Flies in the Dark (a Living Rough Draft)

The Oasis

A Magician in a desert came upon a beautiful, natural pool. Desperate for a drink, he ran toward it, only to find a ravishing maiden swimming blissfully at its center.

She took him to her cabin nearby, where she nourished him, and fed him, and taught him the ways of isolated living. You see, she was used to living alone. She had no husband, no visitors, yet she found ways to be thankful for the gift of life.

And the Magician loved every minute of their time together.  Soon after, they fell in love, and he had all but forgotten about his quest.

He had to find the Keep of Light within the Castle of Shadows—he needed to save himself from the Blight of the Queen of the Underworld, to whom he sacrificed his "immortality" in exchange for a Son.

Little did the Queen of the Underworld know that he was not actually immortal—hence the encounter infected him with a terrible, deadly poison, but his blood lived on in her unborn Son, infecting her with the disease of human mortality.

Wishing to see more of the world, the Maiden convinced the Magician to travel, and they took off on a daring adventure. They traveled all over the world.

All the while, his beloved grew weak and wary, and he questioned whether he had infected her too.

Then one day, he awakened to find she had disappeared. There was nothing left to indicate what had happened to her, except for her peculiar water-drop-shaped pendant, which she never took off from her neck. He didn't notice before that water had filled it.

Under the pendant, too, was a note in her handwriting.  It read,

"Eventually this day would come,
I wish I could have said it.
You'd never take me far from home
For fear of what I'll tell you.

Elementals' souls aren't free,
Until we marry mortal men.
Salamanders live in fire,
And Sylphs take to the skies.

Gnomes inhabit underground,
But the Undine stays in water,
And since I never married you
My soul will go back home.

I've never loved a man before
'Cause one had never passed me by.
How could I deny my soul
experiencing your love?

Telling you would shoo you off,
I'd never get the chance again—
Neither could I marry you
And keep you from your goal.

But if I'm gone, it means one thing:
You'll find me where you found me.
No matter where you are out there,
You'll find me back at home.

I love you as the clouds love rain,
I hoped to let you go one day
So you can nourish all the lands
And spread your love to flow."

At once, the Magician stuffed the pendant and the letter in his pack and set off to his new destination—the pool; and after some time, ultimately, he made it back again.

Upon seeing the familiar green in the middle of the sands, he ran towards the water. . .

. . .only to find the water all dried up. In disbelief, the Magician ran to the middle of the crater where his beloved once bathed. Heartbroken, he began to weep.

As his tears fell down his cheeks and dropped to the ground, the pendant began to glow, and from within, he heard her soft, warm voice once more:

"My love,
every year this oasis dries,
six months later,
it fills again.

I was born to live in water,
which I carried around my neck,
but since your tears have touched this ground,
I am now bound to you.

And though you cannot see, nor hear,
nor feel me physically,
my spirit will always be with you,
I will always be within.

Every time you wish to feel
my presence there with you,
just let your tears fall down your face,
you'll only ever have to cry.

I will be your comfort,
In sadness, grief, and fear,
To share your tears of joy and love,
A whisper in your ear

And when you go to sleep at night
I'll manifest in dreams.

You will never lose me, love,
if that is what you wish,
as long as you will always carry
That pendant around your neck.

I love you,
Truly."

The Magician smiled and felt comforted and reassured. He wiped the tears from his eyes, and spoke to the pendant as he stood deep within the crater, replying to his beloved:

"My greatest gift to you, my love,
is that you'll live again
so you may feel the breath of life
give space to those two lungs
and feel the rays upon your skin,
our radiating sun.

Selfish, though, I'll seem to be
to carry you along with me
Your life belongs outside on earth,
Unwrapped. Boundless. Free.

For now, I wish to see you live,
so I shall leave you here, my dear.
When six months pass and floods begin,
I'll make my way to you again;

And we'll make love, then separate,
A lonely man I'll be once more.
But I'll be back; I'll never fail,
every year until I die...

..or so I wish that could be true,
But please, my love, forgive me.

I cannot be your only one—
My mission is to save my lands.
I have to seek the Keep of Light
My unborn child needs me.

I left him with the Darkest Witch,
Queen of the Underworld,
And though she is an evil one,
My Son will be our Savior.

She'll curse my land,
and kill my clan,
So I must see to it He lives
but without life—my mortal life,
He has no life to live.

Just as you this Oasis binds,
He's likewise bound to me.

I cannot carry the burden of
keeping your soul alive.
For my responsibility
Is to keep my son's life lasting.

To have your old experience,
and once again enjoy it,
Perhaps someday, a man without
A quest will claim you in my stead,
And you shall find your heart's desire,
The soul you crave forever.

I loved you, but not for need—
I loved your soul-image.
Yet you loved only one true thing,
The soul you wish you had."

And with that, there was only silence. A cool breeze brushed against the twilight air, as he poured the water which filled the pendant and watched the ground absorb it.