An Untold Story of Cowardice

You came on the 13th month of the year;

when the moon was blue,

and the river was still.

You were successful in creeping your way

past the Chapel,

down the brothel,

through the town's square,

and  over the bridge that housed the weeping trolls.

The silence of the night was only disturbed when an exasperated sigh escaped your lips as you found yourself facing a 50 foot tall

stack of weathered bricks

which separated your world from mine.

You investigated the walls,

tapping here and there to find trap doors or loose bricks,

anything that would grant access to

the other side.

Anything to break.

Anything to pull.

Anything to shove.

But you saw the cracks 

and remembered you had seeds of red roses in your pocket.

So you planted them 

deep into each crevice

and nurtured them with your heat.

You sang your praises as you watched them grow,

counting every thorn

sprouting from dark brown stems

veiled by blooming crimson buds.

You used its vine to climb above and over,

gracefully landing on your muddy feet.

Darkness blinded your eyes

and silence pierced your ears.

You looked ahead and I saw you shiver when your eyes met mine.

"Why is it cold?"

You asked.

"You're not supposed to be here"

I answered.

A smirk played on the tip of your lips as you took a step forward.

"Stop!" I shouted.

"Why should I?" you inquired.

"I will hurt you" 

I said as I unsheathed my sword,

ready to take the breath 

out of your lungs.

Beads of perspiration

traced a line down my back

as I waited for you to retreat.

"Do not be afraid,I have come to give you gifts" 

My brows furrowed 

as I watched 

your delicate glowing hands 

reach inside a burlap 

which hung from the blades of your shoulders.

"I do not need anything.Leave!"

The sound of my voice

echoed into the void

accompanied by

the ice daggers I sent your way.

One missed your ear by a centimeter.

One scathed your leg.

One almost stabbed your heart

but you caught it just in time,

and you made it into nothing

but a puddle of water

under your feet.

"Who are you?"

"I can be the hero or the villain in your story.I am who you want me to be"

Anger seethed from my ears

as you made light of the situation.

I coaxed you to leave

by threatening

that I would summon the demons

I called friends

to play with your sanity

and torture your flesh

until you beg for death.

You said

"Try me"

and I did,

I delivered to my promise

of suffering.

But your light was too much,

and your heat was too strong,

and so my demons abandoned me

and I was left with no more than

empty threats

and a throne made of ego

to protect.

"I want to give you wings"

You said as you laid an appendage made of silver feathers at the tip of your toes.

"I do not need liberty"

"Well then,let me give you a kaleidoscope"

You yielded a golden tube

that hung from a string around your neck.

"I do not need perspectives"

"Fire then. You must be cold. I can give you fire"

You started to rub your hands,

causing blue flame

to dance in the middle of your palms.

"I do not need anything you offer. Leave. You must leave this instant"

"I will leave on one condition"

My breath hitched as I waited for the nightmare to end.

I did not bargain.

I never had to.

But your spirit was persistent

and your mind was stubborn.

This time I had to make an exception.

"What is it that you want?"

"A kiss. One kiss and I will leave if that is what you please"

"If death is your wish then you may press your lips upon mine"

Laughter escaped your lips,

an angry huff escaped mine.

Your eyes were lit with humor,

frustration fueled mine.

"I am made of poison, sir. Your blood will begin to clot the moment you inhale my scent. Your heart will explode if you touch me. A kiss will incinerate you. If you wish a most dreadful death for yourself, then by all means do what you want"

The space that separated us was gone in the blink of an eye.

The sword dropped from my hand

when your body collided with mine.

You pierced my soul in the foulest way,

using your teeth to puncture my lip. You used the blood that you extracted from me to paint the wall red.

You pushed me down to my knees

and restrained my hands

by stabbing my wrists

with the very sword

I was to use

to protect myself with.

"You cannot get anything from me.Why are you here?" I sobbed.

"Who said I coveted anything from your collection? I know you do not have anything to offer.I simply wanted to satisfy my curiosity. It would be nice to be the first to break the formidable, don't you think?"

You placed another kiss on my cheek

before you wandered behind my throne

And I knew you that you have sighted the things I tried hard to hide

when your feet planted itself

firmly on the ground,

your body became rigid as stone,

the fire in your eyes got extinguished,

your jaw clenched,

and your breathing stopped.

You have discovered the remnants of my past-

plucked feathers,

shattered stained glass,

burnt wood;

and it dawned on you

that I had been strong once.

I was like you once.

I had wings whose breadth was enough to cover the sun.

I had a kaleidoscope that showed even the colors that were invisible to the human eye.

I had fire,

a fire that burned so bright,

so hot,

it could melt the 9 circles of inferno.

You slowly retraced your footsteps

because you have decided

you did not want to re-awaken the deity who I once was.

You did not want to be held liable for anything.

You did not want to be taken as a fool.

You regretted your curiosity,

and your desire to assert dominance.

But before you fled to nurse your ego,

you left a mirror in front of me

to remind me that it was my fault-

I should have built the walls higher,

I should have threatened you harder,

I should have stabbed you when I had the chance.

I should have done these things so that you did not have to deal with the guilt 

of seeing me vulnerable,

helpless,

immobile,

broken.

Because it was none of your fault.

You were,

as you've said,

anyone who I wanted you to be.

And I should have pegged you as a villain

so that the repercussions

would have been different

for the both of us.