Chapter 23 Farnsworth
Farnsworth
Admittedly, since this is the first Horror I’ve ever heard of escaping from banishment, I didn’t know what to expect of this process, but the scene unfolding before me exceeds my wildest imagination.
Instead of a room filled with banishment cages, lined with entrapped Horrors, the walls around us glow with licks of golden flame tinged with red. A deafening roar emanates from the floor, increasing in volume and depth until it vibrates through me.
Borja clings to my arm, whispering, “Holy hell.”
The Horror, swinging its head around in panic, backs away from its impending punishment. Grisly hands rise from the floor on long, spindly arms, reaching out for the Horror. Unsurprisingly, the Horror shrieks, attempting to run, but there is nowhere to go.
“It ends here,” I announce.
The Horror, already fading from existence, doesn’t plan to give up easily, and shockingly grabs on to Borja just as it’s being pulled towards the hole in the floor.
“Farns!”
“No!” I rush forward, grasping Borja’s arms and pulling him back toward me, but the strength of the forces tugging on the Horror is incredible.
No. I’m not losing him. Not like this.
“Borja, listen to me.”
He screams in pain as the Horror slashes his neck. Gods. If he’s sucked down, there’s no way he’s coming back. I’d rather it be me.
I throw myself on Borja, both of us landing with a thud on the hard ground. He stares at me with shock in his eyes, clawing my shoulders.
“Hold on, Borja. I’ll save you.”
I use everything I’ve got to slow time enough to give me a chance to save him. Borja raises his hands to cup my face, holding my gaze before pressing a hard kiss to my lips. “I want you to know something in case this is it.”
“It’s not it. Don’t say that.”
“Just in case. I want you to know, Farns, that being with you has been amazing. I don’t know how, but I know I fell for you.
I was gonna tell you when it was over, but…
” He looks over his shoulder as all of us are pulled closer to the hole, despite my efforts.
“I want you to know you are loved, and I would’ve been so honored to be your man. ”
“You… you love me?”
“I do. It was fast, but time doesn’t work like it used to, does it?”
“No. I was going to tell you too. I’m absolutely in love with you.”
A sweet smile spreads across his face. “Then it was all worth it.”
I dig my heels in, holding on to Borja as tightly as I can, but he’s slipping from my grasp. I won’t let him go. If he falls over, I’m following him.
Then, as if in a dream, everything around us shifts. The air cools considerably and the pull on Borja subsides. Before me, a woman in a flowing golden gown appears, her equally golden hair fanning out around her beautiful face.
This is a goddess, I know that much.
As if on clouds, Borja and I are lifted from the ground, high above the hole, and the Horror, panicking as it takes in the goddess, attempts to scramble away, but the hole below it expands, the floor quaking as a chasm splits the space and the room cools even further.
The goddess picks up the box containing the Horror’s heart and crushes it in her hands. The Horror shrieks and those gnarled hands reach up again, clutching the Horror’s ankles and easily dragging it into the depths below.
Clinging to each other, floating in the air, Borja and I watch as the Horror’s form sizzles and shrinks, its screams shaking the walls around us, a thousand hands clawing at it as it’s sucked out of sight.
The hole slowly closes up and everything grows silent. Borja and I float down softly.
The goddess, ethereal and glowing with soft light, smiles at us. “Lovers,” she says. “And so it continues. You see, love is all there is.”
I bow my head slightly. “Goddess. Thank you for your assistance.”
“How could I not help? I was summoned.”
“By?”
She laughs softly. “You, of course. Your declarations of love brought me here.”
I look at Borja, who looks just as awestruck as I feel. “Amazing,” I murmur.
“Go now,” the goddess says. “Go live your lives surrounded by love.”
“But… how do we… I live—”
“Shh now, Farnsworth. Trust the process.”
As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she fades away and Borja’s living room replaces the cold darkness of the underworld.
“Whoa.” Borja stumbles slightly. “Did that just happen?”
“Yes.”
“Who was that?”
“She has many names in many cultures, but she is the embodiment of love.”
“And she saved us because we’re in love with each other?”
“I believe that’s why she intervened, yes.” The two of us sit on his couch, silent for several minutes as we process what just took place. “Are you alright?” I finally ask. “Did it hurt you?”
Borja shakes his head. “Just the scratches, but I’ll be okay.”
“That’s good.” I reach for his hand. “You really love me?”
He smiles. “I really love you. Does this mean we have to have a long-distance relationship?”
“It is a problem, Borja. I live there and you live here, as you should.”
Borja nods, his eyes reflecting the sadness I feel. What a terrible fate to finally fall in love but be prevented from enjoying it. I throw my arms around Borja. There are so many things I still want to do and experience with him. I’m not ready to go back to my quiet, lonely life.
“Uh, Farns?”
“Yes.”
“Look behind you.”
I do, and I’m pleasantly surprised to see Elina. She’s holding a pink box in her hand.
“Elina. What brings you?”
“I have a delivery for you.” She smiles at Borja. “For both of you, really.”
I take the box from her, but she puts her hand over mine. “Before you open it, just know that what’s inside will change your life based purely on your heart’s desire.”
Nodding solemnly, I glance at Borja and then the box again.
I’ve heard of this event before. If my heart is clear and my intentions true, then the Box of Fate will know.
If Borja and I are meant for each other, this is the moment we’ll know for certain.
If not, it’ll be the end of this beautiful dream.
“Open it with me, Borja.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Okay then.” He puts his hand on the ribbon. “Let’s do this.”
We pull the ribbon at the same time, then, glancing at each other, lift the lid. Inside is a small white stone. I look up at Elina. “I don’t understand.”
“Pick it up, silly.”
Nodding, I reach into the box and take out the stone, noting how warm it is in my palm. I open my mouth to say something, but I stop as a hazy gray mist rises from the stone. It swirls around us, visions of us together playing before our eyes.
Borja squeezes my hand, leaning against my arm.
In the vision, I see a cozy room that doesn’t look at all like Borja’s current room and certainly isn’t my room in the Revival House.
No, this is a new place. We watch ourselves share meals, cuddle on the couch with books, and walk on the sidewalk hand in hand.
My chest warms, a tugging feeling drawing me even closer to Borja. When I look at him, his mouth is hanging open.
“Do you feel that?” he asks.
I nod. “Yes.”
A scroll appears and drops onto my lap. I unroll it, curious as to what’s inside. When I read the words, I gasp.
“Gods.”
“What does it say, Farns?”
“If I accept, I’m released from my duties running the Revival House. A replacement will be found, and I’ll be free to stay in the Above as a Chaser.”
Borja frowns. “You have to give up your position for me?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” I chuckle, shaking my head. “It’s a relief, Borja. I didn’t think there was any way, but Fate has been generous. I’ve waited centuries to feel the way I do with you. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”
“But you love your work.”
“Do I? Or did the endless ocean of loneliness convince me that I did?”
Borja cups my face. “You really want to stay with me?”
“If you’ll have me, I’d love to.”
“If I’ll have you?” He laughs. “Babe, I can’t believe it. Of course I’ll have you. This is amazing. We don’t have to be apart?”
“No. Borja, are you sure? This is a lifelong commitment, and our lives don’t end. I’m woefully unmodern and have so much to learn about life in the Above now. I won’t be like other men.”
“That’s exactly why I fell for you. You’re not like other men. You’re special, your perspective is unique, and honestly, I’ve had a glimpse of the man beneath the centuries of solitary living, and he is glorious. I’d love to watch you bloom into the man you were always meant to be.”
My stomach flutters. “It’s exciting, isn’t it?”
“It is, and from what I’ve seen, we make a good team.”
“We really do. You were so brave tackling your first Horror.”
“I had something to fight for.” He cups my chin, then leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “How incredible to know we have all the time we need to love each other.”
I grip his hand and kiss his palm. “We have forever.”
I turn to thank Elina, but she’s long gone. “Elina is my spirit guide. She’s been a constant source of advice over the years.”
“You’ll still be able to see her, right?”
“Yes.”
“Sweet. We need to move to a better place.” He tilts his head. “You’re telling me that to finally be financially stable and find the love of my life, all I had to do was die?”
I laugh softly. “Apparently.”
He throws himself into me, and I laugh, tumbling backward on the couch as our lips find each other again.
As his tongue tangles with mine and those delightful tendrils of heat build within me, I simply revel in this next phase of my life.
I waited so long I accepted that love was never going to be for me, but I was wrong. I simply had to wait for Borja.
And it was well worth it.