An Cailleach

A bee!
A bee, a better frith I could not ask for. I love bees. Mom taught me to love them and not to fear them. I do not understand this world anymore, if I ever did. But I love bees. For love of nature, Gaia, I will hold on a while longer and not despair ... completely.

I'm drowning
No, you'r not. Do the sidestroke.
Yes, Mom. But I miss you.
I miss you too, Daughter.
You're not angry?
No. We make our own paths. I do wish it'd been less hard for you.

(Lots left unsaid and silence speaks for itself, but neither of us want to go there. You could feel us shifting in the thick of it
the layers of it
until we just stopped looking around, adjusting our clothes, shifting our limbs and ...
Got on with it ...)

We looked each other dead in the eyes, smiled our deepest smiles
warmest smiles
and the warmth permeated head to toe
healing
all
the
wounds
and we hugged each other for all we were worth
the end.

Well not exactly.

Out her mom's back, she pulled the sword. The last of the three. She'd felt the hilt materialize as they embraced. And the longer they held, the more substantial it became. It seemed she must extract it, but it seemed impossible from her point of stance.

So, she visualised it.

She whispered, Mom, hold still. I gotta pull out this sword. And then she said, Trust me. I know it sounds strange.
And her mom said. It's okay, I think I understand.

She positioned her fingers firmly around the hilt and her mom grasped her to her closer, pulling her in but otherwise carefully not changing position, as if to give no enemy a warning.
Carefully, the daughter shifted her own weight and then softly, just under her breath, conspired, 1 2 3. And she pulled up and out as hard and as long as she could, her mom providing counter resistence.
The sword was deep
but not long
and it came out with a satisfying shuuCKKK!
She held it a moment to make sure it was clear, angled it sideways so it would clear their bodies,
and let it drop,
at the same time leaning a bit to the side so they turned as one, as the sword fell.
It clattered to the ground and stilled,
blood seeping into the ground.

Mother and daughter separated but remained linked in arms.
In front of them, their souls extricated themselves, dusting themselves off, un-contorting themselves and sweeping away tendrils of ...
Torment
shadows
tears
terrors
uncertainties
memories
strips of ancient papers
languages ...

They dissapated as soon as the fading ligatures hit them in their unravelling,
turning to laughter
sometimes to tears
but dissolving into air, earth

The two humans watched their spirit selves unentwine ...
And then Mom returned
and the Daughter continued
in joy.

(to be continued)