The Sun and Her Moon
Emonie Smith
She was blind. She can't turn into stone because she couldn't see. She has wild freeform locs that almost look like my snakes. My snakes seemed to enjoy seeing them bounce around her face.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her. My snakes hissed at her. She turned her head towards me. She was smiling and holding one of my treasured plants.
"These flowers smell absolutely marvelous. I just had to come closer, I'm sorry to intrude. You have pet snakes? I love snakes! Everyone thinks I'm weird for that but I'm glad to find a fellow reptilian lover." She says. A fellow reptilian lover, she likes snakes. She is not afraid. She can't turn to stone and she's not afraid. I may have a companionship.
"Those flowers were gifted to me by my grandmother. What you are smelling is the Sweet Pea flower. Excuse me for being personal but you are on my property, how did you get here? It's not an easy find." I asked her. She sniffed them even more now, I'm guessing to capture the true essence of them. She puts them down and walks up to me, she doesn't have a seeing cane. She's walking like she can see the ground before her.
"I was wandering the forest, you know following the Sun and whatnot. I just happened to land here." She told me. She stood before me and she only came up to my chin.
"My my my, who said I was friendly? What makes you so sure that I won't hurt you?" I replied. She shrugged her shoulders at me and gave me a big toothy grin. She has a diamond on her fang tooth.
"I just have a feeling you won't. I mean look at me, you can't hurt a cutie like me." She said. I got to hand it to her, she is pretty cute. Her dark skin was glowing from the sunlight in my greenhouse. Her locs were flowing freely. Her presence reminded me of the Sun, she was a fiery ball full of light. She's brave and I like that.
"Maybe I won't hurt you, but I never said that my snakes won't. Are you lost? How can you move around without a seeing cane?" I questioned her. She held her hand out and yellow mist emerged from them.
"I have been blessed by the gods. I was a child when they performed the ritual on me. They took my eyes in exchange for the power of magic. My powers were granted to me by Apollo. Apollo admired my strength and taught me how to see by using my powers. I'm not totally blind though because the Sun still guides me home even without powers. No, I'm not lost. I live across the river and was taking a walk before smelling the Sweet Pea flowers." She told me kindly. They took her eyes, oh gods. She also lived across the river. So closeby, she must have recently moved there. She's intriguing to have a background like this and still able to smile.
"Would you like to stay for some tea? It's my special blend that I don't get to share too often. I would like to have some feedback." I asked her while walking out of the green house. She followed closely behind me. The yellow mist is still flowing around her, like an aura.
"I know first hand how lonely being by yourself is. I'm glad I wandered across the bridge, I found a new friend. Your space, it feels like a safe place." She said with a huge grin. Her diamond tooth is growing on me. She said we were friends. Does she even know who she's talking to? We arrived at my house. It's a beautiful modest cottage painted red with a porch. I went to tell her about the step but she was already on my porch before I could mutter a syllable.
"It feels like I have been here before. Maybe in one of my dreams?" She said to the wind. She's running her hands along the walls and she stopped at the craving of my name. They craved that into the house on the day I was banished here. Her fingers slowly followed the curves and lines on letters spelling Medusa. I can see her lips sound out my name. "Medusa. I guess that would explain the snakes. I always wondered about her story. Perhaps she's willing to tell me over tea." She exclaimed.
" It's nice tonight. Let's sit out here. I'll bring the tea and snacks. I bet you're starving while wandering the forest. " I told her. She was not what I'm used to. I'm preparing the leaves and hot water, pondering if I should tell her my story. It had been so long since I talked to anyone, besides someone needed to know the truth about me. My snakes hissed in agreement, so it was settled. I pulled out the mini cakes that I made yesterday from the refrigerator. I'm just grateful that my stress baking will not go to waste this time. The kettle was singing his song and I grabbed the tray that contained cups, cream, and sugar. She was sitting in one of my rocking chairs, she looked so peaceful. If I didn't know any better. I would have thought I turned her into stone.
"How about this? I will tell you a story today and you promise to tell me one tomorrow. I feel like it's a fair deal since I did let you off the hook for trespassing." I said while pouring us both cups of tea. She grabbed a mini cake with cream cheese filling. She's practically moaning from the smell alone. She took a bite and pleasure exploded on her face. She grabbed another one and another. She devoured them so fast and she had frosting all over her face.
"I will come here everyday for your cakes alone, ma'am. I haven't had sweets like that in years. Plus I'm sure I have a few interesting tales from my journey. Consider it a deal, my friend." She eagerly said. She held her hand out and it's all covered in cake but I still shaked it anyway. She has no manners and acts like a child but that just adds to her charms.
"I will tell you the true story of Medusa and how I came to be. I was once a beautiful young maiden, the only mortal of three sisters known as the Gorgons. I was always surrounded by others. My beauty attracted many people, it's what made me popular. My beauty even caught the eye of the sea god Poseidon, who proceeded to rape me in the sacred temple of Athena. Athena found out about what happened at her temple, she wanted to protect me in the best way she knows how. Athena transformed me into a monster with the deadly capacity to turn whoever looked upon my face to stone. Athena could not punish another god without voting. It's their law, they must vote on their justice to deem a suitable punishment. Athena knew that if she brought this case to their courts, Poseidon will be favored. For I was a mortal girl, I was less than nothing. Zeus has gotten dozens of mortals pregnant so the chance of getting Poseidon punished was little to none. To protect me, she took away my beauty to stop this from ever happening again. She didn't know that she also cursed me from everyone as well. Athena had this cottage built for me as an apology that she couldn't do more. I have been here ever since, safe but lonely. It's sorta a sad funny story like the irony of it all." I told her. The Chamomile in the tea is working it's witchcraft , my body softens while telling my memoir. She reached over the table and grabbed my hand. I really should have gotten her some paper towels because now both of our hands are covered in pink frosting. She obviously doesn't care about the stickiness because she interlocked our fingers.
" As if you were on fire from within. The moon lives in the lining of your skin. Pablo Neruda. Apollo told me this quote after my practice training. To me, it means that beauty lives deeper than appearances. Beauty is your soul and it will match whatever is inside. Your beauty never left you. Here you are feeding a stranger who has nothing to offer you. I don't need eyes to see how beautiful you are. You have already shown me." She said. I never expected to be called beautiful again. Who is this woman?
"What is your name? Unless you rather be known as the stranger from across the river." I asked her.
"Aelia, my name is Aelia." She replied back. Her name literally means the sun, how ironic. I gave our sticky hands a squeeze before undoing them.
"Let's clean up before the bugs to get us. My snakes preferred bigger prey to snack on." I said then she laughed. Her laughter was soft and angelic. We stood up and she grabbed my hand again. Maybe she's just a touchy feely type of person. I won't complain, I can't remember the last time I touch real skin and not stone. We walked towards the bathhouse and her giggles filled the once quiet forest.
Months after that day, Aelia's visits were no longer enough. I asked her to move in with me.
"You want me to move in with you? Lesbians really do move quickly. Hm, I guess it could save me the trouble of traveling across the bridge everyday. " She said with a laugh. We were laying on the ground hand in hand. Aelia taught me how to laugh again. She helped me so much in these past months. Every night that she leaves, she takes the sun with her. I will be left in a house that no longer felt like home without her. I loved her. No, not past tense. I am in love with her.
"Why not? I can cook for you, you know you love my cooking. We can sleep in the same bed and snuggle or stuff." I said charmingly. She turned to me and played with my snakes.
"You cook for me everyday, already. I like you more than your cooking. You're the best thing I have ever stumbled upon. I will follow wherever you go, for what is the Sun without her Moon?" She whispered against my lips. She then pressed her lips against mine. I'm certain this is what a solar eclipse feels like. The Sun and the Moon are finally meeting again.
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