Act 12: Psyche
"Prota! Deftera!" Psyche exclaimed as she greeted her two sisters at the front doors. "It's been so long!" The three girls hugged.
"Psyche, you're as beautiful as ever," said Prota.
"So is this mansion!" chimed in Deftera. "It's amazing. Exactly what kind of monster did you marry Psyche?"
Psyche laughed. "The most wonderful monster," she said. "He treats me like a queen. C'mon, I'll show you around."
It took almost an hour for Psyche to give her sisters a full tour of the estate. Though they hadn't openly admitted it, Psyche could tell her sisters were green with envy.
"Do you want something to eat?" Psyche asked as she led them into the dining room.
"A big steak," Prota said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.
"Right away miss," a voice said. Both Prota and Deftera screamed. Each girl told a hold of Psyche's arms.
"What was that!?" Deftera exclaimed. "Is this mansion haunted?"
"That's one of my servants," said Psyche. "They're invisible. They'll give you whatever you want."
Psyche noticed Prota and Deftera exchange looks. Hmm, she thought, they may think I'm trying to show off. Maybe we should just go out to the gardens were we can sit and talk.
The change in scenery did little to improve the negative vibe Psyche was getting from her sisters. They sat at a round patio table which looked out into the vast garden behind the mansion. Both the table and chairs were made of a luxurious pale blue crystal. Psyche ordered servants to bring tea and sandwiches. The food arrived moments later, along with the steak Prota had asked for.
"Please tell me how you lives have been," said Psyche. "Have either of you made me an aunt yet?"
"I'm doing fine," said Deftera. "I don't have any children."
"Same with me," said Prota.
Psyche expected either sister to elaborate, but both women just sat, sipping on their tea. Psyche decided to give conversation another shot.
"I'm really glad to see you two," she said. "I get so lonely here. Aschimos is only here at night, and he leaves early. We're getting along just fine, but it's good to be around women sometimes."
"Do you sleep with him?" Deftera asked.
Psyche nearly dropped her tea cup. "Excuse me?"
"The monster," said Deftera. "Do you sleep with him?"
"Well yes," said Psyche. "He is my husband."
"How can you possibly have sex with that creature?" asked Prota. "Is he a man-monster or something?"
Psyche was getting a little annoyed. Why are they so interested in that? She thought.
"I suppose he would be called that," said Psyche. "He is very much like a human. But he does have wings."
"Wings!?" It was Prota's turn to nearly drop her cup. "Wings!? What does he look like?"
Psyche took a sip of her tea. "I don't know," she replied. "We're never in a well lit room."
Both Prota and Deftera laughed. They're laugher quickly died down when they realized Psyche was serious.
"This is unreal!" said Deftera. "You've given you body—your virginity to a monster you haven't even seen before?"
"But he's not an evil monster," Psyche tried to defend her husband. "He's thoughtful and gentle. Even when we make love, he only thinks of pleasing me."
"My sister has become a monster's whore," said Prota.
The harsh words from Prota's mouth ripped through Psyche. "Prota!" she said. "How can you say a thing like that to me?"
"It's the truth," Prota continued in her matter-of-fact voice. "That talk about pleasing you during sex is just a ridiculous. He's only pleasing himself. He simply keeps you from complaining by giving you material things like this mansion."
Psyche stood up. "That's not true!" she said. "We spend a lot of time doing other things."
Deftera snickered. "Psyche," she said. "You're still a young girl, so we'll explain it to you slowly. You say this creature loves you. If he loves you, he'd have shown you what he looked like. And you wouldn't be here all by yourself."
"It sounds like this monster is just playing with your mind," added Prota. "I bet he just wanted you for your body. He may be planning to kill you once he gets tired of you."
Psyche sat back down in her chair. "Aschimos wouldn't do such a thing," she snapped.
"How do you know?" said Prota. "He could be planning to kill you the next time he meets with you. Think about it Psyche. The only real beings here are you and your husband. People have already forgotten about you. If you were killed, no one would know. Or care."
"Except for us of course," said Deftera.
Prota reached into her purse. She pulled out a small black penlight. "I like to keep this for emergencies," she said. "Use it to get a look at this monster."
"Here," Deftera reached into her own purse and pulled out a utility knife. "If he is a vile creature that looks like he could easily devour you, then kill him before he kills you."
"I'm not going to jeopardize my marriage over this," Psyche said, shoving the knife and penlight to the center of the table. "Aschimos has never given me a reason to doubt him."
"But even you must be curious to see what his face looks likes," said Prota.
"Sometimes it crosses my mind," Psyche admitted. "But—"
"Then just take a peak," said Prota. "Do it while he's asleep. The penlight isn't bright enough to wake him. Just a quick look."
"If he does wake up," said Deftera, "you can use the knife to defend yourself."
Psyche listened carefully to her sisters. They're just making this up, she thought. Aren't they? Aschimos would never try to hurt me. He tells me he loves me all the time. I trust him. I'll just humor my sisters for now.
Psyche grabbed the knife and penlight. "Good girl," said Deftera. "We're just looking out for our younger sister."
"I'm starting to feel a little ill," said Psyche. "I'm sorry, but I'm cutting this visit short."
The three women stood up. Deftera and Prota hugged their sister.
"I will ask Aschimos if it's okay for you two to visit again," said Psyche.
"Please take our advice," said Deftera. "We love you and don't want anything to happen to you."
"I love you both," said Psyche.
Psyche led her sisters to the doors of the mansion. Zephyrus was waiting with his carriage. Psyche watched as her sister climbed into the carriage and left the estate. She tightly gripped the pen light and knife in her hand.
Random Note: This is the longest far I've written so far. It's getting to the good part!
