Lost and Found

Adam thought himself in a pickle. Where could he have put it? There wasn't another soul around to take it, and things like this just don't get up and walk away on their own... It had to be around here somewhere, but where does one even begin to look for a missing rib?

He was incredulous for the first time ever - little did he know then, it wouldn't be the last time...

He looked in the lagoon where he'd bathed earlier in the day, then over in the fig grove where he had rested the night before, but there was no sign of it high or low. He climbed the rocky ridge rising well above his private Eden from whence many a time he enjoyed the view of the blue sky stretching forever over the horizon spread out vastly before him and strewn with flowers, fruit and plentiful sustenance.

But today, today the view was very different. There were these dark foreboding clouds floating on the horizon seemingly creeping closer like a very slow wave swallowing up the sand on the shore.

"What is going on?" he thought to himself, feeling a little confused and baffled - again, very new feelings for him.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, a movement far below poked him, just as if a grain of sand was scraping against his retina. A small white speck against the dark, sparkling lagoon could be seen from his high perch. Completely forgetting the ominous horizon, he lumbered down the side of the mountain clumsily scraping his feet and ankles on the jagged rocks in his haste. He quietly approached the inlet where he could now hear a distant splashing... something was in his lagoon.

He crept quietly to the edge of the water, peaking through the vegetation into the lagoon and there, in the water, his water, he saw a leg. It kicked and flitted about just as free as you please. This was an intrusion to which Adam was not accustomed. He reacted by grabbing a large stick nearby and sprang into the open water bringing the stick down onto the water with a smack while yelling "YAAHHH!!"

But the leg took no notice of this and went on as before, foot loose and fancy free.

Adam had never been ignored before, so anger (another new emotion) overtook his brain and he could only repeat his previous action with the stick yelling again, "YAAHH!!" as the stick whacked the water. But again the leg took no notice of him.

He stood momentarily, knee deep in the water, thinking.

Suddenly he felt newly vulnerable, jumped out of the water, turned and squatted by the edge of his lagoon looking gloomily back at the leg. He wondered what brazen creature had invaded his space as he noticed now the clouds sitting heavily over the peak he had been on just a few moments ago...