by PN Books
“It won’t be long,” a voice kept saying in a reassuring tone. “Won’t be long.”
Fred reached into her pocket, touched the jewel and the crowd parted. At the edge of a shallow bank they say a wizened old man with a long scraggly beard and hair, dressed in filthy rags and looking as old as time.
“You,” he said pointing to them. “You’re not dead yet.”
“Charon,” Fred began, “we’ve come— “
“Oh, I see,” the man nodded. “A couple of wizards, a witch and – and who the hell are you?
“Um,” Scott said. “I’m rich.”
“Oh. Well state your business.”
“I am the Witch Frederica Ramona-Lynda— “
“Oh right,” he nodded. “Right. You’re expected. Come along then. Got your pennies?”
Fred looked to Erica who looked to Mia who looked to Scott.
“Witches,” the man spat. “You go questing all over the globe and in the end you forget a penny for the boatman. Sheesh.”
“Um,” Scott ventured. “I have an AMEX Black Card.”
“That come with points?”
“Sheesh,” Scott said handing the man the card.
“Well, off we go then.”
“Not fair!” one of the dead cried. “We are the ninety-nine percent!”
“Won’t be long,” Charon called back as the boat glided smoothly across the river. “Problem is that it will be,” he muttered.
“How’s that?”
“You’ll see.”
Crossing the river, the mist cleared and the scene before them became idyllic. They saw a rolling pastoral landscape with trees and flowers in the full blush of Spring. The air was warm and bright and scented with roses, but the light came from no sun and it cast no shadows. No birds sang and the quiet was stranger than the flats.
“She’s up there,” Charon said. “That little cottage with the white picket fence.”
“Where is everyone?” Fred asked.
“We’re, um, in mourning. She’ll explain. Off you go.”
The cottage was nestled on the side of a small hill. Flowers and bulbs bloomed everywhere, and the grass and hedges were immaculately trimmed. They followed a white stone walkway to the white painted porch. There, seated on a white rocking was an old woman dressed in black. She was knitting and the threads she wove were gossamer.
“The Arch-Sage sent you,” she said looking up from her work and smiling.
And to each of them the woman looked something akin to their own grandmother.
“Yes,” Fred said taking a breath. “We are— “
“I know who you are,” the woman said. “Why have you come?”
“We have come, oh Mother Goddess,” Fred said kneeling, “to return this.”
And bowing her head, she held forth the bejeweled pomegranate.
Persephone’s wail nearly cracked the sky. The four clutched their heads and fell to the ground as earth shook beneath them, and clouds blotted out the sky. The woman stood and grew young and beautiful and terrible before them.
“Why do you torment me?” the goddess cried.
“B-But Earth Mother— “
“I cast that stone away when he died! I could not bear the memory!”
Thunder began to roll and the goddess’s eyes became ablaze with white fire.
“What?” Fred asked in bewilderment. “Who?”
Persephone flung open her arms and it was as if the air had parted. They saw before them a, stone crypt resting deep underground. On it was carved the word HADES.
“The Lord of the Underworld?” Erica breathed.
“Dead?” Fred said.
“Oh what’s the use,” Persephone said stifling a sob.
The woman collapsed back on her rocking chair. She shrank to her old frail form. The clouds melted and the light that cast no shadows returned.
“When gods die,” the woman sighed, “who cares anymore? Who even notices? Oh, people notice when spring does not arrive right enough. But who cares about a sad old man’s passing?”
“But,” Erica began timidly. “I thought that the Great Hades was immortal?”
“All the more bitter his passing,” the goddess said. “He was old. He was tired. He had a sort of malaise. You might call it an Unter-Weltschmerz. For the last few centuries he had even grown . . . tired of me . . .”
Fred and Erica traded a look, and then Erica hugged Mia. The wizard and witch rested their heads together.
“Forgive an old lady her anger,” Persephone said. “I’m just not myself anymore. Truly, I understand the feats of bravery and times of challenge you must have endured to help ease this aching heart. Please, take the gem as a small reward for your kindness. Now go. Leave me to my loneliness.”
Frederica gathered up the pomegranate. The four turned to go, each feeling their own sorrow for the once proud woman. And then Fred felt a small breeze in the still air, and beyond the roses she thought she smelled the ocean. She looked to her sister.
“You wouldn’t,” Fred breathed.
“Worth a try,” Erica whispered. “I really am thinking about the growing season.”
Erica approached Persephone, her glimmering gown trailing sea-foam. Mai’s robe parted as she took Erica’s hand.
“Dear Earth Mother,” they cooed.
Fred took Scott’s arm and strode quickly down the cobblestone path.
Spring came to the Champs de Mars a little late that year, but when it did it near exploded. People picnicked, children played, their silvery laughter filling the lilac scented air, boys wooed girls, and kites filled the sky while crocuses bloomed on the ground.
Frederica sat on her blanket in her favorite spot, sipping her tea from a styrofoam cup while a wide-eyed Scott told Uncle Jon all about their adventure in the Underworld.
“Well then,” Uncle Jon said. “All is well. Persephone is happy, my niece Erica and that wayward witch Mia have found useful employ, and you my dear Fred have yourself a pomegranate full of power.”
Fred smiled and batted her eyes.
“Now what of you Scottie?” the man chided. “Have your fill of the supernatural yet?”
“Scott,” Fred said taking the man’s arm, “and I are going to sail to the Antipodes.”
“That’s right,” he said. “Never been there.”
But even as Fred and Jon started to giggle, there was a small stir among the people in the park. A woman was walking through and among, handing out a seemingly endless stream of flowers. She was dressed in a sky-blue gown that flowed from her like sea-foam. Her raven hair bedecked with delicate flowers trailed in no wind. People laughed and danced in her wake. The smiling woman walked to the three on the blanket and scattered them with scented petals.
“Erica,” Frederica said smiling.
“What a gig,” her sister grinned.
THE END
WE WERE THREE
Chapter 1
It’s been two years since graduation. Hard to believe the three of us are still going strong. It seems we’ve beat some sort of odds here where so many others have issues with a successful relationship between just two people. Here we’ve made it work for this long with flying colors and are still that fearsome threesome. We’re just awesome like that. I am officially the luckiest girl in the entire world, right here.
If I’m going to tell this story right I’d better start at the beginning and that would definitely be “The Graduation Party”. Cash’s folks really did things up for us that night and the place looked more like a prom than a party. That romantic air though, probably helped nudge along some feelings that had been brewing beneath the surface of our inseparable friendship more and more in that last year. We were happy, the three of us as friends, so none of us wanted to tamper with that tight bond and think outside of our perfectly fine constant party of three.
We were just freed from our four year’s hard work and dues paying in college, and we were shining stars on cloud nine out to enjoy the night meant to ce
lebrate just that. Toasts had been made and cocktails downed, we were well fed on hors d'oeuvres, and were laughing our heads off with all of our favorite people, dancing the night away.
I was out on the patio with my long time friend Charlotta when Andrew asked if he could talk with me for a moment. Immediately I knew something was off and thought maybe a relative was sick or that he was going to spring on me that he was moving away—he was that serious.
Chapter 2
Andrew sat me down and seemed to take things in for a moment, catching his breath. My sleeveless metallic and shimmering jacquard frock embellished with beaded flowers near the collarbone, with its princess seams and flared skirt with pleat accents, a Teri Jon by Rickie Freeman, was shining under the lanterns. It helped to keep up my glow and confidence from within. I sat up straight and intently tried to read him caringly, as he seemed to be sweating something.
“Holly, I—” and he rethought for a moment, “I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to say it.”
“Okay.” I said, my eyebrows raised. I nodded, ready to be there for him.
“I fucking love you Holly.”
“I fucking love you, too, babe!” I smiled back and felt the excitement of the evening, such a glorious time for all of us.
“Look, I want you to know that you can always count on me, like always. But we’ve graduated now—we’re supposed to all be moving on and finding jobs and running off and getting married and starting families and…” We both started laughing, it’s a lot to swallow, but true. We were expected to work on growing up at this point. He went in again to get to a point, and I stared at his blue eyes and cute little stubble mustache look and grinned at the sight of him, just loving this man to the core.
“I want you,” he blurted out.
At that point I remember my heart stopping and my smile faded with pure shock. I almost opened my mouth enough to try and talk him out of it when he interrupted.
“Don’t say anything,” he went on, “I just can’t ever imagine ever wanting to be with anyone else, I love you too much. Please don’t freak out. Don’t tell Cash, just take some time to think about it.”
This was taboo. Our mere existence survived on the friendship between the three of us and I couldn’t imagine tainting that or hurting Cash, ever. I wouldn’t even let my mind wander into that territory. As I steamed up in thought, almost mad at Andy and stuttering, I noticed his eyes dart around the now empty patio and out of nowhere he just leaned over. I got this feeling he was going to kiss me but it wasn’t awkward.
He grabbed my waist and with his lips brushing up against mine he said, “I’m going to fucking kiss you,” and in that moment a rush ran up my spine, tapping into a lust buried so deep under what was right, all the way down to something I must have wanted all along and never knew—and he did. Up to that point it was the hottest kiss of my life.
Chapter 3
Frozen in time, Andy had to take my hand and pull me up.
“C’mon, seriously, don’t freak out. Just think about it. Let’s just have a good time,” and then he led me back inside. I could feel myself two shades pinker as I walked in and him giving my hand a squeeze in his made it only a little better. It took a few distractions and laughing fits brought on by my beloved pals, but it wasn’t too long before I was able to shake the whole scenario and try to get back into party mode.
Cash was busy being life of the party for most of the night, but when one of our songs came on we hit the floor. Oh, what a night and the electricity was surging through me. I was in a dreamland and felt like a diva of the night; just having such a good time and then there we were, laughing our heads off and catching our breath to this old slow jazz song.
“It’s the best part of our life,” Cash sang out in sing-song fashion as he twirled me. “The world is our oyster,” he sang teasingly and dramatically pulled me close like we were on some kind of dance show.
“Cynthia and her crew were at it again tonight,” he said with an eye-roll.
Gosh those girls would never stop. For years they seemed to have nothing to talk about to Cash, who they were obviously all obsessed with, except to poke at him with asking when he and I were going to just drop the show and admit we were doing it… annoying! (To say the least.)
“I got’em,” he said with this spark in his eye and I could tell he was up to something. I gave the question, do-tell eyebrow raise. “I told them I would ask you out just so they’d back off. I don’t think it was what any of them wanted to hear.”
“Yeah, I bet not!” I laughed. With a quick glance out of our little dancing powwow, I saw the girls eyeing us and fake-slapped Cash on the shoulder. “You’re serious?!” He chuckled with this villain grin. “You’re playing with their fragile hearts,” I reminded him and with that he swung me around again and started back in with the sing-song talking.
“So?” and he looked on with sincerity, I couldn’t tell why he was giving these girls such a show and sensed some kind of game. But Cash wasn’t a game player like that. “With Andrew’s approval, of course.”
Just the mention of Andrew’s name was hard to hear at that point and I wanted to tell Cash everything that had happened but it wasn’t the time. It was only because of what Andy had just told me that I thought nothing could surprise me, and felt way off guard in general. I just stared at him trying to read if he was serious. That was when he looked me in the eyes like he never had before.
For four years I had looked into the eyes of this guy and he had never looked at me like that. Softly, he said, “I thought maybe… we could try it.”
And I nearly passed out. Seriously, I got light headed and flushed and weak and backed away politely letting him lead me off the floor so I could sit down. I totally left him hanging there like a sad puppy and went to the loo, but I just had to go and take a moment to myself.
The bathroom was peaceful, a silver motif in this one and for a moment I just enjoyed the scent of jasmine soap, but then I couldn’t help but notice the woman in the mirror waiting for my attention.
I was thinking, Did this really all just happen? Did my two best friends just come on to me in the same night? Who I adore? Who I love? Who any girl would die to have the attention of for even a moment? I remember feeling tragic. Sick. Torn.Upside-down. I wasn’t prepared for any of this. I sighed out a big sigh and just thought about the two of them, their smiles… And then I had this idea.
I watched a grin form on my face in the in the mirror. “I won’t have one of them,” I said to myself out loud, “unless I can have both of them.”
Chapter 4
“Ha!” I felt like I had outsmarted the evening and with my head held high I prepared to re-enter the party. I quickly reasoned that with everything that happened, and once we all had talked about it, that my decision, which at the time was just my way of skirting any decision at all, would be to not choose. Yes, as simple as that, and they would have to figure it out from there with the ball in their court.
I heard laughter as I strolled down the hallway, and headed to the lounge where it was coming from to find a big group of my friends all looking more grown up but only because they were serving up scotch. Andy and Cash were both there.
We lounged with our drinks and I felt like I had something tucked up my sleeve and the only way to clear the air was just to do it. When it was just the three of us in this one area all cozied up and laughing I blurted out, “So…Cash asked me out tonight.”
Cash got white in the face and Andrew looked confused, only I laughed. Cash chimed, “I said with Andy’s approval.”
“Wait, what?” Andy said, honestly dumbfounded, “but…” He looked to me to for some kind of direction, perplexed.
“Yeah, Andrew professed his love for me, too,” I divulged, “out on the patio like, an hour before.” The two of them looked at each other with wasn’t horror or relief but something oddly in between, searching for where this could go.
“Don’t worry,” I broke things u
p, casually lounging back with my glass and taking another sip, “I’ve already made up my mind.”
“Oh, really?” Andy asked playfully, and we all laughed. Same three. Same laughs. There should have been this awful tension but with us all three there, there just wasn’t.
“Do tell,” Cash inquired so formally.
“I just simply won’t have one of you,” I remarked and it started to sound like a game.
“Princess!” they both said in unison, and we all chuckled. Andy looked a little disappointed really, but Cash was deep in thought. He stood up and looked out in silence.
“Okay, so what if?” he said and we listened. “What if we move forward in life just like everyone expects, just like we’re supposed to, but in our way. What if we reinvent things on our own terms? What if we dare, guys?” And he looked on to us, continuing his speech. “What if we dare to let love in?”
It sounded crazy. I mean in a striking way, like a new business idea that’s so great, but will just die a dream. But then, all of a sudden, Andy spoke.
“I’m in.” Then he looked at me intently, “I love you, Holly, and Cash if you’re serious—I mean, are you saying you love her?”
Cash knelt down on one knee and looked at me, “I’m crazy about her.”
“Then,” Andy said, “unless you’re screwing around I say let’s do it. Not like, ‘it’ I mean, you know, like try this idea.” We all cracked up laughing which was a good thing because that surely was in the back of everyone’s mind on how that whole thing would go.
Now it was my turn, “So, wait, you guys are actually both saying that you love me so much you want to take things to the next level? Like relationship wise? I have to admit it only sounds fun and I can’t bear the thought to lose you guys so making plans together seems perfect. I just… I just can’t believe this is happening.” After a pause, I smirked, “It’s kind of hot,” breaking the ice and we all smiled. “So…what do we do next?”