A Beautiful Statue

Ophelia Cosmos. The name of the infamous statue that stood proudly in the middle of Paris, along with a strange urban legend. The golden plaque on her podium read these words: "The story of Miss Ophelia Cosmos; a woman cursed with remaining a statue forever, unless she was to touch hands with her soulmate. Then human she shall become". Of course, most citizens of Paris didn't believe in such foolishness. But there were a few people in the city who loved the idea of powerful magic. It was the city of love, wasn't it? As word of Ophelia's presence spread to the rest of the planet, more and more people came from far and wide just to touch hands with this woman of stone. Hoping that somehow, they could be the soulmate Ophelia had so longed for. But it never happened. Not to anyone, no matter how hard they wished. And the statue stood for thirty eight years, until one fateful day... "Wake up, Autumn!" Bryan shouted, joy in his voice. "It's time for breakfast!" As the sun leaked in brightly from the curtains, a ray of light made its way to the girl's face. Her eyes fluttered open and then squinted, a hand coming up to block the shining beam. "Autumn, come on!" Bryan was growing impatient as it was clear in his tone, but there was still excitement showing through. Autumn sighed, hearing her name being called for the second time. "I'm awake!" She called back, her throat scratching a bit with the exertion. It was August 16th, the day of her and Bryan's 3rd anniversary. Three whole years they had been together officially as boyfriend and girlfriend. Bryan was nervous, he had a huge question to ask her... He checked his watch, sighing. "Her breakfast is going to be cold.." he muttered to himself, a bit of worry in his words. Autumn would be able to get herself out of bed, Bryan was sure of that. But he worried that she had forgotten about their anniversary... Autumn rose from her bed, stretching her arms out wide; a long 'ahh' left her mouth as she slowly brought her arms back in to rub her eyes. She looked to her right to read the clock on thebedside table. "9:45am". The red LED lights shaped the three numbers, her eyes taking a moment to focus before she could read them. She sighed and scratched her cheek. Why did her bed have to feel so comfortable right at the moment she had to leave it? She took a deep breath before throwing the covers to the side, her legs swinging over the edge of the bed. Slowly she lowered her feet to the wooden flooring, her tired body straightening out as she stood up. Her amber coloured hair was in knots, falling a bit past her shoulders; she caught a glimpse of herself in the vanity mirror across the room, laughing at the sight. "What a mess." She joked, walking groggily over to pick up the brush that laid on the vanity table. She stroked through her hair gently, getting it all untangled and then putting it in a loose ponytail with a few hairs framing her face. "Autumnnn?" Bryan called again, hoping she hadn't fallen back asleep. "Coming!" Autumn responded, sounding more cheerful than the last time she spoke. She skipped down the stairs and ran to Bryan, giving him a big kiss on the cheek. "Happy anniversary." She said with a smile, looking her boyfriend in the eyes. This made Bryan smile wide. "You remembered." He watched his girlfriend with a warm and loving gaze. "Of course! How could I forget?" Autumn looked to the spread of pancakes on the table, grinning hungrily. "You made all of this for me?" She asked, sitting in her chair at the table. Bryan nodded. "I did indeed, and you aren't even ready to hear the day I have planned." As Bryan spoke, he sat down across from his significant other. Autumn began to put syrup on her pancake, digging into her meal as she shoveled helpings of pancake into her gob. "So, you know how that famous statue always has such a long wait list?" Bryan asked, chewing on his pancake. Autumn just nodded along, not thinking anything about it. The statue had come up in random conversations before, she hardly stopped talking about it. Wanting to experience something for longer than a decade will do that to a person... She had wanted to see that statue since she was a kid, but since it became so famous, people made a business out of it. Forty bucks for a picture, and the waitlist is at least four to six months long. "Well, I may have been able to pull some strings.." Bryan trailed off, looking at his girlfriend from under his eyebrows. "You didn't.." She spoke with a mouthful. She didn't believe him. Bryan nodded, taking another bite of his pancake. "Yeah, I did." His speech was slightly garbled from the bite he took. Autumn swallowed before her mouth hung open, then it quickly turned into the biggest smile ever. She let out a squeal, jumping up from her seat and running over to his side. She hugged him tight, saying "thank you" over and over again. Bryan just laughed and patted her arm, swallowing his food before speaking. "Alright, alright. Finish your food, and then we can head out." Autumn didn't hesitate to rush back to her seat and stuff her face with the two pancakes that remained on her plate. She was like a child excited for a field trip. After she was finished, she ran upstairs to get changed out of her pyjamas, and into something that was date worthy. She decided on a cream coloured blouse with pink embroidered floral designs on it, a blue denim skirt that rested at her mid thigh, and comfortable white flats on her feet, with no socks. She touched up her hair, making sure the ponytail was more secure and the strands that enclosed her face were placed more precisely.. She put on a bit of mascara and some blush, but other than that she went fairly natural. Once she was happy with her look, she skipped back downstairs to her boyfriend, who had cleaned up both the kitchen and himself. He wore a brown trenchcoat with a black turtleneck, black dress pants, and brown ankle boots to go along with it. His black hair was brushed and swept nicely to the side. "Ready?" Bryan questioned, excited for the plans he had created. Autumn being happy, meant he would be too. "Ready as I'll ever be!" Autumn nodded, smiling wide as she walked hand-in-hand with her beau. The drive there was filled with excited tension; Autumn could basically jump out of her seat with anticipation, her heart fluttering at just the thought of being within feet of the notorious statue. Even finding a parking spot gave her the jitters. "Here we are!" Bryan parked the car in the lot, looking to his girlfriend who had already gotten out of the car. Autumn wasted no time, rushing to the line that was held beside the woman of stone. On a wednesday morning, the line wasn't too busy, but there were enough people there to show how important the statue was. Bryan waited beside Autumn, watching her with love and adoration. He loved seeing her happy. It was all he ever wanted. He put his hand in his pocket and gripped the ring box within, his heart pounding. He couldn't believe he was going to do it... "Next!" Called the man who was managing the line. Bryan stepped up, handing him the ticket he had bought online. Autumn was shifting on both of her feet, it felt like her heart rate was going a thousand beats per minute! "Do you guys wish to hear the legend of the statue?" The man asked. His tone was fairly flat and unamused. His energy didn't impact Autumn's mood though. She shook her head at his question. "No, we know all about it. I've been waiting to get a picture with this statue since I was a kid!" The man just shrugged and motioned them forward. She ran up to the statue and took a moment to look at it, being this close she wanted to take in every detail. The podium the woman was standing on was about five feet above the ground, and the woman was definitely over five foot. The whole thing had to be ten or eleven feet tall. Bryan got in position to take a photo of Autumn, but decided to record instead. "Autumn?" He asked. "Yes?" Autumn posed with the statue, raising her right hand up to put the statue on display. The tips of her fingers were centimetres away from the statue's. "I've been wanting to ask you a question, and I thought that now would be the best time.." Bryan got on his knee, pulling the ring box out of his pocket and holding it out. "Will you marry me?" This caused Autumn to jump, her hand touching the statue's as she pulled it down to her face. "Oh my god!" She was in a state of happy shock, her eyes beginning to well up with tears. But before she could answer, someone fell on top of her, knocking her to the ground. "What the hell?!" Autumn shouted. Many gasps could be heard from the crowd, but Autumn wasn't paying attention to the sounds. She was more concerned with the fact that she had been knocked down by someone. "I'm so sorry!" Another female voice called, quickly getting up from the ground. The woman wiped some dust off her shoulders, her orange hair flowing to her collarbones being moved as well. Autumn looked at the feet of the person who stood before her, noticing that they were bare. She was getting fairly confused. The woman looked down at her body, moving her legs around to see herself. She noticed that she was only covered with a silk robe. "Why don't I have any clothes?" She asked herself. "Hold on.." She looked around and saw the empty statue podium, gasping. With a big breath she rushed to the girl, pulling her off the ground and into a really tight hug."Thank you so much!" She exclaimed. Bryan's jaw dropped, as did many others who witnessed what had happened. The legend was true... Autumn stared at the woman in confusion, then looked at the empty podium. "Ophelia Cosmos?" She questioned, in the girl's ear. The woman pulled from the hug in response to her name being said. "Yes?" She smiled with glee, watching Autumn with pure joy. She didn't know where she was, what era she was in, or who all of these people were. But she had found her soulmate, and she wasn't a statue anymore! She was the happiest she could ever be. Autumn stared into Ophelia's grey eyes, mesmerized. Bryan shook his head, putting the box back in his pocket and turning his phone off. He didn't care about the recording anymore. He rushed over to Autumn and pulled her back from Ophelia. "Are you alright?" He questioned, trying to look into her eyes. But Autumn kept staring at Ophelia. It's like she was in a trance. "Autumn!" He tried to get her attention once more, his emerald green eyes piercing through her. "Yeah, I'm okay." Her response was delayed, but she wanted him to know that she still heard what he had asked. Her eyes didn't leave Ophelia's. And Bryan felt crushed seeing that Autumn had a soulmate who wasn't him. What was he to do with this information? Was he supposed to still ask her to marry him? Or was he supposed to let Ophelia take her? He didn't like either answer. Of course, he wanted Autumn to be happy, but he wanted to be happy too... Ophelia briefly broke eye contact with Autumn and looked around once more, her eyes scanning the landscape around them. "Oh Paris, how I've missed you." The way Ophelia moved was very soft and flowy, like a princess of sorts. She just had a natural grace and elegance that moved with her figure. After a moment of admiring the scenery, she looked back to Autumn, and the man who was holding her so tight. It caused her head to tilt, and eyebrows to furrow in confusion. "You are the one who unfroze me, right?" She questioned, looking into Autumn's eyes. Autumn nodded hesitantly, clutching to Bryan who had his arm around her. This just made Ophelia more confused. "So, what are you doing? You're my soulmate." She took a few steps toward Autumn, but Bryan stepped back, pulling Autumn with him. "I'm sorry to disappoint." Bryan's words were kind, but they were dipped in barbed wire. "She's taken." Ophelia shook her head, laughing. "It doesn't matter.. She unfroze me, she's destined to be with me." She had been waiting for someone to unfreeze her for longer than she could remember. More than three decades. And now this man just claimed that she was his? Did he not give Autumn any free will? Who does he think he is? "Let's go, Autumn." Bryan said, beginning to pull her along by the hand. He didn't want to hear any more of this foolishness. "You're really going to let him control you, Autumn?" Ophelia asked, calling out to the pair. Autumn tried to stop walking, but Bryan kept pulling her along. "Ignore her." He ordered. "Bryan stop." Autumn pleaded, but he didn't listen. "Bryan, enough!" She ripped her arm from his grip, looking back to Ophelia. She was curious. She wanted to get to know her. She was being drawn towards her. Ophelia smiled as she saw that the girl wanted to give her a chance. It was comforting, knowing that she was at least going to have a shot. She nodded towards her, motioning for her to come with her. "Let's go for a walk." She suggested, her hand extending towards her. Autumn took a final breath, her eyes pulling away from Ophelia for one moment as she thought of Bryan. But instead of looking back, she nodded and smiled, heading over to her. This felt right.. It had to be. They were soulmates, right? Bryan watched as his girlfriend walked away from him. She was about to be his fiance. She would've been his forever. The love of his life. His gaze moved to the statue podium, a sinister thought popping into his head. He knew enough about the legend when Autumn would talk about it. He knew the lore. Ophelia's life force lived in that podium. Some called it her "heart". "I'm going to destroy it." Bryan told himself. "Tonight... If I can't have her, no one can." Autumn walked beside Ophelia, a smile stuck on her lips. "I don't know why I keep smiling, I'm sorry.." She looked away shyly, chuckling a bit to herself. Ophelia looked over to her with a laugh. "Don't apologize, silly. It's okay. I guess that's what happens when you're with your soulmate I guess.. I've never experienced it either..." It was quiet for a moment, until Autumn spoke up. "I hope you know that I am taken. I only came with you to get to know you better." her tone was serious, but her smile said otherwise. "Like, soulmates don't have to be romantic, right? Maybe we're just really good friends." Ophelia had never thought of a platonic soulmate.. If that were true, she thought she would've been freed a long time ago. "I know it's complicated.. I don't fully understand it right now either. But why do you think you've always had such a connection to the statue- er, me? You said you've wanted to come since you were a kid, right?" Autumn's eyebrows furrowed, looking to the woman with confusion. "How did you know that?.." Ophelia sighed. "One part of the curse is that I can see and hear everything while I'm up there. The amount of people I've seen, stories I've heard, and hands I've touched.. It's too many to keep track of.. But I could hear you and the other guy talking in line.. I just- I don't think it's a coincidence, Autumn... It has to be fate." In all of the lore Autumn has read, she never knew that the statue still had senses. "So, are you in anguish, when you're frozen?" Maybe this was too personal of a question to ask, but Autumn was still fascinated with the statue, and wanted to know everything about it. "I was.. With the ability to still feel, hear, and see, it's like being paralyzed. Or in some sort of coma..." Autumn's heart sank. Ophelia had been through hell and back, all to find out her soulmate was already taken.. "How long were you there for, on the pedestal?" Ophelia had to think for a moment. "Time moved so strangely.. It's like one day I could hear that it's mid July, and suddenly it's the beginning of December... But if I had to guess, I would say about thirty years..." Ophelia looked over to Autumn, witnessing the pity that she expressed. The things Ophelia was describing, Autumn could never understand how painful that must've been. She had no idea there was so much emotional turmoil associated with the statue she so longed to meet. But what would a curse be without it? "I never realized how dreadful that would be to experience..." Ophelia gave a small shrug, "It's not as bad as it sounds though. I didn't mind getting to witness so many people's lives while still not aging a day.." She smiled, slightly posing to show off her young physique. It was extraordinary how young she still appeared to be. It put a smile to Autumn's face, but the look of pity still couldn't be washed away. "The sorcerer who cursed me, I don't think they believed that soulmates were real. So me becoming free many decades later and still remaining the same age as the day I was cursed, they're probably rolling in their grave by now." She said with a light chuckle. Autumn didn't exactly know how to reply, but laughed as Ophelia did. The two girls kept catching each other's eyes, feeling a spark between them. Autumn wanted to push it away, and be with Bryan.. She couldn't stop thinking about what he was doing right now. It felt wrong to leave him alone, right after his proposal nonetheless... "What's on your mind?" Ophelia questioned, noticing the gaze in Autumn's eyes had changed. She was stuck in her head. "I just keep thinking about Bryan.. Today is our 3rd year anniversary, and you saw, he just proposed to me! To think that I could just leave 3 years of my life behind for someone I just met.. Is unrealistic.." Ophelia nodded, agreeing with her statement. She took a breath and sat down on the bench nearby. Autumn slowly sat next to her, putting her hands in her lap. "Perhaps I have been a bit too forthcoming..." Ophelia began, staring at the ground "I've just longed for the day I could finally be free. And the person who would set me free would be for me." She briefly looked to Autumn, feeling a heavy weight in her chest. Autumn couldn't bear to see her this way.. Something in her just wanted to make her feel happy. "Let's start as friends. I'd rather have you in my life than not at all." She suggested. Ophelia smiled weakly, hesitantly nodding at her suggestion. It was better than nothing... "Okay. Friends." She looked over and into her eyes, forcing a smile. Autumn still felt the weight inside of her, but this was for the best.. She gently took Ophelia's cold hand and held it, patting it gently. The warmth of Autumn's hand and the coldness of Ophelia's swirled together, creating a comfortable temperature between both of them. It wasn't awkward, it was comforting.. Everything between them seemed to sit just right... Meanwhile, Bryan was watching as construction equipment was beginning to be set up around the empty podium. There was a barrier around it, and that's where Bryan stood. Many people also began to gather around the barrier, and the news became flooded with the story of Ophelia, and the fact that she was now missing from her podium. A few news cameras positioned themselves around the citizens, questioning people who had witnessed the event. Eventually, someone came to Bryan. "Sir!" They called. "Sir, could you please answer a few questions for us regarding the disappearance of Ophelia?" They held the mic up to Bryan's mouth, and he recoiled. "I really would rather not talk about this right now." He stated, still clearly upset from the events that had transpired. "Please sir, just a few questions." He was getting increasingly more upset by the second. "Fine, you want your answers?" He asked while pulling out his phone. "Take a look." Bryan played the video recording he had taken, showing the whole thing to the camera. The video was livestreamed across the world, and played over every newscast. It was no secret anymore, and Autumn's face was all over the news. After the video ended, he shoved his phone back in his pocket with a huff. "There, now you can see the truth. My girlfriend was stolen by a damn mythical statue. Understand why I didn't want to talk about this?" He pushed past people to get to the other end of the barricade, he wanted to get away from the news broadcasters. Then he overheard a conversation between some construction workers. "So, what do we do with the podium now? Destroy it?" One worker asked. "No of course not! Do you even know the legend?!" The worker shrugged in response. "How can you live in Paris and not know the legend?" The second worker sighed, gesturing to the podium. "We must not destroy, let alone damage this podium. If the legend is true, then this podium is Ophelia's heart and life force. Once it is destroyed, she is destroyed. Ophelia must live on happily with her newfound soulmate, and this podium must stay standing." The first worker looked back at the construction equipment they had set up. "So... What do you want us to do with the crew we just hired to demolish it? There's no use for an empty podium, sir." The man grabbed the worker by the collar. "If I say the podium stays, it stays." Overhearing this just made Bryan more furious. He looked around frantically, hoping he could see something, anything, to help him with his task. He too looked at the construction equipment, his eyes landing on a road roller. That would have to do. He sprinted to the machine, and climbed inside, attempting to keep himself discreet. He looked around for a pair of keys, frantically checking every crevice and compartment he could see. Then, after a moment of defeat, pulled down the sun visor, the keys falling into his lap. He took a deep breath, putting the keys into the ignition, and starting the roller. Citizens gasped, watching as the machine got closer and closer to the podium. The construction crew ran out of the way as the roller's engine roared and vibrated the ground like an earthquake. The news broadcasters who were there also began recording the catastrophe, shock and terror on everyone's faces. The loud noise and commotion reached where Ophelia and Autumn had been sitting. Ophelia tensed, slowly rising up from her seat, her hand still connected to Autumn's. "What's going on?" Autumn questioned, a look of concern in her eyes. "Something isn't right." Ophelia replied. She began to walk towards the sound, her hand slipping away from her soulmate's. "Ophelia what's wrong?" Ophelia kept looking into the distance, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Then, got the worst pain in her chest, causing her to drop to the ground in anguish. "Oh my god, Ophelia!" Autumn exclaimed, going to her side. "We need to get back to my podium." Ophelia said through her teeth, gripping Autumn's arm in desperation. Autumn nodded quickly, helping her off the ground and rushing with her back the way they came. That's when she saw him. Bryan, who had already hit the podium once, was backing up, and about to run it over once more. "BRYAN STOP!!" Autumn screamed, holding Ophelia tightly next to her, trying to keep her standing. He looked in the direction he heard the pleas come from, his eyes focusing on his girlfriend. But the sight, of her holding Ophelia, and wanting to protect her, only made him want to destroy more. He gritted his teeth, before pounding the gas pedal into the floor. "NO!" Autumn screamed. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to protect Ophelia. To care for her. The sudden urge just came over her, it was uncontrollable. They couldn't stop him physically, and pleading didn't seem to work. So tears began to fall from her cheeks. The roller rammed into the podium one more time, causing Ophelia to scream in agony, her knees buckling. Autumn tried to hold her up, but ended up being too weak, causing them both to fall to the ground. She laid Ophelia's head in her lap, cupping her face. "I don't want you to die." She told Ophelia, tears rolling down her chin. Ophelia took deep breaths, slowly reaching up to Autumn's cheek and wiping her tears with a soft touch. "I know... I'm sorry it had to end like this... I wish we had more time..." Autumn began to sob, holding Ophelia tight. "Please, I can't lose you.. I've only just gotten you.. Our story was just beginning.." "We'll meet again..." Ophelia tried to smile through the pain, nodding as she assured her. "We're soulmates. We are bonded for eternity." She gently gave Autumn's hand a small kiss. "I will see you in the next life, my love." With those final words, the podium was crashed into a final time, the machine fully running over the stone and rubble that remained. Ophelia let out another gut wrenching scream, and Autumn closed her eyes, screaming with her. Tears flowed like an ocean down her face, sobs leaving her throat constantly. A blinding light began to shine from the podium, and from Ophelia's body, a high pitched ringing going through everyone's ears. By the time it had cut out, and Autumn's eyes opened, Ophelia was gone. All that was in her lap was dust. Seeing this, she continued to sob uncontrollably. It felt like a part of her was gone. She was no longer complete.. She felt empty. Bryan got out of the machine and ran to Autumn, quickly going to his knees to be at her level. "Autumn, hey." Autumn pushed his hands away weakly. "No, no, no, no," She shook her head, her eyes closing again as more tears fell from her eyes. "Hey it's okay." He tried to assure her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You killed her... You killed her!.. You're a murderer." She kept sobbing, hardly able to speak to him, continuing to push his hands away. Bryan didn't expect this. She had only known her for a few moments... He thought she'd be happy to be with him again. "Autumn... She was just a statue." Autumn looked up to him weakly, more pain in her eyes than she could ever imagine. "She was a statue.. But she was also my soulmate... And you.. killed her..." Autumn was too sad to lash out at him, but she wanted to. She wanted to rip his heart out and see how he liked it. Her soulmate was gone, all because of him... "I wish I could say I was sorry, Autumn. But she just stole you from me! What was I meant to do?" Autumn just shook her head once again "You were meant to let me go..." Bryan just looked at her with disbelief. "Seriously? After all I've done for you? Oh my- Oh my god Autumn, your legs!" Bryan's eyes widened as he watched Autumn's legs turn gray. But she seemed unharmed, and completely calm. She didn't know it was happening. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw the grey colour sliding up her legs, transforming her body into stone. "What's happening to you?!" Bryan asked, panic in his voice. Autumn smiled slightly, looking at Bryan. "The curse. It's transferring." Bryan's eyes widened, his heart sinking in his chest. "What?! No, Autumn! I can't lose you again!" He pleaded, holding her face in his hands, and gently moving her hair from her face. Her hands were melded to her lap, she couldn't fight him off now. "It's too late... And Bryan, even if this wasn't happening to me... You would've never gotten me back. Ever." He watched hopelessly, tears welling up in his eyes. He didn't believe what she was saying. Autumn closed her eyes, letting the rest of the transformation happen without fighting it. "No!" Bryan cried. He watched the rock as it traveled up to her shoulders and her neck, to the last strand of hair she had on her head. "No.. Autumn.. Please.." He cupped the face of the stone woman, tears falling from his cheeks onto the concrete below him. He couldn't hear the sound of sirens behind him, or that citizens had gathered around them to watch the calamity. But before he could process anything, he was already being dragged away in handcuffs, and being told his rights. He fought against them, crying out for Autumn, and screaming to be let go. But they put him in the back of a police car, and slammed the door shut. Autumn's body was on the ground, now a new statue for Paris to put on a podium. Bryan would never see her again. And she would find a new soulmate, in a few decades. Just as Ophelia did. And just as every beautiful statue will in the future.