Eternal, Ethereal Experience

Elisa was bored. Old paintings were impressive, masterful and fascinating, but hall after hall was simply too much. She followed the group, trying to will herself to pay attention. Still, when she noticed Kate beckoning from the doorway of the adjacent room, she followed without hesitation. The guide's voice carried over. She could listen while checking what Kate had found.

Lining the smaller room were statues, slightly to moderately larger than life. Most depicted angels. Sitting, standing, mid-flight, all staring with their empty marble eyes. Each was bathed in the warm light of spotlights carefully angled to illuminate every detail. Kate was standing next to one, a muscular male angel, sitting with spread wings and a sword on his knees.

"Come on, kiss it!" Kate whispered. "It's just like tossing a coin into that fountain!"

"You're not supposed to touch them," said Elisa, laughing but keeping her voice low so it wouldn't carry back to the main room. "Look!"

Kate snorted at the sign repeated on the pedestal of each statue, a sign with a hand and a fat black cross over it. "Coward! Fine, I'll go first."

She stood on tiptoes and pecked a kiss on the statue's marble lips. "Now you, Liz!"

They looked at each other, both grinning. This was stupid. Childish, and so inappropriate. In a rush of recklessness Elisa stepped closer, closing her eyes as she breathed on the smooth, cool surface and pressed her lips against the statue's perfect cupid's bow.

Wave of electricity washed through her. The moment stretched out, prolonging out of shape and then snapping back into reality. When she pulled back, the statue's eyes were focused on her, open and alert, irises flush with a full spectrum of colors.

All around them, the statues were stirring.

***

Elisa huddled against the damp concrete wall, sobbing and coughing. The air was thick with dust and debris from the collapsed houses. Wailing and loud bangs filled the night, sirens blaring both closer and further away, out of sync with each other.

The angels had descended upon the city like wrath from heavens. Elisa shuddered, remembering the sound of a broken glass when they streamed forth from art museums, high end hotels, and congress centers.

Kate had slumped beside her, legs trembling. They both flinched when a voice carried out, closer than just a minute ago.

We demand our virgin queen

"Fuck, why do they need to shout that from the rooftops," Elisa said sullenly.

"Why you? I mean, I kissed it too," Kate said, side-eying her and rubbing her calves.

"The fuck should I know! Are you a slut?"

Elisa's voice was shrill. She had fought down panic for hours. She kept waiting to wake up in her own bed, or at least in the hotel. Kate slumped forward, her head between her knees. Elisa couldn't say if she was sobbing or just panting. It didn't make much difference.

We demand our virgin queen

Elisa jolted. The voice was much closer. From the narrow, dusty window she could see a pair of marble feet, smooth and flawless, untainted by the dirt and rubble they tread upon. She shrieked when the window, inexplicably, exploded outwards, smattering glass and bricks on the ruins.

"Here she is! Take her!"

Kate's voice came from behind her, near the door. Furious, Elisa turned towards her. "You bitch!"

"Sorry!" squeaked Kate.

Their eyes met for a split second, and then Kate sprinted down the corridor.

Cool marble fingers grabbed her upper arm, and then Elisa was flying high over the city, cradled in the arms of the statue. A devastating scene of fires and collapsing buildings spread under them, figures of white marble bright flashes among the destruction. Above them, the sky was black and filled with a plethora of stars, cool and bright in their distant perfection.

***

"And... push!"

"Fuck you!" panted Elisa, writhing on the bed. "It hurts!"

"This is what you were born to do," said the impassive figure beside her. "Save your breath. And... push!"

Elisa wailed, her body contorting, as another massive contraction moved the hard mass lower on her birthing canal. Simultaneously, a perverted and unwelcome pleasure flooded her, fighting for attention with the pain receptors. A few intense moments later, a new, gleaming, flawless marble cupid was squirming on the bed, spreading its tiny wings and babbling baby talk.

Elisa lay back, sweaty and spent, and looked at her latest creation.

"Welcome to the world, little one," she whispered. "I'm your mommy."