Grissell

I knew the other four would return soon. I also knew that I would have to exchange the youngest one for their return. Over the past year and a half that he stayed by my side, I grew to love him more. I always loved him, but now I wasn’t sure I was willing to let him go. We went through so much together. He worked so hard to keep a smile on my face as we awaited the others. I needed to show him that he was loved as much as the other four. No body should ever show him unkindness or disrespect ever.

“You’ve been awfully quiet.” His voice was soft.

“I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

“The others will be back. You won’t be alone.”

“It won’t be the same without you.”

“The other four have always been the more important ones. I’m sure everything will be okay while I’m gone.”

“No, it won’t. I want you to know that you are just as important as the other four. That disgusting man who sits on top of the throne you helped him get is lying. You are valuable. You are loved. You deserve so much better.”

“I’m just happy that you’re here by my side. I only ever need you and my older brothers.”

I felt the stinging of tears in my eyes. He was always so loving. It wasn’t fair that the vile man took so much from him. The youngest deserved the world. He always gave so much just to be brought down again by that hateful man. I wish I could steal the youngest away and keep him safe from the man, but I knew the youngest didn’t want that. He wanted the man to look at him with pride and to treat him like someone of importance. I couldn’t understand why he willingly stayed for so long, but I knew I would stay by his side no matter what.

“You deserve better. I know you want that man’s approval, but look at what he does to you. He makes you apologize for matter that you shouldn’t apologize for. You only spoke what was in your heart and I defended your every word, yet the man doesn’t want to see his flaws. I wish you didn’t want his approval so badly. You give so much to him and you’re the one left with nothing in return.”

“Like I said, princess, I’m just happy that I get to be with you. I know that sometimes the man treats me unfairly, but I’m here because of him. Don’t be angry with him. I just need your love and I’m happy.” The youngest wiped the stray tears from my cheeks.

“I will always love you. You are everything to me.”

“You are everything to me too.”

There we stood, the six of us standing together on a road made of every flower in existence. The scenery was beautiful, yet I couldn’t help feeling bittersweet. As the sun began to set, I knew they would have to leave.

“Will you still be here when we get back?” One of them asked.

“Of course I will. I would never leave you.”

“Are you sure? You can follow your own path while we’re away.” Another said.

“I don’t want to go anywhere if you won’t be there with me.”

“Yah! We’ll always be with you.” The youngest smiled at me.

“But you have to leave, don’t you?”

“Of course we do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be together.” The oldest told me.

“But what if I leave and forget to come back?”

“Then, I guess life would be funny like that. I mean of course we’d miss you, but as long as you were happy, we’d scatter flower petals on the path you choose.”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“Then there is nothing to worry about. If you always want to stay with us like this, then even if you leave, we know you’ll come back.”

“What should I do if I miss you?”

“Just remember that we’ll be home sooner than you think and remember all of our good memories. We went through so much together that you should have plenty of memories to look back on.”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

“We know, but we have to go. It won’t be for long and we’ll see you soon.”

“Do we have to say good-bye?”

“No, let’s not say good-bye. Good-bye means forever, let’s just say see you later.”

“Okay, see you later.” I felt my tears begin to roll down my cheeks.

“I think I’ll stay with her, just for a bit longer. That way she isn’t that sad to see you go.” The youngest put his hand on my head and ruffled me hair.

“Alright, we’ll go first then. See you two later.” The four eldest took their leave as the sun finished setting. The youngest of the group stood by my side until we couldn’t see their retreating forms any longer. I turned to look at the one that stayed with me.

“What do we do now?”

“We just wait.” He smiled at me again.

“What do I do when you have to leave?” I asked him.

“Wait for the others. When I do leave, they’ll be back in a just a few months. You’ll have us all back before you know it.”

“When will I have all of you back?”

“I guess, let’s meet again when the flowers bloom.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. For now, let’s just enjoy being together before I have to leave.”

“Okay!”

We sat alone in the silence together. It was a comfortable feeling to be so close to him, but the sadness seemed to linger over both of us. I clung to him as though I could keep him here with me; as though my grip would make everything else fade away and just leave the two of us. I looked up at him, his face soft and his eyes closed. He seemed so peaceful and calm.

“I’ll miss you,” my voice cut through the silence and he opened one of his eyes to look at me. He was silent for a moment.

“I’ll miss you too,” He sighed and turned to me; his eyes peering into my own, “but I won’t be gone forever. Two years will pass by quicker than you think.”

“Can’t we just run away together? We can be like Bonnie and Clyde. Just the two of us,” I joked to ease my own anxiety over the topic.

“If only we could, but I need to stay. I have to fulfill my duty.”

“I know, I just wish I could keep you here with me forever.”

“I’ll always be by your side. Just not in a physical way.”

He intertwined our hands and pulled me closer to him. I wrapped myself in his embrace and tried to memorize the feeling. I could hear the soft thumping of his heart as we embraced. I heard a soft sniffle and pulled away slightly.

“I don’t want to leave either,” He whispered with a soft smile. There were tear filling his eyes.

“I know.”

“Will you stay up with me? I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

“Of course. I want to spend every moment with you before you leave.”

The earth was once a hollow sphere, devoid of life, save for one entity. The single entity was the fallen angel, Lucifer, who grew lonelier and lonelier as the years passed. The earth became Lucifer’s prison after he opposed the father of all angels, sentencing him to an eternity of solitude on the cold and desolate planet. Lucifer spent many centuries locked in isolation until he grew tired of his surroundings and in a fit of grief, he created the earth we see today.

After years of being surrounded by nothing but the dark, icy ground, loneliness crept upon Lucifer like a python attacking its prey. To try to feel any level of comfort, the lonesome angel began shaping the soil into magnificent mountains. The creation of such magnificence left valleys where Lucifer had pulled the dirt from. Lucifer used the thin layer of ice to decorate the top of the mountains. Though Lucifer poured all his effort into creating the beauty that of the peaks, the soil remained as cold as the barren ice which lay upon it.

Finding no comfort in the unfeeling ground, tears slipped from Lucifer’s eyes like liquid silver; flowing slowly at first, and turned into full sobs once he allowed himself to break. His tears were a storm, flooding the lowest ground and leaving the higher ground seemingly untouched. The salty tears became a soft blanket, warm and inviting, yet devoid of life.

Gazing upon the ocean of tears, a thought occurred to the fallen angel. Perhaps the living creatures of the earth were in hiding. The near darkness of the planet allowing many shadows to hide in. With his thoughts pulling forward a new found hope, Lucifer decided to create a light larger than the small stars in the sky.  Gathering as many tiny stars as he could, the fallen angel created a grand light shining which he dubbed the sun. Placing the sun into the sky, the earth began to warm and feel more inviting; illuminating the earth in a soft glow. The newfound light, however, brought no living companions to the forsaken angel.

The ground began to shift suddenly as small buds of green began to cover the earth. The world becoming a mass covered in green to compliment the blue ocean of tears. Flowers and trees of all kinds decorated the planet with their variety of colors.  Lucifer, though happy with the development, could not help but feel as though he required something more.

Picking up a rock, he decided to try and create life once more. He willed with all his might and at last, he created life. The joy overwhelmed the fallen angel, and he began creating life forms of every kind, carefully placing the animals into what  he deemed appropriate for the life forms.  Lucifer’s final creation was his favorite. The creature was small and fragile. The fallen angel named the creature a human and allowed the humans to roam the world at their leisure.

You were the one person I never expected to see at my wedding. The one person I tried so hard to forget, yet there you were standing with my groom. I felt as though all of the emotions I tried to escape came rushing back. You were the one person who let me go when all I wanted was for you to keep me close. You looked up and locked eyes with me, a surprised expression falling over your face.

With that, I turned and made my way back into my dressing room. The ceremony was starting soon. I should’ve been excited, yet after seeing you again, I wanted to run and never look back. My maid of honor seemed to catch on that I was worried. She told me to breathe and that it was only nerves that would pass once I was finally wed. I nodded along even though I doubted her words. My feelings for you wouldn’t disappear once I was married, I’d just have to control them.

A knock and a call of five minutes had my entourage scrambling out of the door. My heart beat faster as I heard the soft piano music signalling the start of the ceremony. I was going crazy and my lungs burned as though I couldn’t get enough air. I walked towards the door with the thought of running, but was startled to find my father on the other side preparing to send me off. He extended his hand and I regretfully took it. I took a deep breath and allowed the grand doors between me and my wedding to open. There was no turning back now. I walked slowly towards my groom, my eyes shifting in search of you. I saw you sat at the piano, your fingers gracefully falling against the keys. My eyes began to water as I thought of the future we could have had.

Before I knew it, my father was handing me off to my husband to be and we were reciting our vows. The ceremony passed by in a blur and I was finally married. I turned towards you one last time as my husband and I made our exit, your expression was unreadable. That was the last moment I saw you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night was beautiful as I sat on the rooftop. The cold air of the night and the full moon made me feel at ease.  I opened my journal of unfinished lyrics and melodies as I began humming a new tune that came to mind. I closed my eyes and began singing a few words to go with the tune. I felt myself sway as I got lost in my music.

I slowly opened my eyes as the words stopped appearing and found a girl more beautiful than anyone I’ve ever seen staring at me. She turned to leave but I caught her arm.

“I...uh...I didn’t mean to stare.” Her voice was silvery, yet timid. It was nice.

“I-it’s fine. I never had an audience before.” I replied, my voice coming out small.

“I never heard that song before. It was nice.”

“I sure hope you never heard it before. I just thought of it.”

“Really? That’s amazing. The song was amazing and your voice is beautiful.”

“O-oh uh, thanks.” I felt a blush creep onto my faces.

“Do you always write music up here?”

“Yeah, I get most of my inspiration from the night sky.”

“Can I join you?”

“Of course.”

We sat on the roof looking out at the sky. She was amazing. Her beautiful blonde hair framing her small face perfectly. Her deep green eyes reflecting the moon and stars in a dazzling way that entranced me. I could watch her for hours.

“Did you just move in?” I asked.

“Yeah, my parents want me to learn how to be independent.” She didn’t turn to look at me, she just kept her eyes on the moon.

“You’re living alone?”

“Mmhmm,” she nodded, “Will you help me if I need it?”

“Yeah, which apartment are you?”

“37. You?”

“Coincidentally, I’m in 36.”

“Do you live alone?”

“Yeah, I just moved out of my mother’s house.”