।।THE OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST LONGLISTED।।
Life...Limerence... Love
When duty and desire clash, what will you choose? Can you give up the love which may kill you?
When a family tradition rips apart the peaceful life of Aaron, it's up to him to reign in...
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'I'm afraid of the dark!' I mumbled.
'I know it, Aaron.' she replied, disinterested as always. 'I've known you for five years.'
Obviously, she knows me. She knows everything about my fear and my insecurities.
A memory came back to me of the day my mother died.
There was some fault in the electric supply and the power was turning on and off.
Once her breathing became rapid, I knew it was time. Just then she had grabbed my hand and whispered those last words.
'Poppy... P-o-p-p-y'
When the power returned after a minute, she was gone. Since that day, my subconscious has always learnt to identify the darkness with death.
I had faced enough ridicule for this. Men are supposed to be strong and composed, but I was so soft, vulnerable, just the opposite. I tried to hide that side from the world, with the effect that I had sunk into depression and was close to the brink of insanity.
Claramay came into my life at that moment and made me find my hope in life again.
'It's not far, come on. Only a little bit more,' Claramay's voice startled me as I hurried to follow her and the small blue fire which was fed by her magic.
I stumbled on some stones and she reached out to steady me.
Just as our arms touched, she drew back with a jolt. I became aware of the proximity of our bodies and my hungry body craved more for her touch.
'You idiot, can't even find your way around here. Shame on you,' she scolded, just like old times. 'Wait for a second!'
She muttered something gibberish and little dots of light began appearing out of nowhere in the cave. They were like little fireflies, scattered in all directions, lighting up our way.
They reminded me of the thousand stars scattered in the galaxy. It was as if we were traversing the milky way.
'It's breathtaking. How do you do this?' I gasped.
She laughed, the sound ringing like the peals of church bells in my ear.
'Aaron, I'm a Vešterka, a witch. I have magic.'
'But these people hate witches. How do they trust you?'
I prepared myself for another silence, but surprisingly she turned towards me, her face deathly pale from the eerie lights.
'I won their trust. Grey Meadow, the land of the wizards, is a really dark place to be. Fights and killings, dirty politics, infidelity and harrowing games...' she shuddered.
Involuntarily I reached out to touch her hand. This time she didn't draw back!
I ran my hands up and down her arms. Her breathing became shallow.
