In which I return to the theme of immortality, but with a different tone and theme than before.
This image was a hard one for me; it felt a bit too obvious, too "on the nose". I find it hard to make something interesting and unexpected out of an image which already seems to imply a clear story.
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There are ways to live forever.
Magicked fountains The ground horns of mythical beasts Blood wrung from the still-beating hearts of young virgins. A slowly decaying portrait in the attick.
There are ways. Most have been lost by now, but not so very lost as to leave no trace. Not so lost that a clever man reading the right old stories the right way can't tease out the secrets, piece together what still an anonymous immortal hiding amongst us in plain sight might know. I'm sure they are there.
I am a clever man. Clever and driven. No, it's not been all that I wanted. There are hints at how to accomplish it, yes, but also warnings, planted to keep us away. A science fiction writer once told a cautionary tale about a seeker of immortality who gave up his quest on meeting a space-alien looking to extend its five-millenium lifespan. His message was that no time is enough if it is squandered. A fantasist put these words in Death's mouth as she collected the soul of a man who had lived for centuries, "You got what everyone gets. You got a lifetime." I am clever. A lifetime is what you make it, and if you solve the problem of death first, there'll be plenty of time for living.
But this isn't a story about immortality. I have that already, and care not to share with you the secret.
I am a clever man, but also a romantic. Without life there is nothing, but a life without love is a kind of limbo. I don't care to burn long and slow, watching the candles of loved ones flicker out and die around me. I'm ready to share my gift, and I know with whom. She is lovely and smart, poetic and unconventional. Young she is, but in the long term that matters not; a decade, a century, a millenium from now we'll be eachother's only peers, a god and goddess amongst mortal men.
Finding you was not easy, but I am a clever man and this world is built for finding things. We've constructed great networks in which we showcase bits and scraps of our souls, a snapshot here, a few words there, a link to a favorite book or favorite song. Pygmalian had to build his perfect lover, but with so many choices showcased in so many ways I could find you by simply taking the time to look. You created yourself for me.
No, you don't know me yet, but she will. I've followed her long enough, sent the most lovely poems and flowers and dreams - those were from me. And I can offer so much more.
I know secrets; I can tear my the still beating heart from my chest for you to take, and with it the gift of life forever.
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| Cease Fire, by Titusboy25. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Source: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Cease-Fire-353847318 |
Take it.
Please.
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