FROM THE TEARS OF ADAM

Dimitar Angelov

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In the course of time, indefinite and obscure, Adam and the Lord God became friends, and since both of them had not had childhood, every day they would figure out different games, always some pleasant entertainment, since bad taste did not exist yet.

“Today I feel like creating animals” said He and patted Adam on the shoulder.

“Animals? I don’t understand...”

“Things animated by the spirit, things that move...”

“Oh, I see: things that begin to move when they are by the fire.”

“Not at all. Fire makes you begin to move only when you are very close to it.”

“Well, ok”, Adam agreed. “And how are we going to make them?”

“It’s not ’we’ who’ll make them. I will make them.”

“Well, how will you make them, since you’ve never seen animals?”

“Here’s how: we will pronounce vowels and consonants at random, and then we’ll see what will come of it.”

“And if the animal is repeated?”

“It will be done away with.”

And they began to pronounce and to create, and were frenzied with delight. Then God would say just: “Come on, off you go!”, and Adam would stimulate the animal with a simple: “God-speed!”

“Cat”, Adam said.

“I’m taking this marvel for me. Don’t dare to touch it, even if you feel like stroking it. Dog!”

“I want this for me! Just look at its eyes. If I happen to bend over the water together with it, I will think we are both the same thing, doubled.”

“Take it with you, but far from here. I even regret to have created it, anyway.”

“Bat”, Adam said.

“The devil take you!” God shouted, shuddering.

“What did you say? What does “devil” mean?”

“I don’t know very well. But it is something I feel sometimes inside me.”

“It's probably not an animal... Atheist.”

“This is worse than the devil and you together. Damn you! This is the end of everything between us.”

And He left him amid the multitude of animals, which by then were having fun in complete harmony. However, when the Lord God moved away, they began to rumble, to squeal, to show their teeth, and to howl. For the first time, Adam felt something very strange and shouted:

“I am frightened!”

And he got even more frightened by that word because he did not know exactly what it meant. Then the dog approached him and licked his hand. Adam felt the warmth and relaxed a little, embraced it and began to cry. He saw several drops drop down on the earth and he looked up towards the sky. It was not raining, but he did not know yet that he was crying. Touched or for some other reason, the rest of the animals walked away and left those kindred souls alone: half human, half canine. A little later, the weirdest and most fascinating animal stood in front of Adam and the dog and said with a confusing ease:

“Here I am too - Eve.”

© Dimitar Angelov
© Valentin Krustev, Donna Martell, translated
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© E-magazine LiterNet, 10.08.2010, № 8 (129)