Clever as the Devil & Twice as Pretty

III. Nevermore

"And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor, Shall be lifted-nevermore!" ~William Shakespeare

The pale sliver cobblestones were cold and smooth underneath his damp slippers. Each little stone had a place among the others, unlike the orphaned noble slowly hobbling along through the dark alleyway after just abandoning his new home. The gap between two old terraced houses was long, dark and menacing; growing colder and more uninviting by the second. It was like a cavernous mouth just waiting to devour anyone who dared enter its narrow and dank orifice. Unknown creatures scuttled underfoot and in the midst of the alley waste as he trod along its length. The walls ran with slime which covered the now long forgotten brickwork, once presenting posters of missing children and sponsoring the French military. It smelt strongly of stale urine and feces, causing the dull eyed male to cringe and stagger but, nothing stopped him from distancing himself from society. A society that believed him either dead or a murderer, perhaps that is what he truly was...

Water from many days ago remained stagnant in between the cracks and crevices, forming large foggy puddles vaguely reflecting the moon. Such florescence and dominance could not be hidden behind the creeping grey clouds or the hazy dampness of the alley puddles. All the raven haired 16 year-old could see, besides the despair inflicting trail, was the moon speckled darkness, not the kind of utter blackness that swallowed a person whole, but instead a shadowy world painted in grey-scale. He would often describe the moonlight as his only companion in the darkness. It's soft shimmering glow held another purpose, it gave him a direction in what would otherwise have been a maze of impenetrable blackness.

"I do not wish to sleep, Mother!" the loud cries of the young duke resonated throughout the manor as the Duchess of France dragged the 7 year-old to his grand room, regardless of his countless protests. The sudden sharp grip of the golden haired woman sent the boy cringing in pain as his blood circulation diminished rapidly.

"Now now, must you be so troublesome..?" the duchess casted her auburn eyes down at the other's identical ones now filled with sadness. A defeated sigh escaped her soft rosy lips as she released her son reluctantly, her eyes never leaving his.

"How about I make you an an offer too exceptional to resist? I promise to tell you a story if you retire afterwards, what do you think?" The words hadn't escaped from her lips when the young patrician wrapped his arms around her tightly, clearly enthusiastic about his mother's imaginative tales. With a light giggle, the lady of the manor escorted her son to his room, where the nursing maids assisted him into his nightwear. After settling his rather excited demeanor and wrapping the impeccable ivory sheets around his 7 year-old body, the youth's mother cleared her throat and began:

"According to the ancient Greeks, Selene was the goddess of the moon. She was the daughter of Mother Earth and Father Sky, who I will tell you about another day. Selene and her brother, Helios, were responsible for controlling the movements of the sun and moon across the sky. They believed that Selene would drive the white chariot of the moon across the sky each night. Her brother Helios would do the same thing each morning in his golden sun chariot. They said that Selene was a beautiful woman with lovely, long, flowing hair and often wore a crown with a crescent moon..." The duchess paused momentarily to glance over at her son, his gaze fixed intently on his mother; clearly wishing for the rest of her tale.

"One night as she moved across the night sky looking down on the Earth below, Selene saw a beautiful young man sleeping. The young man was named Endymion, a Shepard tending his sheep on the countryside. Entranced by the beautiful sleeper, Selene asked Zeus- you recall him right? Well she entrusted him to give the youth eternal life and to make him sleep forever. The young man, who had also fallen in love with the lovely moon goddess, asked that he might sleep forever beneath her soft light. Therefore Zeus agreed. It is said that each night since then, Endymion dreams of Selene and his love for her. Sometimes if you look closely at the moon you may see their two silhouettes and Selene may visit your dreams soon after." with a reassuring wink, the Duchess leaned over and gently pecked her son's cheek. His wide auburn eyes lighting up at the mention of such a beautiful goddess appearing in his dreams, almost immediately the boy shut his eyes and awaited sleep to overtake his eager mind.