Reading John Miller's review in The Wall Street Journal of a new annotated edition of the classic Bram Stoker novel, Dracula, got me thinking, of all things, of the Garden of Eden.

Always one for a good scare, I shuddered in agreement when Miller wrote of Stoker's novel, "An early scene in which its iconic antihero climbs out a window and crawls headfirst down a castle wall remains one of the creepiest in English literature." This, despite the fact that we all know the basic story line of Dracula: undead count leaves his castle by night to bite the necks and suck the blood of unsuspecting victims, dooming them to his own fate: living forever in a dead existence. Their only hope for release from their pitiable state is for someone to kill them with a stake through the heart, putting their souls finally at rest.

Which brings us to the Garden. We all know that famous story, too (this time, one that is true). Two humans living an ideal existence in an ideal location until a dreadful bite changes everything. One bite out of the only forbidden fruit in the garden consigned Adam and Eve to death. But that wasn't the only result of their fateful snack. Genesis 3:22 quotes God as saying, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil, Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever --" (ESV)  The Amplified Bible adds this footnote, "This sentence is left unfinished, as if to hasten to avert the tragedy suggested of men living on forever in their now fallen state." That tragedy was averted by Adam and Eve's banishment from the Garden, home of the Tree of Life.

Tonight, when I see little miniature Draculas standing at the front door with their pillowcases and plastic pumpkins held aloft for a handful of candy, I think I'm going to breathe a sigh of relief that I serve a merciful God who wouldn't let His creation suffer the fate Stoker imagined for the count's victims.