As Earth Churns…22b. East of Eden

Some distance from there, Lucifer was conversing in hushed tones with his key men, Anak and Dagon. “I have a job for the two of you,” Lucifer related. The dark angels listened without a single word of interruption. They didn’t even utter a sound but simply waited for their chief to continue as they knew he would. “The day of offering is fast approaching. I want you both to pay a visit to Cain on his farm East of Eden. Be casual; be persuasive; be relentless. He must be turned before that day arrives.”

Anak used the brief pause in his master’s monologue to interject, “What about Abel? Want us to work on him, too?”

“No, Anak, don’t waste your breath. Not much chance of his coming over to our way of thinking,” Lucifer concluded.

“But we haven’t really tried!” objected Dagon. “How do you know we couldn’t get him as well as Cain?”

“It’s no use. I know this as surely as I knew Adam wasn’t the weak one in Eden. That’s why I went after Eve. She was vulnerable then as Cain is now,” Lucifer finished. “Abel’s faith in God is too strong. You two just concentrate on Cain.”

“Yes, Boss,” they both replied in unison. With that Anak and Dagon set off on their mission.

It didn’t take the two fallen angels long to find Cain alone in his fields. They made a nonchalant approach with the sun at their backs early one morning just after sunrise. As any proficient  farmer, Cain was already hard at work with his crops.

Anak called out from a short distance away, “Morning, Neighbor!”

A bit startled, Cain looked up and repeated the greeting, “Morning. Uh, who are you?”

“We’re your neighbors from just beyond that forest to the east,” Dagon replied. “Thought we’d pay you a friendly call and see how things are going. Your crops are looking magnificent. My names Dagon and this is my partner Anak.”

“Howdy. Didn’t know there were any other humans on Earth other then my folks and my brother Abel,” Cain commented.

Anak took up the fabricated tale, “Oh, we’re not humans; we’re angels. We’re on Earth to kind of look out for the land and help the people. As men and women multiply on this globe, God thought it would be useful to have some of us stationed here on a regular basis.”

“Sounds like a practical idea,” Cain acquiesced. “So what brings you to my farm for this neighborly visit?”

Anak began persuasively, “Just wanted to let you know that the rules have been adjusted for the upcoming sacrifice.”

Dagon took up the narrative, “That’s right. A bunch of the angels got together and persuaded God to allow any type of sacrifice. We also convinced Him that attitude didn’t really matter; it was the act of giving itself that was important.”

“My, oh my,” gasped Cain with some amazement. “I’ll bet Jesus wasn’t any too pleased when he heard God agree to that.”

Anak spoke, “What makes you say that?” The angels were wondering if their lies had gone farther than needed or desired.

Cain said, “Just yesterday I had a visit from Jesus here at my farm and it was all about first fruits and best and lots of attitude of the heart. Seems the laugh’s on him.”

“That’s right, Neighbor Cain,” Dagon acknowledged continuing the lie. “Jesus actually left that meeting in a huff and went away to sulk for hours.”

[to be continued]