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“I drink deep the promise like a jagged vial of poison, toasting your echo. Swallow all the shadows, then discover the door, always waiting on the edge of the void. I find hints of myself only inside oblivion; dancing the dark spaces in-between, same as always. But this time conscious thought holds up a mirror. I replace the blood-stained shard fallen from the top right corner, and stare into my own eyes, so very awake.
The dream is finally over.”
(lilimist/{una voce} lorelei)

A romantic creation myth about a butterfly who wakes up from her cocoon too late and a star who falls to earth to save her.

{ first written & released by Vixen Phillips in 2004 }

“But such a long distance it is to heaven,” the star said now, as the little butterfly untangled the single leaf from the rosebush that had become his home in this realm, and, binding it to her back securely, prepared it as his regal carriage. “Is my darling quite sure she can make such a journey?”

But the butterfly only smiled, testing a moment her wings, and answered him fondly, “Oh, star, don’t be silly! When you first gave me directions to seek out the lily, neither you nor I could see her from where we sit here. But I realize many stars have I seen in the night since your coming, and, having such a clear line of sight, I am sure it could not be so distant. Besides, I am well-fed and well-rested, so perhaps in another hour or so my true love can shine for me from his own black velvet home.”

Since she made such a brave face of it, the star tried as best he could to agree with her butterfly logic. “It is true I remember very little of that fated journey,” he conceded. “And perhaps it is also true that much speed will be gained from rising rather than falling. I know my brothers and sisters will welcome us both, and just think how prettily my little rainbow will shine alongside the lights of heaven.”

And the butterfly blushed, and laughed very softly, and said, “Then let us go now, before the fickle maid of winter should find word of our plan, and waylay our departure with her most treacherous rains.”

So the star nodded firmly, and together as one they took to the skies, spiralling higher and higher.

On and on and on the little butterfly flew, with the star whispering sweet rhymes in her ear to set her spirits soaring likely, and soon they first came upon the veil of night, and sailed right through, and the air grew steadily colder, and still the stars that looked down on them both seemed by no measure to be getting any closer.

“You might think they were running away from us.” The butterfly spoke with the tiniest of smiles, as over her skin a fierce shiver lingered, but the star held tight, and continued his song, though he wished he could do more to help her.

Higher and higher still they flew, and soon the earth seemed little more than a marble glazed smoky-blue, and both of them marvelled to see her so. Soon after this, they made their passage around the sombre silver face of the lady of the moon, and the butterfly cried tears of joy to hear such songs as those which fell from this maiden’s full lips of powdered ivory.

“What marvels and beauties fill your realm!” gasped the butterfly, breathless for showing her signs of delight as well as revealing the first hints of exhaustion. “And even more of a miracle for me that my love ever found any joy in my own world at all — already I am so glad of a reason to make such a wondrous voyage.”

And the star held her close; as a bright light enhaloed her, the ice flowing through her limbs instantly melted, for now the star was truly glowing. Though troubled in mind that they had come such a way without any sign of his kin growing nearer, he still found the strength of heart to say, “My butterfly is all the beauty I ever needed; any realm would be a paradise because of her presence.”

And the butterfly would have smiled upon him, but that she knew she must save every ounce of her strength for flying.

Deeper she wove their passage across the night, slow realization dawning in her mind that although she was losing both speed and power, all the while the weight of the star resting on her back was growing lighter.

At last, she dared question of him in a nearly breathless whisper, “Star, is it true you can fly in this realm?”

The Butterfly Vow by lilimist   Page 14 of 16   writing

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