The Gift

"Who are you?" She whispered.

The man smiled and the sun became warmer, surrounding her and keeping her safe, holding her.

He stepped closer and knelt infront of her. His arm reached out to the lake and ever so slightly brushed the surface causing a rippling effect which did not stop. Instead it increased, light and colour flickering throughout the ripples.

Alice leaned towards the water and gasped, her heart wrenching.

Nelson walked in slow motion into the road, not noticing a speeding lorry heading directly towards him.

"STOP IT, MAKE IT STOP!" She cried, sobs escaping her mouth.

"It is too late", the man replied, wiping away her tears, "I have his soul".

Alice paused and inhaled deeply, attempting to steady her breathing. "What d'ya mean you have his soul?"

The man pulled out a small glass bottle from his shorts. Inside the bottle was a tiny blue light, slowly bouncing of the edges like an air deprived fly. Alice reached out for the bottle but the man snatched it away.

"Why can't I take it? He's my husband", she whimpered, pushing back a curl of her red hair.

"You can take it, but all in good time. For I have an offer to make you Alice", he smiled coyly.

"What... what sort of offer?"

The man moved closer to her again and her stomach twisted into knots and bows, over and over making her feel ill with uneasiness.

He moved between her legs and brought his mouth to her ear.

"Bear me a child, and you can have your husbands soul", he whispered, the sound like a butterfly's wings, fluttering across her skin.

Her pulse quickened and mouth turned dry, overwhelmed by the closeness of this man and his outrageous request, but desperation tore away at her.

"And the child?" She replied, almost in a whisper, too shaken to speak at a normal level.

The man pulled away slighlty to look her in the face. She had green eyes like his and skin almost as pale, but definitely as soft. Her curly hair framed her sweet oval face just perfectly; she would make a perfect mother.

"You shall bring them up until the day I see fit to take over the role as parent", he smiled gently. "You will be able to overcome your fertility issues and have a child with your husband, I will cure you".

The man moved forwards again and this time kissed her slowly upon her lips, and unwillingly she responded. His hands brushed along her shoulders and slowly down her arms, exploring the curves and shapes he came across. He pushed her softly back and felt her tense beneath him.

"Do not fear me, everyone fears me. But not you", he murmured into her warm skin, "Trust me, please".

Alice relaxed and tried to steady her breathing, but she was frightened and nervous and purged with guilt. She never even knew the man and sure knew that Nelson would not agree with this. But Nelson was near gone and a part of her knew she had to keep him with her. Everytime the beautiful man touched her, her heart skipped ecstatically, excited and nervous at the idea of being with another. A second man.

He climbed upon her and continuously kissed her skin, which became gooseflesh beneath his touch. He removed the blanket cautiously, and sighed.

"You are so beautiful".

He kissed her from head to toe and made love to her. Twice he'd insisted, to guarantee that it had worked.

After it was done, they sat wrapped together in the blanket. He held her as though they had been lovers for years and smelt the delicate scent of her recently cleaned hair. The sun began to set and she began to shiver with the cold.

"I have to go?" She whispered, slightly heartbroken.

"Yes, yes you do".

"Can I have my husband?" She asked him quietly.

He paused for a second. "No, I can not give him to you, but you have my word that when you return he will be safe and healthy".

Alice nodded and rose, pulling the blanket up around her.

"What's done is done", he replied, stroking her hair, "I will return for the child, and hopefully you one day. Now go home and make love to your husband, you have received a gift I believe".

He stared at her stomach and smiled softly. He reached up to a blossom tree and pulled out a flower on a golden vine, he then wrapped it around her wrist. It instantly changed into a bracelet.

The man planted a kiss upon her head and she disappeared.

***

Alice woke in her garden late evening to find her husband stood over her.

She was weeping as he plucked her from the ground. He took her indoors and up into their room, where for the second time that night, she made love to a man.

But her heart wasn't in it. She'd left it behind with a magical man she didn't know, the father of her child. An angel who had left her with a gift.