Cain spent the next three weeks in the garden with a bow and arrow slung over his shoulder, burning the grass, and stamping the flames out.
Cain sat on the side of the bed in silence next to his mother, his legs dangling just above the dirt floor. The smell of smoke and cooked rabbit blew in through the window.
“Abel spent the whole afternoon shooting at rabbits,” Cain said, watching his dad scrape the back of the rabbit’s fur as Abel fed small sticks into the growing fire.
“You think they’re going to share any meat with us?” Eve smiled from the corner of her mouth.
“It kinda looked like a baby rabbit,” Cain shrugged.
Eve smirked. “Did you bring something back for me?” pointing at the red and orange fruit lying on the dirt floor by the satchel.
Cain had forgotten about the fruit. He slid off the bed and picked it up. “It’s a new fruit we found,” Cain smiled, handing it to her. “Dad thinks it’s a healing fruit,” he added. Eve turned it over in her hands, rubbing the dimpled skin.
“Should we try it?” She flashed a smile.
“If you want to.” Over the years, they had tried feeding her every type of healing leaf, flower, petal, mushroom, fruit, and milk in the forest. But nothing had helped.
She sat up higher in the bed as she pulled the red and orange skin apart. Inside were clusters of bright green seeds. She took one seed and placed it on her tongue.
“It’s sweet,” she said, then her lips puckered and she coughed. “And tart.” She ate them one by one and then rolled the final green seed around in the palm of her hand before chewing it. Cain lay on her chest, hugging her tightly. She rubbed his earlobe.
“Hopefully I’ll feel better in the morning.” She said, kissing his head.
“I shot this rabbit for you, mommy!” Abel ran into the room holding a tipping plate of thin slices of meat. Abel crawled onto the bed and elbowed Cain out of the way. Spilling red meat grease on the blanket. He held the tipping plate right up to their mother’s face. She opened her eyes wide and smiled as she picked up a stringy brown piece off the plate. For years Cain had watched her force herself to look excited whenever Abel and Adam were around.
“Oh, it’s hot,” she whispered, blowing on it before putting it into her mouth. “But it is delicious,” she said, scruffing Abel’s hair.
Cain reached for a piece of meat but his brother pulled the plate away. “It’s all for mommy!” Abel shouted.
“Shhhh.” Cain punched Abel’s shoulder and whispered, “Seth is sleeping. You’re gonna wake him up.”
“Ow.” Abel said. He took an exaggerated bite of meat, clearly taunting Cain.
“Give me some!” Cain said, unable to hold his voice down.
“Shhh.” Abel smiled deviously, as Cain fell right into his trap.
Cain clenched his fist. He wanted to punch Abel right in his stupid smiling face.
Eve put her hands on her son’s shoulders and whispered, “Abel, thank you for the rabbit but . . .” Eve pointed to the sleeping baby beside her. Abel smiled at his mom, then shot a mean look at Cain before jumping down from the bed and leaving the room. Cain sat in the now quiet room, looking at the final piece of rabbit meat resting on her lap.
“Have some,” she pushed it toward Cain. He bit into the warm tender meat, the delicious juices filling his mouth.
“Now let mommy get some sleep. And hopefully I’ll feel all better in the morning,” she said, rubbing his earlobe. Cain hugged her around her neck and carefully rolled off the bed, blew out the oil lamp, and left the room.
Cain lay under his blankets for a long time in the dark, trying not to think about all the fun things he would do if his mom got out of bed in the morning.
Cain woke suddenly in the dark to the sound of a long painful moan. He lay under the blanket in the dark, hoping he had dreamed it. Then he heard the unmistakeable sound of his mom throwing up on the other side of the wall. He felt a sickening twist in his gut.
Dad said it was a healing fruit. Dad said it was a healing fruit. Dad said it was a healing fruit. He repeated trying to imagine those words coming out of his dad’s mouth. But the more he tried to convince himself the less sure he felt. He put his head under his blanket and pretended to be asleep.
Then he heard his father shout, “Cain!” He knew that voice. He remembered his father’s anger after the snake bit Eve. Don’t let it happen again, his dad had said, his fists balled up.
Cain threw back the blankets, crawled across the floor, and climbed out the window into the darkness. His shoulder landed hard on a rock. And for a moment he lay in the long dry grass, his arm throbbing. Then he heard his mother shout in pain and retch again. Cain forced himself to roll over and crawl. He crawled over sharp weeds that stung his hands and rocks that scraped his bare feet.
“Abel! Go find your brother!” Adam’s voice cut through the dark.
“Cain!” his brother shouted. Cain crawled to the far end of the garden and then took to the path and finally hid himself under the berry bush. He lay in the dark, quietly gulping air. Again, he heard his mom shout in pain and his mind flooded with memories of the night Seth was born. The midwife running back and forth with water and bloody sheets. Cain pulled his knees to his chest and held his breath.
“Cain! Where are you?” Abel yelled, his voice coming closer. “Dad needs to talk to you right now!” Then he saw Abel’s small muddy feet through the bushes. “I know you are in there, Cain. So just come out now!”
“Why?” Cain said through stifled tears.
Abel got down on his hands and knees, his eyes level with Cain’s. “Because you made mom sick!” Abel insisted.
“Dad said it was a healing fruit,” Cain said weakly.
“You’re supposed to feed fruit to the goats first, you idiot!” Abel scoffed as he poked a wooden arrow into the bush. The sharpened point dug into Cain’s shoulder. He angrily crawled out of the bush and stood up.
“Stop it!” Cain clenched his fist as he glared down at his younger brother.
“You stop it!” Abel said, poking Cain in the chest with the arrow. “You’re the one that made mom sick! I told dad not to take you! You mess everything up!” Abel shouted, whipping Cain in the arm.
Cain felt anger boiling up inside him. Abel had told their dad not to invite him. How many times had Cain been left at home because of Abel. Abel was big enough to milk cows and pick berries. Abel was old enough to change Seth’s dirty clothes. Abel could be helping. He should be helping.
Then Cain heard their mom throw up and his anger was split with fear.
“Maybe . . . maybe . . . maybe it was your rabbit meat!” Cain said digging
