Page 3 of Fated
“Mind yourself Eris, this is what they warned you of.”
Eris looks up to Ribbon, “Why in Goddesses's names did you prod me to come in here only to warn me off? Ribbon, sometime I wish you’d find someone else’s head to crown.”
She turns back to the fabric. “I’ve never felt anything like this, except perhaps clouds—” Eris says, then grimaces. “—except they’re always damp.
She weighs the fabric, measures the thickness. It’s still attached to the loom so she can’t move too much with it.
Mesmerized by the beauty she follows the train to a stone wall behind the loom where it disappears beneath.
Eris inspects the stones —pushing and pulling— until one of them shifts. A heavy scraping sound itches at her ears, dust motes exploding from the wall as a door becomes.
“Oh my mother and aunties.”
She opens the door slowly and steps through, carefully avoiding the fabric draped across the threshold.
The walls are natural stone like the interior of a cave. In the center of the room is a well-sized hole cut into the dirt floor, the fabric falling over the edge, disappearing into the earth. The only light in the dim room is the pulsing of the rainbow fabric.
Eris walks to the edge and peers down into unimaginable depths. Her mouth drops open on a gasp.
“Goddesses.”
Ribbon squirms on her crown. “Mind your lean. A sssnake could get lossst down there.”
Eris straightens, then reaches for the fabric, entranced by its beauty. She pulls the fabric up from the well, draping it over her arm.
“The fabric of time, Ribbon. Oh my goddess, Rib, do you see it?”
“I sssee, I sssee. The threadsss of fate that hold thisss human world together— telling the ssstory of Zeussss’ preciousss pestss. Every life, beginningss, middless and endssss, timely and not.”
“The souls of each and every one contained— maintained. A book of life in one beautiful unbroken thread.”
Eris sits at the edge, her feet dangling dangerously into the depths, wrapped up in the fabric.
“I never knew human souls were so soft... and colorful.”
“Well, opinionsss differ.”
Her hands glow as she works the fabric. Her expression softens in pure love.
“I understand now.”
“Underssstand what, dear?”
“Why he loves them so very much.”
The shadow of a cat creeps against the far wall and Ribbon hisses loudly startling Eris from her daze. The cat slinks into the well room, spitting when she sees Ribbon.
“NO no no nonono!” Eris panics.
She pulls the fabric to her chest protectively, it must be safe—screw the cat. But then?—
Wait—
“Oh no.”
“It’sss jusst a cat, they have plenty more where that one came from.” Ribbon hisses.
“You know well and good I lose one of the cats down a well I’m ruined. They’ll have Zeus destroy me, or worse— let me live.”
