Spring is in the Air (Spring Blog Hop XoXo Publishing)

Dawn.

The sun was coming up over the sky in a slow, radiant burst of buttery light. Its muted fingertips stretching across the craggy ground inch by inch, bathing the surrounding land in a sweep of illumination. The moment it touched the outcrop of stony gray boulders that graced the mouth of the cave, the rocks began to shift, sliding back against one another, the sound not unlike that of flint striking flint. Soon enough, a door way of sorts had been formed, snakelike tendrils of black mist curling outwards only to dissipate in the sunlight.

A dazzling sparkle of dancing beams swirled through the air, touching down right before the cave’s entrance, gleaming brighter than a thousand suns for one, pulsing moment. When it cleared, a old woman stood there, sedately dressed in beige linen trousers, a loose top and a pair of functional flat shoes, orthopedic, of course. Her wrinkled face was ravaged by time, pain and loss, every one of her years etched indelibly upon the fine vellum of her own skin. Coarse, lifeless hair was gathered in a low bun, a few wiry grays escaping along her temple. Oh, the terrible anguish reflected in her eyes, however, pierced the soul if one looked deep enough. A curious blend of twilight, the irises an odd mixture of dusky blue, moss green and slate gray, they held all the heartache of the world. This woman was dying. Her breath was a deep hitch of shuddering sighs as she took another step towards the hole in the jagged wall. She had come here to die, to meet her Death. As she always did. As she always would.

“Mama? Are you out there?”

The soft, feminine voice drifted through the yawning chasm of the empty doorway. It was the voice of a small child, rife with music and joy. It was the voice the old lady wanted most to hear in the world right now. She glanced up at the slowly rising sun before answering, her own tone the sound of rustling leaves and broken glass.

“Yes, padi mou. Come out, now. Come out so we can go home. Together.”

A lilting brush of enchanting laughter rang out, a sigh of despair quick on its heels. Another voice joined, this one dark and menacing, full of danger and barely concealed hostility.

“I’m really getting sick of this shit. Don’t go. Just…stay with me a bit longer, pet. Another day?” The voice changed direction, a dark blanket surrounding the old woman. “Can’t you just give me one more day with her?”

The fragile old woman coughed, a bubble of blood dotting her lips and yet her spunk resounded through every word. “Not a single minute more. You’ve had her long enough.” She pulled a hankie from her pants pocket, wiping her mouth.

A grumbled sigh, then, “The time will pass, it always does. I love you.”

The dulcet warm reply was more song than anything else. “I love you, too. And yes, it will pass. Goodbye….goodbye…”

The mouth to the cave, dark only moments before was filled with pale, pulsing violet light; the old lady had to blind her eyes, liver spotted hands coming up to shade them just as an impish laugh burst through. Carefully, she lowered her hands once more and followed the sound to the young woman just out of arm’s reach before her.

She was tall, willowy and her curvy form was gowned in a dress of mauve, her red hair tumbling over her slender shoulders in a wave of satin, the curls springy and thick.  Eyes of the bluest skies glowed with love and happiness as she smiled at the old woman.

“Ready to go home, mom?”

The old lady gave a slow nod, she couldn’t speak. Seeing the lovely being standing in front of her, was like the first time she’d held her in loving arms. Bittersweet. Poignant. The young woman’s hand rose up, palms outward, meeting the hands of the old woman, the touch light, fingers twining firmly as the beauty pulled her into a sacred embrace.  The old lady gasped, took a last rattled breath, the fleshy wattles of her leathery skin shaking slightly..and died right there in those strong, young arms.

Moments passed before a voice penetrated the fog of oblivion that Death had tumbled her into. A whisper. A prayer. An oath. Her name.

“Demeter.”

She took a breath, pulling in air she technically didn’t need to survive, her lashes fluttering up to see the smiling face of her daughter above her. The sun was higher in the sky, she could feel the warmth she’d been denied the last 6 months. No, that wasn’t the sun. That was the presence of her daughter, Persephone. “Hello, Bit.”

“Hello, Mum. Let’s go…” The Goddess of Spring and Youth Personified stepped back, releasing her mother and grinned.

Gone was the old woman, gone was the sorrowing gray of winter. In her place stood a woman who looked no older than the one before her. Her hair was dark honey, strands of blondish red woven through and pulled back into a sensible bun. The sheer gown of cerulean blue draped her regal figure like a second skin. She clasped her daughter’s hand once more and squeezed gently. “Yes, let’s. It’s going to be a good spring, child. A beautiful spring and we have much to do…” 

They were both gone on the last word, their bodies dissolving in the sunlight into a burst of golden glitter, catching the soft wind drifts and rising higher, higher still..and on and on.

That’s what I always think of when I see the season melt from winter to spring. I see the tale of Demeter, her daughter Persephone and the dark Lord of the Underworld, Hades. So captivated by Seph’s beauty, her laugh, her charm, he waited for his chance and secreted her down below. How, in her saddened rage that her own brother and King of the Greek Gods, Zeus, would do NOTHING to get her only child back, Demeter proclaimed that the land she so verily loved would die, as she was dying without her daughter, so strong was her love. Once Zeus saw that mankind was in trouble, he bade Hades to give back Persephone. Ah, but here’s the twist. In the time he’d had her, the lovely and enchanting Goddess had fallen in love with her abductor. Before she left, he asked to at least think of him, and offered up a golden pomegranate. She ate six seeds..and thus bound herself to the Underworld for six months every year. The time she is with her husband, we know as fall and winter. The spring and fall belong to her mother and the bountiful Earth.  I fell in love with this tale when I was very young and it’s always resonated with me.

Perhaps that’s why my male characters manage to have such dark and deadly flaws. But always there’s one woman capable of bringing him to his knees.

I just finished my first book, Timeless Night. The first novel in a set I’ve dubbed “New Camelot”. Not everything was a myth. I’m also pleased to announce I have poetry being published soon through XoXo, along with two terrific friends and amazing authors; Ashely Nemer and Stacy Moran. It’s called “Three Whispers in the Dark”. Keep an eye out for it!

As a personal thank you for reading this rather wordy blog, I’ll be giving away a $5 gift card from Amazon to one lucky, random winner. Only catch is you need to post a comment. *winks* Annnnnnddd....there's also a Grand Prize (an eBook prize Package inclucing XoXo Publishing's Authors) to be announced no later than March 31st! Enjoy!


Upcoming Releases through XoXo Publishing

Written with Stacy Moran and Ashley Nemer

 Don't forget to check out the other blogs along this tour right here