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She pressed her fingers against the glass letting the coolness envelop the tips, the sensation moving gently, easing slowly along her slender hand. Smooth, ever so smooth as she slid them down the surface tracing a path through the condensation. Such sudden cold, raw and striking and yet so… serene. One clear drop of water ran down her finger and she placed it on her lips, letting it slide silently into her mouth.
Then with one brisk movement she ran her hand across the pane allowing a clearer view of the lanterns and candles lighting up the sprawling town below. They continued to flicker – thousands of tiny souls trapped on fat wax stumps or beneath the suffocating covers of the lanterns, hoping to either, escape and flourish, or fade away into nothing. ‘Much like my predicament I’d say’ she thought to herself.
All it took was one slight push and the window opened outward letting in the refreshing night air. The light on the wooden drawer near her bed shuddered in response sending crazy shadows sprawling across her room and just for that one second, she felt an odd reflection appear on the glass pane before her. An unusual smoky image crept across the surface before beginning to quickly dissipate before her very eyes. And then it was gone, as were the shadows, the light dwindling away allowing the darkness to finally seep through and claim everything within.
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He danced an impossible ballet along those rooftops, spinning, floating, falling – the world melting away around his movements. The figure seemed to glow unnaturally in the milky moonlight, which appeared to flow over and around him, white silken ribbons draping over his slim frame. He was at home in the darkness, surrounded by all those shades of black and the beauty of the drowning skies. The midnight air eased him, soothed him as he travelled briskly through it with a single minded determination – his head no longer ruled him, it was his heart and the giddiness that came with it. And with that came the simple beauties - the way the sky softened into the shadows beneath it, the forgotten fragrances of countless night flowers and the way he himself flew across the townscape like a darkened angel refusing to bend to the natural laws in place. Such things he had taken for granted for so long, far too long.
And then there was her. There was always a ‘her’ – such a cliché but it was a simple truth of life. Life shattering events, social cataclysms and all sorts of heart wrenching occasions but ‘she’ would often lie there somewhere beneath. He knew this yet his pace did not decrease, nor did he drop a step as he jumped one final jaw dropping distance to the final building that looked over to his destination. And a glass pained window, slightly ajar.
Steadying his footing on the narrow ledge, he proceeded to push himself up to full height, his silhouette outlined clearly against the night sky. A tall figure wearing a cape that flew away from him in rhythm with the breeze, the rest of his clothing was soft, made of expensive silks and fabrics. A few seconds of the dramatic pose and he was gone – just one rather unrealistic leap ahead and he was standing on top of the slightly open window, his large frame balancing delicately on it. A gentle backwards push was all that was needed - the window moved with him and once it was open enough, he jumped in landing into the warm orange interior. The room was small – enough for one bed along the right wall of the room accompanied by a small bedside drawer, while the left wall housed a large golden mirror that seemed to emit an uncanny defiant beauty.
She was there standing at the candle at the bedside drawer, having just managed to rekindle the flame and the sudden flurry of movements caught her off guard – so much so that she almost fell over pulling the candle with her onto the ground. But as soon as she saw his face, the fear in her eyes eased away replaced by something very different. Jade green ice melted away to form never ending everglades as those eyes looked back into his.
The mirror flickered. Maybe it was just another vibrant shadow from the already disturbed flame, but no one was to notice such things, especially not tonight. She fell into his arms as he pulled her close, his lips pressing onto hers, his hands moving delicately through her long flowing strawberry blonde hair. She moaned as he continued to kiss her, his eyes closed, his soul consumed in the moment - of simple beauty, of love and unity.
And then she stopped moving. A radiant statue highlighted by the yellow-orange glow in the room, she stood there with the man in her embrace. He continued his kiss, not realising nor caring about the sudden lack of emotion or activity on her part. With each second, she seemed to fade, her lustre dying before him, her healthy ivory white skin turning an unnatural dark grey. The figure before her shuddered with ecstasy and in the last moment let out a frenzied howl of sorts before falling unconscious on the ground before her.
She stood there in the candlelight for a few seconds, a beautiful smooth stone statue of remarkable craftsmanship at the centre of the room still locked in an eternal embrace with the vacant air before her. And then she finally collapsed on the floor next to her lover in a crumpled heap, the extra wisp of air managing to extinguish the candlelight once more. And as always the darkness did not hesitate to invite itself in.
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