Member-only story
The Death of Hope
Secrets of the Moon Prologue
Briny waves crash up against the limestone cliffs as the ocean rolls in. The tide is high, and a massive thunderstorm is approaching fast. A young man and woman walk along the familiar and well-worn path, talking and laughing like they did when they were children. They stand atop a six-hundred-foot tall formation that bulges three hundred and fifty feet out into the ocean from the coast of Ireland. There is a forest of Scots pine, yew, and ash at the inland edge, secluding the plateau with a physical and magical boundary. The roof of her family manor is just visible over the treetops, but this is their place.
The wiry youth stops at the spot at the outermost ridge where he and she would hang their feet over the edge and stares out at the water. She stands just behind him and closes her eyes, taking in the aromas of the greenery and the impending storm and feeling her body relax. Small pebbles and bits of glass litter the edge, the remnants of their adventures as teenagers, not so long ago, when they would sit, trading stories and pretending not to be afraid.
“Vi,” he mumbles, and she opens her eyes to see the smile falling from his face as he turns to look at her. There is an unspoken question burning in his sapphire eyes. “I have something to tell you, something I need to say… but I don’t know how.” He can’t seem…
