Origin Read Online Free PDF

wrathful.”
    “Fa!” the fat one said, raising up his hands and rolling his eyes. “Enough with Yeoweh’s dark shadow. From the second century BC, my people have believed in a distinct malevolent deity, in this case Mastema, who was created by ha-shem to do His dirty work, namely, punishing sin. It can be read that Mastema, not Adonai, was the one behind the trials of Job. The same Mastema who tempted the prophets Moses and Jesus.”
    The thin one winced. “I hate it when you call Jesus a prophet.”
    “You must be the holies,” Andy said. It was the first opportunity he’d had to get a word in.
    “What makes more sense,” the fat man turned to Andy. Andy guessed correctly that he was Rabbi Shotzen. “The devil as a fallen angel, or the devil as a purposeful creation of God to be an alternative to His light?”
    “I’m an atheist,” Andy said.
    There was a moment of silence.
    “How can you refuse your own eyes?” asked Father Thrist. “You saw Bub, correct?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Well, he’s unmitigated proof that God must exist. For there to be devils, there must be hell, and if there’s hell, there’s a heaven and a God.”
    Andy decided he didn’t want to get drawn into this conversation.
    “I saw a thing, that looked like what we call a devil. I can’t draw any more conclusions than that.”
    “Another Thomas,” Thrist said to Shotzen. “Here we have, in captivity, one of Satan’s minions, and everyone who sees him doubts. Why not set him free? The world wouldn’t tremble with fear, as predicted. Bub would probably go on the talk show circuit and then become a sponsor for soft drinks.”
    The agitated priest turned to Andy again and pointed a finger, a gesture he seemed comfortable making. “Satan’s greatest feat is to convince us he doesn’t exist. He doesn’t want us to believe in him, and that makes it easier for him to spread his evil. Lucifer is the Master of Lies.”
    “I disagree, Father,” Shotzen cut in. “God wants us to know the devil exists. It’s his infernal existence that steers us towards the path of truth and light.”
    Andy headed for the Orange door, content to leave the philosophical demands of the situation in other hands. The discussion continued without him; in fact, Andy guessed they hadn’t even noticed he’d left.
    The Orange Arm looked newer than the rest of the facility, with brighter paint and shinier tile, but the smell was barnyard fresh. Andy wrinkled his nose.
    Dr. Jones was waiting for him in front of Orange 12, holding a clipboard that commanded her attention. She didn’t look up at Andy as he approached.
    “I’m ready for lunch,” Andy said. He tried on a small grin.
    She walked into Orange 12 without replying. Andy followed. The room was large, almost the size of Bub’s habitat. Several empty pens were off to the right, and to the left side was a fenced area where almost two dozen sheep milled about. For all his travels, Andy had never seen a sheep before, and was surprised at how big they were. They were waist high and fat, like a bunch of gray marshmallows on toothpick legs.
    “Is that actual grass they’re on?” Andy asked.
    “Astroturf. My idea of turning this part of the complex into a biosphere was rejected as too complicated. The turf wears well and is easy to clean.”
    “It looks like they’re eating parts of it.”
    “Yeah, I told them that would happen. Come on.”
    Dr. Jones went to a set of lockers near the pens and removed a leather harness that resembled the reins for a horse. The reins were handed to Andy, and the doctor reached back into the locker and took out a half dozen boxes of Cap’n Crunch cereal. She walked up to the fence and rang a large cowbell hanging from a pole. All of the animals turned to look.
    “They eat hay, but they love breakfast cereal. To get them to approach I have to bribe them. The problem is they’re skittish. Every time they come to get the treat, one of them is taken away.”
    Dr. Jones