Cursed (Pt.4)

Z Surakji

by Z Surakji

Story

Restless by his loss, Dacey decided to go at one last, hopeless attempt of reviving the picture of the woman which he so dearly adored.

In the nearby jungle laid a giant, round boulder the size of two or three houses. Dacey grabbed his painting equipment and headed out to use it as his canvas. He then proceeded to envision every single person to have ever existed. As he pictured them, he began to draw their faces on this huge boulder. He connected the countless faces, overlaying and overlapping them, guided by instinct as to where the next face will fit. On and on he painted for days, weeks and months, seldom going back into the city and sleeping by the boulder. At this point, he had drawn over two thirds of those who have existed, and those who are currently alive.

As his artwork intensified and neared completion, the boulder filled up with faces of blue, black and yellow. Whenever Dacey would step back, he’d notice the empty lines and spaces were beginning to make sense. He could see features starting to take shape on the boulder. He could feel her coming back to life.

Slanted lines and angles near the resembled loving eyes; small curves reminded him of her unmistakable dimples; wavy lines connected at each end rushed in memories of gentle kisses planted by tender lips.

By the time Dacey had placed the last face on his epic mural, he had grown impatient for the reveal. He tossed his painting tools aside and stepped back, his heart drumming harder and sinking deeper into his exhausted chest. Piece by piece, the puzzle was all coming together. The empty parts of the boulder were now connecting brilliantly and smoothly, springing into life a beauty which Dacey’s eyes have unjustly been deprived of. His breaths drew deeper, his eyes grew wider. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling he thought had long since been erased from his soul.

Dacey, for the first time since the day he found his lover dropped at his doorstep, smiled. His cheeks flooded with tears, but this time they came from ecstatic joy. After what seemed to be an entire lifetime, he was once again in the presence of perfection.

Flabbergasted, Acan watched from his temple in disbelief. Dacey had managed to break the curse off himself in a way which never even occurred to the menacing god. Yet this defeat was so ingenious, so defiant, that Acan truly felt that he could not muster up any power to fight back.

As memories and images of his love flooded back into his mind, Dacey now was feeling bliss.

“Ah, you’re missing your makeup, my love.”

From his hip, Dacey pulled out his dagger and drove it into his chest, cutting it wide open. He then reached in, grabbed his heart and yanked it out. With its final beats, Dacey squeezed every last drop of blood to color in the face’s lips and add his lover’s iconic chin strip. Dacey leaned in for one last kiss, and fell on his back, gazing up into the sky.

“Yolotli.”

© Z Surakji 2023-08-21

Genres
Novels & Stories, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Moods
Emotional, Dark, Inspiring, Challenging, Sad
Hashtags