Eva dug her elbow into her companion’s rib cage.

James, shaken from slumber barely stirred and Eva rubbed her elbow in annoyance.

“How can you possibly sleep?  We’re supposed to be on a romantic flight to see Venus.”

He yawned and stretched, stroked her hair and her bare shoulder before laying a kiss on her lips. “We don’t need to go to Venus to see the stars. They’re right here.” He kissed her again and gave her a sleepy smile.

Eva sighed, snuggled in under his arm and closed her eyes.

Sage, pepper, lemon.  Isn’t it heaven, to be here with you now.  By the fire we sit and lick our fingers.

Sage, pepper, lemon.  Isn’t it heaven, to cuddle with you so. By the fire we sit, nuzzle and kiss.

Sage, pepper, lemon.  Isn’t it heaven, to taste you on my lips, under a blanket we shall go.  By the fire we make our passion known.

The bell rings for the second time.  Fashionably late in unfashionable clothes.

He sidles close and I can smell him, earthy and fresh.  His formal attire sits well on him, far better than I thought it would.  You can see his figure, stout but not fat, poised and surprisingly handsome.  His posture is almost perfect yet I notice a slight hesitation in his gait as we walk into the ballroom together.

Creators, why do I exist?

Flashes of light affect my sight.  They are blinding and tormenting.  Voices ring in my head incoherent and ambiguous.

A voice speaks to me and says

Sensations yet no emotions.

Feeling yet no perception.

Sentience yet no sapience.

But still I ask, why do I exist?

The explorer looked down at his shoe covered in a strange goo.  “I thought this place was supposed to be like Kew Gardens,” he said with distaste as he tried to shake it from his foot.  He began to rummage inside his jacket pocket, pulled out a fork, and scratched his head as he held it aloft.  The second time he produced a whistle, which he blew, much to his companions’ annoyance.

One final delve and he produced a sheet of paper.  “Here it is!  The map!”  he said with reassuring smile.

One companion shook his head, the other plastered a hand over his eyes. They both sighed in unison.

The blinding white of snow obscured her vision of the way ahead. A branch of a mountain pine whipped across her uncovered face. The trickle of blood flowed rapidly into her eye before slowing and freezing into a dark red line that marked her forehead. If she believed in God, she would have uttered his name in crude commentary.

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