Never Say Such Things (3 page)

“Rachel I…”

“No. You’
re not worthy of me.” She turned and stopped. She was huffing now and the storm clouds above broke their hold on the gallons of thick, heavy rain. It poured down, pounding and stinging my face, drenching my clothes and blankets.

“I know I’m not. I’m sorry Rachel. I know I’m not worthy of anything,” I sighed, rubbing the now intense pain that stabbed behind my eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

She whirled around and I lost my breath. My chest tightened and I couldn’t breathe.

“Rachel?”

“I told you to never say such things. I told you to bring me your
true love
.”

My eyes bulged as she drew my breath from my body. I stared horrified at my love, my one and only. Rachel’s angelic face was gone, in her place was the gargoyle woman’s face, grey and cracked in her eternal stone.

What?

“I did bring you my true love…Rachel…” my voice faded. My breath was almost gone. My heart beat in my chest erratically. It was the end soon, this I knew well.

“You fool. Your true love is yourself. You were never capable of loving another. You never could. You dare bring me Rachel? Ha!” Her laugh rang in my head as I gripped my temples, the pain intensifying. Her face looking slightly hurt. “I am Rachel. But, not your true love.”

“What?” my lips mouthed the word, unable to form the sound.

“Yes, it was you all this time. You alone could have stopped this. You loved yourself above others. I should take your soul for pay. But…”

Suddenly I could breath, easier and easier. My heart
resumed a natural beat and my chest ceased to burn. I gulped down the precious air as she let go of whatever supernatural hold she’d had on me. She bent over, now looking like Rachel once more. Her smile wasn’t so innocent. It was malicious and full of evil intentions.

“I have a better idea,” she laughed straightening up. She reached out to touch my cheek, taking all the pain in my head away and much more with it.

“I curse you with everlasting life, so that you can bring me souls year after year after year, over and over again. Young forever to live, but never to really be alive,” she snarled, turning and walking away. This time as she rounded the corner, she morphed into the gargoyle form and flew up into the black grey of the clouds.

I stared down at my hands. The wrinkles of time and the taint of age were all gone. Flexing my fingers, the pain of arthritis and wear were also absent. I was young again.

No.

I stood up, a strong muscular body under my hospital gown and pajama pants let me know what she had done.

No.

This was not what I had wanted
.
Never this
.
I was young again. I had to relive my lif
e
agai
n
. If I’d given her what she had wanted that first day, I wouldn’t be here. I would not have to live forever as the reaper I had become. I was an old man, stuck in a young body, but filled with regret and shame.
Doomed.

Yet now, I had n
o wife, no lover. Even if she’d been Rachel the entire time, I would miss her in a way. I would miss her chicken soup and her sweet caress on my pains. I would miss her smile and her laughter, her everlasting calm. Yet, she wasn’t who I had thought. She’d been that monster all along. She had played her part so well, every day, fooling me in every way. My skin crawled at the thought.

No!

I ran from the rotunda as I saw Nurse Nancy struggling to pop open an umbrella at the door to the building. I ran and ran, through the mud and rain, like that fateful day, long ago.

The End

Dedication and Acknowledgement

I have to thank and dedicate this to my writing brothers and sisters, who without them, the spark inside would die. They are like coals burning, keeping each other bright in the dead of night, warm and true. I am blessed to have you in my life.

About the Author

Alexia currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada–Sin City! She loves to spend every free moment writing or playing with her four rambunctious kids. Writing has always been her dream and she has been writing ever since she can remember. She loves writing paranormal fantasy and poetry and devours books daily. Alexia also enjoys watching movies, dancing, singing loudly in the car and Italian food.

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