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"Adam, can you come here a minute?", Eve said.  Adam, a burly sort of guy, grunted.  What does she want now?, he thought.  It’s always something with her. 

"What is it, Dear?", he asked sweetly.  "Six days of construction going on here in Eden has left this place a mess.  You’d think an army passed this way and no where else.", she said.  Adam looked at his mate with his deep brown eyes.  She was quite a gal.  Long honey-brown hair, those unforgettable grey eyes and a great figure.  She was just a little worrier. 

Eden could be as peaceful as heaven with everything right in God’s world and she’d still find things to worry about.  "How can I help?", Adam asked.  "I’m thinking maybe we need more thatch on our lean-to.  And...uh...we could also do with a taming of those shrubs before the vines become a problem."

"Okay.  I’ll tend to it.  What’s for supper?", he asked.  "It’s Monday.  We usually do vegetarian.  I’m planning a special dessert for tonight.  It’ a surprise.  Don’t ask.", she said with a smile.  When Eve smiled, it was like sunshine on Adam’s face.  Made him feel warm and fuzzy all over.

Eve raised her darkly arched brows at him.  Adam recognized this as the signal for him to "Get busy". 

If there was one thing about Eden, it was that it was a great place to live.  Full of tall, stately shade trees, flowering shrubs with blossoms that perfumed the air and an orchard of trees that provided plenty of delicious fruit.  I wonder what Eve’s special dessert is tonight?, he thought.

Eve filled the basket Adam made for her to the brim with plump, juicy vegetables.  Thank God the soil in Eden was great for gardening., she thought.  She loved the blackness of it and the scent it gave off when it rained.  Now, for my special dessert.  She walked the few steps toward the orchard.  The sky was an amazing shade of blue and dotted with fluffy white clouds.  Not a dark cloud in the sky.

She eyed the peach and apricot trees.  No.  Not peaches again.  Adam loves my peach cobblers; but, I have something else in mind.  She pulled off a deep purple plum and tasted it.  "Too tart just yet.  Maybe, something with berries tonight." 

The garden was lined on the east with rows and rows of lovely grapes of different varieties.  Eve selected several bunches.  But, she still wasn’t satisfied.  "Sssssss strawberries, perhaps?", Sammy Serpent asked, lunging from beneath a strawberry leaf. 

Eve hadn’t noticed him slithering along in the berry patch.  Sammy loved strawberries best of all.  He was always hanging out near the strawberries.  He flicked his forked tongue at a plump, juicy specimen and plopped it into his mouth.  "Very, very sweet and juicy today, Eve.", he hissed.

"I’m sure Adam wouldn’t mind strawberries and cream for dessert tonight.", he continued.  "No...I don’t think...."Eve began.  "I’ll summon Adam and see what he thinks.", she said.  Sammy would have groaned had that been an option for a reptile.  Why does she always have to ask him?, he wondered.  My old lady knows better than to bother me with minutiae. 

"Adam?  Can you come here for a minute?", Eve called.  A minute., Adam sniffed. That’s what she said before and I’m up to my ears in trimming shrubs.  What does she want this time?

"Adam, will you try these strawberries and tell me if they are sweet enough for your tastes?", Eve asked.  "Eve you know I’m trying to get my work done.", he said sternly.  "Oh, sorry, Dear.  I just had an idea for a wonderful treat for dessert.  But, I want to make certain the strawberries aren’t too tart.", she said.

Adam plopped a strawberry into his mouth.  "They’re okay.", he said.  "Just okay?", she said.    "What’s Sammy doing here?", Adam asked eyeing the serpent.  "He loves strawberries. And blackberries.", she said.  "Yes.  And any other berry in Eden.", Adam retorted.

Eve knew when Adam was dissatisfied.  His dark eyes crinkled at the corners.  It was clear he didn’t want strawberries at all tonight.  Eve saw the crinkles and sighed. 

"Go ahead and make your special dessert with strawberries.  You know I’ll eat whatever you make.", he said.  Hearing this, Sammy sprung into action.  "If he doesn’t favor strawberries, maybe apple tart will be more to his liking.", Sammy hissed to his mate, Serita. "I don’t know, Sam, old boy.  Ever since Eve came on the scene, Adam’s gotten pretty discriminating about the fruit here in Eden, if you know what I mean and I think you do.", she hissed.

Sammy glared at Serita.  Yak, yak, yak, yak.  Oh, for the single life again., he thought.  What could God have been thinking when He insisted it was necessary for us guys to have a mate?  Oh well, Adam’s got his Eve.  I’ve got Serita.  Half the guys in Eden are repenting at leisure.  Sammy slithered over to the apple tree.  He scaled it to mid-branch.

He bobbed at the shiniest, reddiest one on the tree.  It caught Eve’s eye and glinted in the sun like gold.  "That’s it.  I’ll make you a wonderful apple tart tonight.  I’ve never made one before. It really will be special.", Eve said.

Adam shrugged skeptically.  Eve was doing okay so far.  But, apple tart? That’s a new one. , he thought.  "Adam please pull that one up on that middle branch.  Let’s see if it’s sweet enough.  With Sammy bobbing at the apple from behind as the impetus, the apple fell cleanly at Adam’s feet without much prodding on Adam’s part. 

Adam retrieved it and handed it to Eve.  "No.  You first.", she said.  "Ladies before gentlemen, remember?", Adam retorted.  Eve bit into the apple as the sweet fruit juice ran down her arm glistening in the sun.  "Oh my! This is almost heavenly.", she said.  You just have to try it.  Go ahead.  We’ll have this one and then we can go back for more for later.", she said. 

Adam bit into the apple.  Eve noticed the strange look on his face.  "What’s wrong?", she asked.  "You’re naked.", he said.  "Well, so I am.  But....so are you.", she responded.  "Eve what was that God said last week about not eating the fruit of a certain tree?"  "Uh-oh.  Do you think?  Can it be?", she asked. 

"Drat that Sammy!  Now look at the mess he’s gotten us into.", Adam wailed.  "What do we do now?", Eve asked.   "Run for shelter.  What else?  You remember what happened when Mike and Lucifer mixed it up.  You want to chance His wrath?", he said.  "Maybe if we make ourselves scarce?", Eve suggested.  "Don’t be redundant.  You know very well that He’ll come looking for us.  Remember, He told us we are the finest of His creations.", Adam said.  "Somehow, I wish we weren’t.", she said.

When serpents laugh, they make a rattling sound.  The louder the rattle, the heartier the laugh.  Sammy literally had to slither down from the apple tree lest he fall out of it from laughing so hard.  Half of Eden heard his rattle and knew something was amiss.  Any time they heard it, they ran for cover rather than suffer the humiliation of another of Sammy’s devilish tricks. 

This was the best one yet, even if I say so myself.  Looks like His "finest", isn’t after all. Could be their brainworks  need a little tune-up., Sammy thought, laughing all the way home. 

"What have you been up to Samuel Serpent?", Serita asked suspiciously.  "Let’s just say that the apple of Adam’s eye got him into a fix this time.", Sammy said.  He started to laugh...er...rattle.  Serita shook her head disgustedly.  "Joker!", she hissed quietly.

"You realize, of course, we’ve been duped by that serpent?", Adam said.  "Yes.  I realize that.", Eve answered.  "Look, we may as well face the music.  He knows everything anyway.  He’s likely just biding His time deciding which punishment fits the crime.", Adam said. 

Eve started to cry.  "Now, don’t cry.  We’ll throw ourselves on His mercy.  That’s all we can do.", Adam said stalwartly.  "But, I promise you when I’m done with Sammy, he’ll wish he’d never gotten one over on us."

"All I know is that this is a Monday in Eden that will live long in memory.", Eve said.