Seven men and one woman —Ulla— initiated the pursuit. Two men were devoured by the sabre-toothed tiger, and another two perished in the mountains, attacked by a bear.

When their trail was lost in the mountains, the one-eyed man wanted to head north, as originally planned, since that was the predictable path Tabal would take. But the sorceress had a vision: the gods, or rather, the Demon, communicated that they had to march east, and she conveyed this to Ator. He hesitated, but ever since the old woman discovered that well in the middle of nowhere the day they killed the aurochs, he blindly trusted her judgment.

However, the other two men were not as agreeable to traveling to the desert, and they protested vehemently. Nevertheless, they obeyed, but soon met their demise. One fell off a cliff, and the other was bitten by the same snake that bit Tabal, dying immediately.

Only two remained in this capture expedition, the two most wicked: Ulla and Ator, blinded by hatred, they did not waver in their determination to capture the young couple and put them to death. Driven by the devil himself, they endured the cold, the heat, hunger, and thirst in a fierce pursuit that had finally borne fruit.

Tabal had left his weapons at the entrance of the oasis and was defenceless against Ator’s attack. He tried to pick up the spear that had lodged next to him, but the impact on the ground had been tremendous, and the tip had shattered. Umma sought refuge behind him, and the poor girl began to tremble with fear, her heart pounding rapidly.

Meanwhile, Ulla laughed heartily, with an evil laughter, as if the devil himself were laughing inside her. The two approached the couple, and Ator raised another spear to strike the boy. Tabal considered himself dead, as at that distance, the one-eyed man could not miss. He thought about fleeing, but that would expose the girl, and really he was ready to die before she did.

Ator smiled, and when he was about to throw...

He couldn’t complete the hit. A bolt from the sky struck directly onto the spear, reducing it to ashes and also striking him. An instant later, another lightning bolt did the same to Ulla, and the two turned into black scum that was immediately swallowed by the earth.

The two young people looked at each other, not quite understanding what had happened. After the lightning that struck down their enemies, a gentle wind began to blow from the centre of paradise, and behind a leafy tree appeared a figure. It was a radiant man who filled them with terror.

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Umma remained protected behind the boy, and he once again missed his weapons. The newcomer read his thoughts and said:

“Do not fear, Tabal, for you have found favour with God.”

At that moment, the two calmed down, and the boy asked:

“Who are you? Are you Baloc?”

“My name is Gabriel, and I am the messenger of the Most High God, the only one that exists.”

The young ones were perplexed, and great peace flooded their spirits. Gabriel continued:

“The Lord has seen the goodness in your hearts and has chosen you to form a great family. Tabal, from now on, you shall be called Adam, and your wife shall be called Eve, and you shall be the parents of all the living. You will dwell in this paradise, and all of this will be yours and your descendants’, living eternally and in fullness.”

“Is all this for us?” asked Eve, looking around.

“The Lord has brought you to this garden for you to enjoy and possess it entirely. There is only one condition: in this place that has been trodden by the Devil,” Gabriel pointed to the spot where their enemies had been struck down a moment ago, “a tree will grow from whose fruits you shall not eat. You may taste all the fruits of this garden, except the fruits of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Only to God will you worship and only to Him will you serve, as the angels in Heaven have been doing for eternity. That is where you are destined to live eternally and in fullness when your life on Earth comes to an end.”

Adam and Eve turned around, hand in hand, and looked again at the inheritance that had fallen to them. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing else but palm trees and trees laden with fruits, while numerous streams of crystal-clear water enlivened the lush grass and flowed into tranquil lagoons that dotted the multi-coloured orchard.

They embraced and kissed, and then turned towards Gabriel, who nodded with a smile.

Next, the couple knelt, and both bowed their heads.

“Behold the servants of the Lord,” said Adam. “Let it be done according to His will.”

“So be it,” confirmed Eve.

The angel blessed the two with his right hand and then departed. Meanwhile, the cursed tree began to sprout from the earth.