Gene Wolf's Stories - Magic
This is the first story I have ever written. It shows. *laughs* This was just before my first divorce and I was working two jobs in order to make ends meet. Yes, Some of my absolute fatigue is in here. However, I hope my attitude of "things always get better" also comes through. Enjoy.
Magic
"God, am I tired.", Jason said to himself while letting himself into his first floor flat. It was nearly 11:30pm and the summer air felt pregnant with rain."These 80-90 hour weeks have got to stop soon.", he again said to no-one in particular. "They’re killing me."
Jason was working two jobs. His normal routine was to rise at 4:30 each morning, grab a quick bite to eat then drive 40 minutes to work at the local newspaper where he was the staff editor. After a hectic day of deciding what was going into the following day"s edition he"d leave around 3:00pm and report for work at a posh restaurant where he worked as head chef. After the doors closed at 10 and preparations were made for the following days menu, Jason would drive home to collapse exhausted into bed. Meals were catch-as-catch can, the restaurant providing most of what he wanted.
Jason’s social life was an absolute zero. Weekends were his own an he treasured each one but it was impossible to find any woman who simply wanted a weekend relationship. He chalked it up to necessity. His ambition was to open his own restaurant, his major love in his life, and he needed the money to place a substantial downpayment. A few years of saving would be all that it would take. Until then he’d have to survive this grueling routine.
Jason let himself into his apartment and made his way to his bedroom where he undressed. His slim body, barely visible from the light of a streetlamp coming through his window, showed a well muscled, athletic build. As he undressed his muscles rippled beneath his naturally tan skin.
He made his way to the shower and quickly cleaned the days grime from himself before going to bed. Quickly toweling himself dry he went to his bed, turned back the covers he wasn’t going to need tonight and laid down.
A distant flash of lightning briefly lit the room and several long seconds later he heard the rumbling of thunder. He was about to close his eyes when the room was lit again by a distant flash of lightning. When darkness again won out over the light in the room Jason noticed a swirling of tiny motes of light in the middle of the room. They appeared almost like fireflies except he realized they were incredibly tiny. He rubbed his eyes as he watched them swirl, thinking that he was seeing the after effects of the last flash of lightning.
The thunder again rolled into his room and almost as though on queue the tiny motes began to swirl faster. Tiny blue sparks, as though chipped from a frozen sapphire, traced patterns through the air. As they danced they left faint blue traces behind them. More tiny pinpoints of light joined the dance as another flash of distant lightning illuminated the room.
Faster and faster they moved through the air. At each flash of lightning others joined in this aerial display. Colored motes now joined the dancing blue motes. The dance was expanded from the middle room to the floor. At each flash more motes joined, as the thunder sounded they moved faster. A figure was forming!
The pinpoints moved so fast now that not a one was individually recognizable. Only a pattern was discernible now. A multicolored shape, giving off a faint blue glow was taking shape at the foot of Jasons bed.
Another flash, closer this time, caused a seeming million more shards of light to join in this frenzy. Another flash and another million points join in. Jason again rubbed his eyes in wonder. He knew this was a dream brought on by his exhaustion. As another flash of lightning lit his room, followed almost immediately by the thunder, a billion motes joined those already there. The effect was like turning on a switch. There in the middle of his room, surrounded by an blue tinged aura was the most beautiful woman Jason had ever seen.
Tiny blue sparks danced around her body, and, what could only be called stars, a bright crystal blue, slowly circled her head. This woman, at least she appeared to be a woman, smiled at Jason. It was an innocent smile, yet it belonged to she who Jason somehow knew was filled with the wisdom of the ages. Her smile relaxed him, filled him with an immense feeling of wonder and satisfaction.
This woman of the storm, Jason realized he now thought of her as such without realizing why, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was standing at the foot of his bed naked, a perfect a picture of anything one could define as the essence of woman. Her breasts were smallish and firm with her nipples erect as though she were standing in some unseen chill instead of the oppressive humidity within his room. Her hair was long and tinged with gold, the color of summer lightning. Her almond shaped eyes were the same cobalt blue as the stars circling her head, and just as crystalline clear. Her skin bore a silver cast, reflecting the light of the lightning cascading through the window. She stood nearly 6 feet tall, almost his height, and was proportioned perfectly. He drank in her image in just an instant and felt peace wash over him. The sense of peace, wonder, and almost worship stayed with him until she started walking to where he lay on his bed.
Somewhat startled, he quickly scrambled out of his bed. As Jason watched her, she watched him. She smiled, almost laughed, at his reaction to her as she walked to his bed and lay down in the middle of it. She seemed amused that he would find her startling. Her smile and amusement again made Jason feel at ease. He somehow realized that this woman meant him no harm.
As though reading his thoughts the woman nodded. Jason stared with renewed wonder as the stars which were circling her head continued to circle even as she lay on his bed. When they reached the pillow where her head lay they simply went through it. They left no mark, they simply disappeared into it on one side and reappeared on the other. Again the woman who was watching Jason seemed amused at his reaction to the stars, as though she were enjoying the learning experience of a child.
Jason saw her amusement and smiled himself. There was no threat here, only peace and satisfaction. As that thought entered Jason’s mind, was it his thought or... she raised each of her arms in a beckoning gesture to him.
He felt a feeling of pure emotion catch him and wash over him. It was love and caring. It was concern for his well-being and a need for him to be with her. Overall, and more than anything else it was pure love.
Jason couldn’t resist, indeed didn’t want to resist. He crossed over to her where she lay in the middle of his bed and she drew him to her. At her touch he felt such love and peace that those emotions he had felt just moments before seemed pale in comparison. He was not overwhelmed by this but a part of it. As he pressed down on her, drawn by her arms and legs holding him, he felt the coolness of her skin, the warm sweetness of her breath, the wonder in her eyes.
He swore that, for just a second as he looked into her eyes, he saw the image of galaxies hurtling through space, caught up in a cosmic dance, set in motion by the tune of love. When he looked again her eyes were again the crystal blue. She was smiling at him as she drew him into her.
As he entered her he felt all tension, exhaustion, guilt, everything negative and sometimes referred to as "sin" drain from him. In its place flowed love and peace and contentment. He didn’t know how long they made love. It seemed like an eternity. A wonderful eternity. The storm crashed and rolled outside like a wild beast. Lightning light filled the room again and again. He was aware only of the woman under him, loving him, and caring.
When he was spent, he was not tired. He was filled with energy and life. An electricity of living. His every cell bursting with life. He knew, somehow, it was time for her to go. He stood and held out his hand to help her off his bed. She took it and he felt another surge of life flow into him. She smiled as she looked up into his eyes. She took his head between her hands and planted a kiss on his forehead. She then walked to the end of his bed and turned back to face him, smiling.
The storm was withdrawing, the lightning not so fierce, the thunder not so loud. Its energy was spent.
As he watched, Jason saw her image become less distinct. Motes of blue light began a dance where she stood blurring her outline. As the storm retreated the crystal blue pinpoints moved slower and slower until they disappeared altogether. He was left in the dark again with only the infrequent flashes of distant lighting interrupting the complete darkness.
Jason lay back on his bed and slept.
He awoke the next morning feeling better than he had in years. While he hadn’t gotten any more sleep than usual he felt he had slept for a month. Then he remembered the dream! My God, how real it seemed! He replayed every detail in his mind, each as clear as the stars that had circled her head. His memory of this dream wasn’t dissolving like dreams so often do. It was sharp as reality. He looked at where he had dreamed her head laid as they made love.
There in the middle of the pillow lay a blue crystal star. He reached for it and as he grasped it a feeling of love engulfed him. He also caught the fleeting mental thought that they would meet again.
Jason faced this day filled with joy.
© 2007 Gene Wolf | Design by Andreas Viklund