Serenade Primrose

The clock struck half past twelve. Serenade Primrose pulled herself out of a deep sleep. She dragged herself out of bed and lingered by her window, gazing at the moon, full bellied, like her. But she, unlike her beloved moon, had lost her glow; a heavy shadow haunted her once bright face. Serenade brushed a clump of red hair from her gray and stormy eyes stripped of their blue color. Her eyebrows knit into a knot on her forehead and she took a sharp breath in; the time has come.

She sauntered to her front door and slipped on her silk robe of yellow flowers and her puppy pink slippers. As soon as she brought her hand up to the doorknob, she hesitated, barely twisting it. A shock of nauseating pain coursed through her veins. Panic set in. Her pulse quickened. No. It’s too early. I can’t do it. Not now. She loosened her grip on the doorknob, thinking she might be able to buy herself some more time. Maybe a few more days, if she was lucky.

When dawn came to greet Serenade she woke to a similar ritual; she looked out the window and watched the birds for a moment before she downed one coffee- then two- then three. She slipped on her silk robe of yellow flowers and her puppy pink slippers. But this time when she twisted the doorknob, a sort of new lightness filled her heart and an unfamiliar flicker of hope lit her face.

When she opened the door, the sun welcomed her with a soft newborn light. The tall German grass swayed in the gentle summer breeze and the hills pregnant with fire colored poppies. The summer wind was cool and fresh, as it brushed her skin with welcoming grace. As if summoned by the dawn light, an auburn mare galloped across the fields and pranced with her kid, dancing and playing in the crystal clear newness of the day. New, Serenade pondered, as she looked down at her belly that was fit to burst at any moment. Her robe swayed in the breeze as she smiled a bit, the shadow taking a break from lingering upon her tired, pale face.

But what she did could not be forgotten, even in the world beyond hers. As soon as the tormentor left, it arrived again as the same cold sting sent a shock through her heart. It’s time to leave, she silently decided, as she took one last look at her fields aglow in the sun, one last look at the mother horse and her child, and one last look at the place she knew as home.

Underneath the star laden sky lay two lovers entangled in a passionate embrace. An array of oranges, pinks, and yellows swirled and collided within wisps of clouds, painting the sky with a stunning glow to the east. Westward darkened into midnight azul, illuminating the Great River that passed through the sky; a thousand tiny lights that winked and sparkled and lit the fields below with a stunning ambiance. Orion, Serenade breathed, as they embraced each other in a passion filled kiss. Fire engulfed her body and pulled her under. Far, far under where she entered a realm of bliss. So far under she forgot the world and about everything except for this moment. Primrose, why did you run? Serenade brushed a stray black hair from his white eyes that were brimming with pain like a freshly opened wound.

I had to. We both would have been found and killed if I had stayed.

Red hot fear sliced through the air like a lighting bolt, scattering the peace like flying embers. Our daughter. She’s in danger. Thalia has her. The ground opened up and roots grew upward and swallowed him whole. His voice faded and echoed like he was in a tunnel as he plummeted further and further downward into darkness. Caps, Primrose.

Serenade was ripped out of sleep with a startling cough. Her heart pounded out of her chest and her clothes were drenched. She placed her hand on her belly but found it flat. Panic. Ice chilled her veins. The room spun and horrendous nausea drowned her in pummeling waves. How could this happen? What happened? She pushed herself up as blood rushed to her head and almost fell, catching herself up against the footboard of the bed with the palm of her hands. She struggled to push herself up and hobbled out of the room on shaky legs as she panted with exhaustion and terror. What was he saying?

“Siri?” her sister, Bethany, sat by the fireplace upon the warm stone hearth. The fire partially illuminated her face and cast a dim glow throughout the dark room of black oakwood. She remembered this room as a young child; this massive, towering room where she and her sisters would play backgammon in the evenings on a giant wool blanket as the fire crackled in the stone fireplace. Their mother called them for dinner and they raced to the kitchen, giggling and shoving each other out of the way. Everything felt surreal, now. Everything was so simple then. There was no running away. No hiding. No surviving. Hell, there may be another war and she would have started it this time. Not the dreaded Nazis.“Bist du okay?” Serenade shook her head and began to cry as heavy sobs wracked her body.

“Oh, Siri.” Bethany frowned as she got up and hugged her. Realization hit Bethany like a train as she squeezed her sister by the shoulders, pale washed over her face and her mouth lay open in horror and shock. “You were pregnant… what… how…”

Serenade brought a hand up to her face, covering her eyes. “Do you… remember the Goddess Thalia,” Serenade whispered between sobs.

Bethany nodded slowly.

“She took… my baby from me. I thought… we would be safe here. I was so stu…pid to think I could run. I need to… to leave. Now. Find my unborn child…fix this mess…”

“Are you insane? We were children when we made up that silly game, remember? The three of us. We went out into the gardens and made flower crowns and held hands as we danced in a circle. Goddess Thalia, Goddess Thalia, accept our flowers as gifts and come play with us and dance, or whatever.”

“Beth. Just… trust me.”

Bethany noticed fear burning in her sister’s eyes and stared at her, shaking her head in disbelief. “Siri. What did you do?”

“I…had an affair with her lover.”

Bethany’s eyebrows shot up. "What?”

"I know."

Bethany stood, staring at her sister in disbelief.

The words caps rang through Serenade’s mind like a church bell. Realization struck her like whiplash and all her blood left her face at once when at last she registered what he was trying to tell her.

"No," she whispered, shuddering.

Her heart raced. Her limbs became heavy. Her throat tightened. Her hands trembled. Cap’s Abyss. The deepest depths of Hell. 

"Siri? Are you okay? What happened?"

“I know what I need to do,” her voice shook. “I need to go to hell to save my daughter.”