Page 10 of Heart Shaped Wreckage
“You make it sound so…”
“Wonderful?”
“Co-dependent.”
She laughed and looked around the small courtyard at the other couples quietly talking at their own tables.
“It is… sometimes. When Ash isn’t with me, I watch for her.” She smiled sadly. “That’s why we all need our pastimes to keep us busy.”
“Agreed. What do you do?”
“I knit. Sometimes when I’m alone, I stare at the sky and remember. It’s getting harder to reminisce about the lives of our past.”
“There have been many.”
“Yes. Some were much better than others. I’m glad to forget about the dark times. You? What do you do to stay busy?”
“I talk to people. I… Well, Heath likes to be social. When I’m alone, I’ve started journaling.”
“God, we’ve become so pedantic in our old age.”
“I still run free at night. There are others, and I blend in with their pack even if I can never belong. The moon still calls to me.”
“I rarely run free these days. This body belonged to a witch. I took control of it as soon as her spirit began to exit. It’s still strong enough, but she was not a shifter. I miss the feel of my fur as the air rushed around me. Next life, maybe?”
“Do you still have any of her power?”
She held up her hand, and a small flame danced on her fingers. “A little. But not enough. I miss who we were, Magnus. But I like whoever I am. Am I being too obtuse?”
“No… I still miss my feathers.”
“There you are!” A middle-aged woman called out and began to walk over. “Have you two had a fun time catching up?” Her frizzy blonde hair almost made a halo around her head. She held quite a few bags that dangled from her arms.
“It’s been lovely, Ash. I see you found all the shops,” Lamassa laughed happily. Her eyes had lit up as soon as she saw her. Was that love?
Why did I care? I had lived so long without ever truly knowing what that kind of love felt like. Had I even missed it?
No.
And…
Yes.
I had grown tired and lonely. Maybe I did need someone to care for, but to know that one day they would leave me… Everything died – except us.
What was the point? I had suffered enough since my fall. I wouldn’t willingly rush towards another source of pain.
“I got you something!” Ash bent down and kissed Lamassa’s full lips. “You’re going to love it.”
She was sweet, and I enjoyed the rest of our conversation, but…
They left, and I knew that we would see each other again. What did time mean to beings such as us? Lamassa and I would always be connected as we journeyed thither onward.
I would probably not see her in this form again, nor would she find me inside Heath.
All we could do was persevere and try to see what the next lifetime would be like.
I walked Heath’s body back towards my small cottage at the edge of the village.
