The Last Night in Eden

George woke up with the biggest headache that he had ever known, and an empty belly. He was also hanging upside down, in the dark. He pushed against the ground, hoping to upset the cask. The cask started to rock back and forth a bit. At the time where the cask had moved the most, he would push the ground a little bit. The swings got larger and larger, and finally the cask rolled over on its side. He snapped the bonds the tied his chest and legs to the cask, and crawled out.

He saw stars, and a gate.

This was bad news for him, although he was inside the city of Eden. He did not know how he got in. He sought after the great building that had housed him before he was assigned the task of building the bridge.

The city was in a festal mood. Horns blared, flutes whistled, and envoys from all the creatures of the world shouted, laughed, and chattered. George, nursing his headache, ducked into an alley to get away from the noise. He was lost in the huge city.

He fell in with a small group of revellers. "Excuse me, but I came in to complete a job for the Powers-That-Be, and I need to get some sleep. Is there a place that I can stay?"

The bear turned to him and growled, "What are you doing, going to sleep? Enjoy your last night of power! When the sun comes up tomorrow, you will no longer have the gift of speech."

A coney added, "If you had completed your task, you would be at the great banquet hall of the powers, in the midst of the Herb Garden. Did you just get back in?"

George nodded weakly.

"Well, then, you may want to go back to the Golden Market. There are servants of the Powers giving out gifts, sort of as consolation for not winning the big prize. Hurry, though, for they were running low. I received bursts of speed, and great fertility. I cannot complain about my time here."

"I could have used that burst of speed," George thought. He politely thanked the coney and the bear, and hurried to the Golden Market. It was not the gifts that the coney was talking about that George wanted. He wanted to talk with anybody, especially someone who might know a Power, to let them know that he had completed his task. At the Golden Market, he saw a group of servants gathered around a large book.

"Excuse me, sir, but I have completed my task. The bridge between the Ruby and Sapphire Pavilions is complete."

"Good! Glad to hear of it. What was your name?"

"George."

The man looked at his book, and checked made a mark next to George's name.

"Thank you for reporting in. The Powers want us to account for everyone. Unfortunately, we ran out of the consolation prizes. Could I get you something to eat?"

"Eat, drink, and something that can get rid of pain."

"An orange, some water, and some sump grass. Here you go."

George thanked him, and sat down. The sump grass was bitter, but the water washed out the taste. He peeled the orange, and nibbled on the pulp. He looked at the servant, and asked, "Any chance that someone will look at the bridge?"

"They already have, probably. A group of the Powers rode the coach up the new highway to survey progress at the park by the Pithom River. That is where your bridge is, right?"

"Yes. I don't know how they missed me. I went right down the highway." George looked at the servant, wanting to ask a favour.

The servant looked at him, understanding what George was asking for. "I can't. The part of the book that marks those who will keep the gifts of speech and reason has been sealed, and the gifts will be granted at the Great Banquet that is taking place now. You had your heart set on it, right?"

"Yes. My people were counting on me, and I failed."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. The gifts that they are going to be granted are mixed blessings. Speech and reason can get their possessor into a lot of trouble, and create pain unknown to those who live by instinct and memory."

George packed away an orange. "Where will I go?"

The servant recommended, "Back home. But take some oranges and sump grass with you. Your people might find both useful, and your trip here will not have been in vain."

"I have one more night's worth of reason. I would like to visit the Herb Garden."

The servant shook his head. "That is the one place where I would not recommend. It is near the banquet, and it may cause you pain. There are many other gardens in the city."

George thanked the servant, stowed away a couple of oranges and some sump grass, and headed

1. for the Herb Garden.
2. for the dam.

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