Epilogue
Light
In the beginning, there was Darkness.
Cold, silent serenity.
And then a shaft of brilliant Light pierced through the abyss, impregnating the Darkness with a million stars.
At least, that’s what it seemed like when she slowly blinked her eyes open.
There was only darkness before. Comforting. Quiet.
Now, the light was so bright it hurt her eyes. She squinted and blinked. The wash of brightness began to focus and narrow to an orb high above her.
She stared at it in wonder.
Look, she’s awake.
Oh, she’s perfect, honey. Our little miracle…
When can we take her home?
You’ll just need to fill out some paperwork, Mr. and Mrs. Winters. Have you chosen a name?
The sounds were soothing, though she didn’t understand them. One voice was warm and melodious, another was higher-pitched and patient. The third was raspy, deeper than the other two.
She liked all of the voices. She would learn later that some were feminine, and some were masculine. She would learn to distinguish between them. But right now, she simply let the murmurs envelop her like a cozy blanket. She felt safe and snug.
And she was going home soon…
Six Years later.
A little girl ran across the grassy field, the myriad of ribbons in her hair flying loose.
She was chasing after the end of her new kite. The wind had torn it out of her grip. Mommy was calling after her, telling her to slow down. Daddy’s voice joined hers.
But she had to catch it.
It was her self-chosen birthday present, after all. Even though Mommy and Daddy lavished other gifts on her, like this special weekend trip to the city called Chicago. They’d taken her to museums and plays, treated her to ice cream and cheesecake.
She hadn’t asked for any of it. She knew what money was. Mommy and Daddy had enough, but they worked hard for it. They lived in Elkhorn, Nebraska, in a cozy three-bedroom ranch-styled house. It was family tradition that they traveled to a new city every year so they’d all learn and experience something new. But it was expensive, much more than the tips she got for doing her chores well.
So, when they asked her what she wanted for her birthday gift, she said nothing. She had everything a little girl could wish for. Especially the best Mommy and Daddy in the world. But they insisted, saying Daddy recently came into some extra cash from some kind of “funding.”
The little girl made her choice in the giftshop at the zoo: a kite with the face of a white tiger.
It was a special collection the zoo was advertising for the whole month. The facilities rotated the exotic animals they housed every month or quarter. She was glad she caught this one.
The little girl both liked and hated zoos. She loved to see the beautiful animals, but she hated that they were caged.
Unsurprisingly, she loved the tiger displays the best. She was captivated right away, especially by the white ones. They looked so majestic. So proud and graceful.
The one on the kite was a perfect replica. She loved his green-blue eyes. They seemed to stare right at her, saying, pick me, pick me.
So she did.
But now she chased it until her chest hurt. Tears stung her eyes as she tried to fight the panic.
She couldn’t lose her tiger! She just found him!
Because she kept her eyes on the kite, her head tipped back, she didn’t watch the uneven ground. Suddenly, she tripped and fell to all fours, scraping her palm on a patch of pebbles.
No!
She couldn’t lose it!
Just then, a great shadow obstructed the sun, making her look up.
“Is this yours, Mademoiselle?”
The spool of her kite was held securely in a very large hand. Much larger than Daddy’s. She could tell immediately that it belonged to a man.
She looked up and kept looking up. Because though the man bent down toward her as she splayed on the ground, he was still very tall.
“Oh, thank you so much!” Mommy said when she caught up with them.
“We owe you, man,” Daddy added, sounding relieved.
He scooped her up in his arms, cuddling her close.
She was already six years old, too big to be carried around. But she loved it when Daddy carried her. She loved the way he smelled.
Like comfort and home.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and put her cheek against his scruffy jaw. Beneath her lashes, in the safety of Daddy’s arms, she peeked at the stranger who saved her kite.
The sun was behind him, wreathing his form in a golden halo, keeping his face in shadow. Daddy was tall, but he was far taller. She had to squint hard to look up at him.
He handed the kite spool to Daddy for safekeeping, but he gave her the string. She clutched it tight in her little fist so she wouldn’t lose it again.
“What do you say, baby?” Daddy murmured in her ear.
She had better manners than this. But she was suddenly shy. Even though she couldn’t see the tall man clearly, he held her in awe.
But she knew how to be polite and when to be grateful. So, she whispered, “Thank you for catching my kite.”
“You’re very welcome,” the man said in that resonant, deep, almost purring voice.
“Take good care of it.”
If her tiger could speak, she imagined it would sound like this man.
And then, he was gone.
She watched after him as he walked away until she couldn’t glimpse him anymore…
Nine years later.
The teenager practically buzzed with excitement. This was her second time in New York City, but the first time she was here alone. On a live-in research program at Columbia University.
It was exceptionally difficult to get into, especially as a scholarship applicant. But it was the best college-level program in her field of interest for an academically-ambitious high-school student who wanted to do something productive with her summer vacation.
And somehow, she got in.
For the next three months, she’d live on campus, study here, make new friends hopefully, and also take the opportunity to explore the city itself.
Mom and Dad were worried, but they trusted her. She’d proven herself to be very conscientious and responsible from an early age. She would always endeavor to deserve their trust.
After settling into a dorm apartment with her assigned roommate, a girl from California (who might as well have been from the moon, she was so different from a Cornhusker gal), she decided to take a tour about the city using subways and buses. And she’d walk however far she could walk before it turned dark and she had to go back.
“Hold the door!” she called out, dashing for the platform as the train doors began beeping.
She should probably have just waited for the next train, but she was eager to explore, and every minute of daylight was precious. She didn’t want to lose any time if she could help it.
Miraculously, someone did hold the door for her, and she squeezed in before they closed.
“Thanks!” she huffed, beaming a smile at them.
And stilled.
Her eyes rounded, and her mouth went lax.
Because the person who helped her was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
Full stop.
The end.
Now, she never considered herself the superficial sort. In fact, her taste in the opposite sex always ran more nerdy and intellectual than sporty and buff. In her defense, any female, or male for that matter, would find the man before her to be drop-dead gorgeous.
But it was more than his features, which were beyond perfection; it was his aura. His presence. As if he was somehow more than human.
Godly, even.
First, he stood head and shoulders taller than her at well over six feet. His build was lean and muscular, though his clothes were understated, just loose-fit jeans and a simple white T. But he simply emanated a steely strength, as if he could carry the whole world on those exceptionally broad shoulders.
She couldn’t tell how old he was. Her friends would definitely categorize him as “old,” given their tastes ran to boys their own age and in their early twenties at most. He was definitely older than twenties. Maybe late twenties to mid-thirties.
But he also looked ageless at the same time, while he seemed older. An old soul, perhaps, as Mom would say. It was hard to tell with the long golden hair pulled back in a messy knot and the thick but trimmed beard hiding his jaw.
In any case, he was too old for her. But she could still appreciate masculine beauty. She had a sudden stab of envy for women closer to his age for whom he wouldn’t be too old.
“’Welcome,” he said shortly, his deep voice a husky reverberation.
For a moment, she could swear she’d heard this voice before. It was so unique. But she couldn’t place where. She just knew she wanted to hear more of it.
“Don’t try to squeeze in next time,” he advised her.
And she did an internal cheerleading dance that he was still talking to her as she nodded calmly, paying rapt attention.
“You never know when these doors are unforgiving,” he warned. “Just take your time. Wait for the next one. There’s always another train coming.”
“But another train wouldn’t have you on it,” she blurted. Then, slapped a hand over her mouth while her eyes practically bugged out at what she said.
The magnificent man chuckled softly with amusement, flashing a set of bright white teeth within his dark golden beard. She wondered what color his eyes were, but she could only see a glimmer of them behind the thicket of his long lashes.
The train slowed as it approached the next station, and the man moved to step out.
She beat back her own inexplicable urge to step out with him. That would be stalkerish behavior.
But before he left, he tipped his head toward her and said, “Enjoy your day, Miss…”
“Winters,” she immediately supplied as the doors opened.
“Elizabeth Rose Winters.”
She didn’t know why she gave her whole name. Maybe she’d always liked the way it sounded. Pretty without being pretentious. She liked her name a great deal. Kudos to her parents for choosing it.
Maybe she wanted him to remember her, and it was harder to forget if a person gave you their full name. It was the combination of names that made them more unique, though she supposed there could be a hundred ERWs out there in the world.
He had already stepped out of the train and onto the platform by then, but he paused, looking back at her.
The doors closed between them.
She didn’t know why, but she waved.
He slowly raised his own hand, as if he wasn’t even aware he was doing it. He was staring at her with an arrested expression on his face.
She smiled big and bright, alight with hope and yearning, as the train sped away from the station again.
Who knows, maybe one day, she’d grow up to meet someone just like him.
She couldn’t wait.