She Didn’t Take the Bait

The sinuous serpent hissed temptations to Eve when a worm writhed out of the forbidden fruit. She grimaced, then gagged. Thanks to her aversion to creepy-crawly things, Adam, Eve, and all mankind were saved. On the other hand, the slimy worm, with belly full, was forever banned from Paradise.

Ruth Mannino likes to imagine different endings to common myths.