Chapter 12
Year 20
Eve laughed as she watched Adam and Sunna play in the water near the shore. The child loved the water, and shouted with glee every time Adam set her down in it. While Eve and Adam both loved the village, it was on the water they felt the greatest freedom. Adam carried Sunna back up the shore and handed the dripping infant to Eve. "You two rest and feed," he said, "I am going to get some fish for our food."
She took the baby, held her to her breast, and watched as Adam took the long stick and walked into the water. Because the sun was hot, she took the baby and walked back into the tent area.
"Motherhood becomes you Eve," she heard in her head. Turning she saw Domatarious standing behind her. She rose to embrace him and felt great joy.
"Oh Dom, it has been such a long time since you have been with me. I cannot tell you what a joy it is to see you."
Domatarious sat down on the sheep covering and Eve settled in beside him. He looked at her with a smile and said, "I have missed being with you, but your journey seems to be going quite well. How do you feel with your new little girl?"
Eve looked at the child who was now sleeping in her arms and replied, "She is a delight, and I feel such a strong bond with her. This life I have is very full of new things to understand." She hesitated for a moment and asked, "What of Star and Moon, can you tell me anything about how they are?"
"I can tell you they survived the river and are together. Beyond that, it is for the future to reveal itself."
"I am so relieved to know they survived. I do miss them very much, and I think of all my people every day. What brings you to me now? Is something going on that I need to know?”
"Your journey is a pleasure, and you have grown in your understanding of the Power of Love and Light," he responded. "Your child is important for your journey as are the people in the village. Take time to truly rest in your inner understanding and stay strong in seeing with the eyes of your soul."
"The eyes of my soul?" she asked.
"When circumstances produce events that need your attention, you will see them with your natural eyes and act according to what you understand. However, what you see in the natural, and the understanding that it brings, may not be the best course of action. Use the eyes of your soul to see things from God's perspective instead of your own. When the float was going downstream, and you were alone, your natural eyes saw difficulty and danger. Nevertheless, you chose to see it as another place where God would work good things. That is seeing with the eyes of your soul. The decisions you made were based upon believing that all things work toward good, and you maintained your peace."
"The people in the village look to me for direction," Eve responded. "Even the elders seek my guidance, and I am often without understanding or direction for them. Often I am concerned that I may lead in a way that is not best for them."
Dom looked at her and replied, "If you stay in harmony with the thoughts that bring you inner peace and joy, you will see the problems with the eyes of the soul, and have wisdom from God for the answer. You have awareness of all you have learned in other journeys and can draw on that knowledge. The people with you may also touch on their inner wisdom, but they need to understand how powerful a tool the inner place is for their journey. Your child will be important to the growth these people's inner understanding and you need to teach her to be confident in her trust of the goodness and faithfulness of God. Remember always, the thoughts that you hold become beliefs. A belief is always a creative power and will bring forth that which you believe. If you believe in the goodness of God and the Power of Love and Light, you will create even more Love and Light. Nevertheless, if you believe in the deceptions of shadow, you will create more shadow and the journey will be difficult."
Standing he looked down at her and touched her face, "I have great joy in seeing you, and I am always with you in your journey." As Eve looked at him, he faded away and she was once again alone.
"I will use the eyes of my soul," she said quietly. "For I truly believe the plan of God is good."
Sitting quietly, she heard Adam come from the water into the tent area. He was proudly holding a large fish and beaming at his accomplishment. "We will eat well today, my love." He spoke as he neared her, "Our friends the fish have given of themselves for us, and we are grateful to them for their giving."
"Has Sortes spoken to you about his concern?" Eve asked Adam, as he prepared the fish for cooking.
"Do you mean about Adam Fish?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "He is troubled by Adam Fish's claims that the works done on the lower river belong to him and that only he can use them."
"He did most of the work down there," Adam replied, "and it produces many fish for him. There is more than enough for him and for others in the village, but he does not want to share what he has. He has always been more to himself than the other males, and it is hard to understand what he is thinking."
"I spoke with Day," Eve said, "and she believes Adam Fish thinks he does more work than any other, and what he produces should be kept for his use. He is willing to give us fish from down river, but wants us to give him something for them. It is a strange request."
Adam put the fish over the fire and said, "He told me the other day that he would provide animal skin and fish from down river if I would give him some of the stones I had sharpened. I told him I did not need the skins, and he should take whatever stones he wanted from the ones I was working on at the tent. He said he did not want anything for nothing and would leave skins for what he took. I also noticed he is keeping Day away from the night meals together, and is eating alone at his tent. Why would he do that?"
"I think Adam Fish is much like my Adam Hunter back home. Adam Fish believes Day belongs to him. Unlike Wind, Day seems to go along with what he believes, but I am not sure she is always happy with his actions. Do you think I belong to you?"
Adam laughed and put his arm around Eve. "I have great love for you, and I know you do for me, but I could never keep you as I do my tent or stones. Do you feel like I belong to you?"
"I own you, and you may never talk to another," Eve said, and laughed at Adam's shocked expression. "You take me serious my love, and I am only playing with you. I do not want to keep you, for you are with me because you want to be with me. I am with you for the same reason. I cannot think of anyone else who I would want to be with as you, but we do not own each other."
Adam reached out, grabbed Eve, and pushed her down on the sheep covering behind her. He kissed her, pulled her close, and looked at her. "As I have told you, from the first sight of you, I have felt strong feeling for you. I have never thought of you leaving me, for we are one. However, if you did leave me, I would be sad for my loss, but happy for you being happy." He was quiet for a minute and continued to look at her. "I believe I would be more unhappy than happy. I do truly love you Eve and I will work hard to be sure no one will ever make you happier."
She reached up, pulled him close, and held him tight. "My Adam, I am sure no one will ever make me as happy as you." She kissed him again and continued with a smile, "and I know that no one will ever be as good for you as I am."
They finished the day together and went back to the village in the early evening. When they arrived and settled in, Sortes came by and asked if he might speak with them for a while. "Adam Fish has decided to leave the village and live on the lower river. He will take Day and their children and settle in down there. I do not have any problem if he wants to do this, but he also says that we cannot use his area of the river unless we give him something. I told him it was not his river; it belongs to all of us. He said the river belongs to all, but the land and fishing places were his. What do you make of this?"
Eve thought for a moment and said, "My first thought is that if this makes him happy, let him go. However, I am troubled he considers himself as an Adam who is separated from all the other Adams. I do not think this is a good thing for us to act as though we are not one Adam
working together."
"What if we do not agree with his request?" Adam asked.
Sortes smiled and said, "Adam Fish did not come to me as a request, he simply said this is what he was going to do, and I should inform the others."
"We have never acted unless we agreed," Eve stated. "How can one believe he is separate from the others? I think we need to all come together and talk to Adam Fish about this."
"I was hoping you would say that, as I have told the others to come together, and I asked Adam Fish and Day to join us. He said they would come, but it would not change his mind. We will meet with him by the night fires and see what can be done."
Sortes got up and left, as Adam and Eve quietly sat by their tent and pondered the problem.
"I feel this is not good," Eve said, "but I will try to see it with the eyes of my soul."
They all gathered in the midst of the village and happily talked about what they had been doing during their day. The little children were mostly asleep, and these fire times were usually a place of great joy and laughter. As Adam Fish and Day came into the group, a quiet came over all the people, until finally Sortes spoke. "Adam Fish has decided to move to the lower river and make his tenting area there. I have asked him to come and tell us what he is planning."
Adam Fish stood and looked at the people around him and said, "I have worked in the lower river by myself, and it is a place that provides well. Because I have done this, I am going to live there with Day and the children, and we will take care of our land and the lower river. I will hunt the land and fish the water, and if you want anything from that area, you will give me something in return. It is what I have decided."
He then sat down, crossed his arms and looked at the group. No one spoke for a long while, and finally Eve said, "Adam Fish, the river, land, animals, and all things are given to us by God. We, as Adams, receive this provision, and we do not keep anything as our own. In this village and in my first home, we worked hard to keep peace and love among ourselves so we may be one Adam. Do you not believe what you are doing goes against all we have been together?"
"I do not care what you do together," Adam Fish replied with a harsh voice, "I know I have made the land mine, and I will use it as I see best. God has provided this land to me, and it is mine."
One of the younger males asked, "What if we hunt and fish on this land, and see it as something you do not have for yourself, but it is something provided for all of us?"
"If you come on my land and I have not said you can be there, " Adam Fish paused for a minute and said darkly, "I will kill you as any animal who comes where he is not wanted."
A gasp went up from the group as he spoke these words. No one had ever thought of taking the life of another Adam. Eve stood and faced Adam Fish and Day. "In my home, Adam Hunter came one day with great anger. He believed he owned Wind and wanted her back. His anger and need to possess her caused the death of Sun, the woman who gave me life. It brought great sorrow to our home, and it was only through love that we were able to survive. Now you come to us and tell us you will kill us if we do not let you own this land. Do you not see how much shadow you walk in with these thoughts? The Light gives us joy and peace, but the shadow brings pain. Is this what you want, to bring us pain? We are all Adam, we are one."
Adam Fish rose and faced Eve, "I am Adam Fish, and I take care of Adam Fish. You come to us and try to lead us into your Light and Love, and we have nothing to show for it. I work for me and I will take what I need. You, light- haired woman, will not stop me with words."
With that, he turned and walked away, motioning for Day to follow. As they left, every eye turned to Eve who was still standing in the circle. She saw Adam Fish go and in her heart, a great pain began to pull at her. Tears fled from her eyes and ran down her face. She turned to the group and quietly said, "I am Adam, you are Adam, and Adam Fish is Adam. We are one. I have pain by what he has said and done, but I will honor him and love him as one. Call on God to bring this to a place of goodness, for no matter what Adam Fish may think he will always be one with us.
One by one, the people rose to their feet and quietly took the hand of the person beside them. Eve joined them and said, "Dear God of All Good Things, we come as one, and we believe this too shall work for good. We love Adam Fish and Day, and ask you to protect them and take the shadow from their heart. We are Adam, we are one."