The Garden of Eden

“In the midst of the boundless expanse of creation, the Lord God carefully planted a lush and vibrant garden in the eastern reaches of Eden. There, amid the verdant beauty and tranquility, He placed the man He had fashioned with His own hands, establishing a sanctuary of life and divine purpose.” – Genesis 2:8 16th February 3:30 PM Flight PR504 took off from NAIA Terminal 3 earlier than expected. The sound of the engine gave off a rumbling that might have scared the passengers if they weren’t so focused on the old man by the window in an economy class seat. The old man, named Takihiro Sato, sat in his seat looking paler than the full moon. His eyes were flushed red from all the coughing he’d been doing. His wife sat next to him, rubbing his back. “Taki, let me get you a glass of water,” she said, still rubbing his back. The old man waved his hand and shook his head continuously while continuing to cough. A young stewardess walked along the aisle of the aircraft, passing through a curtain to the economy class. She saw the old man still coughing violently and slowly approached them. “Is everything okay here?” she asked the wife, who shook her head in response. “Is there anything I can get you?” “Could you please get us something hot to drink for my husband?” The stewardess nodded and left. The wife looked at her husband, who was already wheezing and almost out of breath. He held her hand tight and looked at her as he coughed up on her face. She felt something wet spray on her, and when she wiped it off, she saw crimson blood on her palms. She gasped and prevented herself from screaming. She looked at him, and from his veined eyes, she knew something was wrong. She immediately stood up and called for the stewardess, who was now running towards them, holding a cup of hot water with a bag of chamomile tea. The old man now stood from his seat, and everyone was panicking. Their eyes were met with horror as Takihiro gushed blood all over the place. The seat was puddling with blood, and from his nose, as he coughed once more, blood sprayed out onto the walls of the plane. The old man knelt down, holding his neck and chest, and slowly gasped for air. His skin was as white as snow, and his veins protruded from his face. He looked up towards the stewardess and his wife, whose eyes were stricken with worry and fear. He then, out of the ordinary, smiled and collapsed on the floor. Everybody stood up and screamed. The captain came rushing towards them and was stunned. He looked at his passengers and asked everyone to calm down. He shook his head and ordered flight 504 to return to Manila immediately.