Gargoyle

As to me, I enjoyed the sensations of her hands cleaning me, and the feel of her young body as she climbed over me. For you see, Leanna, as part of her curse, had left all my senses intact. I was frozen in the form of a bestial gargoyle, still able to feel, smell, see and hear everything. I had felt the wind and weather, the grime of the city building on my body, the birds perching on me, everything, for over five centuries. I had seen people; priests, caretakers, nobility, soldiers and common folk come and go for all that time. Now I watched Dianne grow from a small child through adolescence and her teen years, to the beginnings of womanhood, while her grandfather grew older. He would come to the rooftop to share the events of the day with me as he relaxed, drinking his evening wine. As the years passed, I saw him age, his hair graying and thinning, his back become bent with age and his labors. There had been times when he would bring two bottles with him, sharing the wine with me by pouring some over my lips, then drinking some himself. Had he but known that I could actually taste it! Would he have shared with me more often?

The years stretched to decades, and as he aged, his visits became increasingly infrequent. The long climb to the rooftop of the bell tower was too arduous for a man of his advanced years. I had noted the change in the sound of his climb, from the firm steps of a man in his prime to the slow painful shuffling climb of a man of great age. During the last of his visits he told me how he was now living on his church caretaker's pension, and how Dianne was now the caretaker for the church, the first female to ever hold that position. He was very proud of her for all her achievements; she was educated, well read, mannerly and thoughtful. He said she was a thoroughly modern, yet old fashioned girl.

Chapter Five

Then came the day when I heard the sounds of feet on the stairs and knew that both Dianne and her grandfather were slowly ascending the staircase. When they reached the roof and came into view I realized she had been helping him climb. She helped him still as they slowly made their way to me. She helped him to sit in the chair he had so long ago brought to the rooftop on one of his visits.

As she moved to sit on a folded blanket she carried she said, "Grandfather, why did you force yourself to make the climb? You know you can't hide your feelings from me after all these years. You're tired, almost exhausted! I shouldn't have listened to you and helped you come up here."

"I know, Dianne," he replied. "But I have shared so much with our silent friend here over the years that I wanted to see him one last time. You know all about how I used to come up here to relax and talk to him, just for the pleasure of being able to tell someone, even a statue, about my day. He has heard so much of our lives that I had to see him one more time. My days are numbered now, my darling child. I have had a good life and do not regret the coming end. I only regret leaving you when I go to my reward."

As they talked further, Dianne poured wine for them both and, to my surprise, poured a third glass for me, setting it before my form. I realized this was to be a ritual of passage, an acknowledgment on their part of the coming death of the man who for so long had called me, a hideous, beastly statue, friend. They toasted each other and me, and Dianne held my glass for this ceremony, raising it with hers to touch the glass of her grandfather's, then slowly pour the contents over my mouth. If I could have cried, my tears would have flowed as freely as theirs at this simple, touching ceremony. They talked and drank for hours, till the three bottles of wine were gone, either drank or poured onto my lips, and evening was turning to night. Then slowly Dianne helped the old man back down the stairs. I never saw him again.

Over the following weeks it was Dianne who came to my rooftop to sit and talk to me of her day. Her work as caretaker, her advanced studies, and her grandfather's fragile health were her topics. She spoke sometimes of loneliness; how she sometimes missed the simple enjoyments of others, like "dating", whatever that was. I came to realize that this "dating" was a social function done with men, wherein they would go together for entertainment, to "eat out" at a "restaurant" or go to a "show" or "movie". I learned what some of these words meant, while others I could only guess at.

Sometimes she would study while leaning against me and I was able to learn many things from the books that she read. Oh, the wonders that were unfolded to my eyes and ears...she would often read aloud to me, because she said it helped her retain the imparted knowledge better. For me, it not only helped me gain knowledge, but eased the pain of my isolation. Then came the fateful day.

Chapter Six

I heard Dianne making her way up the steps, recognizing her footsteps, but realizing that something was amiss. She came out onto the rooftop and wandered about for long moments. Finally she turned and approached me, her face wrought with emotion. As she caressed my cheek, she said, "He's gone. He died two nights ago, and we buried him today." She stood there for a moment, still caressing my cheek, her lower lip trembling. Then suddenly her emotions broke through. She began to weep openly; once the tears started there was no holding them back. Sobs and cries wracked her body until she threw her arms about my statue's head and held herself to me, crying harder and harder, her tears streaming down her face to fall upon my head to first puddle slightly, then trickle down over me.

As Dianne wept, I felt something happen to my statue's body, something I could not recognize at first. Then the thought hit me: Dianne was shedding tears over me and the first part of my curse was being lifted. As life flowed into my body I realized that this was not what Leanna had meant when she used those words, but nonetheless, whatever dark powers had been used had interpreted them that way. I was regaining life! My body was changing from the dark stone like material to flesh, hair, blood and bones. Even in her distraught state, Dianne felt the change occur and stepped away from me, to watch with a look of complete disbelief and no small amount of horror at the spectacle occurring before her. Her hands went to cover her open mouth and I heard her gasp as I began to move, rising from my five century crouch.

As I slowly stood up to stretch, I softly said, "Do not fear me, Dianne, I would never do you any harm. I am an enchanted being, cursed by a witch into the gargoyle statue's form over 500 years ago. Your tears of sorrow, so freely shed over me have broken the spell, and I am once again animate, if not yet human."

Dianne backed away more at the sound of my low, rumbling voice, each step taking her closer to the roof's walled edge. "Be careful!" I called, "Do not get so close to the edge of the roof! Please believe me, I will do you no harm! After all, you are the instrument of my release, my salvation. You have set me free after so long!" She stopped stepping back and stood looking up at me as I raised my arms over my head and stretched, feeling the power of my body. I stretched out my wings and stretched my entire body till it hurt, but felt so good to have life coursing through me once again.

Dianne was herself almost two meters tall, in the English measure that I had learned from her studies, about five feet, eight inches. As I relaxed, lowered my arms and furled my great wings, I could see that I was over six and a half feet tall. I towered over her, my heavily muscled body would certainly appear menacing to her at first. I again spread my bat-like wings and turned my head first one way, then the other to study them. They had to span over twenty-five feet, tip to tip, obviously proportioned to the size of my body; I should be able to use them to actually fly. I furled them once again and looked at Dianne. She was standing with her hands at her sides now, the look of horror gone, only disbelief remaining on her lovely features.

I pulled my wings as close to my body as I could, dropped to my knees and bowed my head. Holding my palms up before me, I said, "You are my Savior, Dianne. I can never thank you enough. I do not know how I can ever repay you for restoring life to my body. I thank you with every fiber of my being. I am your humble servant. Anything you wish that is within my power to do, I will do for you, forever."

Chapter Seven

Dianne approached me slowly, stopped and reached out her hand to touch my head. "My God, you're real!" she exclaimed. I lowered my hands and she began to touch me, as if to make sure that this thing before her was in fact a living, breathing being. Her hands wandered over my head and shoulders, to move to my back and touch my wings. I kept my head lowered and let her explore at will.

After several moments, she said, "Will your wings work? Can you fly?"

I raised my eyes to look at her. "I do not know. I was enchanted into the form of the statue and never had the chance to try."

"Why don't you try, then?"

It was late evening by this time, almost full dark. I rose to my feet, towering over Dianne, who took a step back. At first I thought I had frightened her, then I realized by her look that she was merely giving me wing room. I first spread my wings, then pumped them, feeling the power of the muscles which worked them. As powerful as they felt, I realized that it would be a while before I gained the skill to launch myself vertically, so I furled my wings and stepped to the roof's edge. I could see there was no one moving on the streets below, so before I could change my mind, I stepped off the roof as if I were diving into a lake, arms outstretched before me. The wind howled past in my headlong plunge toward the pavement. I spread my wings and there was a sound like a small thunderclap as they caught the air; I instinctively arched my back, causing me to suddenly soar in an arc back up into the sky. I found my movements were instinctive as I used my wings to gain altitude.

I was high over the church now, soaring on the air currents, occasionally flapping my wings to gain more altitude. I experienced a feeling of great power, completely in control of my new-found skills. At last I returned to the church rooftop and Dianne. I landed rather heavily on the rooftop. After all, this was my first flight and first landing. The impact jarred my whole body and I almost fell to my knees, causing Dianne to laugh with delight.

"You looked wonderful," she said, "what I could see of you in the dark. But that landing left a little to be desired."

I smiled down at her and replied, "It was fantastic! I never imagined in all these centuries that I would be able to fly like that! And the landings will improve with practice, just as my flying will."

"Good," she said, "because I want to fly with you. You'll have to exercise a lot so you can carry me."

"Your wish is my command, my savior."

Dianne laughed, "Oh, stop it!" Then her smile faded as she said, "I just thought of something. How will you stay up here now that you're alive? I mean, if someone comes up here, they'll find you."

"You are the only one to come up here for quite a while now, but I understand what you mean. If I leave, it would raise suspicions about my disappearance after all these centuries, and if I stay, I could be found in my new animate state. Perhaps I could resume my pose and pass for a statue. But there is something else as well. Now that I'm alive again, I find that I am hungry."

Dianne laughed, "now that's something I can do something about. I'll be back in a little bit." So saying, she started toward the steps.

"And I will see if I can pose like a statue while you are gone," I said. As I spoke, I sank down, assuming the pose that I had held for so many centuries, concentrating on looking like a statue. Suddenly, I realized that my body was changing back to the dark material it had been before Dianne had released me from my curse. I was becoming rigid and my mind screamed out in abject horror, "NO!!"

Chapter Eight

I was held immobile for an instant, then I felt, to my great relief, my body becoming animate once again. I stood, and looked at Dianne, amazed at what had taken place. The shock of the event was evident on her face. Slowly, a look of relief came over her, and she spoke.

"You were changing back! Then you changed again! Did you mean to do that?"

"No. Believe me, becoming a statue again was not what I had intended." I ran the thoughts through my mind. Perhaps, just as whatever dark powers had translated the conditions of Leanna's curse, they had given me the ability to control my metamorphosis now that I had been released. I decided to try, and told Dianne so. "I am going to try to change back to stone, then back to flesh again. If I cannot become alive once more, will you be able to cry over me again?"

"I don't think that would be any problem," she said. "I've just found you; I don't want to lose you so soon."

"Then I will try." Saying this, I settled into my former pose and thought of becoming a statue. I felt the change as it occurred. I calmed my mind this time, albeit with great difficulty, and let the change come. I completely became a statue once again, still as sentient as I had been while imprisoned before. I heard and saw Dianne move to me.

She touched my head as she said, "You've done it! You're transformed! Now come back to me!"

I turned my mind to the thoughts of being alive again and felt the start of the change. After a moment I was animate once more. A feeling of great triumph and power washed over me. I truly could control the change, quite easily. I stood and grinned down at Dianne. "That was easier than I could have imagined! I can control it. So the problem of how to hide is solved. Now to the other. I really am quite hungry!"

Dianne looked up at me and laughed, "If I had doubts of your once being a human, I don't now. You're a man alright; thinking of your stomach." She turned and walked quickly to the door. "I'll be back in a bit. Don't worry, I think I can find enough for your appetite." Then she was gone. I could hear her steps as she descended.

I walked around the roof, reveling in my new found freedom and abilities. Soon I heard her steps returning. As she came through the door, I could see she was heavily laden and moved to her to relieve her of her burden. As I did, the smell of food assaulted my senses. Dianne spread a large cloth on the roof and I was introduced to the delight of a "picnic". There were foods I recognized and remembered well, as well as others that I experienced for the first time.

I enjoyed the picnic tremendously. My appetite finally sated, we talked for a while until we realized that we had spent most of the night on the roof and that dawn would be coming soon. Dianne finally left me with a promise to return the following evening. I was left alone again, but without the terrible sense of loneliness that I had endured for so long.

Chapter Nine

The days grew into weeks as I would sit out the daytime as a statue, then become animate in the late evening when Dianne came to the roof. I flew, honing my skills, mastering first my landing, then working on flying in intricate patterns. Finally I mastered the vertical take-off. A prodigious leap, straight up, with a flap of my wings, and I was airborne. Then I practiced on carrying additional weight. I would fly out into the countryside at night and find a stone to carry; the darkness did not cause my vision any problem as I had found that I could see in the dark better than any human. On moonlit nights, I probably could see better than most humans could see in daylight. Dianne weighed less than 55 kilos, or about 110 or 120 pounds. After a few trials, I found that I was quite capable of carrying twice that weight aloft.

Finally the evening came that I felt confident in my abilities and asked Dianne if she was ready to fly with me. I could sense her uneasiness. After all, she had not seen my practices, conducted as they were in the seclusion of the country miles from the church.

"You're sure you can carry me?" she asked.

"My dearest Dianne, I would not have asked if there were any reason to think that harm could befall you," I answered. "I can carry much more than your weight; I have done so for some time now. But I can understand your fear. If you want to wait, that is all right."

"No, I don't want to wait any more. Let's do it." With those words, she came to me and placed her arms around my neck. I gathered her into my arms as easily as if she were still a small child and before she could change her mind, I took three running steps and hurtled us into the air. She gasped as the tower fell away quickly below us, my wings sweeping us up into the night sky. At altitude, I leaned to the right and slowly glided in a large circle, the lights of the city spread below us. Dianne looked all around, down, up, to the sides, everywhere. Having caught a thermal from the city below, I lazily glided in a circle like some huge bird of prey on a sunny day. Dianne turned to look at me finally, her eyes sparkling, a smile on her face. Placing her mouth near my ear she said, "This is wonderful! It's so beautiful up here, so peaceful."

We were aloft for over an hour when I realized that she was shivering from the chill air. I returned to the church tower roof amid her protests. We alit gently and I lowered her to stand once again before me. Her arms still around me, she pulled my face to hers and kissed me warmly. I returned her kiss as best as my bestial mouth could. Still pressed against me, she tilted her head to gaze into my eyes when the kiss ended and said, "Thank you Alain, that was more wonderful than I could have ever imagined."

I felt my body respond to hers and my arousal at so intimate a contact became evident. Dianne felt my penis hardening against her and slowly stepped back from me. It was not rejection but more like she was trying to save me embarrassment. I looked out over the city and spoke of my plans to show her the surrounding lands from the air. We talked for some time, making plans for flights to come, till at last it was time for her to go. As she left me, she once again kissed me and thanked me for the flight. Then she was gone and I was once again left with my thoughts.

Chapter Ten

More time passed. I took Dianne flying almost every night. There were times when she could not come to me for reasons such as bad weather or other commitments. On one night when the weather was good but Dianne had a social function that she felt obligated to attend, I decided to visit my old home. During the flight from the church to the village and the former site of my family's castle I prepared myself for the worst. I found I was not to be disappointed. I found that the village was all but gone, the few remaining structures boarded up, showing no signs of habitation. Of my family's once proud castle, all I found were the remains of ruins; humps of earth over the remnants of ruined walls, and a few stones protruding from these covered piles. What had been left of the castle after the long ago war had crumbled into ruin as the beams and timbers rotted away over the centuries. I tried to make some sense of the vague outlines, and finally decided that perhaps an aerial view would help. The moon had risen in the clear night sky during my flight out and was at its zenith, the sky was perfectly clear. I gained altitude till I had a clear view of the site, then I circled lazily and used my acute vision to study the ruins below.

I found that from my vantage point on high, I could easily discern the outlines of the former structure. I now knew where I was; memories came back of the floor plan of the castle. Here was the outline of the great hall, there the tower where my rooms had been. I saw the location of my father's study, my parents chambers, everything. And I remembered the secret things of the castle, the things that my father had told only to me, his son and heir. Things that even my mother never knew. I wondered if the place still held those secrets, and vowed to find out. I landed in what had been my father's study and with my memories to guide me, I was able to place the former features of my surroundings.