New Prompt (for December 14, 2022):
"You are kidnapped by a knight who demands your assistance in slaying the city’s most dangerous dragon. To save your kingdom, you must learn how to breath fire and best the dragon." {credit to 500 Writing Prompts on Written Word Media}
Old Prompt (from November 16, 2022):
"A goddess of life kidnaps the god of death to be her new husband, meaning that six months of the year things are normal but the other half literally nothing is able to die." {credit to DieterVonDietrich on r/WritingPrompts}
My Story: The Story of Life and Death
Life has a morbid sense of humor. No really, I know her. She's my wife.
When I was young (well as young as an immortal god can be), I remember meeting Aisha. She was truly vibrant (being the goddess of life gives you a faint aura). Charisma may as well have been her middle name. Aisha made friends wherever she went. Even Cadoc, the god of war, seemed to lighten up when Aisha entered the room. Everyone enjoyed spending time with Aisha.
Her skin glowed from hours in the sun. She had delicate green eyes that slanted slightly upwards and glowed against her dark skin. A thin, yet hooked nose sat in the middle of her beautiful face. Often, her dark, unruly hair was tied up in a long ponytail sprouting from the top of her head.
I, on the other hand, had been branded a skulker. The shadows always seemed to hide me and make me feel at home. An introvert by nature, parties were never really my scene. Typically, you could find me huddled in a corner nursing a drink or chatting with Benonette, the goddess of pain and torment. There were few who were in my social circle; mostly wretches like me, Sephtis, the god of death.
Aisha and I couldn't be more opposite. Yet, she found her way to me one night that feels like a few eons ago...
"Oh, excuse me. I didn't see you there. It's so dark in here." Aisha had bumped into me on my way to the bar for another drink. Her cheeks were bright pink from dancing. "Have I seen you here before? I don't recognize you."
I cleared my throat, but my voice still cracked slightly. "I'm Sephtis. Benonette and her friends usually drag me here when they need an excuse to sulk."
Aisha chuckled and touched my arm. Her touch was warm. "You're funny for someone who has such a dark job."
"Thanks. It's either sarcasm or detrimental life choices." I gave her a small smile. Before I could ask her how often she came by The Pantheon, the only club in town, Halona, goddess of joy, called Aisha back to the table.
"It was nice meeting you, Sephtis. Meet me when Pantheon closes!" Halona pulled Aisha away into a crowd of people.
I waited around long after the tortured souls I usually hung out with left. The Pantheon closed around four in the morning, but Aisha never met up with me again. I walked home in the pouring rain.
The next morning, there was a glowing flower in my mailbox with a letter attached. It was from Aisha.
"I'm sorry I missed you last night. Meet me near the bubbling springs across the Pantheon. xoxo"
It was a short walk from my house to the bubbling spring. When I arrived, I was certain I was being played. Aisha was nowhere in sight. I wandered around the fountain that Dwyn, the goddess of waters, made from the bubbling springs.
The day was much nicer than the night. The sun was bright and warmth spread across my cold skin. I opened my arms to feel the sun's heat better.
I became drenched with water. I couldn't tell what had happened at first, but then I realized small hands were on my sides. Someone had pulled me into the fountain. When I looked around though, I wasn't in the middle of a fountain of water.
There was a garden outside the window of this beautiful wood-filled cabin. The plants flourished outside. Inside, sweet aromas of food filled the tiny space. There were plenty of windows to allow the house to be filled with natural light. The furniture was all covered in decorative crocheted blankets and pillows. Deep green tones mixed with the white furniture of the living room.
"Hello, Sephtis." Aisha descended from stairs that appeared on the other side of the living room. "Sorry I had to go to such extreme lengths, but I have a proposition for you."
I scratched my neck in nervousness. "Listen, I'm not sure the what impression I gave you last night, but I'm not--"
"Marry me." Aisha walked into the kitchen and started putting some food together.
"Marry you?" I asked. "I only met you last night."
"I may have lied." Aisha chewed on her bottom lip. "I had seen you from afar many nights ago. I immediately knew I needed to know you. I fell in love."
"I can't do this." I walked to the door and tried to leave, but it was locked. "Am I stuck here?"
"It's not the most civil plan, I know." Aisha waltzed toward me as if she was walking on air. "I want to get to know you, and I think you'll find you want to know me, too."
"No. Let me go." I demanded. I rattled the door as if my panicked spirit would unlock it.
"I have a room made up for you upstairs," Aisha said. "You can go there if you like, but I don't want you to leave."
"This isn't fair. I have a job to do!" I shouted.
"Killing people?" Aisha asked. "They aren't going anywhere. You can kill them once we're wed."
"This is blackmail." I ran my fingers through my hair. "You can't keep me here. If I stay absent for too long, the balance will be all wrong. I can't possibly neglect my work. You can't drag me into another world without a way to get home."
"What's the worst that can happen? The population grows slightly?" Aisha asked.
"I'm going to my room. Don't speak to me unless you plan on letting me go." I marched up the stairs and slammed the door to my room.
In a fit of rage, I shouted at the top of my lungs. Every plant in the room immediately wilted and turned black. I pulled the sheets off the bed and used them to cover the windows. This was my comfort zone. Aisha couldn't keep me there forever.
Eventually, I warmed up to the idea of Aisha. She cooked me splendid meals every day and sat outside my door talking to me. I started answering and we shared laughter. It was hard not to fall into Aisha's warm gravitational pull. Her charisma won out.
After a short period in her cabin, I agreed to marry her. In fact, I proposed it after only a few weeks of coming out of my room. The wedding was extravagant. A mix of brilliant whites and crisp black touches allowed us to create a classic affair that the gods would be speaking about for months to come.
As a compromise for our unity, I promised to spend every four weeks with Aisha and the next four doing my work. The population would thrive and shrink but never got out of hand. Here's where our story gets complicated.
"I'm pregnant." Aisha plunked down on the couch beside me.
I choked on a bit of egg Aisha had given me. "What?"
"I'm pregnant?" Aisha was now testing for my reaction.
"That's wonderful news!" I hugged her tightly. "How far along?"
"Eight weeks." Aisha glowed even brighter.
"I'm going to stay here. I have to help you prepare for the baby," I said.
"No, darling, you need to work." Aisha took my cold hands in her warm ones. "Stay on your regular schedule then stay with me for the third trimester."
Toward the end of the summer, I left my job to stay home with my wife and child. Merripen, a beautiful boy, was born to us as the fall was nearing its end. I stayed home with Aisha and Merripen not thinking anything would happen if I did so. Until Nuncio, the messenger god came to find me.
"I have an urgent message from the lower realm." He drew in a deep breath. "The population has skyrocketed. It's going to cause problems for us."
"How many?" I asked.
"Eight million."
Happy Writing,
Ally Mac
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