ROMANTICS
(from the "Legends of Palanthas" cycle)
She was nineteen years old, and she had the first love. The spring around, flowers blooming and air perfumed.
And he, as it usually happens, is a scam and deceives her.
The meeting of an unearthly feeling with the rude reality is, in general, painful. The flower is torn and dried up, wings broken, ideals lost. No promised happiness: hence no use in living.
And following the purpose of her tragical love, this poor young being decides to put it all to an end. The usual story, mind you.
But technical details are often related with various difficulties. Stabbing oneself in the heart is difficult and painful, may hit the rib instead; injecting a poison is not nice, and hanging self is not ethical – a dreadful sight, tongue hanging out, face violet-blue and swollen.
And, when her self-control goes bananas, she dresses in best clothes, consumes a cup of elven wine, leaves the death note, climbs the second highest building in Palanthas (first being the Tower)...
And, clutching his portrait, jumps off the edge.
There below a grandmother was walking to a nearby bakery to buy some hot pastries. Well, she didn't manage to even say oh. Got an immediate fracture of cervical vertebras. Her head, literally, was put between her ribs, like a turtle's head. Nice pastry for the tea, granny. As this side of the street ceased being the most dangerous in case of dragonstrike, she didn't expect any danger from above anymore. The veteran of the war, eh.
And the girl fell off the grandmother and onto a soft lawn. All damage she got was a clavicle broken. Not even a concussion, for her system was young and strong.
A peculiar law of nature: one falls in love, the other gets hit. Should watch where you are going to fall, ma'am. Sixty kilos in the free flight in crowded Palanthas: the weapon of retribution, ha!..
Ah, romantics...