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Hi, My name is Lamech.
I'm the new kid on the block and I was sitting around the campfire at night, listening to the stories of the elders, finally getting up the courage to ask my grandfather Enoch,
“Grandfather, what happened in the garden?”I noticed a sudden quiet around that ancient campfire, a looking for a place to not be noticed, a feeling of somehow having violated an ancient rule… When Grandfather Enoch broke the silence to say “I really don't know. We could go ask My grandfather Mahaliel.”
Taking me by the hand, Enoch began to search around the campfires, and finally spoted his aged grandfather Mahaliel, leaning upon an old tree. Approaching together, Enoch warns his grandson,(that's me) “Now let me do the talking.” I was only too glad to agree, as I was in total awe of the elders in whose company I was constantly made aware.
Enoch approached his ancient progenitor once removed and enquired,” Grampa, may we ask you a question?”
Mahaleil thought for a moment and responded “I guess one question won't hurt. What is it?”
“What happened in the Garden Grampa,” Enoch asked.
“Why, I don't know,” responded Mahaliel. “I suppose we could go ask my grampa Enos.”
By now I was beginning to wish I had kept my question to myself, as this was beginning to bring to my mind, the attention of some of the really ancient men of the camps.
But, too late. Off we went to find Grampa Enos. Around many fires we went. Around many fires we looked, and around many fires we enquired as to the whereabouts of grampa Enos.
Finally one ancient lady whose name we could not even remember, pointed in a direction with a nod of her head.
Off we went. Not long after, we spotted a campfire we had already looked at and ignored because it was so small. To the camp we trudged, and upon approaching the elder, and with no introductory remarks whatsoever, enquired “Grampy, what happened in the garden.”
Grampa Enos shook his ancient head, and with a voice scarecely above a whisper, said “I don't know…. Let's go ask grandfather Adam.”
I Now realized an enormity to what I had started that I hadn't imagined when I first gave voice to my curiosity. With a little fear and a little more trembling, I took grampa's grampa Enoch's hand; and Enoch took his grampa Mahaliel's hand, and Mahaliel took his grampa Enos's hand, and we all took off through the woods looking for the campfire of Enos's grandfather, Adam.
After searching for a long time, we spotted a little campfire back in a woody area that they had not seen before. Approaching quietly and respectfully, Enos said “Alright now, all you kids stay quiet, and let me ask the question.” To which we all agreed.
We approached the campfire, and greeted grandfather Adam, who was glad to see so many of his extended family all out for a very rare visit. Enos wasted no time. “Grandfather Adam, can I ask you a question?”
“Well, I guess one question won't do any harm,” replied the old man.
“Grandfather, what happened in the garden?”
Hushed silence. Not a breath stirred. Total silence. Adam's eyes filled with tears, as he sought out one from beside the fire. He reached out and an ancient woman rose from the fire's side, and he reached out to her with not a word. I noticed her eyes were filled with tears also. They took each other's hand, and speaking no words, turned and went off into the forest, silently weeping, and with only an occasional sound of heartfelt agony, disappeared for many a day.
I never asked another question of my elders.
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