Page 66 of Elysium
THERE ARE TALES OF A COTTAGE in the Elysian woods. Stories that have been told for generations of a whittler and a weaver. The legends say that the small house just appeared one day, sequestered away from the rest of Elysium, notched into the woods, surrounded by water.
They say if you are lucky enough to stumble upon this cabin, your spirit feels at ease, even more so than the Elysian fields provide to the deceased. They say that while the sun may set on the fields, and the river may hush in the cool of night, that a light in the small house glows.
If you find this house in the daylight, you might hear peels of laughter. You could hear a woman’s scolding words, and a man that continues to fall head over heels for the woman inside. He tries to make her laugh; she rolls her eyes and swats at him.
She is always rolling her eyes at him.
If you find this house in the daylight, you feel a sense of familiarity; you feel love.
If you find this house in the afternoon, they say the husband and wife are outside, by the brook.
She weaves the days away, listening fondly to the endless chatter of her husband.
You will hear her say “Yes dear” and “No, I haven’t heard this tale before” as she laughs quietly to herself.
You might catch a glimpse of him fishing, or carving something for her.
He is always carving something for her.
If you find this house in the afternoon, you will feel like you are home, nestled in a secret place where no one can find you, where you can be safe.
If you find this house in the dead of night, you will hear nothing at all.
The house will be dark, the moon will be high, and the husband and wife will be wrapped up in each other.
Even after all these years, they sleep clinging to one another, as if the silence of night could separate them.
They have been tucked away in the dark, in the woods, for longer than anyone can remember.
They are always together, they are always clinging to one another.
If you find this house in the dead of night, may the trees offer you solace, may the ground offer you peace. The grounds have offered peace to these two beings for eons.
But if you find this house in the morning light, as the sun breaks through the clouds, you will find your heart overflowing. You will hear hushed whispers and gentle laughter. She will ask him about a scar on his leg. He will brag and tell her how he felled a mighty beast on his own.
It will be a lie.
She will kiss him, and he will grin against her kiss, clinging tightly to her.
If you find this house in the morning light, take your overflowing heart and leave. These moments are not meant for passersby, they are meant for them.
They have been here as long as anyone remembers.
Their laughter and love have decorated Elysium for a millennium.
They have always been the whittler and the weaver.
And they have earned their peace.