So close

So close.

She had never been so close.

Right before her was the Monster. All she had to do was jump out behind the curtains and finally, finally she would kill it.

The Monster had gone straight to a door at the very back of the room. She had never been able to go there. She could barely get into the Monster’s castle as it was - scoping out hidden rooms was out of the question.

But now the Monster had gone through and she hadn’t killed it.

She waited until the Monster’s heavy footsteps quieted before she left her hiding spot. Dagger in hand she moved towards the door, ready to pick the lock or break the hinges no matter the noise.

There was no need.

The Monster had not closed its door.

She knew this wasn’t right. A secret door was not meant to be unlocked. But there was simply no time to ponder on meanings. She had to kill the Monster.

Pushing the door open revealed a dim staircase. She could hardly see so she took a moment to listen. There were no more footsteps to be heard.

The Monster must be hiding. Had it noticed her before, in the other room? Had it seen her silhouette behind the heavy curtains or had it felt her heartbeat and smelled her blood? How could she have thought it would not see her?

But she would not turn back now. It was the farthest she had ever come in her mission and she simply could not give up. She promised she would rid the world of this thing and even though there was no one left to disappoint, she would not fail now.

Quiet steps and shallow breathing. She went up the stairs in a painfully slow spiral and gripped her dagger until her fingers hurt. She expected the Monster after every new step but she climbed and kept climbing and all she saw were more steps and stone.

She passed torch after torch and with every flickering light, something inside her wanted to pull her back down the tower. After she killed the Monster, what would she do then? She had no one to go back to, it had been only her on this hunt for a long time now. But she had to kill the Monster.

Did she?

She stopped mid-step at this horrendous thought. Of course, she had to. It was the Monster. She had been hunting it for years, as her family had before her.

It would end today. It would not take her as well. She would not let it.

It had to be done. She picked up the pace but paid attention to her breathing. She could not let the Monster hear her breath catch or-

A door. The endless spiral had ended at a wooden door.

Her hands were trembling. The Monster must have heard her run up. She strained to listen but there was no noise beside her silent breaths.

Slowly she lifted her hand to the door handle, afraid to disturb the air with any quick movements. Even slower she turned the knob.

The door was open. It did not creak. It made no sound at all but light streamed out of the crack like the sun had made this room its home.

And now she could hear a faint humming. A melody that felt like stars in a clear night sky.

She had to stop and listen. Her hands had stopped trembling.

Had the Monster not gone up here? She had been so sure but how could it be in such a place full of light and music?

What was it hiding?

She pushed the door open further to get a glimpse of the room. Her hands dropped. All she could do was stare.

The light was coming from the tower’s glass roof and windows all around the room. She could see the sky - blue slowly fading into pink. In the very distance she saw mountains, so far away they faded into the sky.

Everywhere she looked she saw shades of green - in plants, pillows, books and paintings. So many paintings. On the walls and on papers stacked wherever they would fit.

Everything in this room seemed soft. It felt familiar. Nothing made sense anymore.

And on a window sill, looking out at the now setting sun was the Monster.

She had to-

The Monster turned around to face her and as the melody ceased, all reality left her.

The Monster was beautiful.

It- it wasn’t a monster at all. It was a woman.

Her dagger clattered on the floor and she could not move. There was nothing she could do to take it all in.

The sun had started painting everything orange, and in front of it the woman was standing up. She was tall, and she was glowing as she stepped towards her.

The door was still open behind her and her dagger lay at her feet but somehow she felt no need to move. She just watched the woman come closer and when she stopped in front of her, the woman spoke.

“You have come.”

The woman’s voice was moonlight lighting up a dark night, and years of calm breathing did not help her now as her breath hitched. At the sound of it, the woman smiled and lifted her hand.

She had never felt a touch this light. The woman’s hand on her cheek felt like clouds and when it moved to lift her chin, the woman spoke again.

“You have come,” she repeated softly, “to kill me.”

She couldn’t remember why she had thought this woman was a monster. Something had gone wrong, someone had convinced her this woman had to be killed.

But now she was here, she remembered different things. Soft touches and soft light. Painting and cooking and laughing with a second person. Someone who had always felt right. Someone who had been her entire universe. Someone she had been ripped away from and now the pieces of their broken souls could weave together again.

"I am back."

So close.