Lost Souls

by Wendy J. Shores

  “Well Mary, we finally meet again. It’s been far too long don’t you think?

  “What? What do you mean we meet again? I have never seen you anywhere before except my nightmares.” Marissa breathlessly replied.

  “Oh but you have… Think back,” the thing hissed. “Think way back Mary, to the lives before your hero Christ. There has been many, each just as much a failure as your first one was. You never could get it right could you Mary? Always searching for a way to rectify yourself and never quite being able to do it. You will fail this time as well. I can not afford to let you win.”

  “What have you done with my friends? Where are they?” Marissa whimpered.

  “Not quite so brave without them are you Mary? A little less sure of yourself, hmmmmm? Well, we can fix that. Just give me the ring and I will return your friends to you unharmed,” the beast menacingly cooed.

  “Never! I would never betray my friends that way. I know how important the ring is demon, you will never have it so long as there is breath in my body! When I get to Dalton he will take care of you for good!” she threatened.

  The monster laughed. It was a sinister sound, something she couldn’t quite pair together in her mind, this evil creature and laughter, and it terrified her.

  “And where is your Dalton, Mary? Why isn’t he here defending you even now?” Rage filled its eyes as he bellowed, “Do you think I don’t know Mary? Do you think I wasn’t there that day when he fell over the waterfall and drown? I know he is with you no more, he hasn’t been for over a year now.” The demons voice thundered and the ground shook with the intensity of it as he went on…

  “WHERE IS HE MARY? Tell me NOW!”

  Marissa’s hands curled into fists as anger finally replaced the fear, and she looked it in the eye and said, “He is where you’ll never find him. I will die before I tell you where he is. But know this demon; he will be the end of you!”

  As she bellowed out the last of her words, thunder clapped and lightening snaked its way through the fog as it lifted, and the evil spirit disappeared as quickly as he had come. Raaida ran to her and embraced her and smoothed her hair as she murmured comforting words in her ear. Yoska stood like a mountain despite his rather small stature and looked ready to take on the world should it decide to turn against them. Marissa collapsed into Raaida’s arms and felt like she was going to faint.

  “Quickly Yoska! Help me get her back to the Jeep. We must go now before he comes back. It’s time. It’s time to tell her the whole story. Hurry now, we must go!”

  Yoska lifted Marissa as if she weighed nothing and carried her to the Jeep where Raaida waited to help him slide her into the back seat. The ring had come loose from inside her sweater and swung like a pendulum as they carefully got her situated. It reminded Raaida once again of their purpose and with a new resolve she took a deep breath and urged Yoska to get them out of there. It didn’t take much coaxing to get him to jump back into the drivers’ seat and speed away, once again in search of a motel room where they could stop and rest. Marissa really needed to know the story now and Yoska was anxious to see what would happen once she knew. With a prayer aimed skyward and a promise to keep the women safe, Yoska was off once more in search of a place to stay.

  ***

  YOSKA SPOTTED THE motel at the last possible minute and swung the wheel sharply to the right just in time to make the driveway of the place. It was a little rundown and dark in spots but it would do for the short time they needed it. Yoska told Raaida and Marissa to wait in the Jeep while he went in and registered and got the key. They waited until they seen him come out before opening the door of the Jeep and following him up to the second floor. He slid the key into the lock and heard the satisfying click as the lock sprung and he opened the door. Not waiting for an invitation, Marissa slid along the wall to the nearest bed and practically fell onto it, so exhausted from her meeting with the beast. Her mind was swimming with thoughts of unexplainable horrors and wondering why in the world this was happening to her. Propping herself up on several pillows, she looked from Raaida to Yoska and back again, making sure they knew the look in her eyes was enough to let them know the gig was up. There were going to be no more secrets from now on. If she didn’t learn the whole story here and now, she was going to leave them and head back to the ocean like she had planned to do in the first place. Looking at Raaida she patted the bed beside her and said, “Let’s sit together and start at the beginning. I want to know everything. Leave nothing out.”

  Raaida peered at her through her thick, black lashes and seemed once again to deflate and age as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. She sighed and nodded her agreement and began the story.

  “Long, long ago, as far back as anyone can remember, God formed the earth and built what he thought would be a Utopia. He had plans to make what he thought would be an ideal race, a race without hate and war and strife. From the very dirt he breathed life into the first man, Adam, and because he did not want Adam to be alone in the world without a companion, he removed one of Adams ribs and from that very piece of his body, formed Eve, the mother of us all.

  Adam loved Eve with his body and soul; she was his true mate, the love of his life, and nothing she could do would ever destroy that love. Even when Eve listened to the serpent and ate from the tree and in turn fed the fruit to Adam, he loved her still. Even when they realized they had sinned and covered their nakedness with fig leaves, he found her beautiful. She was everything to him. So much so, that he had defied God for her and ate of the forbidden fruit from the forbidden tree. Already, Gods Utopia was beginning to fail and it was only the beginning.

  He was so angry! He cursed Adam and cursed Eve and cursed the serpent that had tempted her. If Eve would only have eaten from the Tree of Life first, things might have turned out so differently but as it was, the serpent tempted her with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Therefore when she ate of the fruit and shared it with Adam, they both now knew of the powers God had and knew that they now possessed a lot of that power themselves. God was furious! He threw them both out of the Garden of Eden and vowed they would never return there and as an added threat, put up guards to guard the gates to the Garden. Cherubim and flaming swords block the gate to this day should anyone ever come upon it again.

  Marissa…Mary… Eve, mother of all the living, do you feel your roots? Can you feel your way back to the beginning? You, Marissa, were Eve all those years ago. You have been back many, many times trying to rectify yourself in Gods eyes, to atone for your sin against Him. You were even graced to be with Dalton when he came back as the Son of God, as Jesus Himself. Back then you were Mary Magdalene. Do you remember it Mary? It’s buried deep in your soul and if you look there you will find the memories.”

  Marissa felt like she was dreaming. She felt as if she were watching a movie in her mind and with half a heart tried to convince herself that the old Gypsy woman was crazy and had slipped something into her drink or into her food to make her hallucinate all of this stuff. The power of suggestion was said to be extremely compelling. Could it be true? Could any of this craziness be even remotely true? Marissa did as the old Gypsy woman told her and searched her soul; and there she found it. She knew what the old woman said was true. She’d been Eve. Dalton had been Adam, the two inseparable throughout time. Together for all eternity, as it should be. Together each time they’d come back, time and time again, trying to get it right and to gain forgiveness in the eyes of their Creator.

  The old woman held the chalice out to her and told her to once again drink the amber liquid from the cup. “Do you recognize the cup Marissa? It is almost as old as time itself, The Holy Grail. We have been the keepers of it for longer than we can remember. The cup that was used to catch the blood of Christ our Lord when he was crucified as well as the one he drank from at the Last Supper… Do you remember Mary? Allow your mind to go back to that time, back to the time when you sat with him and the disciples and supped.

  Now Mary, go
back even further, go back to the time when all was perfection and you wanted for nothing. Let your mind return to that primitive era and let your heart feel for him. Do you remember Eve? Can you remember back to the beginning of time?”

  As Raaida spoke, Marissa’s mind traveled back and back, first to the crucifixion of her husband and then back to the beginning when it was she and him. Adam and Eve. How she’d adored him. How could she not when she was of him, taken from his very bone and blood? She’d always been part of him, since the beginning of time itself. She remembered looking into his eyes and feeling the trust and love they had for, and in each other, remembered feeling safe in his arms and knowing nothing could hurt her so long as he was by her side. How many walks had they taken together, hand in hand, exploring the land God had created just for them, looking in awe at the flowers and the birds and the beauty that had surrounded them?

  Then the fateful day she’d wandered too near the forbidden tree and had looked upon it with wonder. She knew that God had told them that if they should eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would certainly die. She had access to everything He had told Adam, for she was of Adam. So when the serpent came to her and mocked her and told her that God had told Adam that because he knew that if they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, their eyes would be opened and that she and Adam would be like God, knowing good and evil. She had momentarily felt betrayed by her maker and had decided that she and Adam should be as God, should be wise and all-knowing and should have access to the power God had. She’d purposely defied God by taking of the fruit and eating it and then sharing it with Adam who’d watched and had seen which tree she had taken the fruit from, yet had willingly shared it with her without really understanding the price they would pay. Each had realized their mistake when they’d looked at each other again and realized they were naked and felt shame. Too late, Eve realized she’d done something very, very wrong. As they’d sat together trembling in fear, hiding themselves from the eyes of God, they had heard Him call out to them.

  “Where are you?” He’d called, yet neither Adam nor Eve replied.

  “Where are you?” God called yet again.

  This time, Adam had answered “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

  “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” the fury had flashed in Gods eyes.

  “The woman you put here with me- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Adam had replied, hanging his head in shame.

  God’s eyes flared as he looked to Eve for confirmation or denial.

  With her head drooping in shame, she had replied, “It is true my Lord, the serpent deceived me and I ate.”

  God had turned then to the serpent who had wrapped itself around the branch of the tree with a smirk on its face and a look of satisfaction at finally being able to trick the Other. He had finally put one over on him, showing Him He wasn’t as perfect as He thought He was. The rage he felt wafting from the Other filled him with a perverse sense of joy and pride in himself for finally winning. Little did he know, winning was not to be, for God then said to him…

  “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, you will detest each other for all of your days and your offspring and hers will continue to loath each other forever and he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”

  Turning to Eve, animosity and hurt still apparent in His face, He said to her,

  “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

  To Adam he said, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

  That was when Adam had turned to her and took her hands in his, knowing that from that moment on, they would have only each other to rely on and that God had forsaken them both for disobeying Him. He had looked deep into her eyes and had said to her…

  “I will call you Eve, for you will now be the mother of all the living.”

  He had then turned to their maker and had begged for forgiveness, pleaded to be given another chance but God was having nothing of it.

  He made garments of skin for the two of them and clothed each of them with it. Then he said to His Wife,

  “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat from it and live forever.”

  And with those words, God had banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden to forever work the ground from which he had been taken. Then he drove them even further out of the Garden of Eden, chasing them with a flaming sword which he placed at the gateway where it swished back and forth and around in circles, flashing from one side to the other, forbidding their entrance back into the Garden. There He also placed cherubim to guard it as well. Eve remembered the gut wrenching sob that had escaped her, how she had begged Him to forgive her and not to blame Adam for her own stupidity. How could she have ever listened to that serpent and taken what he had said over their Father? Eve knew this was something she would spend a lifetime trying to amend. As she tried to slip her hand back into Adam’s she was filled even further with despair when he refused her hand, turned his back on her and had walked away leaving her sobbing in the grass in front of the Garden. There she would stay until many hours later, he’d returned to her and had scooped her up in his arms, cradling her against him as she sobbed her apologies, telling her that things would be ok. They still had each other right? His love for her had never faltered despite the anger he’d felt towards her earlier. How could he not love this woman that God had given him as a companion to be together for all eternity? Their hearts were melded together as surely as the rib she shared with him. As they lay in the grass caressing one another, the first child was conceived right there in front of the Garden of Eden, a sign that their love was eternal and would live on in the children they produced. As he’d said earlier, Eve would be the Mother to all of the living, from that moment on until the end of all time.

  “So you see,” continued the Gypsy, “You’ve had an eternity to atone for your sins Eve, each time coming back and once again one way or another, failing to prove your sincerity. We can not fail this time Eve. This could very well be the last time we have a chance to set things right.”

  Marissa sat, now cross legged on the bed, while all of the images swam in her head; it was enough to make her dizzy. The enormity of it was almost too much to bear but again, in her heart she knew it was true. She looked to Raaida and asked,

  “What is your part in all of this?” to which Raaida replied, “We have all been here many times. Each of us has our own sins to atone for. I was once your son. My name was Cain. I was the first person in history to murder someone, my own brother, Abel. How was I to know? No one had ever died before! I didn’t know what the results of my actions would be! When I was so angry and jealous of my brother and saw that my Lord, and my own father and mother, yes you Eve, loved him more than they did me, I couldn’t stand it. I never meant to kill him. I only meant to assuage my anger and it went too far. When my God tried to warn me and told me that sin crouched at my door, I didn’t understand! When He said it desires to have me but that I must rule over it, I didn’t know what He meant! When Abel brought forth the firstborn of his flock and God looked upon him with such favor, I got angrier still. When we went out into the field later that day, and Abel asked me why I was so unhappy, I could not control the feeling that came over me and I
smashed his head with a rock. No one had ever died before so how could I have known that that would be the result? He just lay there in the field, still, not moving and no breath was coming from his lips. When I tried to converse with him, there was no answer and he stared to the Heavens with open eyes as if searching for God to come to him and help him. I grew afraid, looking at what I’d done so I dug a hole and put him in it, and then I piled rocks on the dirt covering Abel’s body so I could give my mind the peace it was searching for.”

  “God finally came and asked me, ‘Where is your brother, Abel?’”

  “I don’t know,” I had replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

  And then God asked of me, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

  And I cried to him, “Lord! My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”