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A soft hush came over the nighttime woods. The humid air hung as if draped like curtains over the branches of the trees. Once in a while, the sky would momentarily flash with the echo of far-off lightning. No breeze offered relief from the heat.
He sighed, marveling at how the moonlight was swallowed by her hair, making the rest of her figure blaze fiery silver. 'Why must so much come from destroying something so beautiful?' he thought. He was waiting for exactly the right moment, but a mix of passion and anticipation was threatening to overwhelm him. To avoid something worse, he would have to kill her now.
She walked barefoot across the grass towards the lake, but she took less pleasure in it than usual. The comforting, suffocating warmth of the night had banished any hint of dew. The moon stared at her, its reflection shining off the mirror-black water, softening the shadows. It felt as if there was another presence watching, too. She softly began to sing to it. Songs of the radio didn't fit, so she made a melody of nonsense words to sing to whomever listened.
The soft luminance of her voice washed over him, reaching into his mind and begging him to come hug her and kiss her and hold her--he forced the thoughts aside. It was now or too late. He closed his eyes, reached into his soul for the power, and opened them again. He saw the world differently like this: her beauty was now contained in that shimmering green-yellow that clung to her heart, spreading outwards, enfolding her body and mind in its protective hug, shielding her innocence from the greed and hatred of the world around her. He looked more closely. It also held at bay a demonic other part of her. Even together, they would be no match.
One more moment he waited for her to turn, then he could stand it no longer. The passion had subsided, but the anticipation was trying to wash away his mind. 'Stay awake!' he thought. 'I begin!' And with that, he leapt across the grass, flying to her, and sank his now-visible claws into her without touching flesh or clothing. Everything was perfect as he felt the shock of having her soul grabbed, and the pure terror as it struggled, fighting to remain, trying to pull away from the demonic essence hooked into it. He felt the pain of helplessness. It was so wonderful and lovely that the moment stretched forever... he did not know how long he spent savoring her emotion, but the wave of utter peace and joy that washed over him signaled the end.
Her body lay limp at his feet, and her soul lay limp in his grasp, no longer tugged at by the human world. He himself was quiet, deeply absorbed in the ultimate relaxation and freedom around him. The complete and awesome feeling of making a difference had left him drained of will, content to sleep there afterwards. But soon a summer breeze whispered that he should be gone. Pulling himself back to reality, he agreed with it. A storm was coming.
(There used to be a comments form here. However, having seen what I get when I make it easy to comment, that form has been indefinitely suspended. I can still be reached by email at <loonxtall@hotmail.com>. I apologize for any inconvenience.)
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