Scent Notes: Blooming gardenia, lychees, red tea, fragrant jasmine, rosehip.

In the lush gardens of Shangri-la, Adam and Eve are living in paradise. Everything is green and sumptuous; gardenias bloom everywhere and animals roam freely, and Adam and Eve revel in their simple, perfect lives.

After many days in paradise, Adam starts to grow a bit restless, wondering if there’s life outside of the garden; maybe there’s other things to know, to understand, to experience. Eve attempts to discourage his wandering mind and restless spirit. She knows they are supposed to stay in paradise and live out their days without worry or fear. Why invite trouble into their perfect world?

Adam begins leaving for long walks without her, returning and telling her he’s been talking to a serpent for hours. She assumes it’s a euphemism and tells him he’s gross and walks away to make herself some tea, rolling her eyes the whole way. But Adam is adamant that he’s met a serpent who can change their lives and teach them all the ways of the world they’ve been missing out on. Eve is less than thrilled, but pretends to mull his proposition over.

That night, the serpent slithered into the grove where they were sleeping, covered in a blanket of soft leaves and moss Eve had interwoven because she was a smart woman. The serpent wakes up Adam, and tells him if he takes a bite of this fruit, he’ll have all the knowledge man was supposed to have. Adam doesn’t hesitate, and takes four large bites. The serpent reminds him to slow down before he eats the whole damn thing, and he nudges Eve awake so she can have at least one bite.

Eve, however, was not someone who should be woken up unexpectedly. As Adam began to shake her shoulder to wake her up, she elbowed him directly in the nose, nearly breaking it and making Adam choke on the fruit he was still eating. Eve was about to apologize, until she groggily realized what was happening and told Adam to go to hell.

With his nose bleeding and his eyes turning black, Adam was suddenly fully aware of his nudity and his stupidity. The serpent slithered away, and Adam was compelled to follow him out of Shangri-la forever, one hand covering his genitals, the other attempting to stop the blood flowing from his nose.

Eve yawned, spread out on the ground, and fell back into a peaceful sleep. She lived the rest of her days happily alone, without a man trying to tell her what to do or attempting to wake her up in the morning ever again. True paradise.

Scent Notes: Blooming gardenia, lychees, red tea, fragrant jasmine, rosehip.