"C. L. Moore - Fruit Of Knowledge" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moore C. L)

Lilith closed her eyes, feeling reality pour marvelously along her bodiless
limbs. Faintly now she could feel grass underfoot, Adam's chest against her
anxious hands; his arms were around her and in his embrace she was taking
shape out of nothingness, summoned into flesh again by the godhood in this
image of God. And then- "Adam. . . Adam!" Eve's sweet, clear voice rang
lightly among the
leaves. "Adam, where are you? I want to go look at the Tree, Adam. Where are
you, dear?"
"Hurry!" urged Lilith desperately, beating her half-tangible hands against his
chest.
Adam's arms loosed a little about her. He glanced across his shoulder, his
handsome, empty face clouded. He was remembering.
"Forsaking all others-" he murmured, in a voice not entirely his own. Lilith
shuddered a little against him, recognizing the timbre of that Voice which had
spoken in the silence. "Forsaking all others-" God had said that. "Forsaking
all others but Eve-"
His arms dropped from about Lilith. "I. . . I'll. . . will you wait for me?"
he said hesitantly, stepping back from her half-real shape, lovely and
shadow-veiled under the shadow of the trees. "I'll be back-"
"Adam!" called Eve again, nearer and very sweetly. "Adam, I'm lost! Adam!
Adam, where are you?"
"Coming," said Adam. He looked once more at Lilith, a long look. Then he
turned and ran lightly off through trees that parted to receive him, the glow
of his half-divinity shining upon the leaves as he passed. Lilith watched the
beautiful, light-glowing figure as far as she could see it.
Then she put her half-real hands to her face and her knees loosened
beneath her and she doubled down in a heap upon the grass, her shadowy hair
billowing out around her on a breeze that blew from nowhere, not touching the
leaves. She was half-flesh now. She had tears. She found a certain relief in
the discovery that she could weep.


The next sound she heard-it seemed a long while after-was a faint hiss.
Cloaked in the tented shadow of her hair, she considered it a while,
hiccupping now and then with receding sobs. Presently she looked up. Then she
gasped and got to her feet with the effortless ease of the half-material.
The serpent looked at her sidewise out of slanted eyes, grinning. In the green
gloom under the trees he was so handsome that even she, who had seen Adam, was
aware of a little thrill of admiration. In those days the serpent went upright
like a man, nor was he exactly non-human in shape, but his beauty was as
different from man's as day is from night. He was lithe and gorgeously scaled
and by any standards a supremely handsome, supremely male creature.
All about him in shadowy outline a radiance stood out that was vaguely an
angel shape, winged, tremendous. It invested the serpent body with a glow that
was not its own. Out of that celestial radiance the serpent said in a cool
voice:
"The Queen of Air and Darkness! I didn't expect you here. What are you doing
in that body?"
Lilith collected herself, hiccupped once more and stood up, the cloudy hair
moving uneasily about her. She said with a grim composure: