A Strange Meeting by the Water
A baby tiger? Natsuki thought.
It looked just like the tiger cub she had once seen at the zoo with her family.
The woman came out of the water, holding the little tiger close to her chest. She was not wearing any clothes at all. She sat down on the grass by the shore, stretched out her legs, leaned back on her hands, and let her long hair fall behind her. She looked up at the sun, squinting happily.
She looked very beautiful.
Natsuki found herself staring.
Beside her, the Director whispered in a small voice,
“She has such long, lovely legs…”
She sounded just a little bit jealous.
When the woman moved her legs, the tiger cub played around them like a kitten.
“So cute,” Natsuki murmured.
But in the very next moment, both snakes froze.
From between the bamboo trees ahead of them, a huge wild beast appeared. It looked like a tiger—but it was twice as big as any tiger Natsuki had ever seen. Long fangs stuck out like sharp swords.
The two snakes, high up in the tree, shouted at once.
“Watch out! Run!”
“A tiger! A tiger’s coming!”
The woman heard their voices and looked around in surprise, but she did not panic. Holding the cub, she calmly walked toward the giant beast.
“No! It’s dangerous!” Natsuki cried with all her might.
The beast let out a deep growl—but instead of attacking, it rubbed its huge body against the woman, just like a cat asking for affection. The frightening sound was not a roar at all. It was a gentle purr.
“Are you feeling well?” the woman asked softly.
Then she lifted the cub onto the beast’s neck and, with a cheerful little jump, climbed onto its back herself, as if she were riding a horse.
Natsuki could hardly believe her eyes.
The light-blue snake, whose belly was now quite round, cried out in surprise and nearly fell from the tree. She quickly wrapped her tail around a branch and dangled there.
The woman laughed happily on the tiger’s back, then noticed the blue snake swaying in the branches. She climbed down and walked over, looking curious.
“Were you the one calling out to me?” she asked.
“My, what a lovely color you have. But you do look a little plump. Teehee.”
She gently poked the Director’s round belly with her finger.
The Director, still hanging awkwardly from the branch, looked deeply hurt.
“Well! You’re a bit too plump yourself!” she snapped.
“Thin ladies are popular these days, you know. And your chest is rather… generous.”
The woman looked down at herself, clearly not understanding what the Director meant. She tilted her head slightly, then carefully picked up the blue snake and placed her on the branch.
“You can talk too,” she said kindly.
“Just like the green snake. And what a cute thing you’re wearing on your head. What is it?”
“It’s a hat,” the Director replied proudly.
“It suits me, doesn’t it?”
“A hat? Why do you wear it?”
“Well… for fashion. And to protect from the sun.”
“Fashion? The sun?” the woman asked, puzzled.
Natsuki, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
“I can talk too.”
The woman noticed her and smiled brightly.
“Oh my! How adorable. Such a small little snake. And look—there’s a pattern on your chest. A kitty’s face! With whiskers! How sweet!”
Natsuki puffed out her chest proudly, and the tip of her tail swayed.
But then she remembered why she had come here.
“Um… you’re Eve… Eve, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am,” the woman said.
“You know me?”
“Of course we do,” the Director said quickly.
Natsuki felt she should introduce herself properly, so she spoke as best she could.
“My name is Natsuki. I’m from Japan. I’m in sixth grade.”
“Natsuki… Japan? Sixth grade?” Eve said gently.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
Realizing this was not helping, Natsuki asked her biggest question.
“Then I have a question. Eve, why did you eat the apple?”
“An apple?” Eve asked.
“Eat it? Is it tasty?”
It seemed they were not understanding each other at all.
Just then, a man’s voice called out.
“Eve! What are you doing?”
The Director and Natsuki knew at once.
Adam.
There could be no other man in Eden.
They looked toward the voice and screamed.
“Eek!”
The man approaching them was not wearing anything at all.
With no hands and no eyelids, there was no way for two snakes to look away. Feeling awkward, they fixed their eyes on his face instead. He looked kind and gentle, with a full beard covering his cheeks.
“Oh, Adam,” Eve said cheerfully.
“These are my new friends. Um… Natsuki and—”
“Ichiko,” said the Director, giving her real name.
“Nice to meet you,” Natsuki said.
“You can talk too?” Adam said in surprise.
“See?” Eve said proudly.
“I told you! That green snake really did talk!”
“Hm,” Adam said thoughtfully.
“I wonder… Did God make snakes able to speak too? It seems a bit strange…”
The Director explained smoothly.
“We come from a very faraway place. We heard the Garden of Eden was beautiful, so we came to see it. It truly is wonderful. May we stay here for a little while?”
Eve’s face lit up.
“Oh, how lovely! I’ve wanted someone to talk to. Adam has been so busy taking care of the garden lately. Please—can they stay?”
Adam smiled brightly and nodded.
“Of course. This garden belongs to God, after all. I’m just taking care of it. The more work I put into it, the more it grows. I want to make it bigger and better. I’m so thankful to God for giving me such a wonderful world and such an important role.”
Natsuki leaned toward the Director and whispered.
“I can’t stay too long… My mom will worry.”
“It’s all right,” the Director whispered back.
“One day in this world is only about one minute in your world. Even a whole month here would be less than half an hour.”
“Oh! Then it’s okay,” Natsuki said, relieved.
“I’ll think of it like a trip to Hawaii. I didn’t bring a swimsuit, though… but I guess I don’t need one.”
She looked at her snake body and shook her head with a small laugh.
Her worries drifted away, replaced by excitement.
And so, one whole week in Eden passed—
like a beautiful dream.
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