A Fragile Enchantment

by Allison Saft

sometimes, the mismatch of what her body could give and what her mind and circumstances demanded threatened to drive her mad.

She’d hoped for a better life here. But a better life, she realized now, came with a thousand smaller hardships.

I have no desire to twist myself into knots to please people I don’t even respect.”

when you’re dealing with a monster like that every day, you can’t help what you become to survive it.”

She infinitely preferred the satisfaction of listening to others, of doing what she could to lighten others’ burdens. Little held more magic in this world than the way people unraveled for her like a ball of yarn when given enough time and patience.

All his anger and aggression were the sword and shield in the hands of his fear.

the look of a man who had finally realized the worst of his weaknesses lived outside himself.

I am afraid that I will fail, despite all the pains I have taken. I am afraid I will let everyone down. And deep down, I am afraid that I am horribly, irredeemably selfish because I am so afraid that I will die without having let myself live at all.”

You don’t need to work yourself to the bone. You don’t need to do things for people before you ever think to do a thing for yourself. Whatever you think you have to prove or earn, it’s all in your head. Your existence alone is enough. And if you believe you’ve made no difference at all to anyone, you’re even more clueless than I thought.”

“Is this a dream?” “I don’t know,” he said huskily, his eyes aglow. “Let me kiss you until dawn, and I suppose we’ll find out.”

You don’t have to hurt yourself because someone else hurt you.’

She had always believed life was what slipped through her fingers while she was idle. That life was something she wasted, not something she had. But now, she understood how wrong she’d been. Her heart beat. Her lungs swelled with air. Life was here, right in front of her.

“When you’re on your deathbed, do you think you’re going to reflect on how proud you were to put everyone’s needs before your own? Do you think you’ll wish you’d given up more?”

I feel like I’ve lived a thousand years in the time I’ve known you. I feel like I’m awake for the very first time. Even if you were gone tomorrow, even if you took my heart with you when you went, I wouldn’t regret a single moment I’ve spent with you.