Canterbury Remix

by Talia Ostrow

General Prologue:

            Her name was Lily Goldman. She wore a long black skirt, a pink frilly blouse, and a shiny white shell underneath which covered her from her elbows to her collarbone. She sported black tights and black flats that didn’t look very confortable. She had a bounce in her step, making her dark curly hair swish side to side as she walked. Anytime someone sneezed she would quickly tell him or her “Labriut” and whenever something terrible was mentioned she would gasp and mutter “Chas V’shalom.” She had a very bubbly personality; her laugh could be heard from miles away. The girl eagerly made sure that everyone knew her different religious and political views. Lily was the kind of girl who knew that if she put her mind to it, she could befriend anyone and everyone would like her. At least that’s what she thought.

Character prologue:

            “Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well today! My tale is one that I learned in Yeshiva many years ago. You see, I went to a Yeshiva from Kindergarten to 8^th Grade, but then my parents ran into some financial trouble and couldn’t keep paying the tuition. So, I was forced to switch into a public school. I realized that G-d had given me a task: to educate my fellow pupils. Before me, some of my new friends had never even seen a Jew before. One boy even asked if I could show him my horns. I was appalled! How could these people be so ignorant? So, in order to show the students at my school what Jews really are, I decided to become more religious. I needed to make sure that I acted appropriately so as to change their ideas about what Jews are like. I started wearing skirts all the time so as to be more modest. I felt like I needed to show the world what Jews are really like, even if I had to change myself to do so. Alright, but enough about me, lets get to the story.”

Character Tale:

            “A long time ago, nothing existed. No one really knows what it was like before the world was created, because the Torah begins with creation. Through a seven day process, the world as we know it was formed. On the first day light and darkness were created, the second day was when the sky and water were separated and shaped, and the third day brought plants such as grass, trees, and flowers. On the fourth day the sun, moon, and stars were created and the fifth day came with birds, fish, and insects. Finally, on the sixth day, man was created. Well one man actually, and he was called Adam. Then, G-d gave him a companion who was called Chava- ah I mean Eve. That’s what she’s called in the bible right? I don’t want to confuse anyone. They were created in a garden famously known as the Garden of Eden. The two people were allowed to live their lives to the fullest without a care in the world. They didn’t wear any clothes and were allowed to eat from whichever trees they wanted except for one; that was the only restraint that G-d gave them. One might think that it would easy enough to leave one little tree alone and just enjoy what they had; one might think that.”

            “Adam and Eve didn’t live alone in the garden of paradise; all the other animals from creation resided there as well. There were dogs, birds, and snakes. Not just any snakes though, they were a little different. The snakes in the garden had…LEGS! They could walk around and everything! The weirdest part was that they could even talk! And, there was one particular snake that becomes very important in Adam and Eve’s life; I can’t remember his name though (if he even had one). He was the meanest snake around and was probably the one who gave the whole species a bad reputation. You see, this particular snake was very jealous of Adam. Adam’s wife Eve was always running around in the nude, making a big spectacle of herself, and the snake was very jealous that she was married to Adam. So jealous, that he wanted to ruin Adam’s life and knew just the way to do it,”

            “’Eve!’ the snake whispered from his hiding spot behind a bush. Eve was in a meadow, minding her business and picking some flowers. At the sound of her name she perked up ‘Is someone there?’ she asked, looking around. ‘Over here!’ the snake whispered louder, peeking out from behind the bush. Eve looked around a little more until her eyes landed on the snake. She pranced over to him and kneeled so that her head was parallel to his. ‘Hi there!’ she exclaimed, obviously not afraid of the snake in any way. ‘I found the most amazing fruit ever!’ he said excitedly, grabbing her hand and pulling her forwards. She just shrugged and let herself be dragged. They finally arrived at the snake’s destination: the forbidden tree with forbidden fruit. Eve pulled her hands out of his and frowned. ‘We aren’t supposed to be here,’ she said, slowly backing away. Her husband had told her that G-d said to not even touch the tree, although that was a little of an exaggeration. ‘Come on’ the snake started, ‘don’t be afraid of a tree. Just come touch it.’ Eve seemed unsure but her curiosity got the better of her. She inched slowly towards the tree and gingerly placed her fingers on the trunk. She quickly looked up, as if expecting to get struck by lightning on the spot. When nothing happened she laughed with glee. ‘See? Nothing even happened! Adam is just a party-pooper. Come on, the fruit are really as good and savory,’ the snake reached up and picked one of the fruit and held it out to her. She looked unsure but took it from him and took a bite. Everything went downhill from there.”

            “Eve realized that it was the best fruit she had ever tasted, and quickly took off to find her husband, an extra one in her hands. The snake was very confused; he thought that if he introduced this to her, she might leave her husband for him.  But, while he watched her run away, he realized that he had been extremely stupid to think that. He was just a snake, and that was all he would ever be to her. This made him even happier that he just made Eve commit the biggest sin of all and probably just ruined her life. He figured, if he couldn’t have her and be happy, no one could. Anyway, Eve ran to Adam and held out the fruit, explaining that is was really harmless. She finally convinced him to take a bite. This made G-d extremely angry. He scolded the couple and exiled them from paradise, making their lives much harder and filling it with sorrow. Adam had to start farming for food, and Eve had to birth children painfully. They both became very self-conscious and started wearing clothes. Even the snake was punished, and was forced to live without legs and to forever slither on the Earth amongst the dirt and dust. Humankind would be changed forever, never again living with ease, all because Eve flaunted herself and caused jealousy.”

             “This story was always one of my favorites because it taught me how important it is to dress modestly. It really shows how your appearance can affect the way people view you. Why would you want to give people the wrong idea, right? Therefore, I strongly believe that modesty is ultimately the best policy.”