"Fractured Tales of the Rose Bride"
Chiho Saito does not endorse this product.
Blackjack: Matches on a Soft Winter Day
It felt good being away from Shiori. I was weak when I kept her in my thoughts, stagnant and motionless like a lioness that has allowed a vulture to chew away at her skin, as she lies there, motionless in the sun. Shiori was my vulture and my gallows: the necklace I wore was a noose, strangulating until suffocation overcame me. Perhaps a lack of air caused my mind to shut down and feel obligated to enjoy this false sensuality, but now that the circle is broken and I am free to breathe once more, I can feel happy and clean again.
I never thought I'd start dating Wakaba, of all people, yet being around her was as refreshing as a morning in springtime, where the air is still quiet and the grasses are dew-pearled. I found interacting with her to be a completely different experience than being around Shiori: for one, she didn't choke me or weigh me down or cause me such grief. The situation was quite the opposite, actually: I felt more alive and open and…well, happier than I can ever remember being. She's not the kind of girl who'd destroy you or wreck your life or cause you any pain; Wakaba was a heartbreakingly beautiful masterpiece, and I wondered how I could've ever been alive before meeting her.
Our first sessions together were timid and clumsy. She fawned over me as all people tend to do, and we got all the "getting to know you" crap out of the way pretty quickly. She wasn't into girls, she just wanted to talk with me since we had worked together on so many of these productions. I found her mere presence entrancing, and thanked my fortunes that we had costarred so often. I kissed her that evening and wasn't rebuked for it. I didn't repulse her. Maybe we could do this some other time.
I tried not to sacrifice my present for nostalgic memories. Every moment I spent with her—even those fleeting seconds when all we could exchange was a look—they were all special. Our romance for the audience was unpredictable and silly, but off-stage, it was blistering and slow, crazy and unexplainable but so, so good for the both of us. We dated for weeks after, even visiting each other at our rooms. Hers was a wreck, of course, so we made a day by cleaning it. I was embarrassed to bring her into my impeccable fortress, but she told me she didn't come for the décor—she came for me.
I won't say how many times we've made love since this spectacle began, I'll just say that it happened, and I felt complete for the first time ever.
One wintry night, after our usual bedtime romp-and-pomp, we realized that we were both too restless to retire, and it was such a beautiful evening that even sex couldn't quite cut it for us both. We sought an even more intimate pastime, and Wakaba, my dear new lover, requested that I read to her a story. Flustered yet honored at the same time, I chose a classic that my mother once read to my sister and I, way back when we were so young and impressionable. It was humbly titled "The Matchstick Girl", and this is how it goes…
……
Once upon a bleak December night, a few days before the Yuletide season, there lived a small girl who had no place to call home, and no family to take care of her. She had lived with her grandmother until recently, but the old woman had passed away last year, leaving her all alone. The girl had no money, so she sold matchsticks all day long in the bitter cold.
"Matchsticks, matchsticks, a coin apiece!" This was her song, and she sang it well, but her voice was cold and shaky, because the wind thrust itself against her frigid body. Nobody ever bought any matches from this poor little girl; they just ignored her, walking here and there with their coats and their parcels, preparing themselves for the holidays.
"Matchsticks to light the fire!" she said, though nobody heeded her words. Gradually, the sky turned dark, and the crowds began to thin as a strong chill settled upon the streets. The matchstick girl was left all alone in the frigid air, so she lit several matches to keep herself warm. As she grew colder and weaker, the matches began to dwindle and die out, until only one was left. However, this one did not go out like the others, but rather it grew stronger and brighter. Suddenly, a glowing person walked up to her, smiling in the snow. It was her grandmother.
"Granny, what are you doing here?" asked the girl.
"I've come to take you home with me," she replied with a big smile. She drew the girl into her arms, and together they ascended into Heaven. When morning came, the people walked out of their homes and resumed their daily activity, but none of them noticed a small child lying frozen on the snow, clutching a single matchstick in her fingers…
……
My lover was right to cry, for my sister and I had done the same thing when our mother read it to us. I kissed her and drew the sweet moisture from her face, and held her in my arms until a calm settled over us. I told this dear girl I loved her, and she replied in kind, our hearts now aglow for each other. Then, gently, she suggested reading the story again, but instead, she would tell it to me. I could never imagine a more beautiful pastime, so I gave her permission and snuggled into the arms of my angel.
……
Once upon a time, there was a girl with a flamethrower! She burnt all the mean people in the village and then ran outside and became Queen of the whole world! With the power of her flamethrower she slaughtered sixteen dragons and saved a hundred maidens, then they all went to her palace and had a ginormous orgy! Suddenly, in the middle of all the fun, the Crimson Permanent Assurance crashed through the palace, and all the pirates swooped out and started a huge war! Captain Wakaba was the leader, and she demanded all the maidens as a trophy for her latest conquest!
Just as things were looking dark for the Queen of the whole world, Godzilla stomped in and smashed the Crimson Permanent Assurance's boat to smithereens! Saionji and the Harlem Globetrotters were there to save the day, though, and combined with the Seven Samurai, they drove Godzilla away! Just then, Touga had the Bowling Ball of Death shoot its laser of destruction, wiping out everyone except Captain Wakaba and the Queen of the whole world!
"It looks like we'll have to battle to the death!" said Captain Wakaba, looking very dashing and cool.
"I agree," said the Queen of the whole world, and they went after each other like crazy dogs! Eventually they fought to a draw, and by that time, they realized that they were in love! So Wakaba and the Queen got married, had four kids, and lived extremely happily ever after! The end!
……
Wow. That is not what I had in mind. Wakaba just giggled, though, and snuggled close to me, calling me her very special queen of the world. She always knew how to make me feel better; just being with her uplifted all of my spirits. Even though her story was a little…unorthodox, I enjoyed it nonetheless. You gotta take the humor along with the drama sometimes—and let's not forget romance!
Outside, the snow continued to fall as we held each other close. I tried to keep my eyes open as long as possible—I didn't want to stop looking at this beauty—but eventually they shut, and I was comforted by the gentle lullaby of slumber and an angel's rhythmic snoring.
The End!
Stay tuned for the next installment!
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