FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Toiling away in the low light of a single lamp, Sab pinched dried plants and powders from the small glass jars dotting the table. Many more lined the racks mounted on the walls of the cramped workspace. The ingredients were sprinkled into a stout little stone-formed bowl, crushed and mixed together. A vague sense of urgency drove him. It had to be finished.

As he held up the bowl to scrutinize his progress, a bright light reflected across the polished stone. Looking up through the window, into the dark of the night sky, he saw the shards of moon shining down. The urgency waned in its cold light, replaced with a feeling of calm. Behind him, a hard thumping noise sounding from the door brought him back to the ground.

"Enter." He spoke absently, adding a small amount of water to the mixture. He paused, listening; there was only stillness behind him. Ignoring it, he picked up a narrow glass rod and idly stirred. The parts soon firmed into a gritty paste. A hard wrapping came at the door, the unmistakable sound of knuckle on wood.

"Enter." He spoke more deliberately than before. Again, the room behind him remained still. But no sooner had he ignored it than another knock came. Swiftly he spun around, swinging the door open to catch his agitator in the act. He was met only by the dark emptiness of the house proper, a cold chill rolling over his feet. There was no one. Not even the hurried sound of fleeing footsteps.

"Mela?" He called out, pausing, listening. "Kitten?" He paused again. "Are we playing a game?" Alone in the silence, he waited. Still, as he scanned the darkness with a frown, there was no one. The lamp flickered behind him, and he turned back to the table. There was only the work. He stared down at it. It _had_to be finished.

As his hands touched the bowl, he was stopped by a warm and soothing sensation at his back. It spread over him like a close embrace, the heat of another body pressing against him. Hands slid gently over his stomach, locking fingers and holding him tightly. He looked down and felt a chill, heart sinking at the sight of the marriage bands. Her hands. He couldn't move. _Her_face, pressing into his shoulder. He didn't _want_to. The whisper drifted into his ear, light and trivial, as though calling him to bed for the night.

"I miss you."

Opening his mouth, he wanted to say her name. His voice stuck deep in his throat, held back by something unknown. He wanted say he felt the same, wanted to say he still loved her, wanted to tell her all about their little girl. Try as he might, something outside of him refused every effort. He looked up to the shards of moon and its bright white light began to fill his vision. The whisper drifted into his ear, playful and urging, as though trying to win him over.

"I love you."

****

The shining light of the sun peeked through the slim gap of his just barely open eyes. He shut them tight, rolling away from it with a heavy groan. The sounds of morning filled his ears as the phantoms of dream lingered and faded. Soon, all that was left, all he could think of, was her. He held tightly to the thought of her embrace, the long-since-gone sensation of her touch, of her warmth, dredged from the past. In defiance, he spoke her name quietly to himself. Like a spell, it conjured a stinging feeling in his heart; a pain still sharp decades after her passing.

Bittersweet tears burned his eyes as he opened them. He wiped his face with the blanket, lazily sitting up and taking a deep breath. Warm sunlight pressed against his back, and as he let out a long sigh, he imagined that she still clung to him. With a subtle smile, he held himself tightly a moment, basking in the warmth. It was going to be a very long day, and the indulgence would do him good. With a stretch and a yawn, he left the feeling of her with the bed as he stood to face the morning.