The Year of the Flood

Adam One delivers a speech to the God’s Gardeners in the Edencliff Rooftop Garden, where they celebrate the annual Creation Day Devotion. Adam One reminds his listeners that just five years ago, this place was a wasteland, but because of their work it “blossomed as the rose” (13). He highlights that by gardening on the rooftops, they keep “the decay and sterility” (13) surrounding them at bay.

At the meeting, Adam One warns God’s Gardeners against meat-eating and chasing material wealth. He explains that the current political and environmental situation is the result of man’s free will and disregard for nature. According to him, instead of living peacefully with animals, humanity enslaves and eats them, which has led to catastrophic consequences.

Then Adam One tells the story of creation, emphasizing that Day six, when God created all the living creatures, was “a peaceful gathering at which every living entity on the Earth was embraced by Man” (15). Adam One announces that Day six is not over yet, and that creation is still ongoing. He invites everyone to imagine themselves on the sixth day of creation, to feel this trust between humans and animals, “a trust that has not yet been violated by bloodshed and gluttony and pride and disdain” (15).