"This place is amazing, Eloa." David whispered as the maiden fed him another petal of the sweet white flower he'd come to love above all else.
She called them Lotus', but her guest knew just enough about botany to understand that the Lotus grows in water; not on vines decorating stylish trellises. The flowers more closely resembled Easter Lilies in form and texture. They didn't look the least bit appetizing on the surface, but they were delicious, just as Eloa had promised they would be when she offered him his first.
Since they had arrived in this place she called The Garden she had seemed bent on serving him; catering to his every whim and waiting on him hand and foot. He didn't mind -- in fact, he rather enjoyed her attention.
The Garden was a magical place. They had come upon it after what seemed like another eternity of wandering through nothingness, something he was quite bored with at this point. David had tried to make conversation with the woman along the way, but she generally didn't oblige. More often than not she simply nodded and smiled when he spoke. This didn't slow him down, however; he'd always been the type that rambled when in an uncomfortable social situation.
It was nestled deep within a cornfield that grew wild without a farmer to take the harvest. The stalks towered high over them as they crept through, David worried that Eloa had them lost and didn't really know exactly where they were going. It seemed entirely out of place among the browning foliage that surrounded it, but it was fantastic nonetheless.
Lush bushes as tall as the corn formed a perimeter around the space, perhaps two acres worth making up the world in which they now lived together. The colors were breathtaking; purple, blue, green, red, gold and every shade between decorating each inch of this paradise.
There were flowers of every type imaginable, some of which were forms that David had never seen in all his life. Many seemed extra-terrestrial in fact, almost glowing during the night and allowing them to see. They filled the air with a joyous scent that made the place feel like a home; inviting and serene. There was something supernatural about it, really - but was a relaxing place, and he was in a relaxing mood.
Quiet though she'd been on the journey, everything about Eloa had changed when they reached their destination; it was as though she was transformed into another woman all together. She became witty and charming, more intelligent than anyone he'd ever met. Talkative, too... just as David would have her.
She had given him a tour of the garden that would've likely cost him twenty-dollars in any reputable arboretum; naming, classifying and detailing the life cycle of each specimen that grew there with an expertise that must've taken a lifetime of study to acquire.
The woman seemed rather taken with this Lotus, or whatever it really was. When she spoke of it she glowed; almost as though with pride. The flower seemed rather aggressive in its reproduction, sprouting on every surface where it found an empty space. Every other plant seemed neatly preened and looked as though they were placed precisely, but the Lotus grew wild.
Elloa had snatched yet another from the patch of fluffy grass in which David lay, smiling as she picked the petals off it as though she were playing a round of he loves me not. She hung them in front of his lips one at a time, sitting Indian style by his side as he chewed them up in his appreciation.
"Tell me, sweetie." He said between his savoring. "How did you find this Garden?"
"I didn't find it, silly." She giggled as she squeezed one of the white petals, applying the thick syrup that leaked from it to the infected slash across his face. "I grew it."
She had been very concerned about the condition of the cut, having festered for so long without proper care. When they had initially met it seemed nearly healed, though it was stiff and painful to the touch. Along their route to this place it had been reopened, somehow - and seemed in worse condition than ever.
Eloa said the blood of the Lotus would cleanse it; help to heal it properly once and for all. It seemed she was right as it was recovering nicely at her care, nearly mended now all together.
"Mary, Mary quite contrary?" He chuckled, Eloa doing the same.
Tracey had never appreciated his sense of humor; she was far too serious a woman. David hated that, sometimes... she never seemed interested in appreciating the finer things in life. Her drive and ambition had blinded her to the simple pleasures that he was keen on indulging in. It led to several arguments; some nearly catastrophic when his passions bled the bank account. If there was one thing about the woman who had become his wife that David wished he could've changed, it was her complete inability and unwillingness to stop and -- smell the flowers.
"It must've taken forever." He remarked, adjusting his hands behind his head as a blade of grass tickled them.
He was strangely comfortable lying there, his naked body cradled by the green. His inhibitions had left him long ago, and it seemed Eloa didn't have any of which to speak. They existed in their nudity without a hint pretense, though he was attracted to both her body and personality. Despite the weeks they spent alone together, the covenant he swore with Tracey remained unbroken. There were other pleasures with which to distract themselves, even with sex off the table.
"Not as long as you would think." She explained. "Most of them grow rather quickly in a suitable environment. The conditions here are perfect."
"That doesn't make sense either, though." He quipped. "Why is it so perfect? I mean, it's like a rain forest. I have no idea where the hell we are geographically, but I'm pretty sure this climate doesn't exist anywhere in the good ol' U.S. of A."
"This world has many mysteries, David Sparks." She replied. "If you look closely enough you'll find millions of things that will blow your mind. The trouble is, they're in places that are too obvious to be examined by most of the people on this Earth. So many of them see miracles unfolding right before their eyes and are either too ignorant or jaded to realize what they're looking at."
"So we're not in Kansas anymore, are we?" He asked.
"No, no, no!" She insisted sweetly. "You've missed the point entirely. We're exactly where we should be -- but even Kansas can be magical, Dorothy! Just ask Toto... the animals are so much more in tune."
"You still don't know me very well." He said.
"What?"
"If you did you'd know that I am an animal!"
"Oh really?" She laughed. "Well then let me hear you roar."
"Arrrrrrrrrrgh!" He growled, flashing his pearly teeth as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
They kissed passionately, rolling through the grass. David was comfortable going this far; surely his late wife would understand the basic need for intimacy that drove him in this act. They had done this many times before, but never anything more since their initial encounter in the woods. It made him feel a bit closer to being whole, though he knew there would always be a void within him that he couldn't bare to fill. Perhaps that would change, in time... he was convinced they would live out their lives here, together, and would inevitably grow closer as the days went by.
Eloa seemed to be able to read him, somehow; always giving him exactly what he wanted in a degree that was comfortable, never pushing too far or offering too much to tempt him. She was tuned in to his desires, appreciated his hopes and understood the fears that sometimes kept him up at night. T
hey were on the same wavelength; a match made in Heaven and born upon the Earth. He couldn't have dreamt up a better companion for eternity than the woman God had sent him, barring the one he loved whom the Lord had taken away.
He had never considered what would become of them if a stranger happened upon the place... it seemed improbable that they would be discovered, if not impossible all together.
The woman seemed to hear the sound first; a rustling in the distance that David would've written off as a gust of wind disturbing the bush if not for her sudden leaping from his arms.
"Eloa, wait!" He shouted at her back as she bounced off through the flowers.
At first he thought she was just starting another game that would end with his tackling her to the turf and wrestling until she said uncle; but she was moving very quickly, as though something were terribly wrong.
He wasn't able to catch up before she had reached the gate. Catching the eye of a stranger he dug his feet into the dirt and slid to a halt, jumping back behind a patch of daisies to conceal his dangling package. It was a tall and stocky black man wearing a jumpsuit that was brighter than some of the flowers. Though he had glanced at David when he so suddenly appeared, the man's attention was transfixed on Eloa. If she were clothed it would've been proper to say that he was undressing her with his eyes, but given her pre-existing nudity there was no telling what was happening behind his wide and deep brown eyes.
"Robert!" She gasped as she looked him over, the stranger locked outside by the wrought iron fence. "I wasn't expecting you!"
"Who are you?" Washington asked her. "And how did you know my name? Are you one of the disciples?"
"Of course!" She exclaimed. "Are you on your way to Jerusalem?"
"Wait a minute." David interrupted, still hesitant to reveal his body to the stranger. "Who the hell is that, and what are you two talking about?"
"Is he one as well?" Washington continued, glaring at Sparks.
"No." Eloa responded. "He's just -- a toy that I've been keeping around to amuse myself... don't worry about him, he's nobody."
David was shocked by this sudden change of character; he didn't know who this man at the gate was, but he was quite sure he didn't like him right off the bat.
"Good." The Commander replied. "What is this place? Why aren't you following the star to Jerusalem?"
"A pit stop." She explained as she swung open the entrance. "Come in - you've traveled a long way. Stay with me until morning, then we'll depart together."
The stranger entered and introduced himself to Eloa, paying no attention whatsoever to David standing in the buff.
"Oh," Eloa started as though she had forgotten to mention something. "You'll have to remove your clothing."
"Why?"
"That's just the way it is... you don't look very comfortable anyways, here -- let me help you get out of this thing."
Washington stood motionless as David's companion stripped him of his prison-issue jumpsuit, looking briefly to Sparks with a sense of superiority. The revelation made David eager to find some pants, but there weren't exactly any just lying around the place.
He didn't dare speak up to defend his territory; Washington was intimidating in his size and stature, he seemed poised to fold David like a piece of paper if he so much as considered trying to assume the role of alpha male. He had taken to staring into David's eyes, threatening in his posture.
"Do you think it's a good idea to have him here?" The larger man growled. "The Lord might not look kindly on it."
"Did you see him too?" David asked shyly.
"Quiet, maggot!" Eloa snapped at him, turning the conversation back to Washington. "The Christ doesn't deny us our pleasures. Have you met with the priest?"
"I have." Washington returned. "He said the battle was eminent, the circle of fire collapsing quickly."
"You've seen the wall of flame? Come, you must tell me all about it."
Eloa took the man's hand and led him off into the garden, leaving her original companion behind to contemplate what had happened.
David was entirely lost; the woman had changed so dramatically he wasn't sure what to do. Furthermore, he had no idea what they were talking about - he had no knowledge of a priest, a battle, a circle of fire or anything of interest in Jerusalem, though the star was all too familiar. He was ashamed of himself and his nakedness, now; of his false sense of ownership in the woman.
His first instinct was to leave the place, which he tried to no avail. The gate had locked behind the stranger and trapped David inside, no sign of a key or locking mechanism to be found. Life in this place would be different now that there was a third; especially since he seemed more to Eloa's liking than David had ever been.
Walking sheepishly along the perimeter he picked a Lotus and considered eating it; but it wouldn't taste as sweet if he had to pick the petals for himself.
Chapter 27