Naito Diamond's Blog
September 4, 2022
Whistle in the Sky - Flash Fiction
TRIGGER WARNING: War
Whistle in the sky. We run into the hallway and hide.
BANG.
The crash of breaking windows sounds in ballet class. The teacher looks at us, makes sure everyone is alright, and lets out a breath. “Class is over. Call your folks to take you home.”
We know it’s best to go home. The grown-ups need to clean broken glass from the floor and make a temporary fix of the windows. It won’t take long before we can dance in the classroom again.
We know it. We are used to living in a war-zone.
Eight years have passed since it started…
My mom comes to pick me up. I put my hand in hers and we walk home. The sun is shining, broken glass everywhere. One soldier walks in the street with a metal detector in his hands. Another reminds everyone to watch their steps.
It’s not necessary; we know the mines could be anywhere.
The children’s playground near our house is being closed off with tape, so nobody can enter before it can be checked. A neighbor asks the soldier what caused that sound.
“A missle with a fragmentation bomb. Luckily, it didn’t detonate.”
I hurry and squeeze my mom’s hand tighter. The image of a boy my age lying in the playground haunts me. I want to run to the open doors of our apartment building -- those doors are never closed, not since the war started -- but no whistle has sounded, so there’s no need to run.
The house beside our apartment building remains silent, half ruined. Its owners left months ago, after a fragmentation bomb tore it apart. There’s a lot of similar buildings in our city. After eight years, everyone is used to seeing them.
The war is not something you get used to, but you can get accustomed to it. The people of our city are strong. We all want to live. The grown-ups help soldiers clean the roads, removing glass and concrete fragments as soon as the soldiers say it’s safe to go out.
Luckily, the windows of our apartment have not shattered. I go to my room and dance, dance, dance…
Lost in the dance, I forget about the war.
Indulge myself in my dream that once the war ends, I will dance on a large stage.
The night goes silent and the next day comes.
A day without the whistle in the sky.
I raise my eyes to the clear blue sky. Today, no missile will land on our city.
A strong wind gushes past me, ruffling the curls of my hair.
What is falling from the tree?
BANG.
Whistle in the sky. We run into the hallway and hide.
BANG.
The crash of breaking windows sounds in ballet class. The teacher looks at us, makes sure everyone is alright, and lets out a breath. “Class is over. Call your folks to take you home.”
We know it’s best to go home. The grown-ups need to clean broken glass from the floor and make a temporary fix of the windows. It won’t take long before we can dance in the classroom again.
We know it. We are used to living in a war-zone.
Eight years have passed since it started…
My mom comes to pick me up. I put my hand in hers and we walk home. The sun is shining, broken glass everywhere. One soldier walks in the street with a metal detector in his hands. Another reminds everyone to watch their steps.
It’s not necessary; we know the mines could be anywhere.
The children’s playground near our house is being closed off with tape, so nobody can enter before it can be checked. A neighbor asks the soldier what caused that sound.
“A missle with a fragmentation bomb. Luckily, it didn’t detonate.”
I hurry and squeeze my mom’s hand tighter. The image of a boy my age lying in the playground haunts me. I want to run to the open doors of our apartment building -- those doors are never closed, not since the war started -- but no whistle has sounded, so there’s no need to run.
The house beside our apartment building remains silent, half ruined. Its owners left months ago, after a fragmentation bomb tore it apart. There’s a lot of similar buildings in our city. After eight years, everyone is used to seeing them.
The war is not something you get used to, but you can get accustomed to it. The people of our city are strong. We all want to live. The grown-ups help soldiers clean the roads, removing glass and concrete fragments as soon as the soldiers say it’s safe to go out.
Luckily, the windows of our apartment have not shattered. I go to my room and dance, dance, dance…
Lost in the dance, I forget about the war.
Indulge myself in my dream that once the war ends, I will dance on a large stage.
The night goes silent and the next day comes.
A day without the whistle in the sky.
I raise my eyes to the clear blue sky. Today, no missile will land on our city.
A strong wind gushes past me, ruffling the curls of my hair.
What is falling from the tree?
BANG.
February 18, 2022
Seduction - Flash Fiction
Thick ropes of smoke formed words in the library’s rafters. Lily could easily read them if she wanted to, but she chose not to. No doubt, it was the same ridiculous message about the tedious set of rules she had already read several times the past couple of weeks.
The clock struck 2 a.m.. She closed the book in her hands and the smoke drifted down, reforming the words right in front of her.
Put the book back on the registration table, please.
She waved her hand, dispersing the message.
The words formed again and followed her to the bookstacks.
So annoying.
She stood on her toes to put the book back into place, but it was still too high for her to reach. So, she placed it in a convenient spot.
A heavy hand landed on her shoulder.
“Mystery belongs on another shelf,” the whisper sounded behind her.
Lily jolted, and wings -- too heavy for her slender build -- sprouted from the small of her back.
She lost her balance and tottered back a few steps. Adjusting her wings to steady herself, she managed to sweep several books from their place.
Her hand reached out to catch one book, while a sinewy hand appeared from the smoke to catch another.
She moved to one side and another book was knocked from its place.
“Please, just stay still.” The whisper turned into a troubled voice. “Do not move around.”
Golden eyes appeared, glowing through the haze of smoke that dissipated to reveal the face of a young man.
“Little dream demon, ” Lily said, through clenched teeth.
This was how he had introduced himself when they first met two weeks ago - on her first visit. He had mentioned something about being the night-keeper of this library and forced her to spend half the night listening to him crowing about the library and its numerous rules.
So boring, Lily had thought about him then.
So annoying, she thought about him now.
Calling him little was ironic, considering he was taller than Lily. When he appeared in front of her in his human-form a week ago, she had burst into laughter and teased him about his height. Since then, he avoided appearing in his not-altogether-unappealing human form.
He sighed, replacing the books to their original position. ““Must you speak so coldly? Why won’t you follow my instructions?”
Lily placed her hands on her hips and glared at the silhouette half-covered in misty smoke.
“Why should an angel listen to a demon?”
The dream demon chuckled, smoke gathering around his face. “Says the newborn angel who made a pact so she could come back to Earth and break into this library every night?”
Lily gave him a dark look. Her wings stretched out without her volition, sweeping books out of their place from the shelf behind her back.
It caused a wave of nervous laughter from the dream demon. ”Look at you! You are not even used to your own wings. How long have you been an angel?”
“It’s none of your business,” she said, blushing.
It’s not like she wanted to become an angel. If it were up to her, she would have come back as a ghost or an elf or, even better, some catgirl - like the one in the books she loved to read so much, books about folklore, retellings of ancient legends in which mystical creatures were the main characters.
When she was human, she had thought they were just stories, old wives’ tales. Who would have thought she’d become an angel and meet a demon?
“Well,” said the dream demon, glancing at her, “it’s my business when you make a mess in the library--”
“I will clean up after myself. So…” Lily waved a hand -- as if she were shooing away some annoying bug -- to dismiss him.
The dream demon chuckled. His golden eyes softened when he looked upon her, even as his expression grew serious. “Oh, you’ve been doing great so far. Putting books back in the wrong places… Removing dust jackets… Not to mention, dog-earing the pages.”
He contrived to look stern, and Lily lowered her eyes.
“Seriously,” he said, raising a finger as if he were some school teacher scolding a pupil, “I thought the librarian was about to lose her mind. Why do you dog-ear pages?” His expression was curious. “A librarian’s urge to kill increases exponentially every time she sees a dog-eared p–.”
“Isn’t that good for you?“ she said, with a snarl unbecoming of an angel. ”Don’t demons feed off people’s dark thoughts?”
“I can’t swallow all the madness you create.” His shoulders sagged as he sighed. “Please find another place to read.”
Lily crossed her arms. She had returned to the human world in the annoying form of an angel so she could read books that she didn’t have time for while she was human.
How dare some creature she met barely a fortnight ago ask her to leave her favorite reading place?
This library was the biggest one in the city, with a wide selection of classics and the world’s foremost folklore collection.
I chose it - out of all the libraries in this world - with great foresight. Does he think I am here on a whim?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
“You mad at me?” The whisper sounded in her ear as the little demon dissolved into smoke and reappeared behind her.
She rather liked how his voice dropped to a soothing whisper whenever she got angry, and that he could disappear at will but chose to stay. Of course, there was no way she was telling him that.
“You keep invading my precious reading time,“ she snapped. ”Why shouldn’t I be angry?”
When he spoke, his voice was hesitant, but no less righteous. “You don’t follow the library’s rules and have been causing a lot of distress to the librarian.”
She bit back a swearword, since she was an angel now. “I didn’t think a demon would care so much about following rules.”
None of the books mentioned anything about dream demons, so she had no idea what to expect.
Why does he keep coming to disturb me? Always complaining about me breaking one of the library's rules. Does he keep inventing new ones on purpose?
Unbelievable!
Doesn’t he have something better - more demon-like - to do?
“Oh, we only follow rules created by librarians,” said the little demon as if he had read her mind.
He reappeared in human form and shuddered.
“They are the scariest. Their imagination is wild as they have uncontrolled access to different worlds to feed their dreamland… So, their imagination tends to be rather dark when it comes to punishments for dog-eared p--”
“I have a bad memory,” she said, her cheeks heating up, uncertain whether to take offense at the teasing tone in the dream demon’s voice.
To her surprise, he smiled, revealing a set of perfectly even white teeth.
Like some movie star in a toothpaste commercial. Lily’s heart almost stopped.
As if she would fall for looks! She had read tons of books and developed a most discerning taste in men. If he wanted her to follow some stupid set of rules, he would need to be much more persuasive.
“Why not go somewhere else?” the dream demon asked, sounding solicitous.
Why not stop being annoying?
“Look,” she said, “If I had my own place, my own library where I could read in peace and quiet--”
The dream demon raised a hand hesitantly, as if he were about to answer a question in class but wasn’t entirely sure it was the right answer.
“I…I happen to have a large library in the mansion of my ancestors,” he said, with a shy smile. “It has quite the collection of classics and folklore. I…I will bring you a lot of bookmarks…“
His hand disappeared in the smoke only to reappear a moment later, holding out a daisy.
”…so there will be no further need for you to dog-ear any book.”
Lily blinked at the little flower in the dream demon’s hand.
She had a dried daisy as a bookmark when she was human. It had appeared on her bedside table when she woke in the middle of a troubled night. Since then, It had been her charm to keep nightmares away.
Wait…she was not supposed to remember that.
She was supposed to forget everything about the human word once she became an angel.
Why, then, did she remember the books she had loved?
But, no. She did forget. But the memory of her beloved books had returned after she met an angel ranked higher than her.
The one who lost his rank after giving his wings to her, so she could come back to read.
The dream demon’s smile dissipated as she stared from the daisy to him, trying to remember the face of that angel. But, all she could remember about him was his golden eyes...
…the same eyes that were gazing at her through the smoke, with a serious and…hopeful expression.
How very convenient …
…to confess who he was… only to disappear if she rejected him.
She felt like throttling him.
She felt like dragging him out from his cloud of smoke and clutching him close.
Her heart thumped.
She had read a lot of books about demons - most advised not to make contracts with them. But, her dream demon was a fallen angel…
… who gave her his wings so that she could return and enjoy her reading time again.
… who now was offering her a private library.
An ancestral library…with ”quite the collection of classics and folklore.” Hot damn… he is very good at seduction.
She shook herself.
Temptation. I meant temptation.
She tucked the daisy behind one ear and sashayed over to the window, taking care not to topple back as her wings still felt awkward and heavy at her back.
The window opened for her and she turned to give her dream demon a come-hither look before leaping out.
Her mighty wings stretched wide as she plunged into the full moon-lit sky.
Behind her, smoke formed into a crow that flew past her, leading her through a forest to his ancestors’ mansion in the mountains - a place where she could read to her heart’s content.
The clock struck 2 a.m.. She closed the book in her hands and the smoke drifted down, reforming the words right in front of her.
Put the book back on the registration table, please.
She waved her hand, dispersing the message.
The words formed again and followed her to the bookstacks.
So annoying.
She stood on her toes to put the book back into place, but it was still too high for her to reach. So, she placed it in a convenient spot.
A heavy hand landed on her shoulder.
“Mystery belongs on another shelf,” the whisper sounded behind her.
Lily jolted, and wings -- too heavy for her slender build -- sprouted from the small of her back.
She lost her balance and tottered back a few steps. Adjusting her wings to steady herself, she managed to sweep several books from their place.
Her hand reached out to catch one book, while a sinewy hand appeared from the smoke to catch another.
She moved to one side and another book was knocked from its place.
“Please, just stay still.” The whisper turned into a troubled voice. “Do not move around.”
Golden eyes appeared, glowing through the haze of smoke that dissipated to reveal the face of a young man.
“Little dream demon, ” Lily said, through clenched teeth.
This was how he had introduced himself when they first met two weeks ago - on her first visit. He had mentioned something about being the night-keeper of this library and forced her to spend half the night listening to him crowing about the library and its numerous rules.
So boring, Lily had thought about him then.
So annoying, she thought about him now.
Calling him little was ironic, considering he was taller than Lily. When he appeared in front of her in his human-form a week ago, she had burst into laughter and teased him about his height. Since then, he avoided appearing in his not-altogether-unappealing human form.
He sighed, replacing the books to their original position. ““Must you speak so coldly? Why won’t you follow my instructions?”
Lily placed her hands on her hips and glared at the silhouette half-covered in misty smoke.
“Why should an angel listen to a demon?”
The dream demon chuckled, smoke gathering around his face. “Says the newborn angel who made a pact so she could come back to Earth and break into this library every night?”
Lily gave him a dark look. Her wings stretched out without her volition, sweeping books out of their place from the shelf behind her back.
It caused a wave of nervous laughter from the dream demon. ”Look at you! You are not even used to your own wings. How long have you been an angel?”
“It’s none of your business,” she said, blushing.
It’s not like she wanted to become an angel. If it were up to her, she would have come back as a ghost or an elf or, even better, some catgirl - like the one in the books she loved to read so much, books about folklore, retellings of ancient legends in which mystical creatures were the main characters.
When she was human, she had thought they were just stories, old wives’ tales. Who would have thought she’d become an angel and meet a demon?
“Well,” said the dream demon, glancing at her, “it’s my business when you make a mess in the library--”
“I will clean up after myself. So…” Lily waved a hand -- as if she were shooing away some annoying bug -- to dismiss him.
The dream demon chuckled. His golden eyes softened when he looked upon her, even as his expression grew serious. “Oh, you’ve been doing great so far. Putting books back in the wrong places… Removing dust jackets… Not to mention, dog-earing the pages.”
He contrived to look stern, and Lily lowered her eyes.
“Seriously,” he said, raising a finger as if he were some school teacher scolding a pupil, “I thought the librarian was about to lose her mind. Why do you dog-ear pages?” His expression was curious. “A librarian’s urge to kill increases exponentially every time she sees a dog-eared p–.”
“Isn’t that good for you?“ she said, with a snarl unbecoming of an angel. ”Don’t demons feed off people’s dark thoughts?”
“I can’t swallow all the madness you create.” His shoulders sagged as he sighed. “Please find another place to read.”
Lily crossed her arms. She had returned to the human world in the annoying form of an angel so she could read books that she didn’t have time for while she was human.
How dare some creature she met barely a fortnight ago ask her to leave her favorite reading place?
This library was the biggest one in the city, with a wide selection of classics and the world’s foremost folklore collection.
I chose it - out of all the libraries in this world - with great foresight. Does he think I am here on a whim?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
“You mad at me?” The whisper sounded in her ear as the little demon dissolved into smoke and reappeared behind her.
She rather liked how his voice dropped to a soothing whisper whenever she got angry, and that he could disappear at will but chose to stay. Of course, there was no way she was telling him that.
“You keep invading my precious reading time,“ she snapped. ”Why shouldn’t I be angry?”
When he spoke, his voice was hesitant, but no less righteous. “You don’t follow the library’s rules and have been causing a lot of distress to the librarian.”
She bit back a swearword, since she was an angel now. “I didn’t think a demon would care so much about following rules.”
None of the books mentioned anything about dream demons, so she had no idea what to expect.
Why does he keep coming to disturb me? Always complaining about me breaking one of the library's rules. Does he keep inventing new ones on purpose?
Unbelievable!
Doesn’t he have something better - more demon-like - to do?
“Oh, we only follow rules created by librarians,” said the little demon as if he had read her mind.
He reappeared in human form and shuddered.
“They are the scariest. Their imagination is wild as they have uncontrolled access to different worlds to feed their dreamland… So, their imagination tends to be rather dark when it comes to punishments for dog-eared p--”
“I have a bad memory,” she said, her cheeks heating up, uncertain whether to take offense at the teasing tone in the dream demon’s voice.
To her surprise, he smiled, revealing a set of perfectly even white teeth.
Like some movie star in a toothpaste commercial. Lily’s heart almost stopped.
As if she would fall for looks! She had read tons of books and developed a most discerning taste in men. If he wanted her to follow some stupid set of rules, he would need to be much more persuasive.
“Why not go somewhere else?” the dream demon asked, sounding solicitous.
Why not stop being annoying?
“Look,” she said, “If I had my own place, my own library where I could read in peace and quiet--”
The dream demon raised a hand hesitantly, as if he were about to answer a question in class but wasn’t entirely sure it was the right answer.
“I…I happen to have a large library in the mansion of my ancestors,” he said, with a shy smile. “It has quite the collection of classics and folklore. I…I will bring you a lot of bookmarks…“
His hand disappeared in the smoke only to reappear a moment later, holding out a daisy.
”…so there will be no further need for you to dog-ear any book.”
Lily blinked at the little flower in the dream demon’s hand.
She had a dried daisy as a bookmark when she was human. It had appeared on her bedside table when she woke in the middle of a troubled night. Since then, It had been her charm to keep nightmares away.
Wait…she was not supposed to remember that.
She was supposed to forget everything about the human word once she became an angel.
Why, then, did she remember the books she had loved?
But, no. She did forget. But the memory of her beloved books had returned after she met an angel ranked higher than her.
The one who lost his rank after giving his wings to her, so she could come back to read.
The dream demon’s smile dissipated as she stared from the daisy to him, trying to remember the face of that angel. But, all she could remember about him was his golden eyes...
…the same eyes that were gazing at her through the smoke, with a serious and…hopeful expression.
How very convenient …
…to confess who he was… only to disappear if she rejected him.
She felt like throttling him.
She felt like dragging him out from his cloud of smoke and clutching him close.
Her heart thumped.
She had read a lot of books about demons - most advised not to make contracts with them. But, her dream demon was a fallen angel…
… who gave her his wings so that she could return and enjoy her reading time again.
… who now was offering her a private library.
An ancestral library…with ”quite the collection of classics and folklore.” Hot damn… he is very good at seduction.
She shook herself.
Temptation. I meant temptation.
She tucked the daisy behind one ear and sashayed over to the window, taking care not to topple back as her wings still felt awkward and heavy at her back.
The window opened for her and she turned to give her dream demon a come-hither look before leaping out.
Her mighty wings stretched wide as she plunged into the full moon-lit sky.
Behind her, smoke formed into a crow that flew past her, leading her through a forest to his ancestors’ mansion in the mountains - a place where she could read to her heart’s content.
February 14, 2022
Red String - Flash Fiction
His fiancée was having tea with the king and the prince didn’t even know about it. At least, I did not notice any uneasiness in his posture as he sat under the arc of the library window, reading in the peace of the ending day.
Why is he so unconcerned about where his fiancée is?
The prince had startled everyone by bringing her to the palace a week ago. The king - his older brother, still unwed - developed an interest in her, and asked me to take the prince away for the whole day. Today, of all days.
My heart hammered in my chest while I clutched the flask of love potion in my pocket.
It was Spring Eve, the one night of the year when the love potion could be used to bind to us our heart’s desire. This, undoubtedly, was what the king was doing in his chambers with the prince’s fiancée, and I was the only person who could tell the prince about it.
However…
The prince closed the volume - a magical chronicle - in his lap, and glanced at his watch. It was half an hour before midnight - the final minutes in which the potion would work. When both clock hands reached twelve, the magic of this day would wane… and I still had not had the opportunity to give the potion to the prince.
He stared off into the distance, his gaze upon the horizon. The Royal Garden was only just coming back to life, the first spring blossoms peeking through the ground, gently illuminated by torches with spherical cupolas. In the distance, the multi-domed hothouse scattered the rays of moonlight, making it look as though mist hovered above the ground, lending a magical, fairy-tale air to the scenery.
“Bernard, would you bring me a cup of tea?” the prince asked, without looking my way.
I couldn’t believe my ears. I had been with him the whole day. He had not eaten anything and only drank what he himself poured, so it’s not like he forgot what day it was.
Or is he simply certain no harm would come from me, his loyal bodyguard?
My chest clenched at the thought of betraying him, but there was no time to lose. I bowed and hastened to the kitchen.
The tea was ready. I took the flask containing the potion…and froze.
It wasn’t the first time I wanted to give the love potion to the prince. Last year and the year before… I had lost count of the number of times I almost gave him the potion. But at the last moment, I always backed away.
I could not betray his trust and did not want his interest in me to be due only to the potion. I sent him some anonymous notes and watched for his reaction, but never once did he give a sign that he had received something out of the ordinary.
There was no time left to try to win his attention. The prince had never shown his true colors in public. Even when we were alone, he would maintain his public image. He was always good at wearing a mask of indifference and behaved as he was expected to behave.
As for me, I tried hard to keep up my mask. I had to if I wanted to stay by his side. And, of course, there was nothing else I wanted more.
Only this year, everything was different– he had brought back a fiancée.
This was my last chance.
With a shaking hand, I poured half of the potion into the tea. The other half, I would drink after the prince. It was understood that the one who drank first would take the lead in the relationship, and I could not abuse my advantage any further.
As the flask disappeared into my pocket, a hand landed on my shoulder.
Startled, I almost spilled the tea, but the prince took the cup from my hands and -- before I even managed to say or do anything -- took a sip.
“What took you so long, Bernard?” he asked.
A smile playing on his lips, he waved me to follow him into his chambers. A few maids turned at seeing the prince, but none thought it strange to see the prince coming from the kitchen with his bodyguard.
Everyone knew the prince would be over-cautious tonight of all nights.
Still, he did not hesitate before taking the cup from my hands.
All that was left was for me to take my half of the potion, and the prince would be bound to me forever.
But, do I dare?
The door closed behind me. I was in the prince’s bed-chamber, standing there like a fool, with no idea of what to do next.
The prince sat on the love-seat at the foot of his bed and crossed his legs. Chin resting on one hand, he fixed his gaze upon me.
My eyes wandered to a stack of opened letters on his table. Neatly bound, they lay there -- each envelope of a different color. On top of the stack lay a royal blue envelope…
My heart skipped a beat as I recalled the color I picked each year to match the cravat he wore the day before I ended up not giving the love potion to him.
I gulped. Does he…suspect me?
“Do you remember our first meeting?” he asked.
There was no accusation in his voice and I sighed with relief.
He waved his hand, indicating the seat next to him.
I sat down gingerly, very conscious of where I was and how the final minutes of the day were slowly ticking away.
“Of course,” I said, tearing my thoughts away from the present and letting them travel back to the past. “You got yourself into trouble at the Royal Academy.”
I smiled, remembering how he had slipped away in the middle of the night to go to a festival and gorge himself on candy that was strictly prohibited by his physician. It felt so out of place for the perfect student image he was always careful to maintain.
“Remember the look on the Academy guards’ faces?“ He laughed at the memory. ”When they caught me on my return, all I could think of was, How do I get away with this? I don’t want to be punished for breaking curfew!” He glanced over at me. “And then you showed up, telling them you were the one who slipped out and that I had gone to haul you back?”
We both laughed.
As punishment for breaking curfew, we had both been assigned extra swordsmanship practice. What a great time that had been -- like a dream come true.
My gaze had always lingered on the prince during training sessions. As the best student in class, his sparring partners kept changing, each one better than the last. I almost despaired, until the extra practice with him brought my skills up to scratch.
Who would have thought the Fate Wheel would assign me as his personal bodyguard after that?
“It was Fate.”
The words slipped from my tongue and the prince stared at me, a serious expression on his face.
Does he suspect me, after all?
It didn’t matter. The clock was ticking the last moments to twelve – there was no way I could drink my half of the potion in time. The effects would disappear before the last chime faded away.
I clutched the flask in my pocket and sighed with relief.
I wanted the prince, but I did not want him bound to me solely by the magic of the potion.
He had opened all my letters and had not said anything… He let me see them tonight… It could only mean one thing - he wanted me to give up.
“Say, did you put something in my tea?” he asked, his tone deceptively casual.
I stared down at my clenched fists and nodded. I had already betrayed his trust and didn’t want to dig my own grave any further.
The clock struck twelve; chimes of the midnight hour sounded, one after another.
One…
The prince placed an arm along the back of the love-seat and leaned his head against it.
Two…
“I’ve heard,” he said, looking at me, “it can take a while for the effects of the potion to kick in.”
Three…
“How did you like your freshly brewed coffee this morning?” He sounded solicitous.
Four…
I blinked at him, remembering the unusual occurrence. The prince had got up very early and was by himself in the kitchen when I walked in. He already had the coffee brewed and was about to take a sip when I pointed out that he was holding my mug. He had apologized and handed it to me right away.
Five…
I looked across the love-seat at him. Did he…did he…put the love potion in that cup of coffee?
Six…He sidled over to sit right beside me and adjusted my watch to look at the time.
Seven…My heart hammered. His smile widened as his fingers brushed the skin at my wrist.
Eight…I wanted to pull my hand away, but my body was poised and ready to press forward.
Nine…My heart pounded as heat swept through me, the prince’s gaze encouraging me to close the gap between us.
Ten…My body screamed for me to press forward and claim what I had always wanted.
I hovered close, my lips mere inches from his. His breath felt warm against my cheek. I was about to lose my mind. Only honor and duty held me back, and both were fading fast.
Eleven…
“Obviously,” he said, “you weren’t the only one wishing to use the love potion.”
Twelve!
The last chime echoed away into silence, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.
Mine? But the prince’s chest rose and fell like he had been running...
A red string appeared around my wrist and led to his. By magic or by Fate - we were bound together.
My prince raised a brow, prompting me to close the gap between us, to take the lead for the first time in my life.
After all, he made sure I drank the potion first. Unless…
I pulled back a little to glance at my prince, who was looking impatient.
…unless he took a sip before handing me the cup of coffee.
“Bernard,” he murmured, his lips against mine. “Focus, please.”
My prince had spoken. As always, I had no choice but to follow his orders.
Why is he so unconcerned about where his fiancée is?
The prince had startled everyone by bringing her to the palace a week ago. The king - his older brother, still unwed - developed an interest in her, and asked me to take the prince away for the whole day. Today, of all days.
My heart hammered in my chest while I clutched the flask of love potion in my pocket.
It was Spring Eve, the one night of the year when the love potion could be used to bind to us our heart’s desire. This, undoubtedly, was what the king was doing in his chambers with the prince’s fiancée, and I was the only person who could tell the prince about it.
However…
The prince closed the volume - a magical chronicle - in his lap, and glanced at his watch. It was half an hour before midnight - the final minutes in which the potion would work. When both clock hands reached twelve, the magic of this day would wane… and I still had not had the opportunity to give the potion to the prince.
He stared off into the distance, his gaze upon the horizon. The Royal Garden was only just coming back to life, the first spring blossoms peeking through the ground, gently illuminated by torches with spherical cupolas. In the distance, the multi-domed hothouse scattered the rays of moonlight, making it look as though mist hovered above the ground, lending a magical, fairy-tale air to the scenery.
“Bernard, would you bring me a cup of tea?” the prince asked, without looking my way.
I couldn’t believe my ears. I had been with him the whole day. He had not eaten anything and only drank what he himself poured, so it’s not like he forgot what day it was.
Or is he simply certain no harm would come from me, his loyal bodyguard?
My chest clenched at the thought of betraying him, but there was no time to lose. I bowed and hastened to the kitchen.
The tea was ready. I took the flask containing the potion…and froze.
It wasn’t the first time I wanted to give the love potion to the prince. Last year and the year before… I had lost count of the number of times I almost gave him the potion. But at the last moment, I always backed away.
I could not betray his trust and did not want his interest in me to be due only to the potion. I sent him some anonymous notes and watched for his reaction, but never once did he give a sign that he had received something out of the ordinary.
There was no time left to try to win his attention. The prince had never shown his true colors in public. Even when we were alone, he would maintain his public image. He was always good at wearing a mask of indifference and behaved as he was expected to behave.
As for me, I tried hard to keep up my mask. I had to if I wanted to stay by his side. And, of course, there was nothing else I wanted more.
Only this year, everything was different– he had brought back a fiancée.
This was my last chance.
With a shaking hand, I poured half of the potion into the tea. The other half, I would drink after the prince. It was understood that the one who drank first would take the lead in the relationship, and I could not abuse my advantage any further.
As the flask disappeared into my pocket, a hand landed on my shoulder.
Startled, I almost spilled the tea, but the prince took the cup from my hands and -- before I even managed to say or do anything -- took a sip.
“What took you so long, Bernard?” he asked.
A smile playing on his lips, he waved me to follow him into his chambers. A few maids turned at seeing the prince, but none thought it strange to see the prince coming from the kitchen with his bodyguard.
Everyone knew the prince would be over-cautious tonight of all nights.
Still, he did not hesitate before taking the cup from my hands.
All that was left was for me to take my half of the potion, and the prince would be bound to me forever.
But, do I dare?
The door closed behind me. I was in the prince’s bed-chamber, standing there like a fool, with no idea of what to do next.
The prince sat on the love-seat at the foot of his bed and crossed his legs. Chin resting on one hand, he fixed his gaze upon me.
My eyes wandered to a stack of opened letters on his table. Neatly bound, they lay there -- each envelope of a different color. On top of the stack lay a royal blue envelope…
My heart skipped a beat as I recalled the color I picked each year to match the cravat he wore the day before I ended up not giving the love potion to him.
I gulped. Does he…suspect me?
“Do you remember our first meeting?” he asked.
There was no accusation in his voice and I sighed with relief.
He waved his hand, indicating the seat next to him.
I sat down gingerly, very conscious of where I was and how the final minutes of the day were slowly ticking away.
“Of course,” I said, tearing my thoughts away from the present and letting them travel back to the past. “You got yourself into trouble at the Royal Academy.”
I smiled, remembering how he had slipped away in the middle of the night to go to a festival and gorge himself on candy that was strictly prohibited by his physician. It felt so out of place for the perfect student image he was always careful to maintain.
“Remember the look on the Academy guards’ faces?“ He laughed at the memory. ”When they caught me on my return, all I could think of was, How do I get away with this? I don’t want to be punished for breaking curfew!” He glanced over at me. “And then you showed up, telling them you were the one who slipped out and that I had gone to haul you back?”
We both laughed.
As punishment for breaking curfew, we had both been assigned extra swordsmanship practice. What a great time that had been -- like a dream come true.
My gaze had always lingered on the prince during training sessions. As the best student in class, his sparring partners kept changing, each one better than the last. I almost despaired, until the extra practice with him brought my skills up to scratch.
Who would have thought the Fate Wheel would assign me as his personal bodyguard after that?
“It was Fate.”
The words slipped from my tongue and the prince stared at me, a serious expression on his face.
Does he suspect me, after all?
It didn’t matter. The clock was ticking the last moments to twelve – there was no way I could drink my half of the potion in time. The effects would disappear before the last chime faded away.
I clutched the flask in my pocket and sighed with relief.
I wanted the prince, but I did not want him bound to me solely by the magic of the potion.
He had opened all my letters and had not said anything… He let me see them tonight… It could only mean one thing - he wanted me to give up.
“Say, did you put something in my tea?” he asked, his tone deceptively casual.
I stared down at my clenched fists and nodded. I had already betrayed his trust and didn’t want to dig my own grave any further.
The clock struck twelve; chimes of the midnight hour sounded, one after another.
One…
The prince placed an arm along the back of the love-seat and leaned his head against it.
Two…
“I’ve heard,” he said, looking at me, “it can take a while for the effects of the potion to kick in.”
Three…
“How did you like your freshly brewed coffee this morning?” He sounded solicitous.
Four…
I blinked at him, remembering the unusual occurrence. The prince had got up very early and was by himself in the kitchen when I walked in. He already had the coffee brewed and was about to take a sip when I pointed out that he was holding my mug. He had apologized and handed it to me right away.
Five…
I looked across the love-seat at him. Did he…did he…put the love potion in that cup of coffee?
Six…He sidled over to sit right beside me and adjusted my watch to look at the time.
Seven…My heart hammered. His smile widened as his fingers brushed the skin at my wrist.
Eight…I wanted to pull my hand away, but my body was poised and ready to press forward.
Nine…My heart pounded as heat swept through me, the prince’s gaze encouraging me to close the gap between us.
Ten…My body screamed for me to press forward and claim what I had always wanted.
I hovered close, my lips mere inches from his. His breath felt warm against my cheek. I was about to lose my mind. Only honor and duty held me back, and both were fading fast.
Eleven…
“Obviously,” he said, “you weren’t the only one wishing to use the love potion.”
Twelve!
The last chime echoed away into silence, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.
Mine? But the prince’s chest rose and fell like he had been running...
A red string appeared around my wrist and led to his. By magic or by Fate - we were bound together.
My prince raised a brow, prompting me to close the gap between us, to take the lead for the first time in my life.
After all, he made sure I drank the potion first. Unless…
I pulled back a little to glance at my prince, who was looking impatient.
…unless he took a sip before handing me the cup of coffee.
“Bernard,” he murmured, his lips against mine. “Focus, please.”
My prince had spoken. As always, I had no choice but to follow his orders.
January 12, 2022
The mentor in alien language class - Flash Fiction
I was doomed to teach others since early childhood. Beginning with math classes for delinquents during my school days, followed by management and economics for my mates in college…and now I was standing right in front of my new boss.
I contemplated the ceiling. Being a mentor in a language class for aliens. That wasn’t my goal when I decided to join Intergalactic Forces. How did I even end up here?
Just a few days ago, I received the job offer right in my virtual chamber. Clouds in the sky formed the message. I thought it might be fun and proceeded with the application process. I had no real interest in taking the unknown position, just curiosity about where it might lead.
“And why do you think a human is fit to be the mentor?” I asked, looking into the eyes of my boss.
He looked back at me with his unblinking android eyes. When I first met an android in a superior position, I was a bit taken aback, but… Well, It’s easier to sever relationships with androids than with some humans.
“We need to teach civilizations we encounter about Earth. And who is the representative of the most archaic technogenic civilization of Earth?”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t have any valid argument. “So, whom I do need to teach and how?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not hard.” said my boss, with a mimicry of a smile. “There would be some insects and arachnids in the mornings, humanoids around midday, and some creminids—”
“What?” I blinked several times, trying to grasp what I just heard. I could let insects and arachnids pass, but creminids…
“What?” My boss looked at me, surprised. “You have something against creminids?”
“And how am I supposed to communicate with rocks and stones?”
“Oh it’s easy. One word per week will suffice-”
“Is there any sense to all this?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course, there is. I once had a great conversation with an asteroid. It told me so much about galactic space. Best conversation I have ever had…”
“And how long, may I ask, did your conversation last?”
“Not long. Just millennium or two.”
I laughed, but my boss was being perfectly serious.
I looked through the window in my boss’s office. The darkness of space was lightened by small dots of distant stars. It seemed almost empty to a human’s gaze, but in reality, it was so crowded.
There were so many forms of life that could tell you how the world looked from their perspectives. Maybe being a mentor for an alien language class wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
I contemplated the ceiling. Being a mentor in a language class for aliens. That wasn’t my goal when I decided to join Intergalactic Forces. How did I even end up here?
Just a few days ago, I received the job offer right in my virtual chamber. Clouds in the sky formed the message. I thought it might be fun and proceeded with the application process. I had no real interest in taking the unknown position, just curiosity about where it might lead.
“And why do you think a human is fit to be the mentor?” I asked, looking into the eyes of my boss.
He looked back at me with his unblinking android eyes. When I first met an android in a superior position, I was a bit taken aback, but… Well, It’s easier to sever relationships with androids than with some humans.
“We need to teach civilizations we encounter about Earth. And who is the representative of the most archaic technogenic civilization of Earth?”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t have any valid argument. “So, whom I do need to teach and how?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not hard.” said my boss, with a mimicry of a smile. “There would be some insects and arachnids in the mornings, humanoids around midday, and some creminids—”
“What?” I blinked several times, trying to grasp what I just heard. I could let insects and arachnids pass, but creminids…
“What?” My boss looked at me, surprised. “You have something against creminids?”
“And how am I supposed to communicate with rocks and stones?”
“Oh it’s easy. One word per week will suffice-”
“Is there any sense to all this?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course, there is. I once had a great conversation with an asteroid. It told me so much about galactic space. Best conversation I have ever had…”
“And how long, may I ask, did your conversation last?”
“Not long. Just millennium or two.”
I laughed, but my boss was being perfectly serious.
I looked through the window in my boss’s office. The darkness of space was lightened by small dots of distant stars. It seemed almost empty to a human’s gaze, but in reality, it was so crowded.
There were so many forms of life that could tell you how the world looked from their perspectives. Maybe being a mentor for an alien language class wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
