Friday, September 8, 2017

The Tragedy of Igneous and Amethyst

In the time of Ancient Rome, when the civilization was thriving and the citizens were lively. On the outskirts of the city, lived Igneous and Amethyst. They were not the merriest pair. They argued often; however, their loyalty towards each other was an unbreakable bond. Amethyst would petition to God every night for a happier marriage. It seemed as if God had turned a deaf ear towards Amethyst's earnest plea. Outside their marriage, they lived mundane lives. Igneous worked as a carpenter, while Amethyst stayed home and tended to the needs of the house. When the house was pleasing by her standards, she would devote herself to religious studies. Her usual rituals consisted of burning incenses, singing hymns, and praying. One day, Igneous did not return home at his usual time. It was past the hours of his shift and he was nowhere to be found. A worried Amethyst waited for her husband's safe return. Eventually, Igneous walked through the front door. He looked hammered, with a bottle of Rum in his left hand. His speech was slurred and incoherent. He staggeringly walked towards Amethyst. In a drunken tone, Igneous said, "You look mighty there Amethyst.". His breath reeked of alcohol; the stench hung heavy in Amethyst's nostrils. He began to reach for Amethyst's blouse, but she swiped away in disgust. This anger Igneous, so he grabbed her by the arm and demanded sex from her. Amethyst trembled with fear, but she refused to comply. She bolted towards their bedroom, locking the door behind her. Igneous frantically pounded on the door and ordered her to open it. Amethyst began to softly sob in the corner of the room. "I just want to be happy with the man that once found love in me. What have I done to deserve this, my Lord? God please, why does he treat me this way? I want to find solace in my marriage, my Lord. That's all I ask of you.", she prayed softly. Suddenly, she had an idea. She knew who can her marriage. She grabbed her coat from out of the closet scurried out of the bedroom. She dashed towards the forest and did not stop running until the house was out of her sight. She embarked on a three-day journey to an old sorcerer. She wanted an enchantment to establish order and pure happiness in her house. Along the journey, Amethyst ran into an old friend. His name was Authur. He was once an honorable, and respected knight by all of Rome. Unfortunately, he was de-ranked and exiled for attempting to seduce the Queen. Although poor, Authur had an exquisite charm that women fell in love with when they lied eyes upon him. He was known for sleeping with married women and was hated by the husbands of said women. Authur approached Amethyst and surprised her. She was startled by his unforeseen approach, but she happily greeted him. They were childhood friends before their families were separated by the Great War. Inevitably, separated them. They talked briefly about ordinary things, such as how was life for them at the moment. However, Amethyst did not tell Authur about the troubles of her marriage. The townspeople walked in utter disgust but did not confront the two. They knew Amethyst was married to Igneous and immediately began to think negatively about the friendly conversation. Amethyst informed Authur about her journey to the sorcerer. He insisted that he went along with her, but she denied his generous offer and continued on her way. Arriving the sorcerer's house, she noticed that he was outside tending to his Amos trees in his garden. She signaled for his attention and the Sorcerer welcomed her with open arms. Amethyst explained the purpose of the journey. The sorcerer heard this and was eager to help her with marriage issues. He gathered materials from his garden; one of which was the resin from an angelic plant called Angel Tears. He combined the ingredients until it had a consistency like water. He then proceeded to water a single rose in a flower pot. The concoction seemed to have no effect on the rose; but to Amethyst's amazement, the flower began to pulsate with a pinkish glow. The Sorcerer explained to Amethyst that the rose was now enchanted. The rose's glow was now connected to her happiness and will dwindle when she was not happy. Furthermore, the scent of the rose would fill the air with positivity and euphoria. Amethyst paid the Sorcerer 15 gold coins and thanked him for his services. On the way home, she stopped by the local market to buy food for the dinner she was preparing for her and Igneous. As she approached the house, she noticed that the house appeared to be empty. Maybe Igneous was at the local bar again or out with his friends. This was the perfect to surprise him with a dinner for two she thought. She zealously opened the door. The house was dark and the atmosphere was ominously foreboding. She set the groceries down on the kitchen counter, along with the rose. She began to prepare the meal around the hour of his usual return. She decorated the table for the both of them; She sat the rose in the middle of the table, next to a bottle of red wine. She called for Igneous, in case he was asleep and did not notice her arrival. Yet, the house was silent. She grew nervous about husband's well-being and his whereabouts. She began to walk around the house, in hopes to find her husband. She slowly made her way into the living room but found nothing. She went into the bathroom and still did not find Igneous. When she opened the bedroom door, Amethyst was filled with angst. Igneous was hanging from the ceiling with a note barely hanging out of his pocket. She quivered with dread as look upon her lifeless husband. Her feet planted in the door frame, unable to move. She finally mustered up the courage to reach for the note in his pocket. It read, "My dearest love, precious Amethyst. I can not forgive myself for the pain I forced you to endure. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me.  I can not be angry at you for renouncing your oath of loyalty for me. For I have failed as a husband. Perhaps, Authur will give you the love you so desperately desired. I left you a gift under the bed. Your Love, Igneous.". Amethyst could not hold the heavy tears and began to cry uncontrollably. She felt defeated as she knelt on the ground and sobbed in her knees. The will to get up was lost along with her husband, Igneous. She crawled towards the edge of her bed and lifted the sheets that draped over it. She found only a red box. She opened it and inside was a beautiful purple scarf and a ring with an Amethyst stone on it. She also found a little slip of paper that read "Will you marry me, Amethyst?" Igneous planned to give her the box as a sign of condolence and to apologize for his actions. The feeling was unbearable. With the strength she had left, she arose from her knees and went into the bathroom. She grabbed cherry pits from the medicine cabinet; which was used for fertilizer. She grounded them into a fine powder and return to the table that she had prepared for dinner. The food was now cold and untouched. She grabbed the wine that sat in the middle of the table and infused the powder into the wine. She then poured a glass of the now poisonous wine and walked back to the bedroom. She stood in front of Igneous and raised the glass to his dead, lifeless body. She toasted to their marriage and sup from the glass of wine. Amethyst dropped the glass and grabbed her beloved by the hands. She kissed and wiped her tears from her face with his cold fingers. "Sleep well, my sweet Prince.", she mumbled as she embraced her appending demise. The rose remained on the table. As Amethyst succumbed to the poison that was coursing through her veins, the rose began to wither. Its glow began to fade and the slumped over the pot. Petal by petal, the rose lost its light, as well as Amethyst and Igneous.

*It's ironic that people who make us whole will evidentially leave the deepest hole in our hearts. And once it all falls apart, there will be no redos or restarts.

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