"Are people screaming and being burned alive where you live?" she asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Have you ever watched the movie, Constantine?"
"I have. I'm quite fond of Keanu. He visits now and then. I assume you're talking about the scenes where his character goes to hell to find the twin sister of the main female character?"
"Yes," she said, as they left White Bear.
"There is no hell. Hell is something men made up to control people through fear. Those same men also take the money, resources, and children from those they lie to. It continues even now. Hell is not real, the con artists are."
"We can walk to get dessert, if that's alright with you," she said.
Hades called his driver and told him to take the rest of the night off. Then he turned to Persephone and said, "I like to walk. Especially on a nights like this, when we can see the stars."
"I like it too," she said. "What you said about hell makes perfect sense."
"It's up to people to see through the lies and get over their fears. That's one of the lessons they are supposed to learn while they're here. Thinking for oneself, as much as possible in this world, is a goal that's high up on the earthly academic scale."
"So you aren't a fallen angel who started a war to to overthrow your father?"
He laughed out loud. "My father is a marshmallow. He adores all of his children. I'm the favorite, of course. Probably because I look like him. Sorry to disappoint you but there never was a war and the only fallen angels are those who trip over something when they're here. You live in a world of lies. Everything here is about greed and power over others. You've been strong enough to go your own way but don't think you aren't trapped by some of the dogma and untruths. Everyone is."
"I don't want to fall in love with you," she said.
"Why not?"
"Because of the myth. And because love is...."
"Love is, what?" he asked.
"Do you want malt, a sundae, or a cone?" she asked, as they stopped before the soft serve shop window.
"Hot fudge sundae, extra hot fudge, whipped cream, no cherry," he said.
"Make that two," said Persephone, pulling money out of her bag.
"I pay," he said, touching her hand.
"You bought dinner, the other person buys dessert," she said, in a voice that brooked no argument.
"Thank you," he said. "No one ever bought ice cream for me before."
"There's a first time fore everything," she said, handing him his sundae. "Shall we sit on the bench, over there?"
"Sure," he said, grinning. "Why don't you want to fall in love me?"
She shrugged. "I think it could get complicated."
"How?"
She closed her eyes and let the taste of the hot fudge wash over her. "Mmmmm, this is so delicious."
He watched her for a few seconds then said, "So about this love thing?"
"If we fall in love, the narrative won't change that much."
"How much does it have to change to be different?"
"I'm not sure, but if we're together, we'll fall right into the Hades and Persephone myth."
"No, he said, if we fall in love we change the story from you being taken, to one where we choose to be together. We can show others what happiness and love truly looks like."
"It's hard to think about all of this when I have hot fudge," she said, turning the spoon upside down in her mouth, letting the handle just hang there.
"Wonderful," he laughed.
"That was not the point," she snickered. "Now you do it."
He did and they fell into each other laughing hysterical.
A couple walked by, with their dog, and stared at them.
That made them laugh harder.
"Do you want another sundae?" she asked, holding her cup upside down.
"Do you?"
"Yes," she said, "I do."
They sat back on the bench and started eating again.
Eventually she said, "I feel like a whale. I never eat this much at one time."
"We did eat a lot of ice cream," he agreed, stretching his legs out in front of him.
"Did you forget about the pizza and the fries?"
Kitty Kitty came out from under the bench. "You guys are making sick. Too much talk about love and hot fudge. Ack!" he said, hacking up a fur ball.
"What are you doing here?" asked Persephone. "And that was gross and disgusting."
"How many times do I have to tell you...it's my job to protect you. Where you go, I go, and cat's and fur balls go together the same way."
"Did you know he was here?" asked Persephone.
"No. He's really good at hiding his energy imprint."
"Thanks," said Kitty Kitty. "I'll take plain vanilla ice cream in a cup."
Hades came back with the cup of ice cream for the cat.
"So you two gonna hook up?"
"Just ignore him," said Persephone. "I do, and it seems to work."
"The aunties have their t-shirts in a bunch, over you two," said Kitty Kitty. "Your mother is freaking out and Zeus has been trying to tell her he did all he could, but she's not buying it. The muses are having a blast, knitting the future and taking bets."
"You can tell them nothing is happening," said Persephone.
"It's not?" asked Hades.
She glared at him and he said. "Yes, Kitty Kitty, tell them nothing is happening."
"Now," said the cat, "how can I decide which of you is the worst liar. I think it's you Hades."
"How was the ice cream?" asked Persephone.
"I live in a world where chocolate can kill me. What kind of thing, or being, would design a world like that? An idiot? Someone who though it was funny? Seriously. I want to know."
"Go calm the aunties," she said.
"Basically, you're just saying that you want me to leave you two alone and I should go and lie for you," he sighed. "Sure, why not," he muttered. "In a world of lies, what's one more. I'm the messenger of lies. The messenger who can't have chocolate. No one cares that I'm an honest cat."
"Persephone picked him up and hugged him. "We really don't know what's happening, so you won't be lying. Not really. Maybe just a little."
"You're lucky I'm good at it," he said, jumping off her lap. He turned to Hades. "Be careful and watch your back."
"Thank you Kitty Kitty, I will."
"Let's walk off some of this ice cream," said Persephone, once Kitty Kitty was well on his way.
Hades rose to his feet and said, "I agree. And thank you again for dessert."
"My pleasure," she said.
He looked at her and said, "That's the secret to life you know."
"What is?"
"Pleasure."
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