I sat in the white room, in a white chair, at a white table. Sitting before me,
the only other object in the room: an apple.
It
looked shiny, almost fake. One bite had been taken out. I was told on the way
in that a final test lay before me, before I could enter the Gates.
This
must be it. This has to be the Forbidden Fruit.
I
stared at it a long time. I thought about the consequences of this piece of
fruit. How Eve had taken a bite and had started the fall of man. How she had
brought sin into the world, how she had disobeyed the only order given in the
Garden.
I
wasn't going to eat it. I wanted to smash it to pieces. I wanted to upend the
table and curse her name.
And
then I thought some more.
I
thought about the stories I was told as a child. I had heard the Garden story
so many times I could probably recite it verbatim. How Eve spoke to the snake,
who tempted her.
What
were those underlying messages? That women were easily swayed. That they
weren't as strong as men. That they were the cause of evil. That they couldn't
simply say no.
It
taught me that women were the reason for sin. It taught me to resent women. It
also taught me that women were just as bad as that snake. Eve tempted Adam, and
then they both knew their shame. As I sat and thought, I got angry. So many
times I had heard that story.
That
story. Used as justification for institutionalized oppression.
And
then I picked up the apple, and took a bite. We're all human, I
thought. One holds no more value over another.
Suddenly,
the door opened. An Angel stood, beckoning me.
"Come
child. Welcome."
I
set the apple on the table, and walked through the door.
