Sunna Eris' Golden Veins

The saxophone rages in cigarette smoke with a furious melody battling the singer’s scatting. Grey eyes and chocolate skinned woman struts across the room in meek confidence. She observes the scene of falsified debauchery pretends no one can see them in their acts. Carefully careening the room and she sits up staring at the white-haired woman staring at her. White haired and olive skinned with a smile built with mischief stands with her small bosom pointed up at the ceiling and dances her way to the grey eyed woman. As her white hair caresses the booth’s table like the smoke in the room, she announces “The name’s Sunna Eris and yours?”; grey eyes seemed intrigued and extends her hand to say, “You can call me Kailani”.

A soft laugh emits from her lips “Kailani, what kind of storms do you brew?” Sunna says. Kailani’s grey eyes light like lightening “What brings you to me Sunna; Eris you said?” Sunna’s fingers are decorated with random gems and stones as she taps on the table to ignore Kailani’s question. Kailani gains more confidence in her meek posture and raises her voice “Can you hear me?”. Sunna replies “Sweetheart, where is your confidence? You know I heard you and that is such a weak question to ask me. Given how confident you look should try that again”. Kailani is taken back at Sunna’s audacity while feeling complimented at the same time. Kailani begins to straighten her posture and mimic the physical confidence of Sunna and emulates like music “What brings you to me Sunna, Eris is the last name right?” Sunna smirks in pride “You learn quick child”

Kailani feeling smug leans back in the booth and awaits her answer. Sunna glistens with her nose in the air and asks “how would you like to fix one universal problem? And before you answer, think very carefully.” Kailani begins to drift in thought but is interrupted by a woman pulling away from a man telling her how she wants his attention. Her eyes dart to a couple that appears happy in smiles but dead in the woman’s eyes. A drunk woman being fondled by her date who keeps checking for watchers and telling the waitress its ok. The group of women traveling as a pack to the bar and bathroom watching each other’s backs and front simultaneously. The pack of wolves lurking for a woman alone. The fizzing in an over-touched glass of whiskey behind the marigolds away from his decliner's eyes. The woman whose seeking a way out but fears murder and rape; so she tries to comply until she can run. Kailani absorbs the debauchery that puts its face on display in a smokey lounge, the local church, the parking lots to grocery stores, the park, to mothers and children or newborn, to the single women who enjoy being alone; and women who want to feel free. Kailani thinks carefully and whispers “I’d fix the male gender where they do not think women need their validation to be valuable or feel entitled to women’s bodies and time, to know if women want them we will gladly pursuit, to not follow women, to not beat women, to not coerce women, to not oversexualize us from birth until death, to be respectful and recognize women for the goddesses that we are; and truly act like Kings beside a Queen.”

Sunna smiles wide and embraces Kailani with “And if you truly received what you wish, would you have the gall to commit to this dream?”. Sunna slides a small brown paper package across the table. Kailani’s confusion is met with Sunna’s “Again I ask you, if you truly received what you wish, would you have the balls to commit?”. Kailani reaches for this small box to reveal a precarious stone lined in gold veins against the midnight blue. Sunna stares at her waiting and Kailani asks while chucking “Is this supposed to weaken the male race and it’s controlling gaze across the universe?”. Sunna is no longer smiling, and her white hair begins to lighten as if to almost disappear, a streak of light races through her strands. Kailani jumps to her feet and looks around; but the debauchery holds the patron’s gaze. Sunna slides the stone back over and softly states “I cannot make wishes, but I certainly can grant them”. Kailani looks at the gold veined stone in the brown box. She pulls the stone from the box and realizes there’s a stringy coil wrapped around the stone while creating a ring like shape for wearing behind the stone. Kailani’s temptation inches up from roots and into her heart and she asks Sunna “Why would you pick me? What will happen if I get this wish?” Sunna stands next to Kailani and whispers in her ear “With all that you’ve been watching what would anyone have to lose?”. Kailani’s body begins to loosen and fold into Sunna’s grasp and shakes her head in agreement. Sunna grasps Kailani and pulls her in close to seal the wish with a kiss; a bolt of green lightning flows from Sunna’s mouth into Kailani’s.

Kailani wakes up on her couch half dressed in liquor bottles decorating the floor. Rubbing her head from the tension Kailani makes her way to window to see a beautiful snowstorm’s mess on the sidewalk. As the espresso machine begins to brew, the television is flipped onto the news. Male news anchor “Local man raped 3 women and will be held accountable for his actions. It has been a long time since we have had a rapist but every now and then they do appear. We have Grace Toni Jones on the scene at the courthouse”, Kailani thought to herself how strange it was to say it had been a long time to see a rapist when rapes occurred every hour. News continues to play in the background and prepares her shower.

The streets are covered in soft cotton candy snow but no wind to bring additional chills. Kailani shuffles through the snow to find her way to the lounge again; working there as standby singer has become a dragging event. As she trails down the road, there is a man being rejected and accepted that he is not the women’s type. Kailani shrugs and takes the males a second to recognize that he is in the wrong and should walk away as a rarity; “hmph weird” she thought. A young 12-year-old girl wearing green fitted pants gains the attention of a nearly 40-year-old man but is interrupted by another women saying out loud “She’s a child”; he retreats away from even looking. Kailani shrugs in dismay but notices something different about the world.

She arrives to a cloudy mess at the lounge and notices the women are different here; they seem confidently safe. The men were not inappropriately grabbing but rather asking for permission; and without fear a woman said no. No argument. No name calling; simple comprehension and respect. The declined man walks pass Kailani and she cannot help but to stop him “You’re giving up?”; baffled he looks at her and says, “Is this a trap?”. “No “, she replied, “I’m not giving up, but I do have to respect her wishes, she don’t want to be touched”. Kailani’s heart drops and watches him without anger or threatening anyone; he sits down to order a drink. Across the smoke she spots the man making special drinks for women who decline respectfully waiting at his booth. Women walked away from each other to use the restroom alone without their pack. The women appear solid and complete from within. Sunna appears next to Kailani mocking her bewilderment. Kailani jumps out of her skin enough to make Sunna laugh. Kailani grabs Sunna’s garb to pull her close “Did we do this?”. Sunna whispers “I only grant realities and with this much power the only balanced options I have are to find worthy individuals to grant them to.

Kailani begins to absorb the reality she has created and thinks to herself “Have I truly fixed the world’s problems?”. Sunna clarifies she can hear Kailani’s thoughts “maybe not the world’s but perhaps for a lot of women”. “Is this Utopia?” Kailani asks. Sunna only shrugs and asks, “what do you think?”