Page 88 of Unruly
A sweet smile spreads across his face. “Then it was all worth it.”
I dig my heels in, holding on to Borja as tightly as I can, but he’s slipping from my grasp. I won’t let him go. If he falls over, I’m following him.
Then, as if in a dream, everything around us shifts. The air cools considerably and the pull on Borja subsides. Before me, a woman in a flowing golden gown appears, her equally golden hair fanning out around her beautiful face.
This is a goddess, I know that much.
As if on clouds, Borja and I are lifted from the ground, high above the hole, and the Horror, panicking as it takes in the goddess, attempts to scramble away, but the hole below it expands, the floor quaking as a chasm splits the space and the room cools even further.
The goddess picks up the box containing the Horror’s heart and crushes it in her hands. The Horror shrieks and those gnarled hands reach up again, clutching the Horror’s ankles and easily dragging it into the depths below.
Clinging to each other, floating in the air, Borja and I watch as the Horror’s form sizzles and shrinks, its screams shaking the walls around us, a thousand hands clawing at it as it’s sucked out of sight.
The hole slowly closes up and everything grows silent. Borja and I float down softly.
The goddess, ethereal and glowing with soft light, smiles at us. “Lovers,” she says. “And so it continues. You see, love is all there is.”
I bow my head slightly. “Goddess. Thank you for your assistance.”
“How could I not help? I was summoned.”
“By?”
She laughs softly. “You, of course. Your declarations of love brought me here.”
I look at Borja, who looks just as awestruck as I feel. “Amazing,” I murmur.
“Go now,” the goddess says. “Go live your lives surrounded by love.”
“But… how do we… I live?—”
“Shh now, Farnsworth. Trust the process.”
As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she fades away and Borja’s living room replaces the cold darkness of the underworld.
“Whoa.” Borja stumbles slightly. “Did that just happen?”
“Yes.”
“Who was that?”
“She has many names in many cultures, but she is the embodiment of love.”
“And she saved us because we’re in love with each other?”
“I believe that’s why she intervened, yes.” The two of us sit on his couch, silent for several minutes as we process what just took place. “Are you alright?” I finally ask. “Did it hurt you?”
Borja shakes his head. “Just the scratches, but I’ll be okay.”
“That’s good.” I reach for his hand. “You really love me?”
He smiles. “I really love you. Does this mean we have to have a long-distance relationship?”
“It is a problem, Borja. I live there and you live here, as you should.”
Borja nods, his eyes reflecting the sadness I feel. What a terrible fate to finally fall in love but be prevented from enjoying it. I throw my arms around Borja. There are so many things I still want to do and experience with him. I’m not ready to go back to my quiet, lonely life.
“Uh, Farns?”
