Cain by José Saramago Read Free Book Online

everyone laugh.
Lilith, however, didn't speak, or, rather, only to the overseer,
whom she questioned about how work was progressing and
asked repeatedly, seemingly just to make conversation, where
the various workmen came from, those not originally from
the city, that one over there, for example, I don't know, madam,
when I asked him, because
if you don't ask you don't know who you're dealing with, he just
pointed over towards the west and said three words, no more, What three words,
He said, from over there, madam, Did he mention why he left
his homeland, No, madam,
And what is his name, Abel, madam, he told me his name was abel, Is he a good
worker, Yes, madam, he's the sort who talks little and
works hard, And what's that mark on his forehead, Oh, I asked
him that too and he says it's a birthmark, So we know
nothing about this man called abel who came from the west, He's
not the only one, madam, apart from those men who come
from around here and whom we more or less know, the
others are all untold stories, wanderers, fugitives, and men of
few words, they might open up to each other a bit, but I
can't even be sure of that, And the man with the mark, how does
he behave, In my opinion, he acts as if he wanted to go
unnoticed, Well, I've noticed him, murmured lilith to herself.
A few days later, a palace envoy came to the treading pit
and asked cain if he had a skill. Cain replied that he had
once been a farmer, but had had to leave his lands because of
the bad harvests. The envoy took that information away with
him and three days later returned with an order for the
treader abel to present himself immediately at the palace. Cain
followed the envoy just as he was, in his filthy old tunic
now little more than a rag, and having cleaned off as much
mud from his legs as he could. They entered the palace
via a small side door that gave on to a hallway where two
women were waiting. The envoy withdrew to report that
abel, the treader of mud, had arrived and was in the care of
the slave-women. Cain was led by them into a separate room,
his clothes were removed and he was then washed with warm
water from head to toe.
    The
insistent, probing touch of the women's hands provoked in him an
erection he could do nothing to repress, always supposing such a thing is
possible. They laughed and, in response, redoubled their efforts
on his erect organ, which, amidst much laughter, they
referred to as a silent flute, and which suddenly leapt from their
hands, as supple as a snake. The result, given the
circumstances, was all too predictable, the man suddenly ejaculated, in
several spurts, which the slaves, kneeling down as they
were, received on their faces and in their mouths. Cain
experienced a sudden flash of insight, this was why they had
come to fetch him from the treading pit, but not to give
pleasure to mere slave-women, who must enjoy satisfactions more
appropriate to their station. The overseer's prudent
warning had gone unheeded, cain had walked straight into the
trap towards which the owner of the palace had been
gently, unhurriedly propelling him, as if unintentionally, as if
distracted by a passing cloud and with her mind on other
things. She had deliberately delayed delivering the final blow
in order to allow time for the seed cast apparently at
random on the ground to germinate and flower. As for the fruit, it was clear
that he would not
have to wait long to be picked. The slave-women appeared to be in no hurry and
were concentrating now on extracting the last drops from
cain's penis, which they took turns to raise greedily to their
lips with the tip of one finger. Everything has an end, however,
everything has its conclusion, a freshly washed tunic now
covered the man's nakedness, and the hour, a most
anachronistic word in this biblical story, has come for him to be led
into the presence of the owner of the palace, who will
tell him what is to be done with him. The envoy was waiting
in the hallway, and one look was enough for him to