Passing

A Mortal Life

“Mom, are you sure you are ok?” Claire asked for the third time since they started home.
“Yes, dear. I’m just missing your father is all.”
She had found me crying again, this time in the middle of a department store. Ever since we returned from that wasted trip to Colorado Springs I had been an emotional wreck. It was like the hole in my life from Jeremy’s death had turned into a canyon. It was a struggle every day just to keep going. I’m not sure why the failure to find Kit after all these years was affecting me so hard, it wasn’t like it was anything more than a forlorn hope anyway. Even the surprise discovery that my cancer had gone into remission meant nothing.

Strange part was Claire kept urging me to try again. She seemed insistent that I needed to go back. But every time I considered it something deep within me, like the memory of some forgotten song, rose up urging me to forget and move on. Only I wasn’t moving on, I was just fading away one day at a time. Without Peter and Claire I would have no reason to live.

I pulled the car into the driveway and turned off the engine.
“Claire, I’m sorry…” I started to say as we got out but stopped in shock at the sound of a sad little tune being played on a flute. I turned and there he was, sitting on the bench by the door. Silvery grey hair drawn into a pony tail and a well aged face but there was no doubt.
“Kit?” My voice was a whisper.
He stopped playing and stood smiling.
“Yes Melody, it’s me.”

The next thing I knew I was in his arms as we kissed passionately.
“But how?” I asked when we at last came up for air.
“It’s a long story, lets go inside and I will tell it to you.” He said smiling.

A slight cough reminded me about Claire.
“Well, you two obviously want to talk,” she said grinning. “I’ll just go visit with Trish for a while.”
I mouthed a silent thank you to her as she took off down the street and I led Kit inside.
We sat down on the couch. Kit noticed the blanket with the howling wolves he had bought for me so long ago.
“You still have it.”
“Yes its one of my most treasured possessions. But tell me how did you find me? How did you even know I was looking for you?”
“All will be answered but first I must do something that will help.” He said.

Then he took me in his arms again and kissed me. It was slow passionate kiss and my arms wrapped around him as my eyes closed. As we kissed music seemed to fill my head, a song of joy and remembrance. I seemed to hear coyote howls mingling with the music. Then the song of forgetfulness deep within me rose up seeking to counter this new song. The two songs seem to battle one another in my mind but the new song fell upon the old like a ravening coyote on a rabbit, tearing it apart until it shattered and faded away.

All the memories came rushing back, the spring, the Elves, all of it.
“Kit! Oh my God! You’re all right! What happened?”
“After I recovered and found out what happened to you, I threw such a tantrum that they finally agreed to let me come and find you. Actually I would have been here months ago but I had to learn a new trick.”
“Trick?”
“Yes,” he laughed and the shadows shifted around him and the young dog eared Kit that was his true appearance sat in front of me.
“I have always been able to turn into any living animal or person I have had a chance to study but in order to pass as the Kit your family and friends was expecting I needed to look older. We have lots of talented artists at Spirit Peak. One drew a picture and I spent weeks and weeks trying to turn into the image. It wasn’t easy. Nor can I maintain it constantly. But I’ve bought a townhouse down the street where ‘Junior’ will live so we have an explanation for this young look.”

“A townhouse? Then you mean to stay?”
“Forever and ever.”
“But you can’t, Kit I’m an old woman. You will outlive me by so long. I can’t ask you to tie yourself to me.”
“I already have,” he said.
He reached up and opened my shirt collar exposing the mark on my shoulder that had been such a mystery till the memories came back. The place where he had bitten me in our love making.
“I have placed my mark on you, Melody. You are my Life Mate even if you will not have me; I will not have another as long as you live.”
“But…” I said, my eyes filled with tears of joy that he still loved me and wanted me.
“No buts,” he said, looking deep into my eyes. “I don’t know how much time we can have together but such time as we have I will spend with you no matter what.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver ring.
“Please Melody, will you marry me?”
“Oh Kit, yes!”

Epilogue

And so they were married and lived happily for several years. Melody’s life was filled with joy and happiness even as she slowly grew older and Kit changed his appearance to match. Their love never wavered even to the last day when he sat next to her in her hospital bed as she breathed her last. He walked out of the hospital into the star filled Texas night and Lady Beth stood waiting for him. He looked up at her with tear filled eyes as his illusion of age and humanity faded away and she took the sandy haired youth in her arms weaving a glamour of invisibility around them. No passersby turned an eye their way or noted anything out the norm except for the distant mournful howl of a coyote in pain.
Slowly she gathered him into her cloak and turning into the shadows they were gone.