Five Urns
By E.J. Loera
“I don’t think I can see you anymore.” She turned to her right, the side she always favored because it hid the birthmark her father told her gave her “character”. Her eyes fell to the window, the moonlight spilled there like puddles of warm milk. The second she thought of having to add another urn full of ashes to her living room mantle, her stomach churned and she had to turn back to the woman.
The woman caught this glance, spun it around her finger, and reeled in her prey like a spider. “You’ve tried that. Stop running from me.”
Her eyelids struggled to dam the rising flood. “Stop making this harder.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Stay with me.”
“I can’t.”
“Is it because I’m a woman?”
“When has that ever mattered to me?”
“Well then – what?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I thought you understood.”
The woman stomped her foot just as a toddler with a tantrum might, her red hair flaming brightly along with a cool flash in her eyes. “You knew the price for having me!”
Four urns. Father. Mother. Brother. Husband. And now “son”… if she didn’t tear her heart in a million pieces and walk away. She shook her head. “It’s too much. We have to stop.”
“I love you.”
“I can’t anymore.”
The woman’s finger jabbed into the air violently. “You! You told me you didn’t care. You knew the cost and you welcomed me!”
“I told you. Not anymore.”
“It’s because of him isn’t it? You told me you didn’t love him.”
“I didn’t. That’s not it. But my son…”
“Your son? Your son will turn out just like his father! Be with me!”
“He won’t.” Her neck shivered from side to side like a seizure. “He won’t. I won’t let him.”
“You’re so full of it. You love me.”
“Stop. Please, stop. Just leave. Please.”
“Tell me you love me.”
“Please.”
“Tell me you love me or I’ll buy you a fifth urn.”
Her jaw tumbled into her chest. “You would do that?”
The woman leaned into her, eyes aflame. “Tell me you love me.”
She swallowed. “I love you.”
The woman kissed her, shoving their lips together so hard she tasted blood on the lip on her prey from where her tooth had accidentally caught the flesh. “Tell me you want me.”
“I want you.”
The woman’s hand began slipping down her prey’s back slowly. “You know he has to die, right?”
They prey choked on a sob while returning an eager kiss. “I know.”
“I don’t want to.” The woman’s hand commenced on an upward ascent of her prey’s back, lingering on the zipper of her dress. “You know that, right? But I can’t be around you for too long without these… repercussions. I wish I could. You believe me?”
“Yes. I believe you.”
The woman breathed deeply into the neck of her prey. “I love you. I’m sorry.”
“Death?”
“Yes, my love?”
“Please take me this time.”
Death sighed deeply and took a step back. “How many times do we have to go over this? I can’t. I don’t know why.”
“Is that the only reason you love me?”
“No, my love.” She closed the gap between them once more. “Oh no, my love. You are simply magnificent.”
Death’s prey closed her eyes, not wanting to see the shadow that was emanating from her lover and sprouting a thick black mist to engulf the room. She didn’t want to think of this mist devouring the house, filling the lungs of the young boy two rooms over until he passed quietly into the night.
Death’s kisses drowned her, the intoxicating touch sending shivers and electrical pulses through every nerve ending in her body. Her mind filled with the black mist and she forgot the urns, forgot the boy, and forgot the world. Love suffocated her, and she swooned.
- - -
I am an author of novels, poems, short stories, plays, and vegan recipes. When I am not writing, reading, or painting, I can generally be found hiking with my dogs or daydreaming about places to which I have yet to go. I have previously been published at Indigo Rising Magazine, 34th Parallel Magazine, Daily Love, and more.
For a full listing of publications as well as more information, please visit my website: http://ejloera.weebly.com
By E.J. Loera
“I don’t think I can see you anymore.” She turned to her right, the side she always favored because it hid the birthmark her father told her gave her “character”. Her eyes fell to the window, the moonlight spilled there like puddles of warm milk. The second she thought of having to add another urn full of ashes to her living room mantle, her stomach churned and she had to turn back to the woman.
The woman caught this glance, spun it around her finger, and reeled in her prey like a spider. “You’ve tried that. Stop running from me.”
Her eyelids struggled to dam the rising flood. “Stop making this harder.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Stay with me.”
“I can’t.”
“Is it because I’m a woman?”
“When has that ever mattered to me?”
“Well then – what?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I thought you understood.”
The woman stomped her foot just as a toddler with a tantrum might, her red hair flaming brightly along with a cool flash in her eyes. “You knew the price for having me!”
Four urns. Father. Mother. Brother. Husband. And now “son”… if she didn’t tear her heart in a million pieces and walk away. She shook her head. “It’s too much. We have to stop.”
“I love you.”
“I can’t anymore.”
The woman’s finger jabbed into the air violently. “You! You told me you didn’t care. You knew the cost and you welcomed me!”
“I told you. Not anymore.”
“It’s because of him isn’t it? You told me you didn’t love him.”
“I didn’t. That’s not it. But my son…”
“Your son? Your son will turn out just like his father! Be with me!”
“He won’t.” Her neck shivered from side to side like a seizure. “He won’t. I won’t let him.”
“You’re so full of it. You love me.”
“Stop. Please, stop. Just leave. Please.”
“Tell me you love me.”
“Please.”
“Tell me you love me or I’ll buy you a fifth urn.”
Her jaw tumbled into her chest. “You would do that?”
The woman leaned into her, eyes aflame. “Tell me you love me.”
She swallowed. “I love you.”
The woman kissed her, shoving their lips together so hard she tasted blood on the lip on her prey from where her tooth had accidentally caught the flesh. “Tell me you want me.”
“I want you.”
The woman’s hand began slipping down her prey’s back slowly. “You know he has to die, right?”
They prey choked on a sob while returning an eager kiss. “I know.”
“I don’t want to.” The woman’s hand commenced on an upward ascent of her prey’s back, lingering on the zipper of her dress. “You know that, right? But I can’t be around you for too long without these… repercussions. I wish I could. You believe me?”
“Yes. I believe you.”
The woman breathed deeply into the neck of her prey. “I love you. I’m sorry.”
“Death?”
“Yes, my love?”
“Please take me this time.”
Death sighed deeply and took a step back. “How many times do we have to go over this? I can’t. I don’t know why.”
“Is that the only reason you love me?”
“No, my love.” She closed the gap between them once more. “Oh no, my love. You are simply magnificent.”
Death’s prey closed her eyes, not wanting to see the shadow that was emanating from her lover and sprouting a thick black mist to engulf the room. She didn’t want to think of this mist devouring the house, filling the lungs of the young boy two rooms over until he passed quietly into the night.
Death’s kisses drowned her, the intoxicating touch sending shivers and electrical pulses through every nerve ending in her body. Her mind filled with the black mist and she forgot the urns, forgot the boy, and forgot the world. Love suffocated her, and she swooned.
- - -
I am an author of novels, poems, short stories, plays, and vegan recipes. When I am not writing, reading, or painting, I can generally be found hiking with my dogs or daydreaming about places to which I have yet to go. I have previously been published at Indigo Rising Magazine, 34th Parallel Magazine, Daily Love, and more.
For a full listing of publications as well as more information, please visit my website: http://ejloera.weebly.com
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