Paradise: Birds Fly at Sunrise

Chapter 9: The Fountain of The Goddess

Chapter 9: The Fountain of The Goddess

            I closed the door of Mama Namu’s cottage behind us and followed Kaston back along the gravely path to the creamy brick one.

“So, what do you think of Mama Namu?” he asked me.

“She’s incredible. Brilliant. And mad. Completely do-lally. But I think her insanity only adds to her genius.”

He laughed. “Well, I see what you mean by the insanity part. To be honest, the woman scares the hell out of me. Don’t get me wrong, she’s lovely and all, but I kind of get the feeling that she’s always angry at something.”

“Yeah, she scares me too. There’s something about her past. Or her future. I have no idea, she mentioned both several times. It has to be something connected to that swirl of silver in her Parasis Waters. She didn’t seem angry to me though.”

“She was different today,” said Kaston, frowning slightly. Oh, God, he looked cute when he did that. Then he grinned.“Must just be you.”

“My natural calming influence,” I teased.

“Definitely you.”

“No question.”

            Then there was that silence again. He was looking right at me and I was looking back. He squeezed my hand a little and took a step towards me, his smirk twitching like it was unsure as to whether its existence was allowed. He was so close I had to tilt my head almost painfully to continue meeting his eyes, but it was worth it to see both the dazzling blue and the line of his jaw from this angle.

            He rested his hand on the side of my face and brushed his thumb along my cheek, his eyes shifting to follow the movements. I reached my hand up through the small space between our bodies and tentatively touched that perfect jaw line with my fingertips. I traced the carved line, his skin soft and smooth as silk.

            His thumb stopped stroking my cheek and his eyes flickered back to mine again. His head twitched just a fraction closer and my heart skipped a beat. He moved his face slowly towards mine. I went to meet his lips by reaching up on my tiptoes, my eagerness shattering even the slightest trace of patience, when a sharp stab of pain shot into my head and I recoiled backwards, clasping a hand to my forehead.

“Ow!” I shrieked.

“What? What’s wrong?” said Kaston. My heart sank even further when I saw his face. He thought I was reacting to him. As though I’d not want to kiss him! We’d been so close...

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I scolded myself.                        

“No! I mean, nothing. It just felt like someone stabbed me in the head for a second. It’s gone now.”

 I couldn’t be sure, but I think he looked a little relieved that it wasn’t because of him. But he was also frowning, concerned. “It’s probably the air here in Paradise. Mama Namu’s right, it’s too strong, we should go home.”

“No, not yet! It’s not so bad now. Just like a mild headache. Show me one thing, okay? Please. Then the rest another time.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

He grinned. “Okay, what do you want to see?”

“You choose. You know the best sights.”

“Well...I’d love to show you the Parasis – you know, where our Waters come from? – but it’ll take about half an hour to get there and we have to get back...so we’ll save that for another time.”