Serasiel
He was as greedy as a dragon. He hoarded his knowledge as if it were gold and rubies. I could see steam rise from his nostrils as I approached his books, a tentative hand outstretched.
"No," his harsh voice rang out, shattering the tense silence. "Those are not for you."
The complexity of our relationship had me baffled. There were days where I was completely fed up with his shit, but by the next day I was his again. We danced sometimes and fought others and it all hung in a delicate balance. One false move on my part and he would set off like a firework, screaming and lighting up the sky with red starbursts that were both beautiful and terrifying.
He had a golden aura. It glowed and pulsed all around him, even more so when he was around people. There was something about being around another person that just brought him to life. He basked in their attention, smiles, and laughter. It was his drug.
Mark was very dogmatic. He knew exactly what was right and what was wrong, and nothing could change his mind. He was the face of perfect, from his curly, blond hair to his charming personality. Mark was everything I wanted to be, but I knew I never could.
"Look at you--you're nothing but a savage," he spat.
I looked down at my bare feet and dirty hem. "Mother says you shouldn't say things like that, James," I replied, still not looking at him.
"Well, Mother isn't here is she?"
"Indecisive?" He grinned. "Not me. Not ever."
"Oh, yeah?" I countered.
"Yes."
"What about that time you couldn't decide whether to play football or basketball?"
Chivalry is dead. She learned this the hard way. Not once has anyone pulled out a chair or held the door. Chivalry is dead, and it is never coming back.
The sundried tomatoes were scattered around the garden. It must have been weeks, maybe even months, since anyone's tended to it. I walked up the steps of the front porch and knocked on the door. An elderly woman opened it.
"Hello?" She said. "Who are you?"
"Grandma? It's me. It's Harriet."
Grandma squinted at me. "Why, so it is," she said after a moment of clarity. "Please, come in dear. I haven't seen you in so long."
I only smiled, holding back tears as I realized her Alzheimer's was getting worse.
The time I spent with him was worthwhile. We held hands and talked. We talked about everything, really. And we walked, too. A thousand miles, and never got tired once. I smiled, and he smiled, and the world fell into a perfect harmony.
The fasting began on the twentieth of March. Mother and Father celebrated the eve by cooking a huge meal, filled with all sorts of luxuries. Cakes, chocolate delicacies, a whole turkey. It was our most important holiday, so of course they could spare the money to splurge.
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