Sapphic Voices Romance

Full Circle

Part One

The sun was preparing to sleep, drifting down below the mountain affectionately called The Sleeping Lady.

Zsaulynn watched, her heart sending conflicting emotions through her, sizzling from fingertips to toes.

Everywhere she looked there was a memory to make the heart squeeze painfully.

Sighing, she turned from the window and stared at her empty living room. She entered, walked down the hall, listening to the silence—a deep void.

Closing her eyes, she opened them instantly to stare at her reflection in the mirror. Her mouth was drawn in tight lines, and there were shadows beneath her eyes, the usually vibrant color, like winking peridot gems, now lifeless.

Tossing blue-black, long curly hair behind her, she splashed cold water over her face. Looking back up she didn’t see any improvement, but she felt slightly revived.

She was planning a trip, to leave on the morrow. An escape from memories too painful to recall. She needed the time away, from the voices echoing in her tiny cottage, from the nostalgia of breathing the tang of salty sea air.

Placing the towel back on the rack, she wondered into her bedroom, looking at the two compact bags she’d packed two weeks ago. Nothing more to do there. Looking at the clock on the wall, she saw it was only just after two in the afternoon.

Thirteen long hours to kill, no respite provided by sleep. She knew that coveted escape wouldn’t come.

It hadn’t for three days. Telling in her tired body, her blank glassy eyes.

She left the bedroom and went into the kitchen. Tidy here. Not an item out of place. She briefly thought of making a mess, just to have something to do in cleaning it back up.

No. Desperation that.

A heavy sigh slipping past her lips, she pulled the curtains and went back to the living room.

There was a book, the latest thriller, but it sparked no interest. She turned to look at the stereo, heart tumbling as she thought about listening to the CD. That gave her pause. The CD. Well, and so it was.

She walked to the stereo, reached up with trembling hands. Pulled it from the shelf. Stared at it. Opened it. Stared again.

Lips parted, she gently removed it and slipped it into the player, pressed play and then repeat. Went back to the kitchen to put tea on. She thought of having something stronger, but that would only reinforce the feelings that would come when the first song started.

She ran back to the player, paused it, breathing heavily. Just the thought of hearing the first song…

She went back to the kitchen, hurriedly now. The song was waiting. Knowing the pain of remembrance was waiting, and she, eager to meet it. Needed to feel it, explore it, absorb it like breath.

The kettle whistled and she snatched it from the stove. A mood was building and the shrill hiss of the kettle would shatter it. Quiet. She wanted it now. It had taken on a different kind of life. The kind the heart required when readying for an emotional journey.

She poured the boiling water over the bag, the fragrant sharp smell of cinnamon assailing her nose.

She carried the steaming mug back into the living room.

Pressed the play button on the stereo. The CD spun, then the first strains of the song that always ripped her heart like jagged knife began to play.

Heart clenching she stopped as the strong emotions rocketed like jets through her, razing her nerves and making her shudder.

Memories rushed her, making her dizzy. God, God, she thought. Not ready. Not ready.

She sat. Put both knees together and closed her eyes so tightly she saw prisms.

Open, open.

The haunting voice came to her now, entering her in every pore, filling her to bursting. Throwing her head back, tears flowed unnoticed down her face.

One word settled like a scream in her mind. She wrapped herself around it, as it reverberated, screeching like tsunami winds in her head…

Moira…


... to be continued in Part Two

If you have enjoyed Joie De Vivre's "Full Circle - Part One", then please be certain to e-mail her at  joiedevivre37[at]gmail.com  and thank her for posting her Work.

Click here to continue on to "Full Circle - Part Two"

Click here for a list of all of Joie De Vivre's  Stories and Poetry at  Sapphic Voices Authoresses.