Natsuki in the Garden
Natsuki had no idea where she was.
She felt as if she were lying on the ground. Tall grass, taller than she was, grew thick all around her, blocking her view of the scenery. The air was warm and damp, just like inside a greenhouse.
“Whoa…”
Suddenly, Natsuki sensed something strange beside her and cried out.
There, coiled up nearby, was a creature like a huge snake.
It was light blue.
“Eek!” she screamed and tried to run, but her legs would not move. Her arms wouldn’t move either. It felt as if her hands and feet were gone. Somehow, by twisting her body, she managed to inch forward.
“Wait. It’s me,” a human voice said.
It was that lady’s voice.
Natsuki turned around. The light-blue snake was smiling at her.
At least, it looked as if it was smiling. Its unblinking eyes narrowed gently, and long eyelashes framed them.
The snake flicked out its long tongue and spoke.
“Natsuki, look carefully. It’s me. Kuno Ichiko—the Director.
…Ah, I see. In Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden of Eden, there were no other humans. That must be why we couldn’t become human here. Hahaha!”
The big snake laughed cheerfully.
Looking more closely, Natsuki noticed a tiny wide-brimmed hat perched on its head. A small white shoulder pouch hung diagonally across its body, and from the neck down it was light blue.
It really was that lady.
Strangely, Natsuki’s eyes began to adjust. It felt as if the lady had been a snake from the very beginning.
Which meant—
“Eeeek!”
When Natsuki cautiously looked down at her own body, she screamed again.
She was a snake too.
“Whoa…”
Her chest scales had a pattern that looked like Hello Kitty’s face. Her waist had stripes—very snake-like, she thought with a strange sense of relief. The tip of her tail curled into a small loop.
It was… kind of cute.
She even had her pouch around her waist.
Nearby, on a large flat rock, lay the director’s red high heels and Natsuki’s sneakers. They were enormous now—about four times as big.
“So I’ve become a normal-sized snake,” the director said calmly.
“It really seems we’ve come to the Garden of Eden.”
Natsuki tried to understand the situation as calmly as she could.
The light-blue snake—no, the Director—continued explaining.
“We have to remember where the shoes are. Normally, we’d take them off here when we return. But this time… we don’t even have feet. I wonder what will happen. Oh well. It’ll work out. Let’s go somewhere more open, Nat-chan.”
“Yes.”
The two of the girls—no, the two snakes—wriggled through the grass.
It was surprisingly easy. They moved much faster than she expected, and it felt wonderful.
Since they still couldn’t see very far, they decided to climb a large tree. The bark was rough, but their jagged scales made climbing easy. When they reached a higher branch, their view suddenly opened up.
They gasped.
It was unbelievably beautiful.
Soft, mysterious light wrapped the world. The sky shimmered gently, like looking up from beneath the surface of the sea, yet it was clear and blue. Beyond jungle-like green trees, low mountains appeared in the distance.
A clear stream flowed before them, sparkling like dancing mirrors. Fern-like plants swayed along the water’s edge. Small snails moved slowly beneath the surface, and silver fish darted in schools where the water grew deeper.
Bright red and yellow flowers bloomed among low shrubs, and a sweet, unfamiliar scent drifted on the breeze.
A small path—clearly shaped by human hands—ran alongside the stream. Tall trees with large leaves stood at even intervals, like street trees.
Two rainbow-colored birds chased each other through the air, their long tail feathers ending in round shapes like peacock eyes. Dozens of black swallowtail butterflies fluttered downstream, their blue patterns shimmering.
Suddenly, Natsuki and the Director realized they were hungry.
The sweet scent of fruit came from upstream, where a forest of fruit trees stood like an orchard.
“Let’s go that way,” the Director said.
“Yes.”
Sliding smoothly down the tree, the light-blue snake and the small snake with the cat pattern followed the path upstream. They soon found a rhythm to their movement.
It was fun.
They looked at each other and smiled.
The orchard was filled with trees heavy with fruit.
“I want to eat that mango-looking one,” Natsuki said.
Before the words had even finished leaving her mouth, she climbed the smooth trunk and bit into the fruit.
Delicious!
It was juicy and wonderfully sweet. Happiness filled her heart.
On the neighboring tree, the Director opened her mouth wide and swallowed a round fruit whole. It traveled visibly down her body, making her belly swell.
“Oof… that was a mistake. Swallowing whole isn’t a good idea.”
Natsuki couldn’t stop laughing.
“You’re such a glutton, Director! Crawling will be hard with a belly like that!”
“Yes… I failed. And I didn’t even taste it properly. Let’s eat another.”
Just then, Natsuki felt a chill.
Two large eyes were staring at her from a nearby branch—cold, lifeless eyes.
“Who… who’s there?”
There was no answer.
It was only a giant snake’s shed skin.
Even so, it was creepy.
Before she could say more—
Splash!
A loud sound came from the water, followed by a cheerful woman’s voice.
“Come here! That’s right—this way! You’re doing great!”
Following the sound, they reached a large, crystal-clear lake.
There, a woman with long hair was swimming, laughing, with a tiger cub paddling beside her.
“Eve…” Natsuki whispered.
And thus, their strange and wonderful meeting in Eden began.
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