Lost

Recommended Listening: Lost by Reasoner




Darkness faded around Corinne, leaving only the brightness that lit the landscape with its harsh glow. She closed her eyes tight and took a shuddering breath. Gabe was gone and with it, the answers she so desperately sought. The gentle slap of fabric against her bare legs made her open her eyes. Her vision showed her what she had first glimpsed on arrival.



Endless desert, speckled with dead tress that could not survive the ruthless environment. She stretched out her arms and glanced down at the exposed flesh for a moment. She felt no heat, no effects from the wind that still blew at her back nor the sun that shone mercilessly above her.



She straightened her shoulders and began to walk. She had wanted something extraordinary, something to break the monotony of a life that had become routine, predictable. As she walked, her thoughts fell in time with her steps. It had all begun at the club, with Morpheus and his delirium. The closer she came to answers, the more confusion she experienced.



Ahead, the desert began to shimmer and shift. She stopped and waited. Some instinct, some shred of self preservation stayed her steps until the area settled like dust. Morpheus. The very thought of the man had brought him to her.



“Ah, you look radiant my dear.” He smiled warmly at her.



“More tricks Morpheus?” she frowned down at him. He shrugged, unconcerned by her reaction and waved languidly to the empty seat across from him.
“Sit. We have much to talk about.”
Refusal rose to the fore but common sense made her do as he asked.



“You have some explaining to do.” She said bluntly, eyeing the flower arrangement with curiosity. It bloomed, unrepentant in the desert heat. Its fragrance of gardenias and roses.
“The Pandora.” He answered her unspoken question. “It’s resilient, even in the harshest of climates.”
“I’ve never heard of it.” She cupped its petals gently. It was smooth, unblemished.
“It’s a rare breed.”
“Did you bring me all the way here to talk about flowers?”
He chuckled softly, a deep rumble that began at the base of his throat.
“Do you like your adventure, Corinne?” the way he said her name sent shivers down her spine. She was startled at the reaction and concentrated on his question.
“Let’s see … I’ve met several interesting men, men who have made a great impact on my life, travelled naked on horseback through a beautiful land to meet a lover who is as familiar to me as my own breath and been shown a letter by Gabe that makes absolutely no sense to me but I can’t help but feel its importance. What do you think?” she hadn’t meant for her reply to be so curt, but his elusive behaviour made her edgy.



“Ah, so … you have seen the letter.” His lips tilted into a half smile. “But you cannot read it. Not yet, not until you find the box and the man who holds it.”



“The man with the box…” she felt something click into place deep inside of her, that voice that kept calling to her, faint and insistent. Mesmerized by the eyes that looked deep into her own, she heard the distant sound of a melody, its words escaped her, but its tune sung to her soul.



Corinne blinked and turned her head.
“What ..?”
“Have you never seen a piano before my dear? What are they teaching you in that world of yours.”
She frowned, tried to remember what she had almost discovered and shook her head wearily. More games.



“Shall we dance?” his hands appeared before her face. She gazed at it, at the smooth palm, the long fingers, so delicate and inviting. Without a word, she rose and allowed him to lead her towards the piano.



She stilled as his arms slipped around her waist, aware of the slight shift in the landscape. All around her, grey columns rose up to form a guard around them.



“Are you happy Corinne?” his words made her pause.
“Yes.” She replied automatically, feeling the warmness of his flesh against hers. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing. They both knew the true answer to his casual question.



The music roared around them, a symphony of sound that tugged at her, begged her to remember.



“There is something you must know ..” he pulled her close, his breath inches from her own.



“Corinne….” Whatever he had been about to say, it was drowned out by the sudden rolling of dark clouds far above them, the crash of thunder and then the heavens opened, drenching them as they stood together, her ears straining to hear his words.



“What are you painting?” the man craned his neck to see over the woman’s shoulder.



“A dream.” Her whispered reply dropped into the silence like the tolling of a bell.

Somewhere, a melody sounded and the world began to fade.

TAG: Gayl