“Lilith!” Adam shrieked. “Come down! I’m sorry I destroyed your horn. But the Creator gave you to me, and I won’t really throw you into a fire. You’re my gift from the Heavens.”
Anger stewed in me at the realization he thought I was his property and he could do to me what he wished. Take my belongings, throw me in the dirt, try to enter me at his will... I’d had enough!
In my anger I rose upward from the branch and yelled, “Get away from me.” I shouted so loud it startled the night creatures around us, and they caused quite a ruckus screeching and taking flight.
“Next time, I hope the wolf eats you!” I raged, almost falling out of the tree.
“No!” Adam gasped. “You must be careful!” he ordered. “If you die, I’ll be alone.”
My stomach tumbled as I contemplated how far I’d fall if I slipped again. I dug my fingers into the limb, “I need to be careful or what?” I questioned, not admitting to my fear.
“Please come down,” he pleaded.
“No! If I have to be trapped in this place with you, I’m staying up here.” Honesty poured out of my mouth. “Because I know you’re too much of a coward to come up,” I fumed. “And too stupid to figure out how to get me down.”
But he didn’t respond. I peered over the side of the branch, careful not to lose my balance again. My thighs burned and ached from the rough bark rubbing at the tender skin. “Adam?” I called out softly. “Great, he’s left me up here.. Stuck.” I said to no one in particular. The words sunk in…
Stuck!
There I sat, stuck in a tree while Adam probably went back to our home, to our soft bed close to a warm fire. I wanted to kick myself.
My cheeks burned red from humiliation as time passed and each attempt to get back down on solid ground failed. I scooted backwards and secured myself against the base of the tree’s trunk and leaned against it. Under the moonlight, the waters from the Pool of Life shimmered and flowed. As far as I could see the waters curved around the garden.
My breath released quickly in a soft gasp, and as if from the very depths of my belly, a loud, wordless cry of rage and hopelessness spewed out of my mouth.
I’m never getting out of this place!
Lucifer
I awoke from my nap unrefreshed with adrenaline coursing through my body. The rush of flight had always eased that unsettled feeling inside me, but as I sat grounded to this earth, I didn’t know how to alleviate the gnawing energy in the pit of my stomach so I roamed my labyrinthine cave instead.
I wandered aimlessly down the narrow paths that ran underneath the earth. Silence rested heavily, a blanket to muffle my restless thoughts, broken only by the steady plunk of water dripping somewhere nearby. Small holes here and there in the craggy ceiling allowed moonlight to filter through, and I took advantage of the glow to inspect some of the shadowed spaces in the inner folds of the cave.
As I walked, each of my steps crunching along in the quiet stillness of the cave, a spot on the floor flickered and glinted in my peripheral vision. I almost expected a ripple across the surface when I inspected it more closely. It looked slick and wet, gleaming like a polished obsidian gem.
Excitement flickered through me, followed by a ripple of apprehension that I quickly shrugged away. Sudden adrenaline buzzed along my nerves as I strode to inspect the surface. A surprise...in my cave...discovered by me. How very un-Creator like. Unless He’s deliberately left something to occupy me, for me to fi—
I stopped, arms out to my sides to find something to grab onto and steady myself. A gaping hole lay in front of me, and I’d almost fallen inside the chasm. Uneven rocks jutted in the space as far as I could see, and as I leaned forward to see further still, my foot slipped and small pieces of gravel skittered and bounced into the void. Vowing to be more careful I peered into the deepness, but saw no end.
Heaviness grew inside me, overwhelming me, drawing me down, and I sank to the cave’s floor.
I took a deep breath and expelled it hard to release my fear. Fear was a weak man’s game, and only my Father made me weak. It had no place in my cave, in my world, with my creation. I blew out again for good measure.
Hanging my head over the edge, I squinted, allowing my eyes to adjust to the black abyss. The inky pit appeared to be bottomless, yet an electrical current rose from it, causing the hairs on my neck to stand on end. Raw energy flowed upward, and a rush of heat ran down my spine before spreading out to my limbs.
“Lucifer. Lucifer?” My name echoed toward me in a hushed, desperate whisper.
Furious thumping pounded in my chest. I clambered to my feet and recoiled from the hole at the sound of the voice.
“Please Lucifer, I need your help.” The voice came again, but louder this time. Beguiling, intoxicating, beautiful.
I crept closer to the edge until my shoulders hung over into the void. It called me.
“Lucifer!”
I jerked back from the hypnotic shaft, its hold over me broken. It sounded as if the voice came from above and not from the abyss as I’d thought. My attention flicked to a small hole high up above me leading to the outside, and I listened closely but heard nothing else. Yet I still backed farther away from the pit in the ground. A greater amount of energy cracked in the air and I shivered as it brushed over my skin teasingly. I drew away and stood. I’d explore the pit further when Light returned to the garden.
“Lucifer, I beg you!” the voice called out again.
Recognition twisted inside me. Is that idiot actually calling for me? I barked out a laugh and the unease I felt vanished. My usual self control reasserted itself inside me.
So he needs my help does he. Well, this is going to cost him, indeed.
I sauntered casually over to the moron, “What is it you want?” I asked, allowing my absolute lack of care to show in my voice.
Adam jumped and spun in my direction. “It’s you,” he gasped as he raised a trembling finger to point in my direction. “You were in my dream. An angel. You...you took her. Lilith, I mean.”
I smirked at his discomfort. “And yet here you are, calling for me. Needing my help. Well, spit it out my little cretin.” I said as I rested the weight of my body against a tree and plucked an apple from its branch.
He looked around, turning his head and whole body, the movement wild and uncoordinated. “I need the snake. Do you know where it is?”
I raised an eyebrow. “It?”
“He… Lucifer, I think Lilith called him. I need his… I mean, I think he can help.” He finished with a puzzled frown on his face as if the absurdity of what he’d just said about believing a snake capable of advanced thought had finally dawned on him.
“Well, in the absence of a... snake…” I stood taller and gestured at myself. “Maybe I can assist you?” I smiled and made sure it was mocking.
“It’s Lil...it’s Lilith,” he stammered.
“Go on.” I kept my voice even as I bit into the apple. He needed to think I still didn’t care.
“She’s in trouble,” he admitted, avoiding eye contact with me.
My casual demeanor slipped as my body stiffened, and my stomach tightened and tensed. “What have you done?’ I asked, throwing the apple to the ground.
Adam hung his head and refused to make eye contact with me. He twisted his hands together.
“What have you done?” I demanded again, charging at him.
“Nothing, I swear.” He fell to his knees. “She isn’t hurt. We had a misunderstanding and now she’s stuck in a tree,” he admitted, keeping his eyes on the ground.
“What? How does a misunderstanding lead to that?” I shook my head and grimaced. “Still, it’s not the end of the world. You say Lilith’s stuck, so climb up and fetch her,” I said.
“I can’t. It’s too high. It scares me.” His eyes grew big and round. “A lot here scares me. But I only have Lilith so I need someone to help her.” He bent lower, his nose almost touching the ground.
Power surged through me as I
took in his worshipful pose—the helpless form of an idiot cowered on the ground, too scared to climb a tree, and recognizing a higher being could assist him.
I should have put him out of his misery right there, but laughter erupted from me. “Go, run and hide.” I smirked. “I’ll do your job for you.” I didn’t wait for his reply or explain further as I turned on my heels.
I found Mercy at the waterfall and explained Lilith’s predicament as I paced back and forth at the water’s edge, the clay sucking and releasing my feet with each stride.
“Find Lilith and meet me at the cliff overlooking the Pool of Life where we rested before.” I shuffled closer to her.
“Before you go,” I said, “I believe Lilith fled into the tree to get away from Adam. What did you say to her earlier? Are you trying to force her to stay with Adam?” I kept my voice even, trying to hide the feelings stirring in my heart.
“I tried to keep the balance,” she admitted. “But that is my job.”
“Whose balance?” Quick anger blazed inside me, but I tamped it down before I spoke again. I swallowed and looked into Mercy’s eyes. Her hair remained dark auburn, so maybe she hadn’t detected my sudden change in mood. “Certainly not Lilith’s. If you saw how unhappy she is and how he has treated her, you’d never have asked such a thing of her.”
“She’s special Lucifer, and I see why you’re enthralled with her,” she said, letting the truth roll off her tongue.
“And you aren’t?” I stared at her studying her face for any hint of uncharacteristic deception.
“Yes, I am too.” She frowned as she blew out a sigh. “But we shouldn’t be. We have greater awareness than to answer our base desires and wants.”
“But what about our needs?” I whispered the words, and Mercy behaved as though she hadn’t heard me, so I cleared my throat and changed the subject. “No, we must work together to protect her. That is our responsibility, after all. Surely you don’t believe she ran up a tree in the dark of night for no reason?” I pointed out, and Mercy’s cheeks darkened in a blush. “That idiot Adam is a danger to her.”
Her eyes gave nothing away. They remained as serene as I’d ever seen them, and even looking into them brought me a measure of internal calm.
“Are you with us or not, Mercy?” My tone dropped as far into a plea as it ever had.
“I’m with you always, Lucifer.” She frowned a little as if considering what those words might mean. “And I, too, choose Lilith.” The blush in her cheeks increased and she cast a furtive glance to the Heavens as if afraid of being overheard.
I laughed as electricity pricked at my nerve endings, sending the sensation down my shoulders and chest. “Then let’s go get our woman out of the tree,” I said smiling wide. “And afterwards, we’ll figure out how to deal with the moron.”
Mercy patted my shoulder as I sat pondering this place I now had to call home. The waters of the Pool of Life lapped at the sand making a glorious whooshing sound as the waves broke and receded. I timed my breath to the rhythm of those waves licking at the silt and clay of the small beach. Even though the boundary of the Pool of Life was narrow, in the distance, walls of the waters rose up into tall waves, blocking my view of the other side. A sudden desire to know the land on the other side of the Pool of Life, outside of this garden, filled me.
Mercy spoke, her voice infuriatingly neutral as she pulled me from my consideration of beyond paradise. “We’re back.”
“Come, Lilith, and join us.” She motioned with one hand.
Twisting my upper body to the right, I peered at Lilith as she remained half hidden behind a tree. “Why do you hesitate?” I asked when she didn’t move.
“Perhaps she’s embarrassed,” Mercy surmised.
I swung my legs around folding them at the knees and studied her for a reaction. For such a new being to be so self-aware as to display embarrassment was certainly...interesting. I, on the other hand, knew exactly how it felt to do something in haste and find myself in a bewildering predicament. My current situation was proof of that. Not that I regretted one word of my decision or conversation with my Father.
Lilith stood with her arm bent at the elbow leaning her forearm up against the tree, still hiding most of her body from my view. She tilted her head and peered around the edge. Her long dark hair covered her right breast and stopped at the dip of her waist showcasing the curve of her hip. Truly, her beauty rivaled the celestials’ in the Heavens. Maybe if I’d lost my wings for her and her alone, I could accept my fate easier, but here she stood hiding because of that thorn in our side—Adam.
I wanted to go and comfort her, but she needed to be strong and not weak of character like him. So, I watched her and waited and when Mercy tried to encourage her to join us, I silenced her efforts by raising my index finger to my mouth.
“Why don’t you console her?” Mercy said as she sat beside me. “Why are you treating her so indifferently when her upset is over you Lucifer?”
“Over me?” I raised my eyebrows at Mercy, then looked again at Lilith. No, Mercy spoke incorrectly. This whole mess and any feelings of Lilith’s were because of Adam.
“Yes, over you. She didn’t want to face you in her humiliation,” Mercy said. “And now she’s waiting for you to tell her everything is all right,” she encouraged.
“Is it all right, Mercy?” My jaw twitched at her words. “Things aren’t always all right simply because you say it is so,” I corrected, “if that were the case you’d have me convinced I’m still whole without my wings,” I stated and examined my fingernails as if the whole thing bored me. “Or that we should abandon our desire for her because she’ll be all right with Adam.” I motioned toward Lilith. “Yet here you sit with me, going against the laws of the Heavens of our Creator, knowing full well it isn’t all right.” I shook my head and clenched my teeth tightly together behind my lips.
“Lucifer,” Mercy said, squeezing my forearm lightly.
“It’s no lie. There’s a natural order, and every desire you or I have for her goes directly against it.” I said. The harsh truth of my words hurt me more as I heard them spoken aloud, yet they continued to pour from my lips. “We have stepped out of our place. So, what do we do?” I paused. “Send her back to the one who makes her so unhappy and treats her poorly?” I snapped to my feet.
Lilith hid further behind the tree from me as if scared at what I might do.
“You see!” I said. Frustration wove ribbons into my soul. “Her fear! At my reaction, my slightest movement, because she thinks I may hurt her,” I almost couldn’t continue and lurched forward slightly as my breath was knocked out of me as if a mighty blow had landed on my chest.
“He must be tamed,” I said as my gaze darted around before it landed on Mercy. “But how? You, the great nurturer and bringer of light and balance, won’t do it.” I touched her face, forcing my features to gentle into a smile. “Nor, would I expect you too,” I said, pinching her cheek lightly and at her genuine grin, I offered her one in return.
Her silence told me my words weighed heavily on her, for Mercy always fell silent when she considered the opinions and thoughts of others in her pursuit of universal Peace and Harmony. “I’ll do it. Force him to submit to my will,”
“You can not!”
Mercy cut me off. “You have already angered Him enough. I fear what He will do… no, you must lay low and not displease Him, if I’m ever to convince our Father to restore you once again.” She said firmly.
“We have to do something to stop him—and quickly,” I admitted. The situation caused a dull ache to take root as my mind raced. I lowered my head and rubbed my forehead. “We need help to tame him. We need to strike fear in his heart, but how?” I asked as I paced back and forth at the cliff’s edge, the rocky surface scraping at my feet.
“Well…” She tilted her head consideringly. “Who better is there than Samael to help us bring Adam under control,” she suggested.
A calm came over me, a peace I hadn’t f
elt in a while as my muscles relaxed.
Samael
I hadn’t thought much about him since I’d been refused return to my Heavenly home, but I missed my brother dearly. “Samael, yes of course.” I smiled and clasped Mercy’s hand, drawing it to my lips. When I kissed it softly, she lowered her eyes and smiled.
“You’ve done good,” I admitted. “Now go and retrieve the greatest warrior the Heavens has ever seen.”
I deliberately waited until Mercy took flight far out of view to spin back around and face the waters, turning my back to Lilith. The stars popped and twinkled in the night sky as if welcoming Mercy home, but each one signalled a reminder of my fate. I wondered how they looked close up, viewing them while in flight as each magnificent burst of Light shone and sparkled. I silently thanked Mercy for creating them, for even being stuck here in this supposed paradise, they were a gift, indeed.
The moon fluttered in and out of view as rogue clouds covered the bright orb. I closed my eyes and breathed in the wind. The smell of impending rain loomed in the air. I liked the little cave I called home, but nothing felt like this—being under the stars with the breeze on my face. If I closed my eyes for long enough, I could almost believe I was flying again.
I sensed Lilith sit on the rock beside me. The heat of her small body warmed my skin, but neither of us spoke. She scooted closer and rested her head on my shoulder, and the hairs on my arms raised in anticipation. We sat like this for a long while before I reached my arm across my chest and twisted my body, so I could touch her hair. I smoothed my hand down it with the lightest of touch. Her mouth gaped slightly, and she let out a soft sigh, but her eyes remained closed. I allowed her to rest, even as I heard her breath quicken. With her mind in such a relaxed state, her body responded to my touch with excitement and a ripple of restlessness moved within me as well.
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