Fallen
It was a cold and windy afternoon in Catchwood Falls. The waves crashed along the shoreline and the trees in the park bent as if to kiss the ground. The moon high in the sky as the sun set created an ethereal view. With her hair whipping against her face, Lorna looked out at the endless ripples across the ocean and ever so slightly continued towards it. Screams from the carnival further down the shore echoed through her thoughts as she wondered if her friends had noticed her departure. It was unlikely, and even if they had she had no expectations of seeing them appear out of the shadows.
Why she had walked this far up the coastline was clear and the need to do so was strong. A sense of being pulled, rather than walking, had brought her to the bottom of the stairs that led up to the cliff face. As her body arched forward and down towards her feet, she unbuckled her silver flats and pushed them aside. One last look up at the stairs prepared her for the climb. Counting each step, leading all the way to two hundred, Lorna peeked over the railing to see the breathtaking view. The breeze gave her goosebumps and she shivered. Should have brought a cardigan. A quick glance over the shoulder to remember the reason she was here. Catchwood Falls had been her home for only a short time. After moving from a more isolated place, it seemed this town could not compare to the familiar. New friends had fallen for someone who became unable to reciprocate in kind. Soon a distance, almost as vast as the ocean she saw before her, separated her from them.
That didn’t matter now. Her feet were cold and the rocks on the stairs had created little cuts on her heels. Leaning on the railing, she removed a letter from her pocket. His name was Conor and no matter how hard she tried to forget him, his face was tattooed on the back of her eyelids. Every song reminded her of a time when they were together and no movie felt the same without him cuddled up beside her. The paper crinkled in her shivering hand and as the piece flapped back and forth she pulled it tight and read the words aloud.
Tears lightly fell from her eyes, each word stabbing its way through her chest. The anguish that flowed in her speech was only in comparison to a mother who lost a child. His writing was so delicate, feminine even, and his explanations so simple. He loved her; there was no mistaking it even through his blatant denial. She had received the answer to her question. Do you love me? It seemed so. Only someone who loved another could spend so much time explaining how they didn’t. Each letter built the lie that she could not force to change.
Before the words were finalised she threw the paper to the wind. Crying a little more dramatically now, she climbed over the railing. Holding on so her arms reached behind her, she let out a cry to release the sadness that she carried with her.
She was so cold – yet so numb. Apathy filled her soul as she began to shed her humanity. An ability that she knew she had, but had never contemplated using. This was not how she imagined this would end.
Bending to sit down she continued to cling to the cold metal pole that prevented her from plummeting to the rocks below. She no longer heard the carnival and the goose bumps diminished. She was ready. Although she had anticipated it would take longer, the transformation had begun.
The searing pain raced through her nerves like liquid fire and her bones cracked as if under immense pressure. Arching backwards, her hands still gripped the fence. She screamed out in ecstasy as the fire turned to ice and her skin began to glisten. Two rays of light cut through her shoulder blades as long white wings were revealed. Her skin glowing more and more until the sun could not compare. It was time. She knew this was the consequence of her falling in love and the ensuing heartbreak.
A deal made with Eros. Lorna envied being alive. Tired of being the daughter of a god, she craved to feel the passion and love that her father was known for. He let her fall from the heavens in the hope that she would find true love and live as a human for a lifetime. However, the ever vigilant Nemesis ensured that Lorna would have to return upon having experienced every aspect of true love.
Soon Lorna became only light. No longer corporeal, her human emotions were discarded as her spirit rose to the heavens where the deal makers awaited. Thankful for having experienced the love that she felt for Conor, she turned and looked towards Nemesis. “Thank you for the heart-break. It was only through my pain that I appreciated the pleasure.”
She turned and walked through the thick billowing cloud land and smiled. She now knew what it felt like to be human.