Page 12 of Wishing Upon a Monster
“I couldn’t teach him to sing, I’m sure you have noticed the quality of my voice,” I began, only to be interrupted.
“Your voice is different,” She agreed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she looked out over the vegetation, “but it’s not––it has a quality––yes.”
I chuckled at seeing her face turn red. “It is not easy to speak your language, any of your languages of flesh. I enjoy it, it is novel, but I cannot delude myself into saying I sound pleasant.”
She made a noise in her throat.
My thoughts returned to the story. “The drumming lessons went well. Trygve gained popularity in his village. I granted wishes in the surrounding area. It didn’t seem to matter howbusy we both were; we would meet for lessons even though he was past the point of needing them. We would talk instead, share a meal sometimes, while I learned about his family and friends, of his plans to wed. Wed he did, and he had children. I listened secondhand about their milestones and triumphs and, eventually, was granted the gift of knowing them.”
I chuckled at the fond memory of brave younglings trusting their father so completely as to break bread with a being that embodied the nightmares the elders warned them about.
“I cared for his family very much. Not once did he wish in my presence. He knew, of course, what I did. There were whispers of the Brøndmand, the scare monster who lived in wells. For a price, this creature could do anything. Yet my friend never asked, not even when things were difficult.
“Trygve lived in a time of uncertainty, and though he lived as well as he could, a plague swept through the village. He never told me they were sick. I should have noticed he was tired the last time he joined me for a meal. He missed our next meeting. Which, granted, happened from time to time. As the days passed, I worried. Usually, I received word from him or his children.
“I traveled through to the well closest to his home. His house was dark, and I knew. His entire family was dead. He never asked me to save them, never wished for me to protect him from harm.” I felt the emotions from then knotting in my chest, tangled and sore.
“The anger I felt, the sorrow of losing my friend. Why didn’t he just wish?” I stared out into the darkness as my sorrow threatened to overwhelm me, only for it to be sweetly interrupted.
Aurora had leaned across the space between us and was now clasping my hand with both of hers. I looked into her eyes in shock. Such a simple action, but from that small movement, Ifelt one of those knots in my heart loosen, the pain still bitter but somehow made better with understanding from the small treasure next to me.
This is why they woke me up, for her.
I gently closed my fingers around hers, clearing my throat, “I left Danmork, then Earth completely, for seven hundred years. I amassed a great deal of karma quickly, so I could rest. I was tired in a way I had never been before. Admittedly, I was a little young to seek my peace, but it was not completely unheard of.
“When the time came, the only place I could think of resting was on Earth. Things had changed. The New World offered me a chance at sleeping in serenity without much interruption. I took one of the first supernatural ships over here and settled, left a warning on my well for the first time in my long life, and went to sleep.”
“Until I woke you up with a wish,” she whispered.
6
Aurora
Ipaced my living room, holding my cellphone tightly, fighting the urge to fling it across the room.
"Explain to me again like I’m stupid,” I angrily demanded of the mage in the Talentless Registration Department for the East Coast Council of Magic.
The nasally voice of the absolute tool on the other end of the line was grating on my nerves, “Ma’am, your registration of you and your husband was flagged by our system, and for good reason. We don't have any record of Broadmans––”
“It’s BROON-man, it’s Danish.”
“Er, yes, but we don’t know about them as a species. Since you say he is capable of conversing with you and others, we would like to have him register as a new species of monster––”
“He’s not a new monster for you to catalog, he’s a deity,” I correct angrily, “So you are saying you want me to drive five and some odd hours from Magnola Springs, South Carolina with an 8 foot tall Stygian deity whom cannot fit in my vehicle, meaning I’ll have to rent a van of some sort, to the main branchof the ECCM in Raleigh, North Carolina, because you are CURIOUS?”
“Well, Charleston isn’t equipped––” He stammered.
“To interview an ancient god, but the folks in Raleigh are more qualified? What does this have to do with registering my marriage?” I thundered, about two seconds from hanging up on this fool.
Olan poked his head around the corner of my living space, his ruby gaze questioning, as I huffed out an agitated breath before whirling towards my altar to the Goddess. I tried to rein in my murderous thoughts, just in case Olan decided this might be one of those acceptable times to kill someone––because I was on the edge of saying yes if he did.
“If what you registered is true, there just isn’t a protocol for someone talentless marrying someone so powerful. We are doing you a favor, trying to make sure he isn't taking advantage of you, ma’am. You've been very tight-lipped on the details of your dating history, and being a member of one of our oldest magical families, you can appreciate that we are looking out for your well-being,” he explained.
“Mywell-being,” I said quietly, letting the ensuing silence punctuate my sentence in a way that continuing this inane conversation couldn’t.
I felt Olan’s hands drop onto my shoulders firmly, his fingers kneading the muscles there. I almost melted to the floor, it felt so good. I relaxed my shoulders, tilting my head from side to side and stretching my neck as his clever hands worked out knots I hadn’t even been aware I had.
“Tell the man that we would like an appointment tomorrow at two,min skat. Let him know themonsterwishes to know where the closest well is,” his voice was lower than I remembered it being last night, the sound scraping along my spine in a way that made me shiver.
