Death of an Immortal
“You came.“
Were the only greeting words as I exited the dense underwood and stepped into the clearing.
“How could I not? Eternal life! I mean, wow. How could anyone say no to this?”
“Many change their mind in the last moment.”
Our eyes met and her gaze made me feel weak and frail, as if I was on my last breath. And for her it probably was like that. The 50 years I possibly had to look forward to, give or take a few, were mere moments for her.
“What now?”
“We both must drink from this well at the same time.”
“That’s it?”
She only nodded slightly in response.
“That sounds…. disappointing. I expected some flashy lights and stuff.”
“Powerful magic often is... plain.”
A few moments of silence later, she got up and took a few steps till she reached the clear water. Never had I seen something more elegant. It was hard to avert my eyes, even though it was almost painful to watch her. Besides her perfection, my completely normal imperfections stood out like a sore thumb.
“Come.”
I came closer.
“Drink and do not stop drinking.”
I drank. The water tasted fresh and cold, but not unusual. I pondered how she expected me to keep drinking as my stomach would quickly be filled. But after maybe a minute it was still not full. I kept downing liquid for minutes or possibly hours. In front of my mind’s eye, my belly bloated up to the brink of bursting. But whenever I expected my limit to be reached I simply continued on.
In the end I got snapped out of it by a loud noise. I looked to the side to find her on the ground!
“Are you okay?”
“I… I think so.”
“What happened?”
“My… my legs. They couldn’t carry my weight anymore.”
Our eyes met again. All the weight her gaze carried was gone. Her body, no longer the epitome of perfection. But her eyes! They were glowing with joy. A smile was on her lips. I had never seen her smile before.
“My legs, they are broken; My heart, racing; Each breath I draw fills my lungs with searing fire. I am dying.”
“What can I do?!”
“Remember me.”
.
.
“I will.”
