The music elevated my soul to a higher plane. Each one of us in the presence of the door was captivated by it. Her song—and it was her song—it connected our hearts to the stars and the memories of all things that shone in between. It may have been my door to move through and yet every animal gathered around was there to catch a glimpse of her and her alone. My story was a strange and curious one, and yet without her, it was nothing more than ordinary. What a fool I had been for not seeing it sooner, but here I was, presented with the chance to make things right. Most didn’t get such chances, yet most never sought out the journey that had seen me shed my former skin and sins. Closing my eyes, the sound of wind chimes came from within the door, and then laughter. Her laughter, as unmistakable as birdsong. In the vastness of the universe it was the smallest of things, and yet it owned my soul. Not God. Not death, but the giddy cries of a girl I’d once met on the street some rainy afternoon several years ago in a town like any other. A regular, chance encounter maybe, or perhaps something far more exquisite. Whatever it was, I was chained to her the same way the planets were chained to the Sun, and it could never be undone. Reaching out, the warmth coming from the door touched my paws, and as her laughter swirled about us along with the snow, Rusty did the same, and together we basked in the glow of a magic moment the likes of which only the few would ever know.

A Journal for Damned Lovers UK

A Journal for Damned Lovers US

Anthology UK / Anthology US