Three of Spades (31 page)

“I need to leave. I need to get out of here.” She said, more to herself than to him. With his permission, she levered up into a sitting position, quickly getting to her feet and running in the small circular space that surrounded their natural bed of desire.

Muttering to herself to find her way out, the panic began to strangle her, causing even her cries of despair to become lodged in her throat. She fought for air. Running her hands along the hedge, the circle was complete, no breaks or openings could be found. Here, there were no thorns, only plush greens and beautiful flower petals. She collapsed to the ground as the panic began to swallow her. Her loud sob broke free. She felt the fog surround her and soon there was no longer beauty in this earthy paradise, but rather, coldness, loneliness, and thorns. The thorns returned, glowing with their sharp points, waiting for the blood and flesh they thought was their bounty.

As she slowly began to rock herself, trying to find a way to keep the darkness at bay, she could see his form out of her peripheral vision. He no longer was the god like statue but just a dark silhouette. However, as he stepped closer to cast his shadow over her small huddled form, she was, once again, consumed by warmth. No light emitted from him. There was no echo of the previous feelings of want or desire, just warmth to keep the coldness from overtaking her.

“You are at the center, the only way out is if I chose to let you find the exit.” He said in a deeper voice that had lost all sensual and erotic rhythm. The voice that spoke now was detached, almost menacing.

“Please, please, let me go. Just let me go. And forget.” The last part of her plea was the most demanding of all her words.

“I don’t know if I can.” He spoke, once again in his sweet sensual voice.

“Please, I beg of you, sir.” The god like man was back as well as the beauty and warmth of their private paradise.

He held out his hand and his sparkling smile returned. He lifted her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her once again. Her fear diminished, almost as if her body was telling her it was safe from harm.

He lowered his lips toward her wanting mouth. His warm sweet breath blew over her face, extinguishing the last of her unease. Right before his lips were to touch hers, he spoke, “Lola! Hey Lola, you awake?”

Why did his voice change? Pulling back slightly to look at him, she watched as his smile remained and his gaze tried to absorb her entire being. Thinking she was once again losing her mind, she tried to relax.

“Hey, you ok? Lola! Come on, I want to watch TV!” She knew that voice, but it was not the singsong one of the god, or even the dark demon’s, which followed her into the darkness.

“What did you say?” she asked the beautiful man who held her. His beautiful face looked at her and she watched as his lips moved to the beat of someone else’s words.

“Come on, I’m missing the beginning of my show. Wake up, Lola!”

Lola’s eyes flew open. She was no longer surrounded by plants, healthy or dead. She looked around at the stark cream-colored walls, the mismatched second hand lamps and furnishings. She was home in her apartment. She gave her head a shake, thinking it would make her recollection of the dream make more sense. She then looked up to the brown eyes that she knew so well.

“Finally, you are awake. Can I have some Captain Crunch?” said the voice of one of the only people that Lola really cared about.

“Of course you can, I’ll get it for you.” As she pulled herself off her bed, otherwise known as the couch, she took the few steps that separated the small living room from the even smaller kitchen. She stretched trying to get her muscles to relax out of their current feeling, as if she had just run a marathon. Lola went about making Boyd’s cereal, trying to wonder what she possibly ingested that could cause her to have such a strange dream. She brought the full bowl over to the couch, to the expectant hands. When she walked back to put the cereal box away, her memory sparked, causing her to remember what would create the foundation for such a dream.

Adonis!
She
saw
Adonis,
in
the
flesh,
without
his
mask
.