*makes final bow to the reviewers* Thank you, thank you, especially to the Four Horsewomen of Eloquence- Amuseme, Lilith/Nocturnally-Damned, VladimirsAngel, and Silmuen. In the beginning I wrote the story for myself, towards the end I wrote it for you. :) Thanks for joining me on the ride.
Epilogue- Slouching Toward Bethlehem
The old woman stared at the treetops, remembering the past. By all rights, she should have died decades ago- that was a very common thought and by now it had lost its shine, as did all things when time was winding down. She was glad, though. It was hard not to be on such an inoffensively mild day. The world had once been less forgiving...
"Mother?"
Katalina started. "Oh... oh, my apologies."
Benjamin smiled. "You were drifting again."
She waved her hand dismissively. "Old memories, you know."
Her son nodded, and they both turned their heads to watch the children. The forest was dappled with light and a breeze rattled the leaves, creating the perfect place for a game of hide-and-seek. She saw little Angeline between the tree trunks, her nose scrunched up and her mouth delivering some sort of protest. Paul was nowhere to be found. They were fine grandchildren, even if she had once thought she would have more of them.
Katalina shifted her weight in the wooden chair, winced as her lazy body barely complied. "Benjamin, do you remember the citadel?"
His face darkened. "Of course I do."
"Did you like it there?"
"Well." Benjamin brushed his thumb along the underside of his jaw, where a tiny crop of stubble was growing. "I suppose it was an easier life, in a way. Yet... I'm glad Paul and Angeline don't have to live there." He caught Angeline's eye and smiled at her. "It's... good to live outside the walls."
"Yes, that's certainly true." She wished her eyes were as sharp as they used to be. The bird on the branch above her head looked like a robin, but she couldn't be sure. "And to have sunlight."
"And trees." He smiled to himself. "I don't think I saw a single tree in the citadel, the whole time I lived there."
"Well, that's because you didn't come by enough. I grew apple trees, you know... huge things. The sweetest apples. You won't find those anymore."
"Maybe you can grow a patch in a clearing somewhere. We might find it again, if we come back."
"No..." Katalina sighed. "It's not the same, life's not the same. You need to be there to grow something... make it thrive. People don't stay in the same place anymore."
"We can't."
"Yes... I know."
They sat in silence, and both of them started when the branches above them rattled. For an instant she convinced herself it was black wings blocking the sunlight- no. Only the robin, leaping into the air and flying away.
Katalina slowly shook her head. She felt tired. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't keep... bringing up your brother and sister..."
"It's alright." Benjamin leaned forward in his chair and patted her hand. "I miss them too."
A shrill voice interrupted them. "Dada! Look what I found! Lookit!" Paul tumbled out of the woods, his cheeks streaked with dirt. He smiled gleefully as he ran toward them, his prize bouncing along at his side.
"Heyyy, let's see what you've got there." Benjamin tilted obligingly as Paul climbed into his lap. "Where'd you find that?"
"On a tree!" The boy plopped his discovery on his lap triumphantly.
"Wait..." Katalina leaned forward with sudden interest. "Now let me see that..."
Paul handed it over, only too happy to watch the adults marvel at his treasure. Her hands accepted it gingerly, gently turning the round object over. Dirt caked the surface, though she could make out that it was a sphere tied with a chain so it could be hung from above.
Something in her mind flashed with recognition. Hesitantly, she scratched some of the dirt away with her fingernail, then more. It fell onto her lap unnoticed.
"Well?" Benjamin said. "What is it?"
Her tongue caught in her mouth as light spilled from the hole she had made, light filtered through glass tinted blue. "Paul... has your father told you about glyph-globes?"
"Noooo," Paul half-sang.
Katalina looked from the globe to him. "We used them to farm once. Back when the furnaces were tended." She looked back down at the object in her lap. "...and the vampires only came out at night..."
"Paulllll!" Angeline appeared from the brush, panting furiously. "You can't do that!"
Paul hopped off his father's lap, the glyph-globe forgotten. "Can too!"
"Can not!"
"I called a time-out!" He hopped over to his sister, and Katalina locked eyes with Benjamin.
"That's incredible!" He scratched behind his ear, not long enough to relieve an itch. "Someone must have been carrying that around for... twenty years, at least."
"Yes..." Her thumb covered the hole she made in the dirt, trapping the light inside. The glass underneath was warm. "I don't know how it could survive so long, out here."
Benjamin nodded, a slight frown on his face. "Especially hung on a tree."
Katalina lowered the globe to the ground by its chain and absently brushed the dirt off her lap. She didn't know why this would remind her of it... but an image came to her mind, something she had not thought of for years. A certain bizarre creature, an unheralded savior of the citadel once- blue, wasn't he? Missing most of his torso... what had happened to him?
"I don't know," she said aloud. "We'll never know..."
Angeline ran past them, closely followed by Paul. It made her smile weakly.
He looked so much like his father.
-End-
Epilogue- Slouching Toward Bethlehem
The old woman stared at the treetops, remembering the past. By all rights, she should have died decades ago- that was a very common thought and by now it had lost its shine, as did all things when time was winding down. She was glad, though. It was hard not to be on such an inoffensively mild day. The world had once been less forgiving...
"Mother?"
Katalina started. "Oh... oh, my apologies."
Benjamin smiled. "You were drifting again."
She waved her hand dismissively. "Old memories, you know."
Her son nodded, and they both turned their heads to watch the children. The forest was dappled with light and a breeze rattled the leaves, creating the perfect place for a game of hide-and-seek. She saw little Angeline between the tree trunks, her nose scrunched up and her mouth delivering some sort of protest. Paul was nowhere to be found. They were fine grandchildren, even if she had once thought she would have more of them.
Katalina shifted her weight in the wooden chair, winced as her lazy body barely complied. "Benjamin, do you remember the citadel?"
His face darkened. "Of course I do."
"Did you like it there?"
"Well." Benjamin brushed his thumb along the underside of his jaw, where a tiny crop of stubble was growing. "I suppose it was an easier life, in a way. Yet... I'm glad Paul and Angeline don't have to live there." He caught Angeline's eye and smiled at her. "It's... good to live outside the walls."
"Yes, that's certainly true." She wished her eyes were as sharp as they used to be. The bird on the branch above her head looked like a robin, but she couldn't be sure. "And to have sunlight."
"And trees." He smiled to himself. "I don't think I saw a single tree in the citadel, the whole time I lived there."
"Well, that's because you didn't come by enough. I grew apple trees, you know... huge things. The sweetest apples. You won't find those anymore."
"Maybe you can grow a patch in a clearing somewhere. We might find it again, if we come back."
"No..." Katalina sighed. "It's not the same, life's not the same. You need to be there to grow something... make it thrive. People don't stay in the same place anymore."
"We can't."
"Yes... I know."
They sat in silence, and both of them started when the branches above them rattled. For an instant she convinced herself it was black wings blocking the sunlight- no. Only the robin, leaping into the air and flying away.
Katalina slowly shook her head. She felt tired. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't keep... bringing up your brother and sister..."
"It's alright." Benjamin leaned forward in his chair and patted her hand. "I miss them too."
A shrill voice interrupted them. "Dada! Look what I found! Lookit!" Paul tumbled out of the woods, his cheeks streaked with dirt. He smiled gleefully as he ran toward them, his prize bouncing along at his side.
"Heyyy, let's see what you've got there." Benjamin tilted obligingly as Paul climbed into his lap. "Where'd you find that?"
"On a tree!" The boy plopped his discovery on his lap triumphantly.
"Wait..." Katalina leaned forward with sudden interest. "Now let me see that..."
Paul handed it over, only too happy to watch the adults marvel at his treasure. Her hands accepted it gingerly, gently turning the round object over. Dirt caked the surface, though she could make out that it was a sphere tied with a chain so it could be hung from above.
Something in her mind flashed with recognition. Hesitantly, she scratched some of the dirt away with her fingernail, then more. It fell onto her lap unnoticed.
"Well?" Benjamin said. "What is it?"
Her tongue caught in her mouth as light spilled from the hole she had made, light filtered through glass tinted blue. "Paul... has your father told you about glyph-globes?"
"Noooo," Paul half-sang.
Katalina looked from the globe to him. "We used them to farm once. Back when the furnaces were tended." She looked back down at the object in her lap. "...and the vampires only came out at night..."
"Paulllll!" Angeline appeared from the brush, panting furiously. "You can't do that!"
Paul hopped off his father's lap, the glyph-globe forgotten. "Can too!"
"Can not!"
"I called a time-out!" He hopped over to his sister, and Katalina locked eyes with Benjamin.
"That's incredible!" He scratched behind his ear, not long enough to relieve an itch. "Someone must have been carrying that around for... twenty years, at least."
"Yes..." Her thumb covered the hole she made in the dirt, trapping the light inside. The glass underneath was warm. "I don't know how it could survive so long, out here."
Benjamin nodded, a slight frown on his face. "Especially hung on a tree."
Katalina lowered the globe to the ground by its chain and absently brushed the dirt off her lap. She didn't know why this would remind her of it... but an image came to her mind, something she had not thought of for years. A certain bizarre creature, an unheralded savior of the citadel once- blue, wasn't he? Missing most of his torso... what had happened to him?
"I don't know," she said aloud. "We'll never know..."
Angeline ran past them, closely followed by Paul. It made her smile weakly.
He looked so much like his father.
-End-