Her dress flares out as she spins around the garden. Colors dance around her, and she seems to glow in the sun’s golden light. Her feet seem to barely touch the ground, and I suddenly understand where humans got the idea for stories of fairies and nymphs.
A crown of flowers encircles her brow; my eyes glance at the sunflowers, lilies, and roses before falling to her face. Her sunkissed skin with warm green eyes meet my gaze, and she smiles at me. She smiles at me.
The grin that forms on my face isn’t forced or fake. No, it’s the smile that only comes out when she’s around. Somedays I wonder what would have happened to me if it weren’t for her. My heart can’t help but ache when she isn’t near, and I fear for the day when her mother takes her away from me. Forever.
A hand extends out to me. That single motion banishes the thoughts that threaten to consume me, and I am pulled back into her eyes. Gently, I take her hand and stand up. As I leave the cool shade behind, I feel tendrils of the darkness reach out to grab me, but her warmth, her light sends them back without a thought. I pull her close and we begin to dance. We sway back and forth to a rhythm that only the two of us alone can hear. Her eyes close softly, and I feel her lose herself in the dance once more.
It feels as though the meadow is holding its breath for our dance. Her hair glimmers in the sunlight, and for once I allow myself to forget the differences between us. No longer from two different worlds. No longer forbidden, just the two of us. I lift my hand to touch her face, and she leans into my touch. I open my lips to whisper the words that have been haunting me since the moment I saw her…
“Kore!” Her eyes flash open and the moment is shattered. The sunlight disappears behind the clouds, and the trees shrink back as her mother appears. Dressed in a dark green robe with a golden leaf circlet, the goddess of the harvest looks every bit like the queen of the earth that she is.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Demeter’s hands reach out to grasp her daughter and thunder crashes in the distance. I narrow my eyes at her tone.
“Mother, let go of me, please.” Her eyes frantic as she backs away from her mother and further into my arms. Demeter’s eyes widen as she takes in the two of us together, and I know that I will lose my nymph no matter what I do.
