Christian Writing Contest

The Confident Christianity 2009

John Wycliffe Award

for an author writing in English as a second language

Goes to

Adel Emmanuel

Cairo, Egypt

(Category:  19 and up)

Bio: I am a fresh graduate pharmacist. I graduated from Ahin Shams University in Cairo. I was greatly encouraged by my friends to write some stories and participate in some writing competitions and contests; they saw something good in my words.

I participated in a competition had been held this winter 2009 in college with my one-page very short story. I have won the first place. As a result, I was more encouraged to participate in international contests, like ACM writing contest, and it seemed that God, as well as Debbie Thompson, also saw something good in my words.

I like to read very much to the contemporary novelists like Paulo Coelho, his masterpiece The Alchemist had touched me so much and had given me faith, will and hope. and I really adore classical writers like Tolstoy and his marvelous War and Peace.

Oracle of the Wicked Land is my very first short story.

To contact Adel Emmanuel you may request his contact information through the contest administrators by sending an email to director@athanatosministries.org.

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The Oracle Of The Wicked Land

by Adel Emmanuel

Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved

On a sunny morning, Adam looked to the sky and smiled, “Good morning, God”. Then a sweet breeze of air played with his ears with the voice of God, “Good morning, Adam”

Walking among the green trees, Adam saw lions playing with rabbits, hawks flying with doves, crocodiles drinking with zebras. All lived with each other in peace, harmony, and were enjoying together the magnificent natural world that God had created for them all.

This was how animals lived in the garden that God had made,  The Garden of Eden.

Adam was the head of all creatures the LORD God had made. He was the most powerful creature of God, the man of God.

He went in a search for his helper that God had made for him, Eve. Although the garden was full of animals and the expanse of the sky full of birds, Adam found his joy with Eve. He loved the whole garden, but with Eve, it was different. She was part of him. He could talk with all the animals, but without Eve, he was so lonely.

When God wanted to create a man, he created Adam. Imagine how charming Adam was. When God wanted to create a woman, he created Eve. Imagine how beautiful Eve was. They were head over heels in love. A love story just as God wanted it to be. Love for them was a life style. They simply worked in the garden, ate from its fruits and loved each other.

One day, Adam went searching for Eve. He found her standing before a very beautiful tree talking with a serpent. He came closer so that he could hear what they were talking about.

The serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. They were talking about the tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, or you will die.’ ”

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to Eve, “for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When she saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some. Then suddenly Adam interfered and took the fruit from her hand and threw it to the ground, “Do not eat,” Adam shouted angrily, “the LORD God has commanded, ‘we must not eat of the tree that is in the middle of the garden’.  Do not listen to the serpent!”

The serpent then fled from Adam and Eve’s faces.

Eve felt happy that Adam arrived in time. “The tree was really beautiful,” she said.

Adam took her hand and showed her every other tree in the Garden. “They are all beautiful, Eve”

Adam lay with his wife, and she conceived and Cain was the first fruit of their love. Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Cain, who had a strong body, was cultivating the garden. He loved the trees, the flowers and any plant  having roots in the ground. Unlike Cain, Abel, who was leaner than Cain, loved the animals. He was a shepherd.

One day, when Cain was working with the plants, he met with the serpent, “You are much stronger even than Adam.” the serpent said, “You can rule over Adam, Eve, Abel and the others.”

Cain stopped working, sighed, “And why do I need something like that?” Cain asked.

The serpent said, “Because you deserve it. Do you know what this tree is, Cain?”

Cain looked to the beautiful tree, “Yes, it is the forbidden tree from which I must not eat or I will die”

The serpent laughed loudly, “No one dies, Cain. He, who eats from this tree, will rule over the world, be like the LORD God himself. What does such a strong man like you need, except power, authority and omnipotence?”

Cain did not think for a long time. He was the strongest. He should  rule over the world like God, the mighty. He took some fruit from the tree and ate. Then his eyes were opened and he realized he was naked; He hid among the trees, so that no one could see him.

Evil entered his soul. Knowledge of evil was enough to spoil the beautiful nature of humanity. Cain’s mind then was opened to know what God did not like him to know.

In the cool of the day, the LORD God was walking in the garden as usual, when he called Cain, “Cain, where are you?”

“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Cain replied.

“Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Cain replied in shame.

So the LORD God said to Cain “Because you have listened to the serpent, you are expelled from the garden”

Cain then was filled with ignominy. He silently walked out of the Garden wearing animal skin garments   made by God.

The LORD God said, “Cain has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the LORD God placed around the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Through the silence of the night, Cain wandered in the land outside of the garden feeling very sad and lonely.

There was darkness everywhere.  As he got deeper into the land he heard a woman sobbing. He walked towards her voice. There was a woman dressed in blue sitting on a big rounded rock in front of a big tree. When he got closer the woman lifted her head and looked at him. She was white like ice, with long dark black hair and a small pointed nose. Her eyes were black with no eyeballs.

Cain looked at her and said, “Who are you? I thought that people lived only in the garden the LORD God made.”

“You thought wrong,” she replied. “God created me even before earth and heaven.”

“Before Earth!”  Cain wondered in his mind.

After a short pause, he went on,”Why were you crying?” he asked.

“Because this is where tears exist. Out of Eden, you should get used of crying, fear, pain, despair, dissatisfaction, grief, not getting what is desired, separation from those you loved and association with the unbeloved.”

Cain sat on the ground beside her. He seemed confused with her words. He didn’t understand what she meant. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Forget about Eden. The days of Eden are gone. Now, they are imprisoned in the garrison of your memory and will be no more, Cain.”

He was astonished that she knew his name.

The woman sensed how he felt and knew what went on in his mind. She continued, “I was waiting for you. I am the one who called you from Eden.”

Her answer filled his mind with curiosity and doubt, he asked, “How did you call me from Eden?”

“I am the soul of the serpent. I have talked to you through his tongue.”

Cain dreaded the woman. He let out a shudder and asked, “Who are you?”

The woman then walked away giving her back to him, hid behind the tree and vanished. Cain walked behind her and whirled around the tree, when a serpent, which was hanging on a branch of the tree, looked at him and hissed loudly. There were many of them hanging on all branches. Cain got mad and said to the serpent, “You deceived me.” The serpent fell on the ground and bit his heel. It was the first time that Cain experienced pain, which was very hard on him. Ten minutes later, he experienced another new thing, which was even harder: fever. His temperature rose rapidly, and his vision blurred, then he fainted on the ground.

In the Garden of Eden, three days later, everyone was talking about Cain, how he fell into the serpent’s trap. For Eve, it was different; even  though she had many sons and daughters, she mourned Cain’s loss. He was the eldest son, the dearest.

From the moment Cain was driven out the Garden, she kept asking herself, “Why? Why did God permit this to happen? Did he not know that Cain would eat the fruit since he knows everything? Why did  he even create this tree? Did He want us to eat it in the first place, if so, then why did he create us? And why did he let the serpent do what he wanted to do?”

She went to Adam for the tenth time asking him her eternal questions. But finally Adam had an answer, “God  created us because he  loved us even before he created us from the dust. He knew us in his mind and loved us. He created the garden for us to live happily forever with him. And about the serpent and the tree, they are one and of one origin, one purpose, evil exists. God’s love does not oppose his truthfulness and integrity. He respected us, and wanted to let us know that from the moment that good existed, evil existed. And we have to choose one to follow and to live within. God  chose good for us. So, we should not choose  evil for ourselves”

Eve glanced at Adam and let her tears fall. “I wish I was the one who had eaten from that tree. I wish you had not prevented me. Then, I would be with my son now. Bring me my son back, Adam. I do not care if he sinned, I just want him back.”

Adam felt the same grief not less than hers. He mourned him too inside his heart. He knew it was impossible to bring him back as he had disobeyed God’s command, “What can I do, Eve? Even God has stopped walking in the garden as he used to since he drove Cain out of it. But I will ask him for I know he will listen to my voice in prayers. Surely he will.”

On the next day, Adam raised his heart to God and prayed, “Bless me my LORD for I want to talk to you. I know that you are angry and sad for Cain has disobeyed your command. I am not praying for the wicked land, but for Cain, for he is yours. I am not in the wicked land, but he is. Holy God, protect him by the power of your name. I want Cain to be with me wherever I am. We feel no joy in Eden, not anymore, while Cain is alone in the wicked land under your eternal damnation. Eve and I are begging your endless mercies. We want Cain back. And you, the mighty God of the universe, certainly can find a way. Bless me my LORD and I will not be blamed.”

Cain opened one eye, then the other. He was lying on a woody bed in an empty rocky hut. He stood on his feet exploring where he was, when a short, bald, old man with a long black beard entered the hut, “Well, our man woke up. How are you now, Cain?” asked the short man.

Cain wondered that there were many of people outside of the garden. “Fine, Sir. But who are you?”

The short man laughed, “You ask a lot of questions, Cain. Anyway, I am Belial.”

Cain did not have a clue who Belial was. “Where am I, Belial?” Cain asked again.

“You are in the city of Babel, the biggest city of the wicked land. After you were bit by the serpent, we got you here in order to heal you. Are we not kind?” Belial replied.

“Thank you, Belial. Of course you are very kind”

After sleeping for three days, Cain discovered another new sensation. “I am hungry.”

Belial laughed again, “Go outside and help yourself.” Cain went outside the hut. There were many strange people working with some strange instruments like they were preparing for something. He looked at the trees, they were blooming. He went to one of them, but it was an unfruitful. Going to one after another, he found all were unfruitful. He went back to Belial, “All the trees are unfruitful, Sir. How can I eat from them?”

Belial seemed happy with Cain’s confusion, “Yes, they are. You must work the land; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Are we not kind?” Cain was not amused by Belial’s words this time.

Belial glanced at Cain with a roguish look, “You have to choose between three choices: the first, till the arid land and eat from your own work, the second, die of hunger.”

Cain asked him about the third option and Belial smiled and answered, “We serve and feed you.”

Cain did not hesitate; he chose the third option. “But there is nothing for free,” Belial said.

“What do you want?”

Belial seemed happier as if he had achieved his desire, “that is something Lucifer will tell you about.”

“But who is Lucifer?” Cain asked him.

“Oh, that one you met three days before; the oracle of the wicked land.”

Michael was the archangel of the cherubim guarding the Garden, leader of the army of angels. He was the right hand of God the LORD.

God had made winds his angels, flames of fire his servants, so that they could serve him and his creatures. Their will was God’s. God’s will was keeping his children well protected and safe. Although he could have his will done without any angel,  he loved to share his work with his discreet creatures  humans as well as angels .

Eve went to Michael asking about Adam. She had searched for him everywhere for days but could not find him. She was overwhelmed by bitterness and sorrow of missing Cain and now of not finding Adam.

She asked him if it was still possible that Cain might return back to Eden. “Look, Eve. It is one sky and one God over the Garden of Eden and over the wicked land. And you should know that what is impossible with men is possible with God.” Then he ordered her to go back into the garden but gave her no answer about Adam. She went back wondering where Adam could be.

Belial went  with Cain to meet Lucifer. On their way, he kept telling Cain about her, “Lucifer is the greatest creature of God. Her crown and jewels are set and mounted in gold. She was the most powerful archangel. She was on the holy mount of God, walked among the fiery stones. She shook the earth, made kingdoms tremble. She made the world a desert and overthrew its cities.”

Cain was amazed at  how powerful she was. He felt it when he was talking to her before. He felt a kind of energy spreading through the air into his body possessing his mind, heart and sensations. “And then what happened? She does not look like an angel.” Cain asked.

“Being the most powerful archangel was not an easy task. The more difficult the task is, the more glory you should possess. But God despised her. Instead of the glory she deserved, he gave her a curse.”

They  arrived to the desired place. It was a very huge, black castle on the top of a hill. There was a dark cloud over it, through which lightening hit but did not harmthe  castle.

They entered through a big woody door that was opened with the help of two black giant beasts.

When Cain entered the wide hall of the castle, there were five chairs. The one in the middle was the biggest, it was Lucifer’s. The other four were alike. On three of them, there were three men sitting. The farthest one on the left was empty. Belial went and sat on the empty chair leaving Cain standing before the most powerful five figures in the wicked land, the chancery of evil.

Lucifer introduced the four men to Cain, “The farthest one on the right is Beelzebub – who was black skinny small man with two bony wings – the lord of bats. Next to him is Sataniel – who was a giant like an elephant with two big pointed ears and a dragon tail – lord of wild beasts. The one on my left is Iblis – who was hairy like a monkey with a head of a wolf – lord of evil weapons. And the one on the far left, whom I am sure that you know him already, is Belial, the lord of the wicked humans. And I am Lucifer, the fallen cherub, the morning star, the queen of the four devils and the oracle of the wicked land. I have all the wisdom, knowledge and power that neither angel nor archangel has.”

Cain could hardly keep himself from falling on the ground. He realized his lowliness in front of those lords of evil. That was exactly what Lucifer wanted him to feel.

“Now, Cain” she said. “Belial has told me that you have chosen the third option; being fed by us. Is that true?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, here, in the wicked land, nothing is for free. You must obey our commands.”

“I will, my Queen,” Cain replied while giving her a low bow.

Lucifer glanced at Belial with a little smile on her face and then looked back to Cain and continued, “Well, God has despoiled my glory. He despised me as if I were made of dust. He glorified the dust-made humans and scorned me, the light-made star. But I have saved my power. And I want my glory back.”

“How will you do that?” Cain asked.

“Only by eating from the tree of life, can I return to my former glory and be like God, the mighty.”

“So, what has that to do with me?” Cain asked.

“You are my battle, Cain. Your blood is my power. Your damnation is my solution.”

“I do not get the point!” Cain said with growing fear.

Belial lost his head. He stood on his feet and said to Cain, “We have to drink from your blood in order to win our battle against Michael and his hosts. Your blood will give us the glory God has given you, and we will be back to our first state, the strongest host of angels.”

Hearing these words, Cain stared at Belial. He tried to run out of the castle but he wasn’t feeling his feet anymore. He stood still for a while confused and astonished. At last he said “You lied to me, Belial. I should not have trusted you.”

Then Lucifer interrupted him, “Cain, now you have just two options: agree or die. Take your time thinking. Time is my ally”

Outside the castle, all the devils gathered around the Death Lake, they called it the Abyss. There were hundreds of flying bats, hundreds of wild beasts and hundreds of smoky chariots that were drawn by reddish black horses. They were beating the drums with their woody sticks. It was like a kind of festival.

Lucifer left the castle with the other four devils and Cain.

When the crowd saw the Oracle, they all kneeled down. Belial took Cain and threw him into the Abyss which was shallow and salty. With two ropes, Belial tied Cain’s both hands to  two wooden posts, one post at one side of the Lake,  the other at the opposite side. He tied one hand to each post. Cain’s hands were stretched painfully. He was hardly able to breathe.

Belial cut Cain’s two wrist arteries so that his blood could fall in the Lake and been mingled with its dark water.

Lucifer stood at the bank of the Lake and was the first to drink from its water.

When she drank, she had transformed into a white giant lion having giant eagle’s wings. She hit the air with her wings and flew over the Abyss.

After her, all the devils drank from the water, but no one transformed, they only became more powerful.

Cain, after being the strongest of men, was a bony skeleton dressed by human skin. He was so weakened. He cried, “May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said ‘a boy is born’, may that night be barren, may not shouts of joy be heard in it. Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

Sataniel asked Lucifer, “Now, we have drunk from human blood. How can we defeat Michael? We are not stronger than him, and he also has a very strong army”

“I have a plan,” Lucifer replied.

Michael was walking amidst his army like every other day when he felt an earthquake shake the biggest mountains of the earth. He lifted his head to the sky and saw hundreds of bats flying blocking the rays of the rising sun. Then hundreds of running beasts with smoky chariots on the ground, from the misty mountain appeared to his sight led by the flying white lion, Lucifer.

Michael raised his flaming sword to the sky, and shouted, “Defend the garden of the LORD.”

Michael fought strongly,  as did his army. They  divided into three parts; one fighting the flying bats; one  fighting the ground beasts; the last one  standing behind, defending the Garden and the people within.

They fought each other all day. No one could see if the sun was still in the sky or not, for it was darkness at noon because of the flying bats and the clouds of dust made by the ground beasts. But they knew that the day was wearing away.

Michael and his angels were still powerful and strong while the devils were exhausted and weakened.

Beelzebub and Sataniel ordered their hosts to retreat. They went back to Babel, while Michael and the angels rejoiced because they  won their battle against the devils.

In Babel, Cain was tied by the ropes to the posts. He was so hungry. There were some pigs being fed beside the Abyss. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but none gave him anything. He was filled with disgrace.

He remembered when he was young in Eden. He was a five-year-old boy playing with his favorite friend the eagle, or Chogan as Cain used to call him. When the five-year old boy just thought to eat, Chogan flew to the sky and reached up to the tallest tree in the garden bringing back to Cain a very beautiful fruit.

Cain sighed remembering these times in Eden. “Chogan, I am so very hungry.” Cain told himself, “I long to see you, my brothers, my sisters and my parents again.” Then he thought of what Lucifer had told him  the first time they met, ’separation from the loved and association with the unbeloved.’ She was right.

At this moment, he saw that the devils were back  the same as they had gone. He knew that they must have been defeated. He was happy at first. But when he heard Beelzebub and Sataniel telling Belial, who did not go with them, the sneaky plan of the battle, he became sad and despaired.

Lucifer, after she had drunk from Cain’s blood, was strong enough to beat all the angels, but not Michael.

But she had a plan.

She could transform herself to any shape, to any creature, even to an angel of light. When they waged the war against the angels, she had transformed herself to an angel. She walked through the fighting armies without any angel to notice her presence. And now she succeeded in her plan.

Lucifer entered the Garden, searching for the tree of life, but she found nothing. She was confused. She knew where the tree should be, but it was not there. She transformed herself back to the giant lion and scared all the people. She fought against the third host of angels, those were guarding people, and won. She gathered all the people in the middle of the garden, and prevented their escape.

When Michael came back from the battle, he was astonished by the turn of events. He tried to  fight the lion, but he stopped and got back when Lucifer told him to do so or she would kill all the people.

“You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till the wickedness was found in you. You were filled with violence, and you sinned. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. You have come to a horrible end and will be no more.” Michael said to Lucifer.

Lucifer laughed so loudly that all the people closed their ears with their fingers. “I drank from Cain’s blood, and I will eat from the tree of life and get my glory back. You are the one who will come to a horrible end, Michael, for I will destroy you, I will reduce you to ashes. And now tell me, where is the tree of life? Or I will kill all the people.”

“God the LORD hid it. None, except him, knows where it is.”

“Well, I will take all those people with me as hostages. And I will keep them forever till your LORD changes his mind. Or till you do so.”

Lucifer then took all people, except for Adam because no one knew where he was, and flew through the sky on her way back to Babel.

Taking people as hostages deserved a celebration party in Babel, especially when they were naked people. Naked people meant that they were virtuous people. And devils adore virtuous people; their suffering, their pain and their despair.

During the celebration, they drank all the night from their favorite wine, the bloody water of the Abyss.

One of the devils asked Belial if they could drink from the blood of the naked people. “Shut up, you idiot. We can not drink from the blood of naked people. If we did, we are all dead forever. We are only allowed to drink from sinned-humans’ blood, like Cain’s, to  gain more power. We can bother naked people, scare them, but we can cause no harm to them. Their blood will burn us forever.”

While they were celebrating, Cain looked up at the sky praying to God. He cried tears of joy when he saw an eagle flying over the Abyss. It was Chogan. Cain considered this  a good omen, “I knew that there was still hope.”

The devils celebrated all evening till they were exhausted. It was a long day for them; a spiritual battle at noon, and dancing celebrations in the evening.

The next morning, Lucifer ordered Belial to bring all the naked people to the Abyss. He did so.

When Eve saw Cain was tied by the ropes, she cried and grieved over him.

“Eve, I know that you know where the tree of life is. You better tell me where it is or I will kill Cain, your dearest son, in front of your eyes now.”

Eve fell to the ground and cried, “I do not know where the tree is. I beg your pardon, leave my son alone.”

“You beg my pardon!” Lucifer said in derision. “What pardon?” Then she ordered Iblis to bring their strongest weapon, the curved sword of envy and ordered him to slay Cain.

Eve ran towards Cain when Iblis got the sword but Beelzebub stopped her. She wept and wailed but no one listened.

Iblis hit Cain on his head preparing him to be slain, when Cain shouted, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Then Iblis slew Cain.

After few days, Lucifer decided to go searching again for the hidden tree. She ordered all the devils to drink from the lake,where Cain’s dead body  laid, preparing for the probable war. All the devils obeyed the order and together drank from the bloody lake.

Suddenly, there was light shining in the bottom of the lake. The light  gathered at one point on Cain’s body. Cain arose, returned to life. All the devils, including Lucifer, stared at him. He was a dead body a moment ago. How could he come back to life like that?

Then all the devils, who drank from the lake, were burnt to ashes.

No one could believe that all at once the devils existed no more. When Cain unwound the ropes and got out the Abyss, people recognized him, for he was not Cain, he was Adam, an innocent man.

Lucifer was the only who did not drink from the blood of Adam, so she lived.  Adam, now much stronger than she, forced Lucifer to run away, roaming through the earth.

After Lucifer had gone, Cain appeared from behind the trees. He went and drank from the lake, and was transformed into a virtuous man by the power of Adam’s blood.

All the people asked Adam how he came back to life. He replied, “After I had prayed to God the LORD, he took me to the tree  which he had moved onto Horeb, the mountain of God, in the form of a burning bush. Though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. He ordered me to eat.

I ate and  was transformed into the most powerful man in the universe. I can do everything. I can give my soul and bring it back to me whenever I like. I went to Cain after the festival of the devils had finished, wore the garments that he was wearing, unwound him and tied myself instead of him.”

Eve was the happiest. All the people congratulated her and Cain. During their way back to Eden, Adam opened his mouth and said, “Cain, if you thought that you were the only who was suffering in the wicked land, you were wrong. We suffered with you, even God the mighty. All of us went through your struggle by soul. Your pain was our pain. Your tear was our tear. Even if you had sinned, you were still one of us and will be forever, we love you wherever you have been. And as for God, he did not drive you out the garden, your sin did. Your sanctity did not bring you back to Eden, his love did. He has just done his miracle, bringing you back to your first state through me.

From now on, be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, Lucifer, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist her, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

Cain hugged Adam with tears in his eyes, with happiness in his heart. He looked towards the people, his family, and said at last, “Surely my father took up my infirmities and carried my sorrows. He was pierced for my transgression, he was crushed for iniquity; the punishment that brought me peace was upon him, and by his wounds I am healed. The LORD God had sent his man to me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”

^“3Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”  (Luke 15: 3-4)

Tags: Adam and Eve, Cain, English as second language, ESL, forgiveness, substitutionary atonement
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