stared into her eyes. “ With or
without godhood, we will always be their children. I would love to
have beautiful babies with your skin and hair and my eyes. Godhood or
life … one must be sacrificed.”
Gwen made the decision in her mind, and Ixchel
let out a small sigh. She released her hold on Arka and pulled the
Moon Goddess into her arms, hugging her mother for the first and last
time. “I know you love me and I'm so sorry, but I want to
live.”
Ixchel squeezed her in return. “Don’t
be sorry for following your heart. I understand … my light.”
Her voice broke. “I will be watching your life from the night
sky. Make me proud, have human children so their generations will
carry on, and above everything else, live a life of worth and joy.”
The process for releasing her essence flashed in Gwen’s mind.
Before Gwen could say anything more, her
conscience was propelled back into her body. Her hands, no longer
around her mother, pressed to the ground. The skull was cool against
her forehead, emanating nothing.
Arka lifted from his mirrored position, his eyes
clashing with hers. Without a word, he opened his arms and Gwen
surrendered against his chest, crumbling inside as he held her.
“Shhh, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered into
her hair. “Let’s finish our duty.”
She nodded. They stood side-by-side with their
skulls and touched the macabre faces to their hearts. Energy surged
from her cells to the center of her chest with a force that took her
breath away. The skull lit from within and shook in her palms as an
intricate part of her she hadn’t known existed left her body
feeling bereft and hollow. Glowing brightly, the skull absorbed the
last of her goddess essence. The phrase “you don’t know
what you’ve got till it’s gone” raced through
Gwen’s mind. She mourned the essence already. Slowly she lifted
the glowing amethyst over her head toward the heavens. Arka raised
his a moment later. The skull seemed to open its crystal jaw. White
light burst from between the perfect line of crystal teeth, rippling
as if it were waving goodbye, and sped away toward the slowly rising
moon. Her mouth felt like sandpaper. She swallowed the lump in her
throat and looked over in time to see a quivering mass of yellow fire
float up from Arka’s clear crystal skull and streak across the
horizon toward the sinking sun.
An instant later, both the sun and moon went
dark, as if a switch were turned off in them, plunging the planet
earth into an impenetrable blackness. The forest sounds silenced. No
wind touched a single leaf in the tress. The very air around her
seemed to close in. She’d never suffered from claustrophobia,
but this is what she imagined it must feel like. Arka’s arm
came around her shoulder, tucking her to his side, relieving her
encroaching panic with a touch.
“Oh, gods!” Arka exclaimed.
A single star appeared high in the heavens. Then
the tail of the comet became visible, stretching in a long cone shape
behind the hot missile barreling toward them at a speed that
terrified her.
Were they too late? The comet drew closer,
filling the blackened sky with its fury. Please please please ,
she chanted in her mind. Maggie, Martha, Enrique, Arthur Hanson …
even Carol joined a parade of faces in her mind. The closer it came,
the harder her heart pounded in her chest. Her gaze was captivated by
the horrific celestial event.
The immense size registered, and the scientist
in her knew it was easily triple every impact crater known to man.
Loud and imposing, the sound of its travel reached through the dim
with an evil, high-decibel hiss. Gwen clutched the crystal in her
hands tighter, resisting the urge to cover her ears with her palms.
She braced her feet when the light of the comet illuminated the
earth’s atmosphere, making the earth’s halo visible.
Blinding, short, rapid blasts of white and
flame-filled lasers peppered the heavens in machine-gun style as the
sun and moon started
without godhood, we will always be their children. I would love to
have beautiful babies with your skin and hair and my eyes. Godhood or
life … one must be sacrificed.”
Gwen made the decision in her mind, and Ixchel
let out a small sigh. She released her hold on Arka and pulled the
Moon Goddess into her arms, hugging her mother for the first and last
time. “I know you love me and I'm so sorry, but I want to
live.”
Ixchel squeezed her in return. “Don’t
be sorry for following your heart. I understand … my light.”
Her voice broke. “I will be watching your life from the night
sky. Make me proud, have human children so their generations will
carry on, and above everything else, live a life of worth and joy.”
The process for releasing her essence flashed in Gwen’s mind.
Before Gwen could say anything more, her
conscience was propelled back into her body. Her hands, no longer
around her mother, pressed to the ground. The skull was cool against
her forehead, emanating nothing.
Arka lifted from his mirrored position, his eyes
clashing with hers. Without a word, he opened his arms and Gwen
surrendered against his chest, crumbling inside as he held her.
“Shhh, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered into
her hair. “Let’s finish our duty.”
She nodded. They stood side-by-side with their
skulls and touched the macabre faces to their hearts. Energy surged
from her cells to the center of her chest with a force that took her
breath away. The skull lit from within and shook in her palms as an
intricate part of her she hadn’t known existed left her body
feeling bereft and hollow. Glowing brightly, the skull absorbed the
last of her goddess essence. The phrase “you don’t know
what you’ve got till it’s gone” raced through
Gwen’s mind. She mourned the essence already. Slowly she lifted
the glowing amethyst over her head toward the heavens. Arka raised
his a moment later. The skull seemed to open its crystal jaw. White
light burst from between the perfect line of crystal teeth, rippling
as if it were waving goodbye, and sped away toward the slowly rising
moon. Her mouth felt like sandpaper. She swallowed the lump in her
throat and looked over in time to see a quivering mass of yellow fire
float up from Arka’s clear crystal skull and streak across the
horizon toward the sinking sun.
An instant later, both the sun and moon went
dark, as if a switch were turned off in them, plunging the planet
earth into an impenetrable blackness. The forest sounds silenced. No
wind touched a single leaf in the tress. The very air around her
seemed to close in. She’d never suffered from claustrophobia,
but this is what she imagined it must feel like. Arka’s arm
came around her shoulder, tucking her to his side, relieving her
encroaching panic with a touch.
“Oh, gods!” Arka exclaimed.
A single star appeared high in the heavens. Then
the tail of the comet became visible, stretching in a long cone shape
behind the hot missile barreling toward them at a speed that
terrified her.
Were they too late? The comet drew closer,
filling the blackened sky with its fury. Please please please ,
she chanted in her mind. Maggie, Martha, Enrique, Arthur Hanson …
even Carol joined a parade of faces in her mind. The closer it came,
the harder her heart pounded in her chest. Her gaze was captivated by
the horrific celestial event.
The immense size registered, and the scientist
in her knew it was easily triple every impact crater known to man.
Loud and imposing, the sound of its travel reached through the dim
with an evil, high-decibel hiss. Gwen clutched the crystal in her
hands tighter, resisting the urge to cover her ears with her palms.
She braced her feet when the light of the comet illuminated the
earth’s atmosphere, making the earth’s halo visible.
Blinding, short, rapid blasts of white and
flame-filled lasers peppered the heavens in machine-gun style as the
sun and moon started
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