{"id":2723,"date":"2024-10-19T16:33:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T23:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2723"},"modified":"2024-10-19T16:33:02","modified_gmt":"2024-10-19T23:33:02","slug":"an-unforgivable-sin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/19\/an-unforgivable-sin\/","title":{"rendered":"An Unforgivable Sin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Write a story that hides something from the reader until the end.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

I didn\u2019t plan for this to happen. It\u2019s not something I would believe myself capable of but \u2014 I\u2019ve done the unforgivable. The evidence is there on my bed, her shape covered by the blankets. There\u2019s a woman in the mirror I don\u2019t recognize. It\u2019s my face, hair, body, even eyes\u2026but they\u2019re different somehow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It started when I was released from jail where I did 364 days for possession because my mother left her drugs in my car. I probably should\u2019ve hired a better lawyer, but that\u2019s another story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I walked out of jail, I was starving<\/em>. The food \u2014 if you can call it that \u2014 in jail is dismal at best, and there was nothing to feed my soul. I spent the first two weeks out in the downtown area around my apartment, visiting the steakhouse, the Italian place half a block away, the Thai place across the street from there, and the taco truck that only showed up Friday and Saturday evenings on the main drag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, despite all those places being in the same general area of downtown, the real draw for all of them are the crowds. I love crowds of people, and the energetic buzz that runs through the crowd of partygoers stopping for a quick bite before heading back into one the half-dozen nightclubs and bars in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After those first two weeks and gaining back the few pounds I\u2019d lost in jail, I felt more normal. It was time to get back into the groove of my life. I began to look for a job to keep me busy. I didn\u2019t need the income, just something to occupy my time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was under the impression that a misdemeanor was not the dealbreaker a felony record was, but it mattered more than I expected. I eventually found a position as a temp and was sent out to a real estate office to help with digitizing old records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After most of a week there, they invited me out for happy hour with the office. They took me to a quiet little out-of-the-way bar that I never would\u2019ve chosen on my own. That\u2019s where I met her<\/em>. A tiny woman with honey-brown skin, deep brown hair with a propensity to frizz, large, dark eyes, and the sweetest shy smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the rest of the office had left the bar, I sat next to her and bought a round. She was lonely, I was alone, we went back to my place. That\u2019s all it was meant to be. One night, a few hours of companionship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she was leaving, she said, \u201cI don\u2019t usually do this, but life is too short to miss a good moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it bad that life is short?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Myra answered with a wink. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes every moment precious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next week, I couldn\u2019t get her and what she said out of my mind. I didn\u2019t even know her name, and she didn\u2019t know mine. There hadn\u2019t been a need for that, then. I had finished up at the real estate office and spent the week in the mail room of a corporate office downtown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Friday rolled around, I found myself heading back to the quiet little bar. Not a single lie I told myself about why<\/em> I went there stuck. The idea that she<\/em> might be there pulled me like a moth to flame, and no amount of rationalization would change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was in the same spot at the bar, wearing a shimmery, blue dress. I suddenly felt underdressed, but I wasn\u2019t going to let that stop me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time when I sat next to her and she gave me that sweet smile, I said, \u201cHi. My name\u2019s Andariel\u2026Andi for short.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHi, Andi,\u201d she said, then giggled. \u201cI\u2019m Myra. It\u2019s a pleasure to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I gave her a kiss, much to the consternation of the bartender and several of the patrons. Feeling the mood around me, I did my best to gather myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy place?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We couldn\u2019t get out of there fast enough. Her place was close. A studio apartment just a couple blocks away. Cozy, cute, and homey, her place fit her perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spent no more than a few minutes apart over the weekend, starting at her place and ending at mine. We talked about everything and nothing. Monday morning, I woke up two hours early so I could accompany her back to her place spend every spare second with her before she had to go to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the moment she stepped on the bus that would take her to the financial district, my heart felt empty. A longing I\u2019d never known made it hard to think straight. If ever there was a moment I could\u2019ve avoided committing my greatest sin, that was it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thought crossed my mind then, Run away while I still can. Go to another city, another state, even another country. Leave her behind before I do something unforgivable<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I called out sick from work and made it as far as packing my bags, before the ache in my heart stopped me. With the drawers and closet empty, I cleaned the apartment then unpacked. I finished just in time to rush to meet Myra at the bus stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her warm smile when she stepped off the bus and saw me sealed our fate. It was too late. There would never be another chance to avoid my sin. I had already committed it in my heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next two months went by in a whirlwind. I got a permanent position at the temp agency, handing out work assignments. Myra moved in with me, saving us both money and reducing her commute to a simple walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since that first time, I haven\u2019t gone out anywhere without Myra. Where I used to get my fill of interactions from the crowds both in and around the clubs and bars, that need was being met by Myra, even when we were doing nothing more than reading in the same room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was one of those evenings, a Thursday, that my mother visited. She knocked and let herself in without waiting for a response and stood in the middle of the living room in a fighting stance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAndariel!\u201d she shouted at me, \u201cJust what do you think you\u2019re doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHello, mother. Please, come in.\u201d I turned to Myra. \u201cMyra, this is my mother, Lilith. Mom, this is Myra.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoes that plaything know what you are?\u201d Lilith asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is that supposed to mean?\u201d Myra asked, standing up. \u201cI\u2019ll have you know that your daughter is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSit down, child.\u201d Lilith stared her down, and Myra did something I\u2019d never seen before. She withstood that glare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEither speak kindly or leave our home,\u201d Myra said. \u201cYour daughter already did time for your<\/em> drugs. You apparently don\u2019t care about her at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lilith looked at me. \u201cWhen did you last take a lover other than Myra? There\u2019s a couple of sweet things waiting for you at the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d I shook my head. \u201cNot happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can see it\u2019s too late,\u201d Lilith said. Her voice and stance softened. \u201cMyra, since Andariel hasn\u2019t told you yet, she is, like me, a succubus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf she was a slut before, then good for her!\u201d Myra got right into my mother\u2019s face. \u201cShe hasn\u2019t slept around since we\u2019ve been together, even without either of us saying anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lilith smiled. \u201cI didn\u2019t say we\u2019re sluts, I said succubus. We need sexual energy as much as we need food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMother,\u201d I said, \u201cplease stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, the mortal needs to understand. Sit down!\u201d Lilith used her powers of compulsion to make Myra sit. \u201cIf my daughter doesn\u2019t feed her soul, she\u2019ll die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that true?\u201d Myra asked. \u201cYou\u2019ll die if you don\u2019t take other lovers?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot like that,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019ll become mortal. I\u2019ll lose my powers over time. I\u2019ll age, and we can grow old together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tears filled Myra\u2019s eyes. \u201cI don\u2019t want you to die just for me. Do what you need to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t understand,\u201d I said, \u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is no way for one of my daughters to behave,\u201d Lilith said. \u201cI never thought it would be you, but after a thousand years, here it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myra broke through Lilith\u2019s compulsion enough to shake free and stand up. \u201cWhat is here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are<\/em> a strong one. Yes, I think you did it,\u201d Lilith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid what?\u201d Myra asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I heaved a sigh. \u201cShe means you made me commit an unforgivable sin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnforgivable sin?\u201d Myra asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy daughter has fallen in love. She will die but I and my other daughters will carry on.\u201d Lilith sighed. \u201cI\u2019ll miss her, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAndi, go to the hotel. Tend to your needs. We\u2019ll work through it.\u201d Myra was frantic. \u201cPlease. I don\u2019t want to lose you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to lose me,\u201d I said. \u201cFor the first time in over a thousand years, I know love. One lifetime with you is worth more than all of that and all the other thousands I could have. You said it, because life is short, it\u2019s precious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lilith turned to go. \u201cGoodbye, Andariel. You were one of my favorite daughters. We will hold your wake in fifty years, but you will never see me again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The years since then have gone by in a blur. I looked at Myra\u2019s sleeping profile under the blankets, then turned back to the mirror to straighten my greying hair. She was still worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

prompt: Write a story that hides something from the reader until the end. available at Reedsy I didn\u2019t plan for this to happen. It\u2019s not something I would believe myself capable of but \u2014 I\u2019ve …<\/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-2723","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-HV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2723","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=2723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2724,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2723\/revisions\/2724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}