Six million arrows

I wait on my favourite cloud, all puffy, fluffy and white. Certainly my favourite cloud for this planet, in this universe. I sit and I wait. I’ve not really got time to sit and wait but I’ve been told this is where we’ll meet. Summoned here by a higher ranking Cupid. The Cupid that once passed on all his secrets to me. Me the apprentice him the master. Apparently there’s still plenty for me to learn. Apparently you never ever stop learning. Well, I’ve been a solo Cupid now for over six million arrows, which I guess on this planet equates to about sixty Earth years. I think I know what I’m doing. Thanks. But rules are rules, so here I am.

Looking down, all looks much the same as it ever did. Such a beautiful planet. Such a fragile planet. There’s a lot more people down there than there was when I was last here, I’m not sure how long I’ve been away, three, maybe four million arrows. Maybe more. I do remember what a complicated planet it is for a Cupid. Humans are so complex. It seems their evolution is pushing them further away from where they should be heading. It’s not something I’ve seen anywhere else in the universe. They are born with love running through their veins, it’s almost the sole reason they exist, but so many are blind to it. Looking for happiness elsewhere. Chasing money, power and fame. I’ve found other life forms on other planets in other universes to be far simpler. More black and white. Making love the foundation of life. It works. Just a shame most humans only work that out when their dying. For some of them, it’s only then do they realise what life was all about. Love. It’s always love. So I’ll sit, and I’ll wait. On my favourite cloud, all puffy, fluffy and white.

“Ah! Boy Cupid how have you been? It’s been such a long time.” His deep voice still as domineering as it ever was. I feel my shoulders tighten and reluctantly, slowly turn to see him face to face again.

“Master, I’ve been great thanks. You look well. What brings us to this cloud above this planet?”

His hair and beard have gone from a deep brown to an almost perfect white. He walks with a stick now, which I don’t remember. Gives him a softer presence. I like it, puts me at ease.

“Well Boy, I know you’re busy as am I so I’ll get straight to the point.”

First time for everything I think!

“I’ve summoned you here because there’s something you need to see. Something I need to show you. Actually, it’s someone I need to show you.” He curls his legs up underneath himself, hovers momentarily, then floats gentle down until his white robes rest gently on the cloud. 

“Come. Sit.” He pats the cloud next to him and a small puff of white drifts up. I plonk myself down next to him. I never did master the whole levitation thing. He smiles. My shoulders tense up again.

“Tell me Boy, this may seem like a pointless question, but do you remember your first arrow?”

I let out a big sigh.

“Yes….I remember it. You know I remember it, but you fixed it for me. I was nervous and she was standing so close. My finger slipped on the bow. You said we would never need talk of it again. You said it would be our secret. Why have you mentioned that again after all these years?”

“It’s important you see what happened, I know you find this planet frustrating. We all do. But you need to see this….can you remember their names?”

“Of course. He was called Lionel and she was called Eva. They were childhood sweethearts, thanks to us…...well thanks to you.”

He shifted slightly as if the cloud were uncomfortable.

“All the names Boy, I need all the names.”

I withdrew an arrow from my quiver and played with the end.

“Boy?”

“Alright, her name was Ruth. Eva’s best friend….she was called Ruth.”

Master gestured his hands in a circular motion and the cloud parted, giving us a glimpse of the planet below. Its turquoise splendour taking my breath away yet again. Such a beautiful planet. As I watched the image began to enlarge, we began to get closer. I could make out continents then countries then cities. I could see cars speeding along tiny grey roads, through mountains and by lakes. I could make out huge forests and vast areas of farmland. Then as the image got closer still I could make out tiny people like little ants. All frantically getting on with their lives. Frantically chasing their money their power and their fame. Finally, as I watched, the image came to rest in a cemetery. We sat silently for a moment.

“There. Can you see?”

Master dabbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his robe and sniffled. 

“Still gets me every time.”

I shoot a look at him without moving my head. I look around the cemetery. It has all the usual qualities of a cemetery. Lots of head stones. The occasional bunch of flowers. A couple of old people huddled together on a bench.

“Sorry Master I’m completely lost, you’re going to have to help me out here. What exactly am I looking at?”

He smiled a wise old smile. It’s the smile I used to hate. It’s the smile he uses to say, ‘I’m so much wiser than you are…I’ll always be your Master and you will always be my Boy’.

“Look again. Look closer, tell me what you see.”

“Ok, I see two old people sitting on a bench. In a cemetery.”

I look at him and he waves his hands, beckoning more from me. I take a deep breath and look again. I look at the head stone in front of the old people. It read ‘Lionel Tayler, 1945-2020, Loving husband, father and grandfather’.

“Oh….It’s Lionel. My first arrow. That’s so sad….Is that why you summoned me here? My first arrow has died……Still it looks like we did our job. It says Loving husband.”

Master’s smile widened if that were possible.

“You are right, that is sad, but no, that’s not why I summoned you here. You are a believer that humans are a mystery when it comes to love. You believe they don’t see it as the foundation of life. I have brought you here to give you hope that that is not the case….Take a look at the people on the bench.”

I study them for a moment. I look at their white hair, their frail skin. They are sitting huddled together with a blanket over their legs. They are holding hands just under the blanket. I study their faces.

“Hold on, wait a minute….Is that Eva?”

The couple pull in closer to one another and kiss. A long meaningful love filled kiss. When their lips part I take a better look at them. I drop my arrow.

“Wow hold on! Is that Ruth? It is! It’s Ruth and that’s Eva! And their…..kissing? Yes, their kissing and their clearly very much in love.”

My brain overloads as I try to piece together the scene in front of me, I try to force it to fit together like two jigsaw pieces from two different jigsaws. Master elevates above me keeping his legs crossed.

“Let me explain. The first arrow you shot hit Eva and Ruth, as you know, which was a mistake. I shot another arrow, a special arrow, which reverses the effect of the first. And everything went back to plan. Lionel and Eva became sweethearts and got married, they lived out a happy life together with three children and in the end lots of grandchildren. But Ruth never got over the experience. You see a tiny bit of that first arrow found its way to her heart. And a tiny bit of that same first arrow found its way into Eva’s heart too. They went off their separate ways in life, both got married, both had kids, both in love. But they always kept in touch. There was just something in them that made them keep in touch. All these years. Something they couldn’t explain. Something they couldn’t ignore. That something, well Boy, that something was your first arrow……That something was love.”

We sit and watch the couple until the light fades.

“I think I’ve made my point, you need to believe in this planet a bit more. You need to believe in these humans a bit more.”

He unfolded his legs and stretched them out rubbing at his knees.

“Right I’m off to warmer climes, my old joints can’t take this cold for too much longer, fancy tagging along?”

I sit and stare down at the big blue planet gently spinning beneath us and smile.

“No…You go….I’m going to hang around here for a while.”