{"id":2594,"date":"2023-12-30T14:17:59","date_gmt":"2023-12-30T21:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2594"},"modified":"2023-12-30T14:17:59","modified_gmt":"2023-12-30T21:17:59","slug":"the-nature-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/30\/the-nature-of\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nature Of"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Set your story on New Year’s Day.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late morning sun streamed through the sliding glass door, shining through the empty bottles, past the abandoned cups, to a large snack tray denuded of cheese, crackers, and dignity. Just past the tray, sprawled on the sofa, that same light stabbed through closed eyelids of Anika, exciting her photoreceptors and waking her mind that desired nothing more than to continue pretending nonexistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are the curtains open?<\/em> she wondered. Ah, right, fireworks<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anika crawled to a semi-seated position, her head throbbing. \u201cI can\u2019t do this anymore. I need new friends\u2026I\u2019m too old for this,\u201d she said to the empty apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A moan from behind the sofa told her she wasn\u2019t as alone as she thought. \u201cWho\u2019s that? I\u2019m too hung over right now to really care, as long as you\u2019re alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUgh. Do I have to be alive?\u201d the other voice asked. It was a higher voice than she recognized, almost like that of a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeriously, who is that? Did somebody\u2019s kid sneak in here last night?\u201d Anika\u2019s head pounded, but she wasn\u2019t nauseated, so at least this wouldn\u2019t be the worst she\u2019d ever had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m almost as old as you, Dio, now shut up, I think I\u2019m dying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anika forced herself to her feet and turned around to see who was behind the couch. She looked, squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed them, then opened them again and waited for them to focus. \u201cWhat the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not Dio!\u201d The figure wobbled to its feet, barely four feet tall. It looked like a small woman in a light dress of silk with gold-covered goat horns on her head, a slightly flattened nose, light tan skin with a pale tinge of sickness, a small tail with brown and white fur, and brown furred lower legs ending in two-toed hooves also covered in gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you and how did you get in my apartment?\u201d Flashes of the previous night swam just behind her consciousness. \u201cWait, I thought I was hallucinating last night. Your name starts with an M\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anika pulled the blinds reducing the light in the apartment to a more manageable level. She moved to the kitchen to grab a large glass of water and a handful of ibuprofen. \u201cWant some?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWater, please, I think I\u2019m dying.\u201d The little satyr \u2014 satyress?<\/em> \u2014 pulled her light wrap dress tight. She looked around the apartment and lay on the sofa with a groan. \u201cThis is a comfortable place to die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not dying.\u201d Anika set down a large glass of water and an ibuprofen. \u201cFirst time drinking?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course not. I am Medea, favored of both man and Dionysus.\u201d She moaned. \u201cMaybe I\u2019m no longer favored, though. Why else would he leave me here to perish in the mortal world?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m Anika, you\u2019re in my apartment although I don\u2019t know how, and you\u2019re not dying. You\u2019ve seriously never had a hangover before?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that what this is?\u201d Medea gulped down the glass of water. \u201cNow we eat boiled cabbage to treat it? According to Aristotle, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh, what? No. Eww.\u201d Anika refilled Medea\u2019s glass and pointed to the pill next to it. \u201cTake that pill \u2014 uh, just swallow it whole with some water \u2014 and I\u2019ll order some breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anika gathered the bottles and placed them in her glass recycling bin, being careful to do so quietly. She followed that by collecting all the trash in a large garbage bag. Before she\u2019d gotten past the kitchen, Medea was helping from the other end, gathering up the obvious trash, despite the fact that she looked as though she would fall over at any moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apartment still smelled of spilt wine and booze, and could use a vacuum, mop, and carpet cleaner but Anika thought it was good enough for the moment. When breakfast was delivered, she sat on the sofa next to Medea and turned on the television to watch the Rose Parade as they ate their hangover egg sandwiches and hashbrowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anika looked at the woman next to her, and the half-finished breakfast in front of her. \u201cSo, this is, uh, real?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDionysus\u2026uh\u2026Greek gods and satyrs and all that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medea laughed. \u201cDionysus is real, but don\u2019t let him know he\u2019s still thought of as a god. He gets a big head about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you said you were almost as old as he is, and he\u2019s got to be at least Ancient Greece \u2014 roughly three thousand years old?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCloser to twelve thousand. I\u2019m a few hundred away from eleven thousand, myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo how did he end up being the god of wine?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medea shook her head. Her color was returning, and a blush of pink showed under her cheeks. \u201cHe is as his nature, as we are all. His nature is that of fermentation. He learned the secret of fermenting grapes in Asia first. When he got tired of their mixed grape and rice wine, he went west, and taught it to others. Every time he got bored of the same wine, he\u2019d move and teach new people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Greeks liked it so much, they gave him his name and called him a god.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not gods, then\u2026what are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are<\/em> our nature. Nothing more, nothing less.\u201d Medea wiped her hands on a napkin. \u201cOur realms are intertwined. Yours gives rise to our natures, our natures give rise to your reality. No one has been able to say which came first or whether one is more real than the other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoes everyone in your realm live as long as you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe oldest is life. She\u2019s also been known as Gaia, but that\u2019s not quite the whole of it. All life<\/em> is her nature, not just on Earth. The second oldest is death. He has many names, but without his nature, life would not be able to continue. It is in life\u2019s nature to consume death to further life, and it is in death\u2019s nature to consume life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is your nature?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is in my nature to be domesticated, cared for, and treasured, and to provide wealth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow did you get your name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDio gave it to me, after he got his. He thought we should all have one. It\u2019s easier than saying, \u2018Hey, nature of domestication,\u2019 after all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat about dogs and cats?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe nature of Canis is older than myself and Dio\u2026even older than humans, and just happens to have become my friend. The nature of Felis as well, though she tends to consider herself the domesticator of humans rather than the other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the nature spirits or whatever are related to one concept, then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medea nodded. \u201cWe are as our natures and can be nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen how did you end up here, getting hammered at my New Year\u2019s Eve party?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medea thought for a moment. \u201cFollowing is in my nature, but so is being stubborn. As long as I know I\u2019m being taken care of, I can ignore the instinctive fear of the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting there. Dio often joins in a human celebration when he can get away with it. You probably didn\u2019t notice him here last night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was pretty crowded, and I\u2019m sure there was more than one uninvited walk-in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was here, and I followed him. I stayed hidden until the sky exploded in noise and lights. He returned to our realm, but I was transfixed. Once he was gone, I didn\u2019t know how to get back, so I joined in the party and hoped no one would notice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I ended sharing a bottle with you on the balcony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d never had such wine, but Dio says it is the perfection of his nature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not wine. It\u2019s fermented grain that\u2019s distilled to get the alcohol content high.\u201d Anika turned her head side to side until her neck cracked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medea turned back to the television and pointed. \u201cHua Hsien would enjoy this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis celebration. Hua Hsien, the nature of blooming, would find this enticing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They watched for a while, until Anika asked, \u201cWhat about the nature of humans?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medea laughed. \u201cToo big for a single being. There are at least a thousand, probably more. And new ones are showing up, and sometimes\u2026rarely\u2026an old one dies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow does a being like yourself die? I mean, you represent a concept<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cConcepts come and go. Some last longer than others, but those that are directly related to humans\u2026,\u201d Medea shrugged. \u201cWe tend to be the youngest and shortest-lived of all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A shimmering door appeared in the middle of the room, and an androgynous teen stepped out, scrolling on a phone, never looking up. \u201cMedea, Dio sent me to take you home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d Anika asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The teen shrugged and continued scrolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnika, meet Nico,\u201d Madea said, \u201cthe nature of artificial socialization. One of the \u2018new kids.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou coming, grandma? I don\u2019t have all day, and Dio\u2019s shook. Or I could just yeet you back over the fence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m coming, Nico. It was a pleasure to meet you, Anika.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou too, Medea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two beings walked through the shimmering door that disappeared as quickly and silently as it had appeared. Anika flopped down on the sofa and took a nap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she woke, she was certain it had been a dream, until she saw the settings for two, Medea\u2019s half-eaten sandwich, the loose furs on her couch and shirt, and the clear hoof-print in last night\u2019s spilled wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShit! It was real!\u201d Anika shook her head. \u201cI should\u2019ve invited her and Dionysus back for next year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her phone chimed, and she checked the new text from no number. \u201cdio sez bet\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat? Does that mean she\u2019s coming, or\u2014\u201d Anika was cut off by another text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cyeah duh\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks, Nico.\u201d Anika knew there would be no more replies, as it wouldn\u2019t be in Nico\u2019s nature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

prompt: Set your story on New Year’s Day. available at Reedsy Late morning sun streamed through the sliding glass door, shining through the empty bottles, past the abandoned cups, to a large snack tray denuded …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208],"tags":[210,209,220],"class_list":["post-2594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trunk-stories","tag-fiction","tag-short-story","tag-urban-fantasy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pxT7i-FQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2594"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2595,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594\/revisions\/2595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}