Monday Rewrite Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures that God had made. He slipped up to the woman in a quiet moment one morning and whispered, “Really?”
“Really what?’ she said.
“Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?” the snake hissed.
She laughed. “Of course we may eat it,” the woman told him. “It’s only the fruit from the tree at the centre of the garden that we’re not allowed to eat. God says we mustn’t eat it or even touch it, or we’ll die.”
“Hmm,” the snake pondered this for a moment. “Tell you what then,” he said, “have one of these instead.”
“What is it” the woman asked.
“Oh don’t worry, it’s not off that tree you don’t like. It’ll be really useful. Honest.”
She reached out and took the object,. Turned it in her fingers. It shone in the sunlight and made a bright ticking sound. “Interesting,’ she said.
“It is yes, you keep it? Okay?’
She smiled and nodded and examined the object more closely. She liked the detail and the carefully crafted digits on the front of it.
As the snake slithered away he looked back one more time and called, “Oh I forgot to say, it’ll also make you worry about the past, fret about the future, argue about arriving and leaving, stress about your journeying, clash about working, generally make you miserable and help you miss the present moment. Enjoy.”
The woman sat there staring after the snake, wondering what he meant by the past, present and future. Eventually she laid the clock down beside her in the dust, wondering if she’d ever find a use for it.
If you've appreciated this, why not...
Donate to support Dave's work Subscribe on YouTube Follow on X Like on Facebook Contact Dave Subscribe