The first one born on Earth

This day was the same as many others before it. Full of worries, work, and prayers, the first of which took place about an hour before dawn. Most of the time, Sif was busy leading the household and looking after the younger children, while Eva, once again deeply pregnant, could not lead a particularly active lifestyle and mostly sat near the house, trying to rub her swollen feet on the rocks. The girl had already finished hanging out the wet laundry and, with a new basket of dirty things that needed to be washed before lunch, went to the river. Where she met Cain. Brother was extremely excited and joyful. His blue eyes glittered with bursting emotions, and his blond hair was slightly tousled, as if after a fast run. However, he didn't seem tired, even though he got up earlier than her today to start preparing for the wheat sowing. The guy was smiling broadly as he approached her and, getting too close to her, said in a conspiratorial half-whisper: — Sif, I need to show you something. The girl tensed up. The last time Abel offered something like this to their younger sister, Aklima. And it all ended with the fact that the latter is now pregnant, just like Eva, expecting her second child. So Cain's similar suggestion sounded at least questionable. Especially when she looked at his overly enthusiastic face. — What is it? — Sif asked cautiously. ― I still have a lot of laundry, can you just tell me in words? — Stop this laundry for long, — Cain impatiently snatched the wicker basket of laundry from his sister's hands and casually set it aside. ― Do you remember when you complained that the green apples on the riverbank were too sour? — Well? ― the girl mumbled in disbelief, completely not understanding where the guy was going. Instead of answering, Cain grabbed her hand and pulled her along, saying only something like “You'll see.” They walked through a small grove for quite a long time. According to rough estimates, the girls clearly went beyond the territory that their father called safe and which he ordered them not to enter. But brother kept going on and on. Moreover, he was so confident that Sif did not even doubt that this was not the first time he had been on this path. After a while, they found themselves in a small clearing, almost in the very center of which there were three trees of different sizes. The oldest of them seemed to be quite sturdy, but its branches were almost completely empty, covered only with bright green foliage and rare small apples with pinkish spots on the sides. The second, slightly lower one, already had fruits on it, but they all fell to the ground very quickly and began to rot, fertilizing the soil and attracting flies and ants with their sweet aroma that crawled along the trunk in search of new food. But the third, the smallest, although it was rather weak and frail in appearance, was very rich in fruits. The bright scarlet fruits were so large and heavy that they dragged the thin young branches of the tree to the ground. They did not break off only because they were carefully propped up with small sticks. There weren't a lot of large fruits, but they stood out very much from the small and sour wild fruits that grew next to their house. Cain went up to the tree and plucked two large fruits that looked very vaguely like wild apples, and handed one of them to Sif. The girl hesitantly took the fruit in both palms, continuing to be silently surprised at its size and trying to estimate the weight in her hands. Her senses told her that one such fruit weighed about three wild fruits, if not more. — It's a huge piece of fruit, — she muttered, looking up at her brother. — Did you grow this? — Yeah, — the guy replied a little boastfully, already biting into his apple. — It's also very sweet. Try. It's just honey, — he said with his mouth full, actively wiping the juice from his lips with the back of his hand. Her brother always ate very appetizingly. Just the sight of Cain gnawing on something was already starting to make one's mouth water. So the girl also decided and took a bite, trying for a while to figure out how to approach such a huge thing. Unlike wild apples, the peel of this apple was very thin and soft. It was so tender that it almost didn't feel in my mouth. The juicy flesh, full of sweet juice, gave off a slight sourness, but tender and pleasant, from which one did not want to grimace. The girl herself did not notice how she had already eaten a good half of the fruit, reaching the tiny core with pits. There was really a lot of flesh, and the bright red color most likely scared off birds, accustomed to the fact that only poisonous fruits have such a color. This apple was perfect. Juicy, sweet and not eaten by insects and birds. ― Do you like it? — Cain asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. ― Very much! — Sif nodded enthusiastically. ― But how did it grow up like this? I've never seen anything like it around here. Did you go somewhere far away to bring him here? But when? — No... In fact, it took almost three years to grow it that way, — Cain looked at the two neighboring trees. The results of unsuccessful experiments. ― I chose the sweetest apple from the sour fruit that grows on the shore and planted seeds from it. The first tree also produced sour fruits, but I was lucky and there was one red-green one among them. It was sweeter. And I did the same to him, until this grew in the third year, — Cain pointed to a small thin tree with a single remaining large apple. ― I would like to continue to breed them closer to home, but I'm afraid father won't allow it. He won't like the concept. — What are you talking about? ― Sif didn't understand. — It's so great that you were able to make a better and bigger harvest. Father should be happy that our family will have more food, and God will have more good offerings. — The annual sacrifices are the problem,― the young man sighed. ― Father ordered to give only the best to the altar, but after these three years, I was finally convinced that this was not good for our plants. The best way is to save bast seeds for planting so that you can get more and more rich harvests (?). The best should be returned to the ground so that it continues to grow, rather than giving it to God so that it simply disappears in the light of a blessing and not to eat it yourself. According to the father, it simply goes to paradise, and does not continue to grow and bear fruit here. — You think your father won't understand, — Sif voiced their shared thought. God has not accepted Cain's gifts for a long time. In the family, he began to be considered an outsider, almost a leper, whom the Almighty does not have mercy on. However, if we start from the idea that the Lord really does not accept any gifts except the best, then everything fell into place. If Kain had followed this rule, there wouldn't have been so much bread and fruit in their family. However, if you think deeper, does God, the creator of everything, not know that if they voluntarily deprive themselves of the best of what they have, then over the years they will begin to starve without the harvest of Cain? Why then does He so persistently continue to demand that it be given to Him, if He understands that over the years there will be no better and the gifts for him will only get worse and worse? And in that case, at what point will he stop taking them? Sif shook her head, trying to get rid of these blasphemous thoughts. In terms of farming, their family relied entirely on Cain, while Adam and Eve continued to pick fruits and berries. And if at first they had enough fruits, berries and roots that could be found nearby, then with an increase in the number of mouths, the food they got in the forest objectively stopped being enough for everyone. So what would happen to them if their father found out about Cain's machinations? After all, if they continue to strictly follow the precepts of their father, then there will be more and more mouths, and less and less food. The girl took another bite of the juicy apple, which this time seemed to her not half as tasty and sweet. Bitter thoughts make the fruit juice bitter. Although it was probably because she had just bitten into the apple core with the pits, which she was now rolling thoughtfully on her tongue. — So that's where you two are! — Adam's voice came from behind. ― As soon as you are given more freedom, you immediately seek to violate prohibitions. You entered a forbidden territory... What are you doing here? The parent was clearly not in the best of moods, so from the very beginning, this conversation did not bode well for either Sif or Cain. Adam has been getting more and more short-tempered lately. He reacted worse and worse to the fact that his children were making their own decisions in addition to the rules of the family. And it all got ten times worse when it came to Cain. — What's that? — Adam paled, pointing to the remaining halves of large red apples in his children's hands. ― The fruit of knowledge?... Where did you get it from? Where did you get this stuff?! ― It's just an apple. It... — Kain was interrupted by his father's resounding slap in the face. — You're always finding trouble for all of US, ― Adam's menacing tirade was unstoppable. ― Not only are your offerings not interesting to the Lord, but also this?! How could you not make the fruit of knowledge at all?! And also fed this stuff to your sister! ― I do not know what this fruit of yours looks like! Only you saw him! And this is a simple Apple, — Cain tried to reason with his father, but the man no longer listened to him, diligently knocking the unwanted fruit out of his body, which enraged him by its very appearance. Sif tried to stop the man, but she only got an elbow in the teeth from him. His daughter's split lip and the sight of her blood still made Adam stop, take both offspring by the scruff of the neck and drag them back to the house, constantly grumbling about their stupidity and worthlessness along the way. That they are wayward and disobedient children, unlike those who were born after them. The little apple tree has definitely come to an end. She fell out of favor with the First Man only because her fruits reminded Adam of his and Eve's fall. About what they both lost in the past. About what their children have never seen and probably won't even see. But Adam was in charge in this area of the world, and only God himself stood above him in the hierarchy of their large family. The decisions of the head of the family were not subject to discussion, no matter how Cain appealed to his voice of reason. The voice of the elder brother remained unheard, and the flexible tree, along with the remains of the fruit, burned in the fire, exuding sweet smoke and hissing on the coals. And Adam told Cain for a long time that he was too arrogant, since he decided that he would do the Lord's work to improve the world better. That he is a heretic, and his thoughts and ideas are vicious. Already sitting by the river, the brother and sister, after a long scolding, tried to put themselves in order. Cain wiped the blood from his face with a handkerchief without looking at Sif. — I'm sorry, ― Cain muttered dully, when the two of them were already sitting by the stream, trying to put themselves in order after their father's scolding. Due to the blow, the young man's eyelid was swollen and one of his blue eyes turned red and almost closed. — I didn't think you'd get hurt too. Sif, who had been silent all this time, spat out a blood clot from her mouth into her open palm, clenched her hand into a fist and began to wash it in the running cool water of the stream. — Don't apologize, — she said, her tongue slurring and numb. — You didn't hit me. She took her hand out of the water and held out her open palm to Cain with a pair of red apple seeds, which she hid under her tongue. There were still traces of her blood on them, but it was still better than starting the whole fruit growing journey from the beginning. ― Sif... — Tears welled up in Cain's eyes at the sight of just some small seeds, which in fact contained three years of his hard work, which he also managed to hide from his parents all this time. — I hope they didn't spoil because of my blood, and that's enough for you to grow another apple tree, — she said hopefully in a whisper. ― The fruits were very tasty.

***

Sarah was more alarmed than ever before, as soon as she saw a sprawling tree with large red fruits, which grew at a decent distance from everything. Almost on the outskirts of the Garden of Eden. Mentally, Serafim understood that this was just an ordinary apple tree, but its appearance evoked the most unpleasant emotions and memories for her. They were so unpleasant that she almost regretted giving one of Adam's first daughters permission to take up gardening. — Is this really what you wanted to grow? — Angel asked, trying to hide the tension in his voice. In the spreading branches of a gigantic apple tree, a women was fluttering from branch to branch with a basket of fruits in her hands. Her blue clothes were simple and modest. Even after going to heaven, she did not seek to decorate them in order to somehow stand out from the rest of the righteous, although she had every right to do so. ― Yes, Mistress Sera, — the woman replied, stepping onto the ground with a respectful bow. — That's exactly it. These red apples remind me of my brother, for whose soul I pray every day. Serafim sighed. To hear such a thing about the first murderer among Christians, about a heretic and a being punished by God more than even Lucifer himself was at least strange. However, it explained well why Sif's pure soul deserved a place in paradise. Even an imperfect person is able to show enough mercy and understanding not to treat a fratricide and the most dangerous creature for paradise at a given time badly. Adam couldn't stand the mention of his wayward offspring, but this soul... — Well, your words give me hope for the best and faith that the idea of the infernal princess is not as crazy as it seems, ― Sera forced herself to smile. It wasn't going to be the easiest conversation. — I don't want to spoil the moment, but I have some bad news for you, Sif. The woman looked at Seraphim with an absolutely impenetrable face, more like a death mask. She was unlike any of her perfect parents. She could never be called a beauty, but there was something in her look, manner, and manner of speaking that made her even better than the first of the people. To some extent, Serafim even felt something akin to gloomy curiosity, trying to figure out how this cold creature would react to the news. — Your father, Adam, is dead, — Seraph said, feeling her fingertips go numb and her head start to spin. — He was killed in hell by one of the demons. Angel carefully watched the woman thoughtfully lowering her gaze and slightly tilting her head to the side. A light shawl, arranged in beautiful folds on her head, swayed slightly from the warm breeze of the Garden of Eden. Her pale face remained cold, and her plump, bright lips did not flinch. — Well, that was his fate, — Sif replied, surprisingly calmly. — Such schemes could not have ended otherwise, we all understood it deep down. But I hope that at least now he will be able to find the peace that he did not find either in life on earth or after death in heaven. Thank you for informing me about this personally, — she thanked Seraphim with a small bow and, spreading her wings and rising into the air, returned to picking apples on the gigantic tree as if nothing special had happened. Sera watched the measured movements of the woman for a while, methodically picking fruit after fruit and putting them in a wicker basket in neat layers. Eva sobbed when she was informed of her husband's death. Most of his children, including Abel, were restless and let their emotions run wild. But not Sif. This righteous woman remained as cold and distant as before. She acted mechanically, moved smoothly, and didn't even change the tone of her voice. It had been a long time since Sera had felt such callousness and coldness from people, whose main difference from angels was precisely the vivid palette of feelings they could experience and show. A chill ran down her spine, which Serafim attributed to the sudden change in wind. ― You won't be able to get a body for saying goodbye. Hell swallowed him up, — Sera didn't know exactly why she was saying those words. I couldn't figure out if it was a desire to break through the icy calmness of the girl or to make sure that she at least understood the news and her behavior was not just the result of a kind of shock. The emotional stupor that some people fall into when the events around them become too frightening. — It's okay, ― Sif continued picking apples, moving on to a new branch. ― The body is mortal and has no special value. We will be able to honor his memory and pray in any case. And it would be too crazy to go down to hell for this, risking the lives of other angels or exorcists. I'm sure my father wouldn't wish his own fate on anyone else. Serafim couldn't believe her ears. The girl understood and accepted everything, but her father's death simply did not touch her. It didn't touch a single chord in her soul. Only now, after so many centuries before the Sera, it finally began to dawn on the reason why Sif is so calm and forgiving. Why doesn't she react to other people's sins and condemn no one for them. For some reason, Cain's act and the first murder didn't seem to leave any wound or imprint on her heart. She probably didn't have a heart. ― Do you think I'm too soulless now? — Sif asked, as if reading her mind. — I'm sorry, I just assumed that m mother and siblings must have tired you out and you wouldn't want to listen to my tears either. Don't worry, I'm capable of experiencing sincere grief, just not like them. Sif turned to her and came down to the ground holding a basket of juicy blood-red fruits. When the soles of the girl's modest leather sandals touched the ground, Sera noticed that her eyes were empty and cold, like the gloomy depths of the Arctic ocean, and the slight smile on her lips made this image truly frightening. Serafim felt the tips of her wings tremble. She knew that look well. This is how the Lord himself looked into her eyes, giving some of her most terrifying orders to this day, summoning Samael, the angel of Death, to send plagues to Egypt and kill all the firstborn of the Gentiles. She didn't understand how she took a step back from the being who stood in front of her now in the guise of a humble righteous woman. Something turned inside the angel. Red fruits. Blood. The flesh. Death. Brother. Sera felt her head spin more, and her legs felt weak. While retreating, angel stumbled and awkwardly stepped on the hem of her own snow―white dress, but she was prevented from losing her balance by the strong hands of her silent companion and personal bodyguard Sif, a gloomy woman with two thick red braids decorated with gold rings at the ends and a face covered with scars. A warrior who was called Valkyrie during her lifetime. She was one of the first Vikings to convert to Christianity. After her death, she became a faithful guardian and companion for Sif, and for Adam, she became the inspiration for creating an exorcist corps consisting entirely of women. — You should be careful if you don't feel well, dear Sera, — Sif's voice sounded almost gentle, but it was just an appearance. The first impression behind which was an incredible abyss of indifference, which was comparable only to permafrost. — Let us escort you to your chambers. You clearly need a break and a small snack, — the woman handed Seraph a large red apple, in the thin shiny skin of which she could almost see her own reflection. — No! — The answer was too harsh, as was the movement she used to break free from Valkyrie's tough, callused clutches. — Thank you, but I have to decline. It is better to use these fruits during the memorial meal, — said Serafima, pulling herself together and moving away at a respectful distance from Sif. — Well, if you don't want to, I don't dare insist, — the righteous woman gave the apple to Valkyrie, and holding the handle of the basket tightly, she began to slowly walk away with her bodyguard, who followed her like a faithful dog. The silent warrior bit into a juicy fruit and a drop of juice, sparkling gold in the light of the heavenly sun, rolled down from the corner of her lips to her chin, reminding Seraph of ichor, which replaces blood for angels. However, Serafima quickly dismissed the terrible comparison, afraid to develop this idea further. She put it down to stress and fatigue, as always. — But if you suddenly change your mind and want to honor the memory of people close to me who are not with us now, you know where this apple tree grows. Sarah managed to calm down a little. The strange feeling of anxiety subsided a little after the girl with the basket of apples left. Angel turned to the tree, still trying to figure out why she was so worried about its appearance and for what reason juicy ripe fruits for her continue to be associated with blood and flesh.