"The shadow is a living part of the personality and therefore wants to live with it in some form. It cannot be argued out of existence or rationalized into harmlessness. This problem is exceedingly difficult, because it not only challenges the whole man, but reminds him at the same time ofhis helplessness and ineffectuality." - Carl Jung.
That...part...piece of a nightly shadow...a shadow that fell into an unknown Sheol of flowery gazes. It observed the living world which it had trudged through with before.
It wept in silence, its sights obscured by sobs that had dried a long time ago.
Eve clutched that shadow in its hand; the eye darted back towards her daughter's face. If it could smile, it would've, yet it couldn't.
That shadow was...Nightfall.
---
But let's step back and look at the bigger picture.
What do YOU see?
Merely text? A picture that doesn't really make sense.
Maybe you are asking why I am talking with you?
I have no reason to do so. I simply do because that's what I want to do.
I can take up as much space as I want and blabber jibberish. To make you probably step back and see yourself, the way your light catches on your brows. The feeling of your saliva sliding down your throat when you unconsciously swallow. The heavy way you exhale, then quickly enough inhale back, so as not to drown on land.
But that's something for another day.
I want to show you something.
You ready?
---
After Eve woke up, she bolted to find a spot in a place where no one would see her. Yet she was found by someone; that someone was...
Maryam walked over to Eve. She was sitting silently, staring at Nightfall with all the worry there ever could be.
Maryam sat next to Eve on coldish grass. Yet both of them remained quiet. The older woman was the first to think of something, but she pushed the idea to the back of her mind. She didn't really understand what happened yesterday. Since no one would tell her, she had to make her own answer.
"It's funny, is it not?"
Eve glanced back at Maryam, but she didn't really pay that much attention. "What's so funny?"
"You people seem so down all of a sudden; I didn't know the most wanted person could look so... depressed."
Eve remained quiet, but instead of answering, she just clutched Nightfall a bit tighter.
Maryam started scratching her forehead. "Cheer up, it's not every day people hang out like this...I know what will make you happier!"
Eve turned her full attention to the older woman; the covered church moved a bit, which made the sun's rays hit Maryam's habit. "What?"
"A joke"
Eve's eyes widened.
Sarah?
"I am...uh...I am good, thank you anyway"
Maryam scoffed, and the church shifted back into its original place. The woman's habit wasn't so bright anymore. But to Eve, it felt like she missed a chance to talk with someone.
Doubt everything.
She wanted to, especially after what happened, yet she couldn't bring herself to doubt an older woman who would go out of her way to cheer her up.
She will betray you.
Did Sarah betray her? No, she didn't yet...she didn't know what the future would have in store for her. Maybe she will meet Sarah again? And will she prove Nightfall's words true?
That thought almost made her cry.
"I, uhm...Maryam, was it?"
Maryam turned towards her "Yes"
Don't.
Yet Nightfall wasn't whispering; it was silent; only her mind was whispering. The same one which thinks these thoughts. These past few days felt like the Colosseum all over again. But with just less killing, yet for her...it somehow felt worse.
Since she couldn't hide in her cell.
"I am...alone"
That was a half-lie; Eve had Nightfall, yet it didn't act like a human. She couldn't share her food with it; she couldn't hold its hands. Nightfall was just an object with a consciousness. Which brought half-warmth, barely that is.
Humans are fundamentally social creatures.
Maryam remained quiet, which made Eve continue, "I travel with two maniacs that don't understand emotions. While they understand... everything else."
Tears began to flow down Eve's face.
"I...I made a plan to leave them, to find my father...the last living member of my family"
Eve looked down to wipe her eyes with her sleeves. "Vigil knew it, he fucking knew it"
DON'T TELL HER.
"I am scared, Maryam..." Eve sniffled.
"I am scared that I will die by one of their hands before I meet my father"
SHE WILL USE THIS AGAINST YOU.
Maryam remained quiet for a while; she just examined Eve's face, how her tears wet her cheeks. The way her eyes turned red and how she didn't let her mucus fell.
"I uhm...I didn't really think this would be the case. I uhm..." Maryam lost her train of thought, but she found it again in the same moment.
"Believe in them"
Crack
Eve's tears stopped falling, and she just stared at Maryam.
"Believe in them; I am sure they will get around. And don't worry, I don't believe that two guys will kill such a cutie like you. They are probably fighting for your hand in secret"
Crack
What's the point of even trusting someone?
Eve burst out laughing, her sadness suddenly disappearing.
She didn't want to hear that. She didn't know what she wanted to hear, but it was certainly not this.
"Yeah...you are right, I will believe in them"
Eve had her fingers crossed.
She gave Maryam a bright smile, as she did to Elyon yesterday when they promised each other.
I told you.
Fuck you Maryam
"Thank you, Maryam...you really helped me out!"
Maryam got up, and she wiped her attire; then she said goodbye to Eve since she had to do some extra work.
Once Maryam left completely, Eve turned towards Nightfall.
"I am sorry for doubting you"
Nightfall remained quiet.
---
For the past few hours, the people stayed in different places under the shadow of the church. For whatever reason, the pilgrimage didn't continue. Eve had been talking with random people for a good while.
She didn't want to talk with Elyon and Vigil just yet, but she decided to talk with Anton and Stacy since they were eating next to Maryam's cooking tent.
"Got room for one more?"
Stacy smiled, and Anton nodded.
Eve took a seat next to them.
"I am sorry for what happened to your husband yesterday"
Stacy waved her hand. "You don't have to be sorry; it's alright. These things...happen"
Anton pointed the spoon with which he was eating soup at Stacy. But he quickly realised that if he held the spoon more, he would probably grow attached to it.
"This woman right here almost smoked all my cigarettes after I finished my chess game"
Eve raised her eyebrow.
Stacy looked offended, or rather, she was just messing with Anton. "Me? You were the one that offered me like...ten...TEN, Anton. Do you know what that does to my health?"
Eve felt like the third wheel. Did these two become a couple after Stacy burned her ex-husband? But she just forgot about it, since Eve couldn't care less now about their relationship.
"Oh, please, I only off-"
"Anton?"
Anton turned his eyes back towards Eve "Yes?"
"What did you talk about with Vigil in your game?"
Anton suddenly felt more serious. "He told me that I would di-"
Caw-Caw
A crow landed in between them, and it stared at Anton.
"We talked about nothing"
Eve bit her cheek; she wanted to understand something about Vigil, anything. For Elyon, she knew him quite well...but for Vigil?
What did she know about Vigil?
She was the one who let him enter the group, the one who insisted on feeding him.
Fuck
Vigil knew everything about her.
And Eve knew nothing about Vigil.