An Interesting Love

Michael

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We are lying on our backs in front of the pond, hand in hand. Our eyes are closed as they face bits of sun breaking through our shading canopy. It is so nice just to relax and let go of the world. I don't feel attached to anything but my love for Henry, and I don't feel empty at all. Out there, I would constantly need to be attached to some tangible thing in order to be satisfied with myself. I could never feel content if there wasn't some specific object or interest taking up the space in my head. I would feel empty. It seems that that feeling is impossible to obtain here. I don't choose when to listen to Henry's thoughts, but sometimes they just break through any mental barrier I try to put up. As a result, I know that he also loves to love me and feels an attachment to me. He doesn't want any more than what he's getting here, from me. He's happy here, just as I am.

We don't need to eat or sleep here, and there's no feeling of time passing in the day, so we decide to keep the sky looking radiant all the time. The sky is always a pale blue, spotted with fluffy alto-cumulus clouds which are lit by a never-dimming sun. They contrast with the deep greens surrounding us on the ground— the grass grows taller as it moves into the forest and the trees bend under one another, shaded by their taller sisters. The air is fresh and I can feel a constant breeze. I can also hear Henry's breath hit the air around him. It's a comforting noise. We swim in the pond and play hide-and-seek, setting no limits to the ground we can cover with hiding places. Henry's very good at hiding, but I'm even better at finding him. His joy at my discovery of his spot is contagious, and he even makes me feel like a child sometimes.

I ask Henry to make me a dress. I tell him that I want it to flow with the breeze and be light in color. He looks me up and down, with a thoughtful hand on his chin, and creates. I feel cool for a moment, and then I look down to see a pale lavender dress. It is loose all over, reaches down to my ankles, and made of some material unknown to me. It is so soft; I can't believe how soft it is.

"Oh, I love it! Feel how soft it is!" I say, reaching my arm out to Henry so he can feel it.

"It is very soft. I did that on purpose, you know. I want you to feel absolutely perfect," he says.

"I do feel perfect."

We begin to walk along the path in the forest.

"Want to go somewhere?" I ask.

"Yes, I do!"

I take Henry's hand and envision the bed we made near that stone table. We shared a meal there. I focus, and in a second, there we are: together, lying side by side on a white mattress.

"Oh shit! I didn't know you could do that! That's so awesome, Charlotte," he says.

"Thank you, thank you, but I thought I showed you my teleporting powers already," I say.

"Yeah, but I didn't know you could create things too."

"What?"

"This bed, and that table. You made them, right?" he asks.

"You made them," I say.

"No, I didn't," he says.

I get very confused, and Henry does too. I know Henry made these things, I can remember the moment vividly. He made the table for us to eat curry on and the bed for me to rest on when I got overwhelmed. I tell him this and he doesn't remember it at all. Then I have a thought, and say,

"Do you think I could be remembering the time we were together before?"

"That's possible. I believe you that it happened, I just can't remember it at all. I don't know why you're remembering it now, though. Can you remember anything else? Just tell me something and I'll tell you if I remember it happening," he says.