Sunday, July 29, 2007

Entry #33

Wizard in the Wood
by Stace Dumoski


The sunshine tasted like a kiss, and the wizard – so long trapped in shadow – fell into it, lulled to gentle delirium by its warm caress.

“Hello, my love,” he murmured to the sky, but the voice that answered came from the trees nearby.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

“You shouldn’t have called me.”

She came into the glen, clad in dappled white and leaves for jewelry in her hair. “He’ll kill you this time.”

The wizard, delighting in the pinprick tingling of his toes, the breath stirring in and out of his lungs, and the sharp pain of a rock jabbing him in the rump, could not make himself care. “It won’t be the first time.”

“What if it’s the last?” She sat beside him. Their hands found one another, fingers laced together in a familiar pattern.

“Look!” He pointed at a flower. The tiny blossom pushed its way up from beneath a fallen tree. “Yellow,” he said, because he had forgotten.

She was inclined to nonsense at times like these. “You don’t have to go.”

“Would you stay here with me?”

“Yes,” she lied.

“Then I’ll stay.” Another lie, but generously offered. On a branch overhead, a blackbird chirped a love song.

A tear ran down her cheek. “There’s never enough time!”

“There’s enough for this.” He touched his lips to hers, and her kiss tasted like the sunshine.

13 comments:

Jaye Wells said...

Sigh. Such lovely descriptions and longing in this one. Well done.

Chris Eldin said...

A love vignette. I think this is one of the better-written ones. But sad....why do they always have to be so sad?

Hoodie said...

Ah, wizard love. Tight and sweet. Very nice.

Anonymous said...

I felt the visual started with the wizard upright, so I was surprised when he was sitting.
"It won't be the first time" is an odd response to "He'll kill you this time", and maybe that's what you meant with "What if it's the last?"? The last time he kills him?
I like your take on the double lie.

SzélsőFa said...

So sad and lovely...

Jude said...

A lovely vignette. I love the opening and ending mirrored images.

Unknown said...

Lovely. Sad, neat, very sweet.

Visual-Voice said...

Sincerest opinion ~ this is wonderful.

Jeff said...

An enchanting story. Good job.

AngelConradie said...

oh wow... splendid... gorgeous imagery!!

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful; the lacing of fingers compliments the very tangible love you illustrate here.

Pearl said...

How lovely. Someone conceived of romance in the woods.

Anonymous said...

The sense of the forbidden comes through well. You have some very bright and vivid descriptions here.