HOME | DD

Description
INTRO

She reached out smiling, and her fingers brushed his cheek. He flinched from her feather-light touch, and her eyes widened with realisation.
"No... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! Please!"
But it was too late. The angelic face had disappeared.
She screamed in anguish, throwing her hands through the air in a desperate attempt to find him, hoping against hope he had simply turned invisible. But her hands found nothing other than the empty air, yawning dangerously before her....

***

Serafin tilted his head as the girl stopped, and breathed deeply. As she did so, he watched in interest as the world around her sighed, swaying and weaving to an unheard dance. The mixed flowers in the field were in full bloom, laden with their own beauty. The field that he and Pippa were in was not far from civilization, but it was surprise that Pippa had gotten so far, being as pent up as she usually was.

She would probably be punished for straying so far as to actually leave the city of York, and enter the rolling pastures beyond. But this place was free, and devoid of the rules and manners of the aristocracy.

It was almost as if the girl had sensed the blissful freedom around her, as she had raised her arms out and began to turn, a wide smile on her pink lips. Serafin smiled as her happiness spilt into the free air, building with every turn.

She began to slow, and Serafin realised it was all too soon. He could have watched the girl spin for an eternity, her red hair fanning out around her, the pale thin arms flung out in the absolute certainty that she was safe, and alone. Had anyone been there she would never have acted so, Serafin knew. It was always like that. They all held back when in company.

It of course made no sense that they were happiest alone, yet yearned for company in their every wakening second.

Humans. Such strange creatures.

For a few moments she simply stood with her eyes closed, and let her arms fall back to her sides. Serafin let his gaze follow the approach of another girl. She was thin, and dressed poorly. She looked worn and dirty, exhausted from the walk. She will have made her own way to this spot, and probably various others en route to finding Pippa, on foot. She was quite evidently not of the same social-class as Pippa.

"Pippa!" She exclaimed, breathless as she ran the slightly uphill slope towards her. Pippa turned, and smiled.

"Anne! Where've you been all day? I've been so lonely."

"I had to go home. Mama wasn't feeling well."

"Oh... Well, I'm sure she'll be fine." Pippa said, her voice carrying clearly to Anne as she approached and stopped.

"Well... Papa got Doctor Sawyer to come see her. He said it's too cold here for her. We need to go South. Its warmer there, he said." Pippa frowned.

"Well, you can't go with her." She said, her gaze hardening slightly. "You're not going, are you Anne?"

Anne looked pained for a second, and Serafin pushed his lips together. The girls were young, but Serafin could already imagine what had happened. Pippa's wealthy parents didn't like that her best friend was of such low class. In fact, she was probably one of their servants. So they had issued a warning to the parents. To shield Anne, the parents were putting up a pretence of illness, as an excuse for moving south. The girls were being split up.

It was inevitable, of course. Although this probably was one of the more painless ways it could've been done. But even so, there was a definite sense of cruelty to the plotting and secrets of the parents involved...

"I have to. Papa says Mama needs me to look after her. George isn't old enough yet, and Papa needs to work. I have to, Pippa. Please don't be mad..."

Pippa was silent. "You could stay with me. I'd get Mother to hire a servant for you. She could look after her. Then you could stay with me... You could have a bed in my room, and we'd play all morning, and then after tutor in the afternoon, and tea, we could make a get well present for your Mama... Oh it'll be wonderful, Anne! Let's do that! Let's tell them right now!"

Serafin frowned as the young girl smiled happily, completely unknowing of the truth. That could never happen. These humans were too heartless for such an act of kindness.

Anne smiled weakly.

"Pip, Papa said I had to... He was serious. He wasn't playing. He won't let me... I can't. I have to go, Pippa."

Pippa was frowning again. "Oh, stop that, Anne! You're ruining it!"

She breathed heavily, waiting for Anne to give in, and admit defeat. She waited for almost an entire minute, completely comfortable with the silence she had created. But as the minute progressed, she must have gotten a sense of the evil at hand.

"...Anne?"

She shook her head in reply. Pippa looked absolutely horrified as the realisation at last reached her. Anne was leaving, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

"But... You can't! Who shall help me dress when I wake up, or, or... Play with me in the morning! I shall have nought to do! Oh, you... You evil thing! I hate you! I hate you! Leave me alone! Go at once! I never wish to see you again!"

Her last words were lost amidst the tears, and she fell on the floor, hiding her face in her arms. Anne was crying silently, and stepped away. She had spent her childhood obeying orders, bearing abuse. And now the person she trusted was turning her away too. Serafin felt a pull at his heart, and reached out to her automatically. He pulled back, his fingers inches from her grubby features.

"Be happy, child...." He breathed as she turned away, his words of course unheard. But somewhere, someone else heard his prayer for her.

As Anne began to walk away, Serafin turned back to Pippa, distaste in his gaze.

The child, before so pure, was ruined in his eyes. She saw not what havoc she inflicted with one sentence... As she grew up, so it would develop. Worse, her hatred of the peasantry would define itself, and little Anne, her childhood playmate, would be lost amidst her memories. She would be as a lady, in her fine gowns and adorned with jewellery.

It saddened him to think of the wasted potential. In her few moments alone, he had sensed her true being. Who she really was... She was a good person. Her upbringing wouldn't change that, she would only be doing what she had been taught was right. But to the outside world... She would no longer be good.

Serafin drew close to her, and sat amidst the flowers on her right, completely undetected. In his proximity, the girl quickly calmed from her bout of petulance and upset. She sat up, and looked about her. As she realised that Anne had obeyed her orders, her features saddened in true upset. Serafin bridled, angry somehow that this girl would grow up only to show her true character when there was no one to admire it. To grow up casting evil on the world, unaware of what she was really doing.

And so he leaned close, his lips a bare millimetre from her ear, as her hair blew wildly in the cool breeze. And he whispered something, so quiet as to be unheard even by those who existed to answer. But this prayer was not for those who answered the prayers of the human race...

This was his very own. The power he had harnessed from his creation.

Description
INTRO

She reached out smiling, and her fingers brushed his cheek. He flinched from her feather-light touch, and her eyes widened with realisation.
"No... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! Please!"
But it was too late. The angelic face had disappeared.
She screamed in anguish, throwing her hands through the air in a desperate attempt to find him, hoping against hope he had simply turned invisible. But her hands found nothing other than the empty air, yawning dangerously before her....

***

Serafin tilted his head as the girl stopped, and breathed deeply. As she did so, he watched in interest as the world around her sighed, swaying and weaving to an unheard dance. The mixed flowers in the field were in full bloom, laden with their own beauty. The field that he and Pippa were in was not far from civilization, but it was surprise that Pippa had gotten so far, being as pent up as she usually was.

She would probably be punished for straying so far as to actually leave the city of York, and enter the rolling pastures beyond. But this place was free, and devoid of the rules and manners of the aristocracy.

It was almost as if the girl had sensed the blissful freedom around her, as she had raised her arms out and began to turn, a wide smile on her pink lips. Serafin smiled as her happiness spilt into the free air, building with every turn.

She began to slow, and Serafin realised it was all too soon. He could have watched the girl spin for an eternity, her red hair fanning out around her, the pale thin arms flung out in the absolute certainty that she was safe, and alone. Had anyone been there she would never have acted so, Serafin knew. It was always like that. They all held back when in company.

It of course made no sense that they were happiest alone, yet yearned for company in their every wakening second.

Humans. Such strange creatures.

For a few moments she simply stood with her eyes closed, and let her arms fall back to her sides. Serafin let his gaze follow the approach of another girl. She was thin, and dressed poorly. She looked worn and dirty, exhausted from the walk. She will have made her own way to this spot, and probably various others en route to finding Pippa, on foot. She was quite evidently not of the same social-class as Pippa.

"Pippa!" She exclaimed, breathless as she ran the slightly uphill slope towards her. Pippa turned, and smiled.

"Anne! Where've you been all day? I've been so lonely."

"I had to go home. Mama wasn't feeling well."

"Oh... Well, I'm sure she'll be fine." Pippa said, her voice carrying clearly to Anne as she approached and stopped.

"Well... Papa got Doctor Sawyer to come see her. He said it's too cold here for her. We need to go South. Its warmer there, he said." Pippa frowned.

"Well, you can't go with her." She said, her gaze hardening slightly. "You're not going, are you Anne?"

Anne looked pained for a second, and Serafin pushed his lips together. The girls were young, but Serafin could already imagine what had happened. Pippa's wealthy parents didn't like that her best friend was of such low class. In fact, she was probably one of their servants. So they had issued a warning to the parents. To shield Anne, the parents were putting up a pretence of illness, as an excuse for moving south. The girls were being split up.

It was inevitable, of course. Although this probably was one of the more painless ways it could've been done. But even so, there was a definite sense of cruelty to the plotting and secrets of the parents involved...

"I have to. Papa says Mama needs me to look after her. George isn't old enough yet, and Papa needs to work. I have to, Pippa. Please don't be mad..."

Pippa was silent. "You could stay with me. I'd get Mother to hire a servant for you. She could look after her. Then you could stay with me... You could have a bed in my room, and we'd play all morning, and then after tutor in the afternoon, and tea, we could make a get well present for your Mama... Oh it'll be wonderful, Anne! Let's do that! Let's tell them right now!"

Serafin frowned as the young girl smiled happily, completely unknowing of the truth. That could never happen. These humans were too heartless for such an act of kindness.

Anne smiled weakly.

"Pip, Papa said I had to... He was serious. He wasn't playing. He won't let me... I can't. I have to go, Pippa."

Pippa was frowning again. "Oh, stop that, Anne! You're ruining it!"

She breathed heavily, waiting for Anne to give in, and admit defeat. She waited for almost an entire minute, completely comfortable with the silence she had created. But as the minute progressed, she must have gotten a sense of the evil at hand.

"...Anne?"

She shook her head in reply. Pippa looked absolutely horrified as the realisation at last reached her. Anne was leaving, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

"But... You can't! Who shall help me dress when I wake up, or, or... Play with me in the morning! I shall have nought to do! Oh, you... You evil thing! I hate you! I hate you! Leave me alone! Go at once! I never wish to see you again!"

Her last words were lost amidst the tears, and she fell on the floor, hiding her face in her arms. Anne was crying silently, and stepped away. She had spent her childhood obeying orders, bearing abuse. And now the person she trusted was turning her away too. Serafin felt a pull at his heart, and reached out to her automatically. He pulled back, his fingers inches from her grubby features.

"Be happy, child...." He breathed as she turned away, his words of course unheard. But somewhere, someone else heard his prayer for her.

As Anne began to walk away, Serafin turned back to Pippa, distaste in his gaze.

The child, before so pure, was ruined in his eyes. She saw not what havoc she inflicted with one sentence... As she grew up, so it would develop. Worse, her hatred of the peasantry would define itself, and little Anne, her childhood playmate, would be lost amidst her memories. She would be as a lady, in her fine gowns and adorned with jewellery.

It saddened him to think of the wasted potential. In her few moments alone, he had sensed her true being. Who she really was... She was a good person. Her upbringing wouldn't change that, she would only be doing what she had been taught was right. But to the outside world... She would no longer be good.

Serafin drew close to her, and sat amidst the flowers on her right, completely undetected. In his proximity, the girl quickly calmed from her bout of petulance and upset. She sat up, and looked about her. As she realised that Anne had obeyed her orders, her features saddened in true upset. Serafin bridled, angry somehow that this girl would grow up only to show her true character when there was no one to admire it. To grow up casting evil on the world, unaware of what she was really doing.

And so he leaned close, his lips a bare millimetre from her ear, as her hair blew wildly in the cool breeze. And he whispered something, so quiet as to be unheard even by those who existed to answer. But this prayer was not for those who answered the prayers of the human race...

This was his very own. The power he had harnessed from his creation.