Chocolate Ash

She had been waiting all day for this. Layers of thick, gooey chocolate separated by buttercream and covered with almond icing. Rich and delicious, this cake – garnished with chocolate shavings – was a work of art. Beautiful and tasty. Delighted, she eagerly dove in.

She only tasted ash.

Horror struck as she swallowed the first bite. Denial followed as she desperately took another. The texture was still the same; dense, moist cake, fluffy buttercream and satin icing glided over her tongue. But even these pleasing sensations could not offset the taste of death that blossomed across her taste buds with every new mouthful.

She knew what this meant. Her Papa has bemoaned the loss of taste almost as much as he had bemoaned the loss of her mother. Her poor Mama had been struck down, totally unexpectedly, several years ago. She had been Papa’s soulmate, and everyone knew what happened when you lost your soulmate.

No one, however, knew why. It was simply an accepted fact of life.

With the loss of a soulmate came the loss of a sense. The most common loss was vision, followed by hearing. Poets often cried that to lose one’s other half was to lose the beauty of the world, to no longer be able to hear its joy. Less common were the loss of taste and smell. Perhaps, the romantics believed, this happens because life itself has become tasteless and bland. Survivors who lost the sense of touch… they often did not outlive their soulmates by much.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she admitted defeat, pushing the cake away. Forcing down one last swallow of the ash flavored dessert she let herself cry. It wasn’t fair! Although her Papa had moaned about his lost sense she knew it was a cover for his devastation at the loss of his beloved wife. But at least he had gotten the chance to love her. She hadn’t. Wouldn’t. And worst of all, she had no idea who her soulmate was.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She had met them. One only lost a sense if one had been in close contact with their intended. Despite all the fairytales weaving pretty stories about forever after and true love, most people never actually met theirs. The world was an incredibly populated place, after all, and only a small percentage of people ever actually encountered one another, let alone recognized each other and fell in love. Her parents had beaten the odds, had recognized each other almost instantly. But even among soulmates it rarely worked like that. Love and relationships were still hard work, even if destiny deemed you perfect for one another. It took time. Effort. Trust. And yes, a little bit of belief in the magic of true love. She had hoped she would follow in her parents’ footsteps and find hers. Now it was too late.

Despite her grief she couldn’t help but wonder who her other half had been. Dread filled her as she realized that not only was her soul mate -a mythical figure at this point- gone, but also one of her dear friends. Someone she knew, who had hopes and dreams, plans for the future. A life. And now it was gone.

An incessant vibrating noise broke through her fog, but fear paralyzed her as her phone lit up. Who would be calling to tell her the news? Who would she never see again? Unable to bring herself to move she let it go to voicemail. And then it rang again. She ignored it, sinking back into her thoughts.

Was it Preston? Her best friend since kindergarten? Blond hair and boyish dimples, with eyes that spoke of mischief. So good at getting them into trouble, and so good at talking his way back out. Would she never hear him laugh again?

Could it be Becca? Her sweet tennis partner, always willing to lend a helping hand, who always had kind word and gentle smile to help brighten the day. Was it her brilliant light that has been extinguished from the world?

Perhaps it was Collin, the star of the show. The had been fast friends since starring in a musical together in middle school. Over the top and larger than life, a young man who loved nothing more than a party and making friends. Was the world to be a little quieter without him in it?

Or maybe it was Kelly, whip smart with an attitude, but so soft with her loved ones and animals. Who would give up an entire day to coax a cat out of a tree or let a friend cry on her shoulder. Kelly, who she had just visited that morning. Was that the last time she would ever see her?

She could so easily see herself loving all of them. Each one was special, each one a guiding star. And now one had been extinguished. Her half-eaten cake, still out of reach, mocked her. It had given her an answer she didn’t want to have. But only half of one. To find the rest of her awful truth she had to find her courage. Taking a deep breath, salty tears still spilling down her face, she reached for her phone. The screen lit up with another incoming call. Daddy. With trembling fingers, she hit answer.

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry,” his gravelly voice was unusually soft. “I have some bad news. It’s about your friend…”

The End