A Long Winter

Lyra trekked up the Pearl Peak Mountain side as the wind stirred her long, wavy brown locks out of her face. The snow began to fall a touch faster keeping Lyra alert and engrossed on her destination. She was freezing, though elated for what was in store for her life at the top of the peak. Questions and visualizations swarmed in and out of her synapses as she continued her journey upward. The mountain trail veered left. showing several unique mountain peaks ahead to the right of the trail revealing caves with vintage fire pits aglow. Swirls of red-orange, auburn and dandelion hues danced on the unrefined grooves of the cave’s vast interior.

She approached the last incline on the trail which steered her left to the top of the peak. The cave was pitch-black with a peculiar vibration swaying with the icy wind traveling west. The darkness summoned her to step inside the cave. Lyra walked closer to the mouth of the cave, took a swift pause and a deep breath in. At the same moment she chose to exhale; a woman dressed in all black was standing in the cave behind the firepit. This woman rapidly set fire to a huge torch from the ground and the firepit was ignited dancing with the frozen wind. She put the torch out and set it aside.

“I’ve been expecting you, Lyra…” whispered this mysterious woman. She wandered closer to Lyra, moving clockwise around the pit and stopped at her right shoulder. Lyra gazed into her eyes as the mystery woman interlaced fingers with hers in both hands. The gaze continued to penetrate Lyra’s optic nerves; sending electrical impulses to the back of her head and down her spine into the earth. A precious memory was activated from long, long ago once burrowed deep down within her subconscious mind. Protected by the ventricles of her heart and now unlocked …. she remembered everything.

“Hestia!” Lyra placed her hands securely on either side of her waist and leaned in to kiss her. Lyra moved her pelvis and torso into Hestia as her hands traced the hourglass shape of her stunning figure. Their tongues kneaded and basked in the sweet pheromones they could only create together; melting deeper. Hestia licked Lyra’s face, smiled and led her to sit at the bonfire.

“Did you bring it, my love?” Lyra questioned.

“Yes. I did.” Hestia promised.

“I want to see it!” Lyra exclaimed with passion imploding through her eyes.

“Okay. We must be careful—we cannot stay here long, my sweet.”

Rising to her feet, Hestia spun counter-clockwise facing the back of the cave and signaled Lyra to do the same. Gliding in tandem, they moved in sync towards the back of the cave. A thin gravel trail hidden by an invisibility spell emerged as they approached. About seven feet down the trail to the right were a family of large oblong stones. Hestia walked past the first four and directly to the fifth. “Revelare Secreta!” She breathed the enchantment into the stone and it dissolved into the atmosphere; a mysterious suitcase unveiled itself. “Placere aperire,” Hestia whispered to the suitcase. She held Lyra’s hand and both of them took a deep breath in to ground their energies. A few moments went by and a crimson red lightning bolt hissed out of the suitcase and in between the two of them, frying the ground.

The red electrical current leaked out through the finely embroidered stitching of the suitcase and morphed into the form of a snake. It continued to move clockwise around the suitcase and naturally transitioned its movement into a figure eight flow right in front of it.

“AMARE! AMARE! AMARE! LUX!” Hestia cried to the galaxy, her arms surrendered and opened to their full capacity as Lyra reflected. The snake kept growing and twisted them in the figure eight shape eventually lifting them off of the ground.

All of a sudden, a gargantuan man emerged from the suitcase in a tornado with black thunderbolts in each hand. He was livid and raging with unstable, yet powerful focused energy. His skin was the same crimson red color as the snake.

“YOU HAVE DISOBEYED THE ORDER! YOU HAVE BROKEN YOUR HIGHER SOUL AGREEMENT FOR YOUR KARMA TO BE PAID IN FULL THIS LIFE!” The Djinn scowled at Hestia.

“NOOOO! PLEASE!” Hestia fell to her knees. “Please don’t take my love away from me again!” The black thunderbolts killed Lyra instantly. I will end you for this…