The Companion

by E.E. Ottoman

Still, she told herself there was always tomorrow.

Her day seemed to unwind itself before her like a freshly peeled apple skin.

The possibilities stretched out before her were vast and dreadful in their abundance.

"We look after each other." She so desperately wanted to live in a world where that was true.

Madeline thought about that, making art for the sake of it, outside of the need to sell and buy and turn that art into a consumable product.

He cooked like they were still at war,

I am good at being hurt and bad at being loved.

"When I was young, I used to read fairy tales, but I never wanted to be the princess," Madeline said. "I always wanted to be the enchantress of the woods—beautiful, powerful, and wild."

I want to eat dinner with you and listen to the sounds you make moving around the house and call you my love.