WHAT IS FOREVER?

His belly aching from so many pancakes, Roberto pulled up to the cemetery and parked.

“Come, Querida.” Roberto opened the passenger door for Lynette. She looked up at him, her eyes unfocused, her face slack.

“I want to stay here. You go.”

“Just let me kiss you then.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. She tried to protest but he undid her seat belt, picked her up, and started carrying her across the field. There was a break in the fence big enough to lift her through.

“Where are we going?”

“Shhh. I’ve got you.” He kept walking, being careful not to catch her dangling arms and legs on bushes as he went. He stopped at the foot of the Ash.

“We can lie here together.”

Reverently, he set her body onto its ancient roots. She looked up at him through lidded eyes.

Well done, said a voice inside Roberto’s head. Now lie down beside her so we may all be united.

Roberto did as he was told, cuddling up to Lynette and nuzzling her neck. Later, they would merge into the cold Entity, but for now why not enjoy her warmth?

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She had been wrong to rescue him yesterday, but he didn’t blame her. Even he had screamed and cried for help at first, but after the breaking of ribs and passing out he had eventually felt no pain. The voices in his head were not grieving or angry. They were a chorus, welcoming him to join something larger.

It reminded him of being a small boy inside the Cathedral of Lima, awestruck by the sheer height of the vaulted roof, the beauty of walls and carvings glowing with gold. To be one with something mighty, to be part of a community on Earth and beyond; such things had once inspired him. Joining the Entity reminded him of that childlike exhilaration, but this new being linked him to minds he had never met. Its commands were absolute. It was intoxicating, but it also trapped Roberto between life and death, for as long as the Entity wished to hold him there.

He ran a thumb over Lynette’s cheek and gave her a smile of encouragement. The Entity’s rootlets were nearly surfacing. He could hear them worming up with a high-pitched burble that echoed in his mind. She would try to fight when they first embraced her, but Roberto would calm her and hold her still. He smoothed her hair, then lay on the leaves, so close to her warmth, he felt almost alive.

Memories of Lynette dancing filled his mind in defiance of the Entity, but in vain. There was no resisting the thoughts and commands flooding into Roberto’s head.

How different were his prospects now, compared to boyhood pleasures and college expectations. His parents had sent him to uncover the town’s mystical secrets and his abuela had made him promise to stay true to his upbringing, no matter what happened.

Such promises belonged to another time. He had become part of the Entity, and now Lynette would join him in its power.

Hair-like roots poked up through the leaves, expanding and fattening as they wormed into the air. Roberto held her tight. “Don’t be afraid. It’ll be over soon.”

And we shall be united forever.