Vision of Hope

R I X E N Aurelia said she when she spoke of her lover. Aurelia liked...mares? And she was pregnant. These things did not quite add up in my head, but they didn’t have to. That was none of my business. Though I was always questioning or asking questions about the world around me, I made sure to never ask too many personal questions. At least not right away. These would be stories for another time. Or perhaps they would be locked away deep within the vault of forever, and eventually, forgotten. Only time could tell.     I took Aurelia’s remark as a compliment. "As are you, Aurelia," The reply rolled smoothly off of my tongue. I didn’t think I was too interesting, but I was flattered by the idea that someone else did. My story so far was the typical tragedy. No, I hadn’t lived long, but I too had experienced my share of loss. For now, the various woes of my life lay dormant in the library - the collection of books that was my past. In due time I would pull my dusty memories off of the shelves. Now, the pages were turning and my story was beginning again here in the Rift. At the end of it all I hoped that I could write a novel. And maybe even a few sequels, or something.  I felt our conversation coming to a close. Oh, what a wild ride it had been, from talk of the Rift to flirting to pondering love. In the process, we had gone from strangers to...well, I wouldn’t say friends. Nevertheless, Aurelia had become someone I knew. She was one less unfamiliar face in a world of so so many unfamiliarities, and for that I was thankful. The golden-dappled mare was an interesting character. Her golden eyes burned with a distinctive kind of fire, as did her words. There was an air of mystery about her that intrigued me.  Letting out a snort, a "Well," escaped my lips as if I was going to say something more. But the words stopped flowing just as soon as they started. Not knowing what else to say, I allowed the complete absence of sound to wash over us. Aurelia remained silent, so I assumed that she did not know what to say either. For several moments, neither of us spoke. We stood in silence, enveloped in our own thoughts.  At last, I broke the silence. "I’ll see you around, I hope? Maybe one day we shall finally get around to fixing these spires - after we heal the Rift, that is. After all, this land is our home now, and we ought to take care of it." I wink at the mare, resuming my sprightly demeanor. I couldn’t stay here among the ruins of the spires all day, and I was certain that Aurelia had things to do, being pregnant and all. Turning to go, I shifted my body away, out of the shadows and into the midday sun. The glowing ball of light that hovered beside my shoulder danced after me.   "Talk." they heard me singing and they told me to stop quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock

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