Page 32
Story: A Strange Hymn
The truth is, before Des came roaring back into my life, I was lonely—painfully, achingly lonely, the kind of lonely that comes from feeling like your life is passing you by and there’s no one there to witness it.
The Bargainer squints at me, his face inscrutable. “You no longer want that?”
I meet his eyes. It’s so hard to read him when he’s like this. I take a deep breath. “No, I still want that, but…” It takes only a few extra seconds to pry the words loose. “But now I’m not scared it won’t happen.”
That’s what happens when you discover you have a soul mate. The fear of a lifetime of loneliness evaporates.
Des’s eyes heat at my admission, and I swear if we weren’t in a restaurant full of people, he’d sweep the place settings off the table and make love to me right here.
I clear my throat. “What’s a dream of yours?” I ask, feeling like my skin is lit.
He watches me, his body so still, I feel like he’s waiting for a moment to strike.
Finally, he says, “We share similar dreams.”
“You want a husband too?” I can’t help but tease him.
He flashes me a wolfish smile, choosing that moment to take another—very suggestive—bite of his churro. “Perhaps,” he says, “but you’ll do.”
I all but roll my eyes. “I’mthrilledto be your booby prize.”
His lips curve up. He stares at me for a beat; then, coming to some sort of decision, he kicks his feet off the table. Tossing a few coins next to my plate, he reaches for my hand.
“But I’m not finished…” I complain. I’ve barely touched my ravioli, and I planned to eat the crap out of it. I’m a girl who can throw back her food.
“Want something to go?” he asks.
My lips part, but before I can respond, another churro drops to the table, nearly falling into my ravioli.
Now it’s Des’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “Looks like someone has a little case of food envy.”
I totally do. He made his churro lookgood.
I grab mine and let Des lead me out of the restaurant. Outside, the sky is still as dark as ever. I stare up at it as I take a bite of my churro, feeling oddly exhilarated.
Our boots echo along the street as we walk. I don’t know where we’re going, but I don’t much care. Nights like this are familiar to the two of us. Countless times Des took me to some foreign metropolis, and together we’d wander the streets. Sometimes he’d ply us both with alcohol, other times coffee and pastries.
“This reminds me of our past,” I murmur.
Des takes my hand before bringing it to his lips and giving it a kiss.
I feel my heart expand. I get to have this man forever. A lifetime of Des at my side. It’s such a wild thought, I’m not sure I’ll ever fully get used to it.
We get to the end of the block of shops. Here the street opens into a grand plaza. Right in the center of it is a sculpture of a winged couple holding each other in a tight embrace. The sculpture floats several feet in the air.
I pause in front of it.
“Who are they?” I ask, staring at the couple. The woman seems made of the same dark stone my beads are, her skin drawing in the light. The man she embraces is made of some shimmering sandstone, his skin seeming to glow from within.
“The Lovers,” Des replies. “Two of our ancient gods.” He points to the man. “He’s Fierion, God of Light, and she’s Nyxos, Goddess of Darkness.”
Nyxos…why does that name sound familiar?
“In the myths,” Des continues, “Fierion was married to Gaya, Goddess of Nature, but his true love was Nyxos, the woman he was forbidden from ever being with. Their love for each other is what causes day to chase night and night to chase day.
“Here in the Land of Dreams, they’re finally allowed to be with each other.”
I stare at the sculpture a long time, finishing off my churro. Even though it’s just a myth, the tragedy of it still gets to me. I hate doomed love stories. Life’s filled with enough heartache as it is.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32 (Reading here)
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160