28 Melanija's Song
6:30 pm, Noa Restaurant, Mykonos, Greece
Macy gasped. "Harry—" she was momentarily lost for words—"this is incredible. How did you find this place?"
Harry took her hand across the table. "I did as the tourists do, and bought a guidebook, which listed Noa as a top restaurant. I took a chance and called the restaurant earlier this afternoon, to see if I could book a reservation. Luckily, despite my terrible language skills, I was able to make myself understood, as the chef spoke English, thank goodness."
"Very clever, Harry Greenwood," Macy grinned. They were both given menus, and after a time of skimming through the seafood and other such delectables, they decided on their dinner and ordered.
They ordered grilled fresh calamari with seasonal vegetables, and the artistry was quite impressive; the calamari were arranged in a circle on a dark charcoal-colored flat plate that reminded her of volcanic ash, and there were spring greens and clovers interspersed, with what looked to be little comma-shaped dots of cocktail sauce on the outer edge of said plate. If Maggie were here, she'd be snapping away for her Instagram feed, Macy thought to herself.
7 pm, Noa Restaurant, Mykonos, Greece
The next dishes to arrive were beef giouvetsi, a meat entrée with tomato sauce and a side of freshly-cooked orzo pasta (for Harry), and sea bass fillet with roasted artichoke hearts (for Macy). There was certainly something to be said for having fresh produce and a meal straight from the source, so to speak. Macy could not recall ever having a fresher sea bass, nor artichokes. The artichokes she observed when she went to the grocery store were tiny, overpriced, stubborn, spiky things that took too much time, for a rather underwhelming interior. The sea bass she lifted to her palate looked almost the pescatarian equivalent of pearly moonstone and must have been fished for a mere couple of hours earlier, at most. It was as if clouded sunshades had been lifted from her visage, and she could suddenly see how food was meant to be savored, instead of grabbed in the form of a rushed cup of coffee before running out of Vera Manor to vanquish the next monster. She sighed in culinary bliss.
7:30 pm, Noa Restaurant, Mykonos, Greece
Macy, for once in her frenetic life, was completely and utterly relaxed, as was Harry. The landscape to her left was blossoming into a multicolored sunset, with pineapple yellow, blood orange pink, and purple plum shades painted across the darkening sky. It was so refreshing to escape everyday life and just listen to the seagulls and the constant pattern of gently-crashing waves onto the sandy horizon. "Do we have to go back right now?" she asked, almost pleadingly, as the dinner completed.
"Not necessarily—let's take a walk," Harry replied, and so they found themselves walking back in the direction of Mykonos Town, where they heard hints of music emanating forth. Soon, they were upon the quaint town square, surrounded by glimmering tea lights and candles, and dancing couples, both young and old. Harry mentioned, "I think I heard this back in one of the shops earlier today—it's called "I'll never be the same," by Melanija Paradis, vocals with background piano; I heard she writes stories about the magical world too."
"Maybe she can write our life story," Macy responded, somewhat intrigued.
"Maybe," chuckled Harry. "It would definitely be one for the ages. Dance?" he offered his hand, and she took it, as they sauntered over to the dance floor, moving together in silence as the slow-but-steady music echoed into the late evening.
I'll Never Be The Same—Melanija Paradis
I took one step, looked to my left,
Saw my right path, the easy side, but
You were my chosen crossroads,
In my secret past by-and-by.
I knew you once,
In a former life forever away.
I once hoped that you would stay,
But you ran far away…
Into the sky…/Into the sky…./Into the sky…/Into the sky
We took a chance, a century ago,
You moved fast and I moved slow.
Two wild wrongs made a right,
As we hoped and wept that fiery night.
You burst into my life,
Capturing my soul,
You broke me apart,
But you also made me whole.
And I'll never be the same…
And I'll never be the same…