Ihmaru

A love that lasts through the vast nothingness of the dark.

“Time's crushing me, Liam!” she laments, curling up in the old, ragged armchair and wrapping her arms around her.

A warm, July rain taps against the windowpanes, and classical music �" Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata �" fills every corner of the room. On the coffee table, near the armchair, a single red rose quivers lightly at the swift touch of the notes. Liam's eyes move from the coffee table to Elena. Right now, she seems just as fragile as the rose. Just as mortal. But she is not. She is neither of those two things. It is their human form which confounds her so. 

“How can time crush you, Elena? Time can't affect us. We're gods,” Liam reminds her, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He kneels before her and cups her face between his hands. “ We are just as we were at the beginning, Elena. We are changeless.” He kisses her on the forehead and caresses her hair. 

The dark shadows in Elena's opalescent eyes gradually fade away and a ghost of a smile blooms on her lips. 

“Sometimes I forget,” she whispers, her eyes lock on Liam's.

“What do you forget?” Liam asks softly while caressing her auburn hair.

“I forget that the only reason I've survived through five universes and two galaxies is you,” she says, leaning forward. Their lips meet in a long, lingering kiss.

When their lips finally part, Elena chuckles with her forehead pressed against Liam's, “It's been almost a century since we've arrived on this planet and I have yet to get used to being human. Kissing feels so...alien, still.”

“I know what you mean...”Liam chuckles, too.

“I am sorry, ihmaru. I am sorry for showing weakness and for making you worry -”

“It's alright. I have wavered too, and you have been there for me. Always,” he says and kisses her again.

“Let's stay here until the end of their star. Let's be human for million years to come,” she proposes, her hand still entangled in his hair. “ I'm tired of traveling, ihmaru. We've been roaming about for too many eons. This world is no better and no worse than all the others we have lived in...,” she sighs with her eyes closed, “And I rather like being human.”

Liam climbs back to his feet, and pulls her out of the armchair and into his arms.

“I'm tired too, ihmaru,” he admits, holding her tight as the countless memories of their past lives rush over him.

He could see the orange oceans they had swum in, and the green clouds and purple dunes of sand they had soared above. The two of them had been every form of life imaginable and unimaginable. They had witnessed black wholes consuming entire solar systems and even galaxies, and planets colliding into one another as their sun turned into a silent rock.

Elena and Liam were gods, and they had created world after world until they could no longer bear the pain of seeing their own creation self-destruct. Ultimately, they had chosen to forsaken their true names and nature, and live into the beings created by other gods. Had they not had each other, they would have gone mad for sure. And the madness of gods was the most ravaging force in the universes.

“Ihmaru,” he calls softly.

“Yes,” Elena answers in an wanly voice.

“Let us stay humans forever. I rather like it, too. Ahtte, ihmaru,” he says, gazing deeply into his  eyes �" a reflection of his opalescent eyes.

“Ahtte, ihmaru”  Elena repeats, and they starts dancing on the rhythm of Moonlight Sonata.

The summer rain quietly taps against the windowpanes and the rose quivers at the touch of music...

Author's Note

Ahtte and ihmaru, as you might have guessed, are a couple of invented words. Actually, I dreamed them once, a few years back, and they stayed with me up until now. I don't know why. I even looked them up on the Internet, but I couldn't find an exact meaning. If any of you have an idea about what they could signify, I would very much like to know it. Using them in a story seemed like the best way to put an end to my obsessing over them.

Ahtte – I love you
Ihmaru – darling ( or my love when not accompanied by ahtte )

These are the meanings that I decided to give the words.

Reviews

[David Jae]

A moving story of despair and hope. I love how you draw us in and make us part of the world you create. Very well written.

[Kaliope]

A delightful story that exudes mystery and adventure. Made me wonder what lead them to become humans. I'd honestly love to read more about their journeys and their relationship!

[JulianaSun]

What made them to be human? I don´t know...I think they just ran out of options. Or better said, out of life forms. I find much inspiration in music, and these two characters came to life while listening to a song " Wait" by M83. I wrote down the story in a matter of minutes as if I had written it before. It was quite strange. I´ll listen to the song again to see if they come visit again :)

J

[Kaliope]

Oh, if they do please say hi from me :-)