Chapter 11
Year 19
Star pulled the woven vine tight against the sheep coverings and stepped back on the shore. Eve and Moon carried the last of the food supplies down to the river, and put them on the floating platform they had created. The three of them had said their goodbyes to all the adults and children in the camp, and left for the river early in the morning.
"That is all we brought with us," Eve said, "now we have no reason not to get on and see what happens."
She and Star had taken the float out a couple times, to see if it would truly stay on top of the water. While they had not journeyed far from home, they felt it was sufficient to take them wherever the God of All Good Things desired them to go. Star had studied the tree trunks as they floated in the water and came up with the idea of tying them together. They found that by weaving the vines as one, they could tie things together at home. Star tried this with the tree trunks, and found they held together well. When they finished it, and tried it out, Eve suggested they follow the river downstream to see where it would lead. Star was up for the adventure, but insisted Moon go with them. Though she was younger than Star, she was a strong young woman who had no fear of trying anything. In addition, Star and Moon had been inseparable since early childhood, and obviously cared a great deal for each other.
The three of them walked a day's journey down the river and saw it became much wider as they went. The river appeared shallow in most of what they saw, and they had cut long sticks from the trees to use to guide the float. They discussed their plan with the two Adams and Wind, and agreed not to go farther down the river than a few days journey by foot. Eve felt that this journey was important for all of them, and her enthusiasm was a contagion for both Star and Moon.
Star grabbed the vine that held them to shore and said, "You two get on and take the long poles while I push us off from the shore."
Moon jumped on and took the far side of the raft and Eve went to the near side. "Ready when you are." Moon shouted to Star, and he began to push the float away from the shore. As soon as they were free from the land, he climbed up and took a third pole and began to push. They glided out into the middle of the river and felt the current pick them up and move them forward. At first, they used the poles to push, but soon discovered the current moved them at a good pace, and they retired all but one pole. Taking turns, they kept the float in the middle of the river until it began to widen, and then they stayed closer to shore, in order to pull in if they thought it necessary.
As they floated by large forest trees and fields filled with wild flowers Eve exclaimed, "It is beautiful. Look at all the colors and different flowers." Half way through the day, they passed the spot they had previously walked to and the three of them became quiet as they now journeyed into places they had never seen before. As the sun moved toward the horizon, they pushed the float near the shore. Moon and Star jumped into the water and pulled it while Eve pushed with the pole. They laid out some sheep covering and Star made a fire while Eve and Moon gathered wood.
As the sun set, Moon looked at the stars overhead. "They are the same here as they were at home," she said. "Why is that?"
"The God of All Good Things placed them over us, so we will always feel at home," Eve replied. "No matter where we go, the pictures in the sky will remind us that we are one with all who look up and see them."
"I am very happy with our float," Star said with some pride.
"You have made a good thing Star," Moon said as she rested her head on his leg. "I wonder where it will take us and what we will see."
Eve looked out at the river and said, "A day on the river takes us more than two days walk from home. We seemed to be going faster, so we will have to be careful not to go too far, or it will be along walk home."
Star thought about this for a moment and said, "If we go down the river two sunsets, we will still be close enough to make it home. Look at what I have been doing as we floated along." He took a long piece of white tree bark and laid it on the ground before them. On it was a line with markings all around it. "As we go along, I am marking spots that are easy to find on the river. See, here is the large tree that was on the edge of the river and had fallen over. Here is the spot where the small river joined our river. This will help us as we head back up the river, then we will know where we are."
Moon looked at the markings, and threw her arms around Star and kissed him. "You are the best there is," she exclaimed as she hugged him again. Eve laughed and jumped on Moon and Star and began to press her fingers into both of their sides. They started to laugh and rolled to their sides spilling Eve onto the ground. Star held Eve down as Moon grabbed Eve's foot and lightly ran her fingers up and down the bottom of Eve's foot. "No, not that!" Eve hollered in laughter as the funny feeling ran all over her foot.
Exhausted from the long adventure, they finally lay back on their sheep coverings and pulling close together, gave thanks to Mother Sun and her protection, and fell asleep.
They rose with the sun the next morning, secured their belongings on the float, and pushed off into the river once more. The world around them changed quickly as they went farther down the water. The large forest and trees gave way to open clearings and a view of huge mountains far in the distance. They came ashore about midday and decided to explore the new area for a while. The ground on the shore had a covering different from the dirt and rocks they had lived with at home. It felt as a covering of large dust all over, and it felt good to walk on when they got off the float.
Returning to the float in the early afternoon, they set off once more downstream following the ever-expanding river. As the late day sun began to set, they passed an opening in the clearing where another smaller river merged into theirs. The current changed and pushed them toward the middle of the water and their speed increased greatly. Ahead they saw that the river was showing choppy white water and appeared to be rougher than they had experienced. Taking the long sticks, they tried to push closer to the shore, but the water was stronger and kept pushing them down river at a rapidly increasing pace.
"I can't stop us," Star hollered out to the others. "Whatever is ahead is pulling us toward it and we have no control. Pull in the sticks and hold on to the vines, we are going to have to go through whatever this is."
The float began to bounce as the water splashed around and on the surface. Suddenly, they saw a great rock in the water and realized they were heading straight toward it. They each grabbed a long stick and began to push away from the rock, and cleared it by a small space. The current turned them around, and they began to rush forward at high speed. They all fell to the surface of the float and grabbed the vines to keep from falling into the water. More rocks appeared, and they caught the side of one and began to spin wildly, increasing their speed and plunging toward another rock in the path. Unable to avoid this one, they hit it directly and the impact threw Moon into the water. Eve grabbed a long stick and, with one arm, tried to reach Moon. Just as Moon had the stick, the float hit another rock and Eve lost her grip. As Moon, holding on to the stick with her arms, began to fall behind the float, Star suddenly jumped into the water. Eve watched in horror as the current swept him away from the float, but he was able to reach Moon and grab onto the stick. Suddenly, the float tipped down and began to rush through the rock and white water all around her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw no sign of either Star or Moon. She put her head down on the float and held on with both hands as it cascaded faster and faster down the river.
Finally, she felt the water slowing, and as she looked up, she saw nothing but wide smooth river before her. She rose to her knees, looked back, and saw the place they had traveled through on the river. It was a long, steep path filled with rocks and waves, and she could not believe the float had gone through it and remained in one piece.
Rising to her feet, she called out, "Moon, Star, are you there?"
She waited, but heard nothing but the wind around her. She watched to see if they would com
e down the rocks as she did, but as she came around a corner of the river, she lost sight of the rocks and found herself alone.
While the river was slower, she still moved quickly, and watched as the shore sped by her. All the long sticks had fallen off the raft, as had most of the food and sheep's coverings. The sky was quickly turning darker, and she now knew she was at the mercy of whatever direction the river desired to take her. She sat down on a sheep covering and pulled the only other remaining one over her shoulders. She quieted her self for some time, and then said aloud, "God of All Good Things, I am here to follow my journey. I believe this too will be good, and I ask for peace in my heart for whatever is ahead." As the last light of day disappeared, she closed her eyes, and exhausted from her ordeal, fell asleep.
When she woke, it was very dark around her and, at first, she was confused about where she was. The sound of the water hitting the float quickly reminded her. She looked up at the star-filled sky, and saw by the position of the animals and people in the sky, that sunrise was soon. She made out the shadows of the trees as they moved by, and turning to the front of the float, she saw the river before her. As she watched the river, there appeared to be a light in the sky far ahead. She knew the sun was not in that direction, but could not understand what the light was. In an attempt to keep the chill away, she pulled the sheep covering around her naked flesh. She kept looking at the light in the distance until she once again fell asleep.
Eve woke with a jolt and realized she had hit something. Looking up, she saw a large rock before her and the float was stuck on it. Looking around, she realized she was near land and trapped in a small group of rocks near the land. She took one of the long vines fastened to the float and, holding one end, jumped into the water. It was only up to her waist, and she slowly moved toward shore, pulling the float behind her. Finally reaching the shore, she pulled the float up and secured the vine to a large tree nearby. The sun was now above the edge of the Earth, and as she walked toward the trees, she felt its warmth on her body. Climbing up one of the trees, she saw she was on a small piece of land sitting in the middle of the river. One side of the land had trees while long grass covered the other. Looking at the river, she saw both shorelines. She also noticed some green food on the trees below and quickly climbed down to retrieve them.
"I am very much alone here," she said to herself. "But I am still on my journey, and this too will be good." She ate the fruit of the trees, took a long swim in the warm water, pulled the sheep coverings off the float, and set them on the shore. "I cannot stay here," she thought, "but where should I go now?" Looking at the river, she noticed the current was strong on one side of the small land and seemed slower on the other. The fast side was the side that might eventually bring her back to her home, but that was a long way away, and she was not sure how far she had gone while she slept. The slow side of the river was nearer the other shore, but she had no reason to believe it would be any better for her.
As she watched the land on the slow side, she suddenly saw movement near the edge of the river. It appeared some small children had come out of the woods and were going toward the water. She then saw two women behind the children and they all went down and entered the river. Eve rushed to the waterside and began to holler and wave to the women. Finally, one of the women saw her and pointed, while the other gathered the children close, and watched. They turned and ran into the trees, leaving Eve standing alone.
"Those were female Adams, I am sure," she said to herself. "They must be similar to Wind; other Adams who live here that I have never seen." As she watched the woods across the river, a new form suddenly appeared and walked to the shore. This was a male Adam and one of the females who pointed toward Eve followed him. The male stood for a moment and walked into the river. He came toward her until the water was up to his shoulders, and then he went under. A moment later, he came to the surface and continued toward her. As he came closer, Eve saw that he was a young Adam, and wore a fur cover that went from his shoulders to his knees. The male came out of the water, walked up to her, and stopped. Eve walked toward him and said, "I am Adam, called Eve." He did not speak, but continued to look at her. His skin was dark like Adam Hunter, but his head hair and face hair were not long, but shorter and tighter to his body. The fur he had on was not a sheep covering, but an animal covering that was not as thick.
"I am Adam," he finally said to her. "Did you fall from the sky?" he asked.
"I came down the river," Eve said as she pointed up river.
He looked up the river and then looked back at her. "How did you come down the river?"
"We built a float and went on it."
"We?" he said. "Where are the others?"
"We ran into some rocks and white water, and they fell off the float and I lost them," Eve said quietly.
"You came down the falling waters?" he exclaimed and smiled. "They are not friendly to us. It had to be a difficult trip down. Do you know where the others are now?"
"No, I lost them as the float went down the river."
"Where is this float you are using to go down the river?" he asked.
"It is on the other side of this land we are on. I put it there when I hit the rocks."
"Show me this float thing."
Eve turned and walked through the small woods to the other side of the land and pointed to the float that was resting on the beach near her sheep covering. Adam walked down to it and looked at the vines that held it together. He looked up at her and said with a sound of wonder, "You went down the falling waters on this? You should be dead by now. Are you hurt in any way?"
"No, but I am quite happy to see that there are other Adams here, for I was sure I was all alone. Do you live in the trees over there?" she asked, pointing back to the other shore.
"Yes, we live there and also farther away from the river. This is where we fish, and inland is where we have our home with the others. I will take you there, and you can rest with us."
They crossed the river and when they arrived, they found a group of others waiting for them. The two males were dressed in the same animal skins as Adam and the three women wore loose animal skins around their waists, but nothing above. As Adam, they were all dark hair and a darker skin than Eve. As they walked toward the people, Adam announced, "This is Eve, and she has come from beyond the falling water."
One on the females came toward Eve and looked at her. "I am Morra," she said as she reached out and touched Eve's hair. "I have never seen hair this color. Do you have others where you come from, or have you come from the high mountain with God?"
"I come from others who are also Adams, and we live far up the river," Eve replied. "I do not know of the high mountain, but I believe we are all from the God of All Good Things."
"Do you believe there is a God of bad things?" Another woman asked her.
"No, there is only one God" Eve replied, "and our name for God is the 'God of All Good Things'".
One of the men now approached her and asked, "Has your God of All Good Things sent you on this journey to us?"
"I did not know I would be here with you", said Eve, "but I do believe God sent me on my journey, and now I have found you. It must be for good that we are together."
"We have many things to ask you", said Morra, "but let us go to our tents and give you some food and let you rest. Later we will go to the village and meet together with the Elders to see what this means." Taking Eve by the hand, she led her into the woods and up a path. The others all followed behind them, and nobody spoke a word while they walked. As they came over the summit of the ridge, Eve saw several structures that looked like half a circle placed on the ground. The children were all sitting near a fire amid these structures. Morra led her to a place near the fire and told the children, "This is Eve and God has sent her to us from beyond the falling waters. Bring her some food and milk."
The children ran off to one of the half-circle structures and went inside through a place cut in the side. They soon returned w
ith an assortment of tree foods and a large piece of something Eve could not identify. One of them also brought a holder of liquid that was some type of animal skin, but held together so that it did not leak the liquid in it.
Adam took the large piece of what appeared to be meat and said, "Have some fish Eve, we caught it this morning, and it is fresh. Eve tasted the fish and found it quite good to eat. She had never thought of catching the fish in the lake near them, and wondered why they had never seen this as an obvious food. He handed her the thing filled with liquid, but she did not understand what to do with it. He laughed and turned it and placed one end near his mouth and squeezed it. When he did, a white liquid came out and he drank it. He handed it to Eve, and she followed his direction and tasted the sweet milk inside.
"This is all very good," she said. "I am very happy that we have come together, and you found me and helped me."
One of the children came up to her and touched her hair. By now it was dry, and much lighter than when she came out of the water. "Did God make you like this?" the child asked.
"Yes," said Eve, "but there are also others where I come from who have light hair."
"Tell us about where you come from and why you are here," one of the other males asked. Eve explained about the two Adams, Sun, and Wind and told them of the journey she and the others had taken and how they became separated at the falling waters. No one spoke as she talked, but all listened to her very carefully. When she finished, Adam said, "Toran and Sanda will go up near the falling water and see if they can find your friends. You rest now, and later we will go to the village, and you will talk to the Elders about your journey."
"Who are the Elders?" Eve asked.
"They, as your two Adams, Sun, and Wind, are the beginnings of life, and they guide us. They have come together here from distant places, and we are all their children. They will understand why God has sent you to us and what is to happen now. Come into the tent and rest, for you have come through much to be with us."
He stood and walked to one of the half circles on the ground and went inside. Eve followed and found the structure was made of long tree parts, bent to make a half circle and covered with some type of animal skin. On the floor were sheep coverings and leaning on the walls were long sticks with what looked like sharp stones on the end. "Rest here Eve, and then we will talk more," Adam said and then touched her face with the back of his hand. He smiled at her, and left the structure known as a ‘tent’. He pulled down another piece of animal skin over the opening, and it became dark inside. Eve lay down on the skins, and felt the tiredness take over her body. "Thank you God of All Good Things," she whispered quietly, "for you have taken me to your desired place. Be with Star and Moon, and keep them safe." With that thought, she drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep.
"Eve, we must leave for the village."
She woke with a start, and realized that Morra was beside her. She followed Morra out of the opening and saw night was all about her. The people, gathered near a path in the trees, were waiting for her to join them.
Morra turned to Eve and said, "We must leave now for the village for they have sent for us. Two of our friends were working in the trees, and they fell and were hurt. We must go now. Do you think you can make it?"
"I am ready to go with you," Eve replied. Morra turned and headed toward the group, and Eve followed behind her. Adam told the others to start back, came to Eve's side, and walked beside her. "It is not easy to go back in the dark, so stay close and I will show you the way." He handed her a skin similar to the one he wore and said, "Put this on so the sharp trees on the path do not hurt you. We use them in the woods and river, so we do not get cut."
The skin was soft on both sides and felt good on her flesh. It had cuts so her head and arms would go through, and it covered her body down to her knees. She noticed both the women and men now wore the same covering, and it made them all look like a group of two-footed animals. Eve smiled at this thought and Adam said, "You smile, is the skin not good for you?"
"It feels very nice," she replied. "I am not used to seeing people covered with animal skins, and it looks strange."
He smiled and said, "It must look different, I never thought about it. In the village, we do not need the protection, but it also is good if the night winds become cold."
Eve followed Adam into the woods, and it became so dark, she barely saw him in front of her. They were heading up the hill, and she noticed how the night became cooler as she walked. They came to a clearing that led to a very steep path up a mountain. The moon was full, and she could see that they were on a trail that was winding up the mountainside. The higher they went, the cooler it became, and she was happy she had the animal covering on her body. They entered a group of trees that had very sharp points that hurt when she brushed them with her arms. At last, they came over the height of a ridge, and there below, Eve saw this thing they called their village. There were fires burning and much larger tents scatter all about the surrounding area. As they came closer, she saw more male and female Adams than she had ever imagined in one place.
The women took the children toward a nearby tent, but Adam motioned for Eve to follow him in the direction of a group gathered in the middle of the clearing. It was much warmer in the village and the skin became uncomfortable to wear so she took it off and carried it in her hand. Adam proceeded to some people seated on the ground and then stopped and said. "This is Eve, who God has sent from above the falling waters." One of the males stood and approached her and said, "I am Adam known as Sortes, Eve. I have known that God would send a messenger for us, and I am happy you have come. We will talk soon, but first, we are all trying to help Camms and Sento with their pain."
Sortes pointed to the two men who were lying on sheep coverings nearby. Eve walked over to the two men, and saw one was hurt badly in the side and the other appeared to be in great pain, but she saw no sign of an injury. She knelt down beside the one with the bleeding side and felt a tremendous rush in her inner being. She leant over and put her lips on his side, and the healing power immediately began to flow through her. Sitting up, she looked at the man and saw the bleeding had stopped. Looking over at the other, she asked him, "Where are you hurt?"
"My leg is broken, and I cannot move it," he replied through much pain. Eve looked at the broken leg, and saw how it bent in the wrong direction about half way between the knee and foot. She reached out and put her hands on the place it bent, and felt the pain he was feeling. As she touched him, a love for him became so strong, that she began to cry. Not knowing why, she placed her head on his chest and let the tears flow, while her hand remained on the broken leg. Soon, the pain in her began to leave, and a great joy filled her that she had never before felt. She lifted her head and now felt a heat in her hand that was like a fire. She felt her fingers squeeze his leg tightly, and he tensed as the leg moved under her grip. She experienced a rush of healing as she had never had before, felt lightheaded, and fell on her side.
She was suddenly aware there was not a sound around her and, looking up, saw the people had all pulled back, and stared. One of the women came near her and handed her a wet skin. Realizing that the wounded male's blood still covered her face, she wiped it with the skin. She stood and looked down at the two men, and saw them looking up at her in amazement. The one with the side wound sat up and lay his hand on the place he had been hurt, but found only a small mark remained. Looking at her, he whispered, "You are God."
Eve smiled at him and said, "No, there is only one God, my name is Eve, and I am Adam, just as you." She turned to Sortes and said, "I did not mean to cause problems, I was moved by their pain and wanted to help them."
Sortes stood looking at her for a long time, and then turned to the people and said, "Our God has shown love by sending Eve to us. Come to her and show love to her, for we see clearly it is by loving that our God comes among us."
He turned and embraced her as the people all came and began to embrace and hold her. The p
ower she felt from all of them made her feel like she was floating in the air. At last, Adam came, held her, and touched her face. "From God you have come and I have found you. I am one with you Eve, and I feel you are one with me." He kissed her on the lips and walked back into the group.
A woman came to her and said, "I am Adam, known as Canna. Come with me and sit with the other Elders, so we may know more of your journey."
Eve spent the night talking to the Elders as the others sat around and listened. She explained about Adam and Sun and the other Adam and Wind. They said that Sortes and Canna had been in this location from the beginning. Another male known as Betoon and a female known as Life had journeyed from the direction of the setting sun, and found Sortes, Canna, and their children in this location. Another male, known as Adam Fish, and a female, known as Day, came up the river and settled with the others. They all pointed to the children they had produced, but Eve got lost in the names. She did figure out that Sortes and Canna were the parents of the Adam who had found her, and that Morra, who she had met near the river, was their child, too. Eve told of her journey with Star and Moon. She explained how she separated from them and how Adam had found her. She spoke of Domatarious, and each of the Elders responded they had similar encounters with such beings, but they had different names. At last, Eve physically felt the exhaustion of the events of her day, and asked if she could rest for a while. Her friend Adam came to her and said she should follow him, and he would put her in his tent until she decided where she wanted to set up her own. They climbed through the opening in his tent, and she found it much larger and filled with strange objects she had never seen. He laid out several sheep coverings for her, and she lie down and felt the softness envelope her body. He pulled more over her and then brushed the hair from her face.
"I have never known anything such as you," he said quietly. "I will be outside if you need me."
As he stood to leave, Eve took his hand and said, "Come lay with me, for I will sleep better with you near. This has been a very different day, and I would like to be near you."
She pulled back the sheep covering, and Adam slipped in beside her. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. She felt his warmth and closeness and quietly whispered as she drifted off to sleep, "and I have never known anything such as you."