The Curse of Immortality

It is a Thursday and it is my set editing day to work on my completed novel. I intended to do another post about editing but I was inspired by yet another Inspiration Monday flash fiction prompt. So this post features that story instead (although it is just over 700 words not the usual 500).

As for editing the novel. Progress is slow and steady. I was honoured to be asked to join a critique group this week and am pleased with the valuable and honest feedback they have been giving me in regard to my prologue and chapter one. I look forward to reading their pieces and helping them out as well.

This is my Inspiration Monday piece for BeKindRewrite’s most recent challenge:

The Curse of Immortality

He could see the grey hairs beginning to appear. He had noticed the lines forming at the corners of the eyes and mouth. He knew the body was not as firm as it once was and the skin was losing its elasticity. He understood that these things were all inevitable no matter how much he had tried to deny it. He told himself it didn’t matter, what was age anyway? It was just a number. But deep down he always knew that this day would come. He just did not expect to wake up alone today.

He got up and went to the closet. All her things were still there but he feared she was gone for good. He crawled back into bed. She hadn’t been gone for long. Her place in the bed was still warm. Her scent still lingered in the air around him, conjuring up memories. He wanted her and almost needed her to return.

The first time he had ever seen her was at her book signing. She was twenty-two and already a first time published author. She was sat at a little table hunched over a laptop, typing away. There was a stack of books around her. No one was asking her to sign any of the books and he figured she was lonely. He had been looking for a book on plumbing as his pipes had been playing up again but he decided that could wait. He walked over to the table and picked up one of her books.

“So what do you write?” he tried to be debonair.

“Paranormal romance,” she looked up at him. He thought if eyes could smile her eyes were smiling at him.

“Oh, that is my favourite,” he had never heard of it.

“Really?” she actually was smiling at him now. “Do you want me to sign a copy of my new book for you?”

“Yes, but only if you include your phone number,” he wanted to kick himself, he was being way too forward but he had always been attracted to brunettes.

She rolled her eyes as she quickly scrawled her signature in the book. She handed it over, politely thanked him and them went back to typing. He took the book and walked away feeling deflated. He forgot all about the plumbing book and walked out of the shop still carrying her book, unpaid for. He headed to the park to people watch and plunked down on a bench. He was about to toss the book in the rubbish bin next to him but he opened it instead. Her name was Kay Marsh and under her signature was a phone number. He went home and read the entire book and then phoned her to ask her out on a date.

She was unusually excepting of his lifestyle and he adored her artsy quirks. They were the perfect couple. They had talked about making a lifelong commitment to each other but Kay was never ready for that and he never pushed her. He was just happy to have her to love. He spent the best years of his life with her.

Then last night she brought up the difference in their ages and how others might see them as an odd couple. He was shocked she even cared because he had been naïve and never thought of it as an issue. To him theirs was a relationship based on love not appearance.

He heard the lock to the front door click. She was back. She entered the bedroom silently, black trails dripped from her eyes and ran down her cheeks.

“Can you really live with a forty-year old woman?” She climbed in next to him and he pulled her close.

“You know I can,” he was just grateful she was back.

“and you don’t care that people think you are half my age.”

“When have I ever cared what people think about us?”

“Then I want to stay this age forever,” he could tell she was serious this time.

When he had drained her of enough blood to stop her heart he gently placed her on the bed. He cleaned her up and sat and waited. He knew the transition was not easy but he would be with her. Today she gave him the gift of an eternal companion and he couldn’t help but shudder because he had just given her the curse of immortality.