still running, he looked back towards the girl. He realized the sound was fading in his mind. Water rushing, shouting in the distance, the sound of his feet striking the ground almost entirely gone now. Time began to slow down, and Seth started to feel like he was watching a story unfold that he was only faintly connected to.

  Focus - any second now!

  A sudden crash of water erupted and gave way to the flapping of wings as a mysterious form broke from beneath the surface of the stream. The water flashed in a myriad of bright beams of light as it caught and reflected the afternoon sun.

  The winged creature overwhelmed her instantly, knocking her backward. As she fell, it grabbed her ankles faster than Seth’s eye could see. She was like a child’s doll in his hands, it moved as if she had no weight at all. The unholy angel oriented towards the water and began to flap its wings.

  To his left, he saw its winged hunting partner moving close to the water’s edge.

  I’ll have to fight them both!

  Forty paces from a fallen angel and his desperate niece, Seth prayed.

  “Train my hands for War...” was all Seth had time to voice.

  Chapter Five

  Enmity Between Them

  And LORD said to the Serpent...

  “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;

  he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

  Genesis 3:15

  If it gets airborne, we’ve lost her.

  Seth’s heart sank within him.

  “No, please God, no. No. No...” Seth pleaded under his breath as he ran.

  The guard now rushes to aid his cousin and is effortlessly cast aside with a swift kick from the winged monster. But the young man is back on his feet in a flash, striking with his fists. Seth recognizes the young man now - Adam’s youngest son, Jathan, his own brother. With both hands holding the girl’s ankles, the creature is unable to defend himself adequately. Jathan pummels the Fallen with at least four solid strikes to the angel’s face, his weighty fists landing without defense. The Fallen’s face is snapped back by the force of the last blow. Jathan was built like his father Adam, and like Adam, was tremendously strong.

  In an instant, the beast drops one of the girl’s ankles and with his now-freed arm, brings a closed fist across Jathan’s face. Adam’s son is stunned by the blow, which is followed by yet another kick, which lifts him off his feet and leaves him crumpled in a heap a few feet away. The creature resumes his grip. The girl is resisting now, legs kicking furiously, thrashing about as best she can. She has grabbed some old tree roots exposed near the stream’s edge, frustrating the creature’s first attempt at flight.

  At thirty paces, Seth launches his javelin. Even before it lands, he has freed his war club and plans the first blow. He glances to his left and is surprised to see the other winged creature is nearer but has not crossed the stream. The blurring of senses, common to
combat, is leaving him. He hears voices coming from the city behind him and to his right.

  Seth’s javelin had lodged in the creature’s shoulder, tearing a section of the feathered wing before entering the body. He would have preferred a lower attack point, but his niece’s twisting form prevented an attempt at vital organs. Crying out in pain, the creature stooped and attempted to orient itself again to fly across the stream. Carried by momentum, Seth jumped up as he closed upon them, adding his body weight to the force of his strike. The club struck the left side of the winged creature’s skull with a sickening, audible crunch.

  The creature drops to one knee, stunned. That single blow would have killed a human instantly. In pain from the javelin, and both hands struggling to regain control over his human prey, the angel was unable to dodge or evade. Seth would not have that advantage again.

  Seth swings his club towards the Fallen’s head. The angel releases his hold on the girl and wisely brings up both hands to defend himself. The attack was a feint by Seth, forcing a defensive reaction so the Fallen would release his grip on the girl. Seth scoops up his niece in his left arm and moves back four steps quickly. Seth drops the girl gently and moves forward, placing himself between her and the Fallen. Jathan, visibly in pain and struggling to breathe, stumbles to join them and holds his cousin protectively.

  “Do not run! Stay close behind me and brace yourself!” Seth commanded them.

  The Fallen was back on its feet. Shaking its body, the angel manages to free Seth’s javelin from his shoulder. The winged-being rose up to full height, took a deep breath, and looked like it was preparing to scream. The dark angel’s black eyes were wide opened and focused on the three humans. The angel opened its mouth, baring teeth, but no sound came forth. But suddenly, what could not be heard was felt. Seth felt his knees begin to buckle as waves of demonic, unseen power washed over the three humans. Panic and terror rushed at edges of Seth’s heart and mind. The young ones had curled up in fetal positions and were alternately crying or screaming while covering their faces.