To my Sisters of the Night

Fight or flight is a curious response. Governing all but one. Or so it is believed. A deer runs from the hunter. The hunter runs from the bear. A human should run from death.

By curious coincidence i met one who didn't. Endowed as he was with an incurable ailment, he welcomed death as an old friend.

His sister was tormented by his death. To lose one so close - it was understandable. The comfort i could provide seemed not enough. She withdrew, and i saw her infrequently for a time.

We studied together for a few years after. Sharing a flat, we became close. Still, though, her brother lingered on her mind. She frequently disappeared into the night when he was discussed. Often, she would dismiss my insistence he was in a better place; she could have made it so he would not have to die. Unsure of her meaning, i argued not, made do to hold her close as she wept.

Some months passed, i saw her less and less in the evenings. My concern grew as she reverted to her previous, antisocial self. her bright eyes became dull, her vivacious manner turned withdrawn and distressed. At a loss, i confronted her as to her change in mood. A black cloud entered her eyes and she swept from the room.

Determined, i followed after her. Through the dark streets and alleys. My only thought to protect she i had grown to love. Passing into a forest, i grew wary. Tales of creatures that resided there surfaced. Yet i could not leave her be. Not this time.

Near midnight i stumbled upon a clearing bathed in moonlight. In the centre she stood - a goddess transformed. From her radiated a power i had never felt, save for the first time we met. At her feet lay a man, seduced by her power, yet clearly unable to sustain it. He had died, a pitiful fool, as she fed on his essence.

She gazed upon me - I could not have fooled her and slipped away - black eyes gleaming red. I understood all. Her brother could have been free to live. She could have turned him, imparted her power to him. That which she now offered me.

Many years later, she revealed that were it not for her love for me, she would have taken me by force. As it were, i freely accepted to spend eternity with her. Ours is a connection deeper than any. The most devoted of lovers do not reach the love we share.

We remain this way for eternity. Of the night.