Veil of Evil

By William Reder

What if the story of Adam in the Bible was actually a primeval case of alien abduction? And what if we simply made a single reversal of roles in the biblical narrative of the Fall in Eden; to wit, what if "Good" was actually "Evil"? Would truth be revealed and questions be answered, or would Destiny's doppelgänger once again arise and ensure that the attainment of sacred knowledge causes mankind to fall?

This is the story of a being named A-dam, both "in the beginning" and then, much later, at the end. Shackled inside a "body," divided into 3 parts and eventually thrown to Earth, he's forced to figure out a world that is nothing more than a horrible hall of mirrors. Blamed for an ancient crime of which he has no memory, a terrifying sequence of events is set in motion to help him remember. His "heavenly hosts" prefer to teach their captive soul through the torturous experience of actually living the message. A-dam must use all of his wits in his struggle to comprehend the tempestuous sea of symbolism in which he has been immersed. Will the wisdom won be enough to secure his coveted freedom or is it all nothing more than a twisted tease?

From beginning to end, mirror events have been skillfully woven throughout this book. Even its very layout betrays these reflective elements, with the first half being set in the past and taking the form of a rhythmic narrative poem while the last half is set in the present and written in standard prose. Everything is adeptly designed to completely immerse the reader in a mystical menagerie of mirrors.

Step through the looking glass and enjoy a sublimely intelligent and genre-bending ride. Whether you like science fiction, history, mystery, metaphysical, philosophy, semiotics, religion, science, poetry, or mythopoeia, there's a little something for all. You see, this is a story about us - all mankind - and the quixotic quest for the ultimate secret - the sacred knowledge of why we are here. For this book, my friends, is the Apple from the Garden of Eden - the forbidden fruit from long ago that once again doth haunt and beckon.

Do you dare take a bite? Do you dare attempt to awaken and lift the Veil of Evil that shrouds our world?

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Reder
• Release date: Jul 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370820078

William Reder

William Darren Reder was born in the sleepy town of Atchison, Kansas, in 1965. It is a distinction he feels fortunate to share with Atchison’s hometown heroine, Amelia Earhart. Mr. Reder was raised as part of a farm family. As such, he knows the meaning of hard work – a necessary component for the aspiring writer. He also prefers the solitude of the country life. By day, Mr. Reder is a mild-mannered sci-fi geek that has worked in the Information Technology field for over 30 years. During his off hours, he is busy being creative in whatever form the “project-of-the-moment” may take – whether it involves photography, gardening, woodworking, metalworking, repurposing old things, or, of course, writing. He enjoys being outdoors and helping on his parent's farm. His first loves, however, are history and the aforementioned science fiction realm – the past and the future. Recently, he began to explore his own past and discovered to his surprise that there is a good chance his ancestral line leads back to Hugh Capet, King of the Franks, and even farther back to Charlemagne, the First Holy Roman Emperor. Another line leads back to a birth in Virginia within 40 years of the Mayflower. Mr. Reder infuses all of his creative endeavors with an insight and passion few can match. As a dogged investigator with an unparalleled ability to see what others can't, he boldly ventured down the proverbial rabbit hole and embarked on an amazing journey of discovery in 2008. This culminated in a series of three rather large books he penned over the span of just 6 years – the last, The Masters of the Mirror - Ark of the Apocalypse, being over 800 pages in length – all while working a full-time job. He has been busy writing his fourth book, Veil of Evil, for over a year and a half and it will mark his virgin entry into the field of fiction.

Book preview

1 – Hijacked

2 – The Helper

3 – Those Who Tempt

4 – To Rape a God

5 – The Trial

6 – To Ponder The Fall

7 – The Recognition of Repetition

8 – Perception Deception

9 – Family in Flames

10 – Just Like a Dream

11 – To Be Forgiven

12 – Consequences

13 – The Blame

14 – Questions

15 – Replacement

16 – Sunset Comes in the Eve

17 – Fire and Water

18 – Exodus

19 – Wandering

20 – Reunions

21 – The Other Woman

22 – The Mark of the Beast

23 – Firstborn of the Gods

24 – The Healer

25 – On The Third Day

26 – To The Upper Regions of Hell

27 – After I Sleep

28 – Lemmings

29 – Parting the Sea

30 – Beyond the Wall

31 – Against the Wall

32 – The Seizer of All

33 – The Hands of Fate

34 – To Die on the Crossing

35 – On the Road to Absolution

36 – Rebirth

37 – To Meet the Wizard

38 – The Days of Six

39 – 'Til We Meet Again

40 – A Trip To The Zoo

41 – Choices

42 – Seeds of Doubt

43 – When on The Verge, What Doth Emerge?

44 – Blinded by the Light

45 – Giganticide

46 – One More Will Play, That Third of Days

47 – The Crossing

48 – Water and Heat

49 – Conceptions, Perceptions

50 – Oh, No! Not Again!

51 – A Struggle to Remember

52 – The Purgatory of Perspective

53 – More Than a Number

54 – Dial D for Destiny

55 – A Time of Crisis

56 – The Babel Incident

57 – An Echo Supreme

58 – The One Event

59 – City of the Stars

60 – Who's Who?

61 – A Mysterious Missive

62 – Eden Redux

63 – The Issue of Yesterday

64 – Message in a Bottle

65 – Fire in the Sky

66 – The Twins of War

67 – Who Gets the Blame?

68 – Microcosms

69 – War of the Gods

70 – To Never Forget

71 – Fusion of Form

72 – A Pregnant Pause

73 – Seeking the Beast

74 – A Single Voice

75 – Groundhog Day

76 – The War of the Worlds

Some Special Words

About the Author

End Notes

Dedication

To the Truth within...

1 – Hijacked

I once knew peace and love and home,

I once was free to ever roam.

This pain I feel, I never knew,

Until the day I met The Few.

Their frozen touch, invaders veiled,

Ensnared this one, my fate derailed.

They clutched and tore, carried me hence,

The Few were skilled at crossing the fence.

Pulled ever down, that darkened mist,

My strength was drained, my cries dismissed.

Music and love, my fellowship,

Those things The Few would quickly rip.

We stopped along some misty tracks,

That middle ground where white is black,

And there my soul was shacked thus,

To flesh and blood, the image us.

Where once I soared with freedom's will,

Now I am trapped, this cage of thrill.

Where once I felt no hurt or pain,

Now torment's curse holds me in chains.

This sullied place, the Eye-land be,

Where waters cleaved within the sea.

The Firm-a-men, I gave this term,

Where souls of man, once free, now firm.

Locked in a cage of flawless plan,

It wasn't just to anchor man.

Soon I was forced to work for those,

That slip behind the dark shadows.

The Den of Rags, where I was placed,

Was ever green, enclosed by space.

The sky above a blackened blight,

Yet all around reflected light.

The verge that marked this strange abode,

Here sagged, there rose, as movement flowed.

It hung like rags on leafless trees,

And marked the edge of endless seas.

It seemed this place, Electrical,

Just meant to bind a stolen soul.

Two names I gave this wretched pen,

The one, E-Den, the next, Rag-Den.

I soon did learn, their love for games,

The jokes they played filled me with shame.

Betray and tempt then make me fall,

The Few enjoyed watching me crawl.

Then one appeared, said it was God,

Quickly I learned one more facade.

Another bid to bring forth fear,

Simply designed to give them cheer.

Though torture aimed to motivate,

Their tool of choice was not ornate.

The Few were masters of the mind,

They made me act as they inclined.

A tree was placed, my den of rags,

Betwixt, between the ends that wag.

A warning made, Eat not the fruit,

Tempted me great, starving acute.

I made a choice; ignored the tree,

Refused to bend one wretched knee.

I would not play their stupid games,

I would not feed those lacking names.

2 – The Helper

The tree remained to tempt and tease,

But I refused to ever please.

They lied and tricked, I faltered not,

Starving and cold, onward I fought.

After awhile, their anger great,

The choice was made to build a mate.

Someone to tempt, someone to tease,

Someone to bring me to my knees.

I fell asleep but when I rose,

The pain was great down to my toes.

My body changed, my voice now deep,

Serpent in front, my strength they reaped.

Across from me, another waited,

Serpent missing, breast dilated.

The same, it seemed, but it was not,

What horror had The Few just wrought?

I could not think nor concentrate,

My will was gone, confusion great.

Logic was raped, replaced by needs,

Drawn to The New, what force proceeds?

It fills my head, muddles my thoughts,

Powerless now, I'm tied in knots.

I know The New works for The Few,

How shall I fight this déjà vu?

And then aware, pain on my side,

A scar betrays a theft inside.

A taken rib lets fear arise,

Why would they need this cage incised?

The answer dawns, becomes clearer,

The New is me, in the mirror.

Divided thus with parts taken,

I see myself, now forsaken.

But why not make The New as I?

Why use my cage and modify?

The only thought I could deduce,

The New was sent for my abuse.

For while inside, aspects controlled.

Divided thus, two sides unfold.

I'm forced to fight a war with me,

Destined to clash and ne'er agree.

A brilliant plan, I now can see,

Designed to force me to my knees.

My only hope, The New was I,

Perhaps it'll be a new ally.

For now, I gave The New a name,

Reflecting thoughts it's here to maim.

I called, Ow-Man, for it was sent,

To hurt this man and cause dissent.

Ow-Man then rose and walked to me,

I backed away, starting to flee.

It pleaded, "Wait, why do you leave?

What manner shown do I aggrieve?"

The voice tender, pleasingly kind,

Not like The Few, whose acts malign.

While strangely drawn to Ow-Man's words,

Caution guided my head now blurred.

"It is not thee that has aggrieved,

Please pardon notions preconceived.

Your presence here, to break my will,

Is what I feared you would fulfill."

Into my eyes, she gazed then said,

"Like you, have I not too been led?

We share this cage, our fates entwined,

Perhaps our thoughts we should combine?"

Her words, sincere, her eyes, pleading,

I felt my fear slowly receding.

Perhaps Ow-Man could help achieve,

My freedom from those who aggrieve.

I told my tale of captive woe,

To quell Ow-Man's desire to know.

I then did warn, that taboo tree,

A trap, it was, I could foresee.

Ow-Man helped much throughout Rag-den,

Laboring hard, time and again.

But even so, the food, meager,

Served just to make us e'er weaker.

Proudly standing in the center,

Tempting, teasing, The Food Presenter.

Forbidden tree with ripened fruit,

Our hungered forms, tortured acute.

I saw desire as Ow-Man stared,

At that which kept our fate ensnared.

Just one apple, it said at last.

No one will know we broke our fast!

"We dare not chance, when in this zoo,

Forever watched by voyeur Few.

Eat of the tree, what fate will leap?"

I asked as she began to weep.

Exhausted, tired, Ow-Man did cry,

Then came the sleep to silence eyes.

My heart was swelled with sadness great,

For pain was all that filled our plates.

3 – Those Who Tempt

I took a walk to clear my mind,

An answer veiled, I hoped to find.

I walked as far as I could go,

Where sky and ground became a bow.

I went to climb a rock on high,

And there I reached and touched the sky.

Transparent wall of waving rags,

My eyes soon hurt, I start to gag.

Through dizzy fog, I moved away,

I left the edge with such dismay.

Then to my knees I fell and cried,

Looked up and screamed, Let us outside!

Behind a rock, a voice then said,

They laugh at you, lost man of Red.

From crevice gap a serpent came,

Fear not, neighbor, he did proclaim.

Just who are you? Why are you here?

I asked through eyes still full of tears.

"I'm called Sir Pent, for I've been penned,

Just like the two of you, my friend."

Questions flooded my mind forthwith,

What do you want? I first asketh.

Accept my words, I'm here to aid,

Sir Pent replied, with hope persuade.

"You cannot trust the helper girl,

No choice has she, since you're the Pearl.

She must perform as she's been made,

To lead you on a great crusade."

Confusion reigned at what was said,

"Just how will I, confined, be led?

And what's this 'girl,' you mentioned thus,

That seeks to cause the dreaded fuss?"

"Much was taken when you were bled,

Memories held have now all fled."

Sir Pent then climbed upon the rock,

As if to ease our little talk.

"The Few call you, the man, 'A-Dam,'

For you came from the Great Soul Dam.

Past the tunnel of Ow-Man-She,

Here to Heaven between the seas."

Sir Pent's strange words were hard to swallow,

Yet in their stead I chose to wallow.

Fragments recalled lend truth to claims,

Of why I'm here, locked in this game.

"The girl is what you call 'Ow-Man,'

The mirror view of what is man.

The Great Soul Dam is mostly male,

But here The Few are ruled, female."

"So now you see, care must be taken,

A war will soon be undertaken.

When he and she are forced to fight,

Behind the scenes, the gods excite."

My head swimming in knowledge thus,

Answers needed I must discuss.

"Is there a way to leave this place?

Without the need of war's embrace?"

Silent, pensive, Sir Pent then waited,

As if his words, to say, he hated.

"You can't get home the way you came,

To leave is found within the game."

Sir Pent's advice did anger me,

It meant I must eat of the tree.

"I'll not submit, give them laughter,

On words from you I'm free thereafter."

That is your choice, Sir Pent did say,

And then he turned, slithered away.

Just one more thing, he stopped and said,

That girl was paired, we both were led.

Sir Pent was gone behind the stone,

But when I looked, I was alone.

Mind and body exhausted great,

I soon sat down, let sleep sedate.

When I awoke, the girl was there,

Grinning at me, my serpent bare.

"Ow-Man now knows what that is for!

I think it's time that we explore!"

She touched below, I backed away,

Where did you learn this game you play?

I then looked down and in her hand,

I saw the fruit that had been banned.

You ate the fruit?!?! I asked of she,

A trap I told that it must be!

We're in a trap, Ow-Man replied,

But now I know the way outside.

On nearby rocks, Sir Pent observed,

And there the one my ire deserved.

"I told you true, I would not eat!

I've no desire a war to greet!"

Sir Pent then moved closer to me,

This thing I've done to help you see.

Beside Ow-Man, he stopped and turned,

The mirror world you now must learn.

"Like it or not, the three of us,

Were joined before and now are thus.

Just as Ow-Man from you was freed,

So, too, was I made to proceed."

That's just insane! I said of this.

This line of thought I must dismiss!

Sir Pent replied, "One point, I beg,

Why the serpent between your legs?"

"It's time you see we share a line,

That's why you're marked with serpent sign.

The Father God is yours and mine,

The Mother God is hers, entwined."

"You are the Red, you are the Pearl,

You need us both, I and the girl.

For we are you, both light and dark,

A trinity, we must embark."

Stop it! Stop it! I screamed at them,

My only thought, our fate condemned.

"I'm so confused by what you say,

What is this Pearl whose part I play?"

"You're now the Red, you'll be the Pearl,

But only if this trek unfurls."

Sir Pent, his words, a cryptic mess,

I simply want to acquiesce.

Eat the apple, Ow-Man did say.

Learn the secrets; lead us away!

She held the fruit then gave to me,

When there she made her 'passioned plea.

Might as well eat, added Sir Pent.

"Regain your strength before Descent.

Since Ow-Man ate, you'll suffer, too,

The wrath of those who e’er subdue."

Both looked at me to make a choice,

As if, mattered, my muted voice.

Decisions made were forced on me,

The Few had won this shivaree.

4 – To Rape a God

In Ow-Man's hand, the dreaded fruit,

Its role our fate to just pollute.

I grasped the tool of my demise,

And took a bite before all eyes.

The flavor sweet, the taste pleasing,

My hunger, great, was slowly easing.

But dizziness soon overcame,

And all went black as I went lame.

Through mists of clouds the answers bled,

From fields of green to seas of red.

I knew it all, or so it seemed,

In the venue I had dreamed.

A shameful wave soon overtook,

As I now felt just like a crook.

The female god who told us 'no,'

We raped and stole so we could 'know.'

When I awoke, darkness remained,

An odd affair – light never waned.

I meekly asked, Anyone here?

Then Ow-Man hugged through fearful tears.

"You ate the fruit and all went black,

Sir Pent is gone, I feared attack."

Ow-Man was cold, another first,

As warmth always this place immersed.

We huddled close then both felt strange,

A burning need of lip exchange.

Soon we were joined in pleasure vast,

Not known since I, with souls amassed.

Feelings of home would sadly fade,

After the peak, that joy cascade.

Then in my arms, she softly slept,

As safe and sound, a watch I kept.

The time passed by, I drifted off,

Woke by a sound, a feinted cough.

I quickly rose, then looked around,

And what I saw did much astound.

I noticed first the light was wrong,

The colors seen did not belong.

Palette enlarged, then again not,

Old den hidden while new den brought.

The tiny place was somehow gone,

A wilderness became its spawn.

Sir Pent was there, the female not,

My head felt like tied in a knot.

Inside my chest, an empty pain,

As if some wrong I did ordain.

Through foggy mind, the past returned,

What have I done? the question burned.

Words I once knew, reversed then not,

Twisted, confused, my conscious thoughts.

The name Ow-Man is now 'Wo-man,'

Taken she from the womb of man.

In manner same, the cage, Rag-den,

Was simply seen now as Gar-den.

The rags were gone, the sky waved not,

Instead of black, now blue was wrought.

Sir Pent was right, the pen now gone,

Replaced, I fear, by walls undrawn.

Reflections fore, reflections aft,

This mirror world from Evil's craft.

Where is the girl? I asked Sir Pent,

Looking around, my hushed lament.

"Forget the girl, our plight is worse,

We must prepare for straits adverse."

What do you mean, I asked of him,

Was not this place your dream to swim?

And then I caught a worried look,

It seemed his sureness now was shook.

"Perhaps I failed to clearly see,

Just where we'd go, our route to free.

But I know that which you do not,

Your mate just mimics those who plot."

Sir Pent's reply, defensive words,

Just meant to ire so blame deferred.

Speak clearly now, be rid of games!

I scolded him, as hot as flames.

"You fool! That fruit must just have been,

Designed to show you how to sin.

Since Wo-man came from within you,

You stabbed yourself when her you knew!"

"Not only that, think of the way,

The Wo-man came, from rib foul play!

For from the 'cage' she was released,

She's like The Few, the female beast!"

Sir Pent's dark words, spoken in rage,

Played muse to thoughts I'd pushed offstage.

To justify my acts taken,

I'd went to sleep, instead of wakened.

You've got to learn the symbols shown,

He added then in muted tone.

"Just like a jailor's many keys,

Wo-man was freed with a bar at ease."

And what of you, I asked Sir Pent,

While at this world my gaze was sent.

"If she arrived, a rib that's taken,

What route did you become forsaken?"

"Of this, our talk, I must adjourn,

The symbols shown you must discern."

Sir Pent moved off, but turned to say,

I am the rib; what's that convey?

5 – The Trial

When Sir Pent left, I went to find,

Large leaves to shroud front and behind.

I sought to hide from this strange light,

My naked form covered from sight.

I walked around, my hunger great,

I found some roots to satiate.

Light in the sky moved edge to edge,

Then darkness drove a counter wedge.

When night did fall, beauty unfolds,

At points of light, my wonder holds.

Thoughts of my home, a longing felt,

When there I watched a three-star belt.

Then wondered I, why am I here?

What have I done to so endear?

Where is this place where I have fell?

Such emptiness lets fear excel.

Some time then passed, I fell asleep,

And then I felt an empty deep.

I tried to move but I could not,

An iron grip I had been caught.

Before me stood The Demiurge,

The female god, the evil scourge.

And there with me, the Wo-man, too,

As with Sir Pent, what would ensue?

She looked as though a reptile be,

With scales of green and eyes of three.

Oozing power while drinking bliss,

An empty soul, a dark abyss.

That emptiness with fear combined,

Made those nearby weak and supine.

She drained the will, body and soul,

Leaving enough, the rest she stole.

What came to mind, looking at me,

Dragon of fire, hunter of free.

This errant thought, a planted thing,

Or souvenir of past meetings?

The Demiurge was not alone,

Behind it stood creatures unknown.

Divided group, a horror made,

Bottom to top, their parts mislaid.

The Court must watch, as rule they share,

But still I felt such great despair.

Their lives a mix, a jumbled mess,

What made them choose to acquiesce?

The creature spoke, its mouth moved not,

"Sewn leaves you wear, how were you taught?

The sacred tree, the Knowledge teat,

Forbidden fruit, of it did eat?"

This game she plays, I sense her glee,

She bends my legs, I'm on my knees.

I could not lie, my head immersed,

I chose to eat since she ate first.

The creature's gaze, now at Wo-Man,

My mind withdrawn, her thoughts to scan.

"The serpent charmed, filled me with lies,

So I did eat," Wo-man replies.

With her response, a truth was known,

Like Sir Pent said, a symbol shown.

Wo-man was not forced to her knees,

Before those words bound to displease.

That simple fact, that silent squawk,

Affirmed this god of female stock.

As to confirm this thought of mine,

Her knowing glance to me assigned.

"As usual, the serpent be,

He who foments disharmony.

This perfect life in Heaven's zoo,

Was cast aside when I you knew."

The creature's lies made it quite plain,

Her thoughts scrambled, her mind insane.

Now I beheld what caused the Court,

To grudgingly give their support.

"Of course, it's clear why you were drawn,

My beauty is just like the dawn.

But 'no' means 'no,' can't this you see?

You can't just take and know then flee."

So this was why the vision seen,

When I did eat, of rape unclean.

Our starving souls, the tempting fruit,

There to torment, provide a route.

As you have learned, the creature said,

"The Knowledge Tree slightly misled.

It's purpose true, The Knowing Tree,

One tiny step to bended knee."

"For afterward, again you sought,

To know a fruit Wo-man had brought.

The second time, the serpent grew,

You felt at home, feeling anew."

"But from the seed you left behind,

The Wo-man paired, her womb we mined.

Behold, the twins, your children, view,"

The creature said, arms spread in two.

And at each side, two boys appeared,

Identical, and of grown years.

In manner like Wo-Man set free,

Children were formed somehow from me.

Gesturing left, the creature said,

He is firstborn, what name thee wed?

And in my mind appeared a name,

Ka-in, for soul in man became.

Then said the god, gesturing right,

What name thee wed this child outright?

Again appeared this name in mind,

Ab-el, for God, Father divine.

"Witnessed, this Court, the crimes of thee,

Sentence is passed, all doth agree.

You three, I send, the fields of Earth,

Where there you'll hear, ensure rebirth.

"You know this place since you have spent,

Evening and day after Descent.

Now it shall be your Everplace,

Your sullied home to e'er embrace.

"Thoughts of freedom will fuel your hope,

As you struggle and toil and grope.

Just out of reach, it will remain,

Always, ever, to cause you pain."

Then to Wo-man, the creature said,

"Bearing a child you will now dread.

Henceforth sorrow, both during, after,

Reflect my pain at man's hereafter."

To understand The Demiurge,

I hoped one day clarity merged.

Her words, insane, begged to be known,

I fear they'll come as we atone.

Then to Sir Pent, the creature smiled,

"A-dam, Wo-Man, you did beguile.

On thy belly thou shalt go,

Be cursed on Earth, excel in woe.

"Hatred will thrive between your seed,

You and Wo-man will fight and bleed.

Your head be bruised, as will her heel,"

The creature gave this curse, ideal.

Your bitter words, Sir Pent exclaimed,

Will never see freedom defamed!

Whate'er the trial, whate'er the cost,

The Serpent Race will not be lost!"

Sir Pent's boldness amused the god,

"Freedom's a thing to ne'er be awed.

Illusions grand, it's not for real,

As you will learn, care of my heel."

The Demiurge stood from her throne,

Eclipsing all, her presence shown.

Purely designed to tender fear,

It reeked of pomp, displayed austere.

"This Court has ruled and spoken thus,

Knowledge attained makes you like us.

Good and Evil will ever be,

Mirror brethren, mirror debris.

"And so, you see, that life of ease,

Taken from you, it did displease.

Thrown to a world The Mirror rules,

Will transform you, send you to school.

"What once was Red will soon be Green,

If not the whole, then parts unseen.

You'll wear the shoes worn in the past,

You'll be The Pearl from clay recast."

The creature smiled, so full of glee,

She let me rise, get off my knees.

And as that scene faded to black,

My mind then dwelled on thoughts in back.

"Make no mistake, this place you go,

A prison meant to cause you woe.

There's no escape, for flaming swords,

Surround this world, keep you aboard."

6 – To Ponder The Fall

The sounds of birds played in my mind,

As I awoke, left sleep behind.

My strength renewed, but not my soul,

The emptiness still in control.

As there I lay upon the ground,

Into the clouds, my gaze unwound.

Slowly moving, dancing about,

A catalyst for thoughts to sprout.

Hard to believe events transpired,

Just like a dream, they'll be expired.

They'll turn to mist then fade away,

Chancing that I relearn someday.

The Curse, its words, I still recall,

To understand, the key to all.

Somehow those parts taken from me,

Wo-man, Sir Pent, their seed, debris.

Children destined to always fight,

Eye for an eye for taking a bite.

But I'm the one, the quarry sought,

It should be I that wrath was brought.

At first it seemed that Wo-man's seed,

Would fight Sir Pent, make offspring bleed.

But why Wo-man and why not I?

What message shown does this imply?

For Wo-man's pride must not have seed,

If needed I for young to breed.

And why give me the serpent's mark,

The tool I use to give this spark?

Something's amiss in what's been said,

Perhaps some light Sir Pent did shed.

He claimed a war between gender,

Was soon to come, to thence render.

Could Wo-man's seed refer to those,

That came before, not after goes?

Could it then be the image of,

The god Wo-man was patterned of?

Could Wo-man's seed refer to she,

The Demiurge, a female be?

Could Sir Pent's seed refer to those,

From Father God in serpent's clothes?

The battle said 'twixt heel and head,

Opposing worlds forever bled.

'Tween He and She, the gods divine,

Are we to fight their war confined?

So here we are, consigned to learn,

Evil and Good, divided, spurned.

Of mirror realms, of light and dark,

What point is this, why disembark?

I was alone, I paused the game,

When I refused their fruit of shame.

By splitting me, they gave a shove,

Divide, conquer, 'chance fall in love.

By adding those opposing thoughts,

I'm pushed forward while tied in knots.

Consigned to do as they desire,

How do I stop what they conspire?

Should I refuse and just say, 'No,'

Or can I hope to change this show?

Events, I fear, will happen thus,

No matter if I throw a fuss.

Alas I'm left to be witness,

Feel the message, mourn the sickness.

My nose is pushed in feces fresh,

So I may learn while in the flesh.

But what's the point to abduct me?

Is there something that I should see?

Or is this just to quell their needs,

To entertain, to fight and bleed?

And then a thought ran cold in me,

What if I'm bait, some ransomee?

If this is true, what if the goal,

To capture more my brethren souls?

7 – The Recognition of Repetition

At last I rose, greeted the day,

Relieved myself then did survey.

Sir Pent, my friend, could not be found,

While Wo-man slept, still on the ground.

The twins I sired with female friend,

Were nowhere seen. Did they descend?

Since them I named as well begot,

They should be here, I would have thought.

The Demiurge seemingly gave,

The skins of beasts to cloak her slaves.

For once I prized a gift from she,

That seeks to drive me to my knees.

Hunger again was on the prowl,

My stomach’s voice began to howl.

Water was drawn, a cool, clear stream,

Our food the roots that nearby teemed.

I took these things to Wo-man's side,

As she awoke with eyes so wide.

She quickly moved, quite full of fear,

I said, It's fine, The Few aren’t here.

Wo-man relaxed then ate her food,

At her, I watched, my thoughts were skewed.

For reasons strange, to her I'm drawn,

I wish to hold and touch and fawn.

Why do I feel so primitive?

These thoughts should be prohibitive.

My mind is filled with dreams of her,

But these I must strive to deter.

I turned to leave to break the spell,

When Wo-man's touch prevents farewell.

My thanks to you for this fine meal,

Her words ignite the lust I feel.

Into her eyes I deeply gaze,

Those pools of blue speak their own phrase.

I moved to touch her neck and cheek,

She closed her eyes, contentment piqued.

Her warmth, her scent, I was immersed,

Such beauty sates my growing thirst.

Her dark brown hair, her pleasing shape,

Burning desire, there's no escape.

My lips to hers, lost in embrace,

The skins we wore were soon displaced.

Serpent like steel, a sword in sheath,

At pleasure's height, my seed bequeathed.

Our bodies wet, the fire now quenched,

Old thoughts return, old feelings wrenched.

Events replayed when fruit was rent,

Last time taken, this time, consent.

Mirror moments replayed again,

Tempting female to know therein.

Then afterward, the grief rerun,

Again I ask, What have I done?

I grab my skins and then depart,

I walked alone with guilt in heart.

Into the stream, I stopped to clean,

To wash myself, remove obscene.

I'm shacked with a tool forsaken,

That leads me onto paths mistaken.

It tortures so but can enthrall,

Yet in the end, it makes me fall.

Of things I’ve learned, one fact is worse,

I'm forced to live events adverse.

Actions before this fall of mine,

Repeat, reverse, yet still align.

How can I stop what once has been?

Or can I change moments akin?

Answers hidden, I must discern,

If ever, home, will I return.

8 – Perception Deception

During my walk, I soon did find,

My child, Ka-in, at work assigned.

Supposedly, the god decreed,

He'll tend the crops on which we'll feed.

Hard at his work, some flat meadow,

With iron tool he called a hoe.

I asked him where this tool he’d found,

He said, Right there, upon the ground.

Another gift, from She on high,

To see we live and death deny.

She even gave the seeds to plant,

Providing all, a bounty grant.

Not only that, the ground was bare,

Devoid of trees most everywhere.

Who cleared this land, what force precedes,

That groomed this world to fit our needs?

I left Ka-in to till this place,

Then climbed the hills where mists embrace.

A journey, damp, through seas of white,

When soon returned that ball of light.

I looked around, found stretched below,

A sea of clouds, like me, fell low.

While up above, the mountain seen,

Just like Eye-land, Heaven between.

I thought it time I gave a name,

That ball of light we cannot tame.

I called it, Sol, for its lone task,

Solidify, with light a mask.

From this grand view, high on the hill,

Feelings of peace it did instill.

As Sol had parted skies of blue,

This lonely hill split clouds in two.

I walked some more and there I found,

My other son, Ab-el, inbound.

With him journeyed a dozen sheep,

Moving softly without a peep.

Just like Ka-in, Ab-el was led,

To do a job to keep us fed.

While Ka-in tilled the fertile soil,

Tending the flock, Ab-el would toil.

"I have been told, my father be,

That you are he who set me free.

To thee I thank, if this is true,

For life, to me, thou did imbue.

Of Ab-el's words, I’d disagree,

He knew not of that shameful Tree.

Nor did he know from whence I came,

Stolen from those of high acclaim.

"Please do not thank for this feigned gift,

'Life' on this world leaves you adrift.

You know not what it means to be,

Not shackled thus, but instead free."

Astonishment in Ab-el's eyes,

He could not grasp, my words despised.

Undoubtedly, he must have thought,

His father's mind was full of rot.

"With much respect, how can thou say,

We are not free but led astray?

Does beauty not abound this land?

Are we not free to move offhand?"

I looked at him and realized,

His point of view idealized.

What Ab-el sees is all he knows,

No words from me will change what flows.

"My son, I hope, one day you’ll see,

What’s on the top needs inquiry.

For when you learn what lays below,

You’ll understand it’s all for show.

And with those words, I turned to leave,

Back through the clouds so finely cleaved.

Before I left, I looked around,

To see Ab-el, his lips a frown.

It now was clear that all those gifts,

Were simply meant to build a rift.

The creature changed, her image kind

To drive a wedge ’twixt me and mine.

As seen before when rib was used,

Divide, conquer, and be abused.

Create two sides, manage the fight,

To weaken each before they smite.

9 – Family in Flames

The days passed by, then several weeks,

We all worked hard at tasks unique.

Ka-in, Ab-el, they kept apart,

Distinct, I guess, with unlike hearts.

Houses of brick we did build first,

Of mud and straw, somewhat accurst.

But even so, shelter they gave,

When Earth, angered, did misbehave.

From Wo-man's grace, apart I kept,

Most notably, the time we slept.

I set my mind, no new to sire,

I can't let more, this world acquire.

I tried to speak, to share my thoughts,

Wo-man refused, she listened not.

In fact, she launched her own campaign,

To pray to She, the one who reigns.

At times I heard, when I would sleep,

Wo-man would turn and gently weep.

Sadness would tug, trouble me great,

I was the cause; I'd spurned my mate.

I had no choice, this game must end,

No more dare come and then be penned.

Our loneliness a worthy cost,

To keep more souls from being lost.

Alas, this plan with just intent,

Was ripe for She to circumvent.

It soon was plain why this god made,

The children male, easily swayed.

Problems arose near harvest time,

A newborn lamb arrived sublime.

This stirring act broke our routine,

The birth of young we'd never seen.

As Wo-man watched through her despair,

Her gaze, distant, an empty stare.

Her hand caressed, both back and forth,

Her stomach bare, then left henceforth.

I thought it strange, but let it go,

Her actions, late, I did not know.

She kept herself alone, apart,

Suffer, I thought, from heavy heart.

A few days hence, Wo-man was seen,

Brewing a tea from leaves of green.

To me she brought this flavored drink,

Of which I drank and did not think.

It was not long before I dealt,

With fuzzy thoughts and weakness felt.

Starting to walk, I soon collapsed,

I could not move, benumbed, entrapped.

Somewhere between asleep, awake,

I there was held, all movement staked.

Aware of all still taking place,

I could not move; I was encased.

Ka-in was gone, in fields to roam,

Ab-el was called, carried me home.

Wo-man and he, once there, discussed,

What I should see in what came thus.

Ab-el then said, "This seems not right,

That mother should myself excite."

"Is not the ram so soon astride,

The mother ewe?" Wo-man replied.

This point was strange; What did she mean?

This birth the first we'd ever seen.

But it made sense if one female,

Was all there was that could avail.

"The One True God, our finest teacher,

A-dam calls her, ’An awful creature.’

But through this world we learn to wed,

They show us how," Wo-man then said.

In haste the two became disrobed

Their lips and tongues in hunger probed.

Consigned was I to watch subdued,

As son and wife, they each then knew.

When they were done,