The wind howled and moaned outside the rickety cabin walls, but inside there was silence. A small fire burned in the center of the room, providing just enough warmth for the three occupants. Steady purring was coming from the direction of the scratch-cat in the corner, who had already fallen victim to the land of dreams.
Two people lay under a sea of white blanket, trying to fall asleep despite the almost-cold. They both stared up at the dark planked ceiling and the silver thread cobwebs in the corners. Hidden dreams floated through their hearts at this late hour, although neither of them had the courage to make them come true.
A low whisper rose from the dark. "James?"
"What, Jessie?"
The beating of their hearts echoed in their ears. A great nothingness arose for quite a while, and then sank back down into its lair.
She breathed a short breath. "Have you ever been in love?"
He stopped to think for a moment. "What do you mean?"
She turned to face towards him. Her sapphire eyes glistened with a childish wonderment. "Have you ever been in love?" she repeated.
He mimicked her actions; now both of them were face to face. "I'm not sure, Jess," he
quietly responded. "What would you qualify as 'in love'?"
She smiled shyly, a rare site for a girl of her nature. "Oh, you know..." she breathed in a way of enchantment. "When you find someone, and you think they're the most perfect person in the world, and you know that you could spend the rest of your life with them, and the rest of eternity, too... And even though you fight with them, you can still always make it up, just with one look into their eyes..." She sighed dreamily.
"So..." She gazed at him. "Do you think you've been in love, James?"
His glance was averted for a moment, and then his attention turned back to her eager face. "I'm not sure, Jess. There is this one person..."
"Tell me about it, James."
"Jess, you don't want to hear about my stories."
"Yes, I do." She sat up and leaned against the wall. "Please tell me."
"I guess I'll have to now."
He positioned himself right next to her, blanket still wrapped around both of them.
"Well, there's this one girl that I've always admired. She..."
"Do I know her?"
"You sort of do." He smiled off into the distance, warming up the room just a bit more. "She always has so much emotion, and so much spirit. You look into her eyes, and you see a sense of majesty about her, and of dominerance. She can be a bit hostile at times, but you can do what you just said before, gaze at them and you know that everyone's forgiven."
He stared into the flickering yellow of the fire. "She acts like she's a queen, but I always know that there's the little girl inside of her, just waiting to come out."
Another bout of silence came and went. He gently tore his eyes away from the flame. "Have you ever been in love?"
"I guess I've been in love a few times, but it never seems to work out. Everyone that I've been in love with has always decieved me, you know that." She pulled the blanket up around her shoulders. "But lately, it's like, there's one person that I think I might be in love with."
"Do I know this person, too?"
She nodded. "But you haven't really met, I don't think." She looked down into her lap, where her hands were fidgeting with one another. "He's been so nice to me, and I know he'd do anything for me, and he'd never leave me or hurt me at all, and I know that. He's so timid, and I like that, but he can also be so courageous, and I like that, too."
Her gaze met his.
"You know that feeling, when you get the butterflies in your stomach..."
"And you feel like you can't breathe..."
"And you get sort of dizzy..."
"And all you want to do is be in that person's arms?"
She nodded. "Yeah, it feels sort of like that."
"I guess I have been in love, then."
"I think I have, too."
The fire danced in their eyes. No more howling was heard from outside, and a faint moonlight shone in from the window. She rested her head on her knees and sighed. "It's nice to be in love, isn't it, James?"
"I think it is," He let his breath fade into the night air. "Jessica."
He pushed the ocean of feathers aside and knelt by the fire. " 'Omneia vencit Amor, et nos cedamus Amori.' " His sight was fixed on the blaze.
"What does that mean, James?"
"It's a quote from Virgil. He was a Greek poet." He turned around, shadowing his face in slight darkness. His smile brought forth a glow of tranquility and caring. His hushed voice floated softly throughout the room. " 'Love conquers all; let us too yield to Love.' "
He crawled back to her, still nestled under the covers. He wrapped his arms around her neck and brought his lips to touch hers. She leaned forward, putting her arms around his waist and pulling herself into his warmth.
A few moments skipped by. Finally breaking their bond, their pupils locked together and the world became invisible.
"I'd like that."
"So would I."
They both grinned at each other. "James, was I..."
"None other. I bet I was..."
"Of course."
She felt his smooth hand glide along her cheek and rest at the base of her neck. "I think it's time to go to bed, Jess."
"Fine, I will."
They both sank back down under the depths of the blanket. He took her in his arms and held her tightly, taking every scent and movement of the fairy he was with. Sleep seeped into their bones, and their eyelids soon became heavy.
"Jessica, I..."
She smiled. "So do I, James."
They stumbled upon slumber and dreams quickly afterward. Their hearts bloomed with the secrets they had told no one before, and they finally opened their eyes and took in how perfect dizzyness and butterflies flittering in their stomachs and one look for the rest of eternity could be. The words echoed in their minds night after night, touch after touch, kiss after kiss.
For they were beaten by love.
Two people lay under a sea of white blanket, trying to fall asleep despite the almost-cold. They both stared up at the dark planked ceiling and the silver thread cobwebs in the corners. Hidden dreams floated through their hearts at this late hour, although neither of them had the courage to make them come true.
A low whisper rose from the dark. "James?"
"What, Jessie?"
The beating of their hearts echoed in their ears. A great nothingness arose for quite a while, and then sank back down into its lair.
She breathed a short breath. "Have you ever been in love?"
He stopped to think for a moment. "What do you mean?"
She turned to face towards him. Her sapphire eyes glistened with a childish wonderment. "Have you ever been in love?" she repeated.
He mimicked her actions; now both of them were face to face. "I'm not sure, Jess," he
quietly responded. "What would you qualify as 'in love'?"
She smiled shyly, a rare site for a girl of her nature. "Oh, you know..." she breathed in a way of enchantment. "When you find someone, and you think they're the most perfect person in the world, and you know that you could spend the rest of your life with them, and the rest of eternity, too... And even though you fight with them, you can still always make it up, just with one look into their eyes..." She sighed dreamily.
"So..." She gazed at him. "Do you think you've been in love, James?"
His glance was averted for a moment, and then his attention turned back to her eager face. "I'm not sure, Jess. There is this one person..."
"Tell me about it, James."
"Jess, you don't want to hear about my stories."
"Yes, I do." She sat up and leaned against the wall. "Please tell me."
"I guess I'll have to now."
He positioned himself right next to her, blanket still wrapped around both of them.
"Well, there's this one girl that I've always admired. She..."
"Do I know her?"
"You sort of do." He smiled off into the distance, warming up the room just a bit more. "She always has so much emotion, and so much spirit. You look into her eyes, and you see a sense of majesty about her, and of dominerance. She can be a bit hostile at times, but you can do what you just said before, gaze at them and you know that everyone's forgiven."
He stared into the flickering yellow of the fire. "She acts like she's a queen, but I always know that there's the little girl inside of her, just waiting to come out."
Another bout of silence came and went. He gently tore his eyes away from the flame. "Have you ever been in love?"
"I guess I've been in love a few times, but it never seems to work out. Everyone that I've been in love with has always decieved me, you know that." She pulled the blanket up around her shoulders. "But lately, it's like, there's one person that I think I might be in love with."
"Do I know this person, too?"
She nodded. "But you haven't really met, I don't think." She looked down into her lap, where her hands were fidgeting with one another. "He's been so nice to me, and I know he'd do anything for me, and he'd never leave me or hurt me at all, and I know that. He's so timid, and I like that, but he can also be so courageous, and I like that, too."
Her gaze met his.
"You know that feeling, when you get the butterflies in your stomach..."
"And you feel like you can't breathe..."
"And you get sort of dizzy..."
"And all you want to do is be in that person's arms?"
She nodded. "Yeah, it feels sort of like that."
"I guess I have been in love, then."
"I think I have, too."
The fire danced in their eyes. No more howling was heard from outside, and a faint moonlight shone in from the window. She rested her head on her knees and sighed. "It's nice to be in love, isn't it, James?"
"I think it is," He let his breath fade into the night air. "Jessica."
He pushed the ocean of feathers aside and knelt by the fire. " 'Omneia vencit Amor, et nos cedamus Amori.' " His sight was fixed on the blaze.
"What does that mean, James?"
"It's a quote from Virgil. He was a Greek poet." He turned around, shadowing his face in slight darkness. His smile brought forth a glow of tranquility and caring. His hushed voice floated softly throughout the room. " 'Love conquers all; let us too yield to Love.' "
He crawled back to her, still nestled under the covers. He wrapped his arms around her neck and brought his lips to touch hers. She leaned forward, putting her arms around his waist and pulling herself into his warmth.
A few moments skipped by. Finally breaking their bond, their pupils locked together and the world became invisible.
"I'd like that."
"So would I."
They both grinned at each other. "James, was I..."
"None other. I bet I was..."
"Of course."
She felt his smooth hand glide along her cheek and rest at the base of her neck. "I think it's time to go to bed, Jess."
"Fine, I will."
They both sank back down under the depths of the blanket. He took her in his arms and held her tightly, taking every scent and movement of the fairy he was with. Sleep seeped into their bones, and their eyelids soon became heavy.
"Jessica, I..."
She smiled. "So do I, James."
They stumbled upon slumber and dreams quickly afterward. Their hearts bloomed with the secrets they had told no one before, and they finally opened their eyes and took in how perfect dizzyness and butterflies flittering in their stomachs and one look for the rest of eternity could be. The words echoed in their minds night after night, touch after touch, kiss after kiss.
For they were beaten by love.