The Vanishing Act - The Return Part 3

In case you missed the first two chapters of the Return:

Vanishing Act - The Return Part 1

Vanishing Act - The Return Part 2

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I awoke awash in light. After seeming ages in utter darkness, it seemed blinding. I was slow to recognize it was only a handful of rays piercing the closed blinds on the window in the room. When I finally realized I had arms again, I tried to shield my gaze with my hands. But they lay rigidly at my sides, tears spilling over my cheeks even after I defensively closed my eyes.

I cannot remember ever feeling so hungry, so weak or alone. I cleared my throat several times in hope that someone would hear me and investigate. But no one checked on me for the longest time. I lay blinking helplessly in that blinding light, my voice too hoarse to make myself heard.

When someone finally arrived, she busied herself checking the machines monitoring my vitals. When she finally looked at me, she flinched with surprise when she realized my eyes were open and blinking tearfully into hers.

Miss! You’re awake!

I nodded silently before closing my eyes again and hoarsely whispering, Too bright.

She took pity on me and recovered a pair of sunglasses from the ward's lost and found and placed them over my eyes.

Time passed slowly in the following days. I had lapsed into a coma that had lasted almost three months, and the doctors recommended in hospital physical therapy till I built up the strength to walk again. My eyes, however, did not recover, and I found I needed the sunglasses even in a poorly lit room.

That was not the worst of it. Not remembering anything about my life or even the fire that landing me in the burn ward, I had hoped that someone might tell me who I was. Surely a missing person report was filed, or I had identification when I was brought to the hospital.

But no one knew. No one visited. No one cared.

At first, the physical therapy was agony. I cried myself to sleep the first two weeks.

At the beginning of the third when I was finally able to hobble around a bit, the day nurse told me I finally had a visitor, Madam Hekatos.

Her hair was a thickly maned riot of white; her wrists covered in fat bracelets made of brass and studded with turquois.

Of course I did not recognize her, but hoped she might share information to help me remember. She stared at me for a long time before speaking while I trembled in nervous anticipation.

Do you remember me, she finally asked.

Didn't they tell you, I answered huskily, I don't remember who I am. You look familiar, but so does everyone else in this place. You all look familiar, and I don't remember any of you.

She sighed. I warned you that you were playing with fire.

Not helpful. And pretty insensitive given the burn scars on my face. If you know who I am that would be helpful.

You were veiled before, but not anymore. Others may not know who you are, but I do.

You ... you know me?

What do you see when you close your eyes to rest?

The void, I whispered with a shiver.

We were both silent for a long time. She kept her counsel, and I took my time thinking about her words as the long, dark night of my coma returned forcefully to my memory.

Sitting in my bed, I felt something stirring deep within my bowels. I remembered Leviathan rising within me and my feeling of astonishment that had awakened fierce joy and hope even in the midnight dark.

I involuntarily moaned, long and deep in a voice I did not recognize as my own. I did not witness my outer transformation, but Hekatos did. I saw it in the horror of her expression.

I am Kaos, I whispered hoarsely. Before Gaia suckled the first of the Titans at her great breasts, I was. I am the Mother of Erebus and Nix, Darkness and Night.

Her face now white with terror, Hekatos dropped to her knees, her head bowed and arms outstretched in supplication.

My own voice returning, I said Goodness! and laughed in surprise. Where did that come from?

Still on her knees Hekatos looked up at me, her expression a question mark.

Look, I exclaimed, lifting my gown to expose my belly, only human after all!

But when she gazed at it with widened eyes before bowing again, I looked down at my belly in horror and slowly pulled up the gown yet further till my now engorged breasts were fully exposed.

Only this morning when I had showered, they were still small and lilly-white. Now they were shapely as a Nubian goddess's and black as the starless night.

I didn't yet know what filled them, but I was pretty sure it was not the milk of human kindness.

The Vanishing Act - The Return Part 4