The Whispers of Eros

Perspective Part 6

The sun was reaching its final quarter across the heavens. How can it be so late? It felt like an hour but it must've been more, 4? 5? Impossible. None of this makes sense. I guess you save money by being....occupied all day. Was this all the hype of Eros Island, condensed into one day? I refuse to believe that. There must be more, more to all of this, more to me being here. I think I know who'll have answers; Pythia.

Curiously peeking inside the restaurant, she could make out several groups of mangled bodies, blurry, but obviously not sitting apart from each other. You could be sitting there too. Kassandra felt a gravitational pull towards the door, her hand almost handling the knob. That knob is not the only prominence to handle. "NO", she jumped back and began running somewhere away, anywhere away from here where she could focus. Her spirited sprint only lasted so long. Far out I'm tired. Did I really work out that hard today? I guess all those steps up and down are not the most relaxing way to move around. Filling her lungs with the sweet air of the coast was enough to cleanse her palate and her mind for the time being. No longer distracted by thoughts of- nothing, I am thinking about nothing, Kassandra made her way back to her apartment. A sense of ease spread through her body as she reached the door handle, a relief that there was no mischief lurking around her anymore. Or so she hoped.

The door opened a little too effortlessly in Kassandra's mind, and perfectly placed on the other side was Pythia, waiting, with a hint of a smirk on her face.

"AH! Gods Pythia I didn't expect you to be waiting here".

"Well I had expected you, precisely now".

"How could you possibly have known that? Were you watching from your window? That's a little creepy even for an old grandma."

"No dear do not worry, I do more than just watch people walk by all day you know. Much more. I saw the excitement you took with you this morning and I knew that all that energy could only lead to a couple paths on this island. I was rather hoping you would take this one. I was sceptical but hopeful. And here you are! Now you're truly going to be a force of its own here. It has been many lunar cycles since I've seen one like yours. Although their fate remains in limbo, with forces jostling for power inside them." Pythia sighs longingly, and looks into Kassandra's eyes with a sparkle in her eyes. "We can only hope you're fate is different."

Kassandra was confused, this seemed a little fantastical to her. How could any of this be related to her? or the powers of this island? that wasn't real, none of this could be....surely. The more she combed through the last day, the less she doubted Pythia's words.

"Have you wondered why there are so few people here, walking the streets during the day? Everyone is inside, because inside is where the darker recesses of the mind can come out, less hindered. Every dip in the pool of lust is ever more enticing, until it is all that matters. The only currency is disinhibition, and the more it is used, the more narrow the focus of everyone swimming in the ocean of bodies. There is only one direction these people go."

One direction? She felt herself wandering towards that path. She was so close to taking the plunge, feeling its warm embrace, his warm embrace it was making sense. But also how could an island cause this? some isolated piece of land? and for what purpose? The thoughts swirled and scratched her mind. Is this woman brainwashing me?

"I can sense your doubt child, and the machinations of your mind analysing the events of the day. While I do not know exactly what happened, I have rough ideas. There have been many here before you, and will be many here after you. Unless..." Pythia's eyes looked upwards, deep in thought before returning to Kassandra and said, "...we will have to wait and see I suppose".

"What fate happened to that person you mentioned. The one before me?" inquired Kassandra.

"Ah that information Kassandra, is for you to discover. You have a spirit in you which will direct you where to go and although it will not be simple, you will be tested in many ways, many times; but you will have to trust your inner self and not give in. I believe in you, otherwise you would not be here yet."

"Come on just something little to go on?"

"Last time I tried, my interference was...unhelpful to say the least. I will not put someone through that again, and I realised it is much better to say as little as possible."

"That bad huh? Ok is there some place here where I can be free from the island's distractions?"

"The reason I knew you had it in you, was because your first thoughts led you there with no guidance." Pythia said with a gentle smile.

"The lookout" responded Kassandra, the words flowing from her mouth automatically.

"The lookout" Pythia nodded.

"Thank you Pythia."

Kassandra hugged Pythia, knowing she was meant to be here. Was meant for something greater than her mundane life. She grabbed some freshly made bread off the kitchen table and walked up the stairs to her bedroom to go sit on the balcony in the vibrant red of the impending sunset, feeling mild trepidation but also a great sense of purpose.

I have no idea what Pythia was on about, but something tells me tomorrow will be a new day and I'll start again. My mind needs a break from the cacophony of desires from today. I wonder what the 'gang' is doing, how long did they stay in there? maybe they're still in there. That's absurd, but this island wasn't exactly normal so who is to say what can or can't happen here. 

Thinking back, she felt Sam was out of his element, he had helped her resist the entire day but it seemed everyone is overcome eventually. She had been, and the thought felt like a weight in her, dragging her down. One day and I had succumbed? If you had succumbed just a little more....She shook it off. She had to figure out what was going on, and more importantly how to maintain control of herself. If she could control herself. She could control her life.

With the last remaining beams of light radiating over the town, Kassandra noted it became lively, slowly but surely people walking around, in and out of buildings in and out of other places too laughing without a care in the world. They did care though, cared about getting one thing out of their stay here and she started to hear it before she could see it. Couples and groups everywhere in acts of PG-rated debauchery, likely to only escalate in the dark. Everywhere she looked, her view of the scenery would be interrupted somewhere by people controlled by what she'd come to call "Eros' Gaze". 

I have to stop. The more I see it, the more longing I feel to join in and not be left out. It's becoming irresistible. Just one night. 'BANG' bang indeed the door downstairs slammed shut and Kassandra stumbled out of her daydream into the real world. Phew. Lucky there's some wind today, that could've ended badly. I need to be more careful, especially when I spend more than a day here; who knows the kinds of temptations lurking around.

Kassandra took the camera hanging around her neck and snapped a couple pictures of the sunset. How had I been so distracted this whole time, after all that photography hype....There were no excuses now, every day she'd make an effort to start and end with a picture, to summarise the day and frame it the way she wanted. No interference. No judgement. Only pure expression and pure memories. She shut the door to the little overhanging balcony and spread out over her bed, reminiscing in all the potential of the coming days. I really should ask Pythia what the deal is with this art. Seems to contradict what she just told me. 

Now that she was free from exhaustion, she could fully appreciate the softness of the bed linen and the full pillows that could swallow your head with the faintest of pressures. Ah, truly heavenly. Once her head had sunk entirely into the pillow, the desire to be awake disappeared with the gust of wind seeping through the open window and her eyes closed, retreating into her dream world of refuge. I could be here for the rest of my life.....