Fables & Other Lies

“The house really was beautiful once.” The voice came from the door. I gasped and swirled around. It was Mayra standing there. She walked inside, leaving the door open behind her. She was still wearing the same outfit she always wore, black from head to toe, long skirt dragging. Could it be that she slept in it?

“I couldn’t sleep,” I said.

“The irony of you wearing white tonight.” Mayra smiled as she walked past me and looked at the shelves. I felt myself blush. Was she referring to me having sex with River? She continued speaking before I could get a word in. “I never sleep. It’s such a shame. This library used to be a source of entertainment.”

“Really?”

“Really.” She stopped walking and turned to me. “What woke you?”

“I don’t know. I guess my mind just won’t stop running.”

“You’re trying to figure out a way to break the curse.”

“How do you know?” My hand tightened on the candleholder.

“River isn’t the only one indebted to the Devil.” Her mouth moved into a small smile. “I can help you break it.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“You don’t have to, but if you want to help River this may be your only hope.” She stepped closer. “Besides, I want my freedom as well. We all do.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Just talk to him. Hear him out.”

“Who?”

“You know who.” Her eyes seemed to shine in the darkness, almost looking like the fire in my hand.

“How would I talk to him? Where? When?”

“I’ll take you to him if you want.” She started walking to the door and glanced over her shoulder. “Are you coming?”

I followed her. Despite the candle burning in my hand, my body grew cold as we walked through the halls. She led me outside and I was certain she’d take me to the Devil’s Chair, but she didn’t go to the cobblestones or the driveway. She just walked the yard, past the tree, and continued on. I looked over my shoulder and was surprised to see the house much farther than I thought it would be. I looked up at the windows in the attic, the place River felt was truly his. Everything was dark. Only half of the candle was left to burn when I looked at it again. I could hear the ocean from here. I could smell the water, the wet sand.

“How much farther?” I asked.

“Not much.” She glanced over at me. “I don’t look like this to everyone, you know.”

“Like what?”

“The way you see me.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You find me old and haggard, no?”

“No. I can’t imagine you’re much older than I am.”

“Hm.” She let out a laugh. “You must be jealous of me.” She reached into the pockets of her dress and brought out a box of cigarettes, offering them to me before taking one out and lighting it when I shook my head.

“I’m not jealous of you.”

“River used to smoke.” She tilted her head back and blew out the smoke in her mouth. “He looked so sexy whilst doing it. So sexy.”

I swallowed, hating that she was right and jealousy spread through me. He’d said they weren’t lovers, and I figured that much had to be true now, but that didn’t mean they’d never been together. That didn’t mean she didn’t want him still. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t have him after I was gone, and that was the thought that hurt me most. My days here were numbered and I knew that if I didn’t leave when I was supposed to, my mother wouldn’t survive without the leaves.

“I don’t like cigarette smoke and I’m allergic.”

“Shame.” She continued smoking. “Since this is a quid pro quo, sort of speak, I’ll let you in on a secret, you see me young. Men, the ones who are especially tired of their wives see me the same, maybe younger, probably sexier. Men like River? They see me for what I am. A one-hundred-year-old bitter lady who just wants her freedom.”

“One hundred?” I stopped walking. She did as well.

“One hundred and two.” She turned her head to me with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“That’s impossible.”

“Is it?” She laughed and fell into a fit of coughs before tossing the cigarette aside. She turned back around and kept walking. “I was here when this land and that one were still connected.”

“How?” I walked faster to catch up. “How?”

“I asked for too much. He has a damning sense of humor.”

“What did you ask for?”

“The man I loved to love me in return.”

I frowned. “That doesn’t seem like too much.”

“He was married to my sister. The only way I could have him was if she was no longer here.” Mayra met my gaze. “It’s a long story, one that I regret every single waking moment. There are millions of men in the world. Millions. I could have left this island. I could have met another.” She exhaled a deep breath, shaking her head.