When Marko had been a young man, an aspiring thespian, he had practiced Hamlet’s famous “to sleep, perchance to dream” speech constantly, but in his undeath the words took on a new potency.
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil? He knew the answer, now: there were no dreams, at least not for him. He’d tried everything, from sleeping in a box in the basement to using some weird trinket Maria had acquired. Those solutions did bring him a little oblivion, but no true rest.
He’d decided in the end that the closest thing to true relaxation was to be with Ariadne when she slept. Holding her gently and listening to her breathing switched off the constant hum of his ghoulish nature, the part of him that obsessed over protecting his Master. Her presence was his peace.
Until the night when she pulled away from his arms. She sat next to him on the bed instead. Her grim expression was the same one that had previously, in a life that seemed so distant now, accompanied announcements like “I think my father is dying” and “I’m pregnant”.
“Marko, there’s something I need to talk to you about. I should have told you such a long time ago. I’m afraid you’re going to be angry. I need you to stay in control.”
He instinctively clenched his fists.
“I’ll try, with all the strength I have. What is this thing you should have told me?”
“Well…”
She cast her eyes to the floor. She was a hunched over old woman in frumpy pyjamas, vulnerable and frightened. Marko felt a pang of fear. His Ariadne was in distress and he couldn’t punch anything to make it better.
“You know that I took your death very hard”, she said quietly, “I didn’t even contemplate falling in love with anyone else because nothing felt like it could replace what we’d built together. But… I know this might sound surprising, but Johann was starting to have a place of affection in my heart. Then you came back. It was difficult to just make those feelings stop.”
Marko gave a sad, hollow chuckle.
“Well, I know that. I’m not blind.”
“Oh.”
“Every since my return I’ve been wondering if one day you’d tell me that you and he had decided to be together. That this wretched curse had stretched our marriage into something that couldn’t continue. Sometimes I even hoped you’d say it. Free yourself from me. Is that what you are going to tell me?”
The shame was gone in an instant as she stopped examining the carpet and met his eyes, utterly incredulous.
“What?! No, don’t be ridiculous! I know what life is like without you and I never want to face that again. Johann and I could never be a couple and have moved on, and you are my husband, my soul mate, the other half of my being. I just… I wanted to tell you the truth about how I felt.”
“Oh. Well, if that’s all…”
“I was on the brink of falling in love with another man! You could at least act shocked!”
Marko looked at his wife’s rapidly flushing face and he smiled. The more flustered she became, the larger the smile grew.
“I kissed him once!”
“Really?”
“Yes! I-I feel terrible about it. We both felt terrible about it. I’d meant it to be more of a peck on the cheek but it was an emotional moment and it went wrong and…”
Marko’s distinctive booming laugh forced her into bewildered silence. He draped an arm over her and hugged her close as she glowered up at him in consternation.
“Oh, cara mia… Ariadne. I’m sorry, I’m not trying to make light of something that has been hurting you. It’s just that I had imagined so much more, so much worse. Why didn’t we talk about this long ago?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed, learning her head against his chest and giving in to his embrace. “Fear, I suppose. We used to talk about everything, all our deepest thought and fears. I think we lost that after you came back. I've missed it so much.”
“Yes. Let’s find it again.”
It turned out to be another attempt at a kiss on the cheek that got out of hand: as he made to deliver a brief peck she turned and gave him a more passionate kiss on the lips, and then another. Despite his considerable size and strength, she was able to push him back onto the bed with the lightest touch.
“There are things I should probably talk to you about", he gasped through her kisses, "I’ve felt less in control lately. I’ve done things you don’t know about, ghoulish in various senses of the word. And then there’s this whole indentured servitude thing. We should talk about that.”
“We should”, she admitted, finding exactly the right spot where she could rest her head in the crook of his neck.
“And we will. We'll discuss those things and we will face them together. But I think that’s a subject for daylight hours. Right now, I feel like I'd quite like to make up for lost time. If you see what I mean."
"I think I get your drift", Marko chuckled.
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil? He knew the answer, now: there were no dreams, at least not for him. He’d tried everything, from sleeping in a box in the basement to using some weird trinket Maria had acquired. Those solutions did bring him a little oblivion, but no true rest.
He’d decided in the end that the closest thing to true relaxation was to be with Ariadne when she slept. Holding her gently and listening to her breathing switched off the constant hum of his ghoulish nature, the part of him that obsessed over protecting his Master. Her presence was his peace.
Until the night when she pulled away from his arms. She sat next to him on the bed instead. Her grim expression was the same one that had previously, in a life that seemed so distant now, accompanied announcements like “I think my father is dying” and “I’m pregnant”.
“Marko, there’s something I need to talk to you about. I should have told you such a long time ago. I’m afraid you’re going to be angry. I need you to stay in control.”
He instinctively clenched his fists.
“I’ll try, with all the strength I have. What is this thing you should have told me?”
“Well…”
She cast her eyes to the floor. She was a hunched over old woman in frumpy pyjamas, vulnerable and frightened. Marko felt a pang of fear. His Ariadne was in distress and he couldn’t punch anything to make it better.
“You know that I took your death very hard”, she said quietly, “I didn’t even contemplate falling in love with anyone else because nothing felt like it could replace what we’d built together. But… I know this might sound surprising, but Johann was starting to have a place of affection in my heart. Then you came back. It was difficult to just make those feelings stop.”
Marko gave a sad, hollow chuckle.
“Well, I know that. I’m not blind.”
“Oh.”
“Every since my return I’ve been wondering if one day you’d tell me that you and he had decided to be together. That this wretched curse had stretched our marriage into something that couldn’t continue. Sometimes I even hoped you’d say it. Free yourself from me. Is that what you are going to tell me?”
The shame was gone in an instant as she stopped examining the carpet and met his eyes, utterly incredulous.
“What?! No, don’t be ridiculous! I know what life is like without you and I never want to face that again. Johann and I could never be a couple and have moved on, and you are my husband, my soul mate, the other half of my being. I just… I wanted to tell you the truth about how I felt.”
“Oh. Well, if that’s all…”
“I was on the brink of falling in love with another man! You could at least act shocked!”
Marko looked at his wife’s rapidly flushing face and he smiled. The more flustered she became, the larger the smile grew.
“I kissed him once!”
“Really?”
“Yes! I-I feel terrible about it. We both felt terrible about it. I’d meant it to be more of a peck on the cheek but it was an emotional moment and it went wrong and…”
Marko’s distinctive booming laugh forced her into bewildered silence. He draped an arm over her and hugged her close as she glowered up at him in consternation.
“Oh, cara mia… Ariadne. I’m sorry, I’m not trying to make light of something that has been hurting you. It’s just that I had imagined so much more, so much worse. Why didn’t we talk about this long ago?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed, learning her head against his chest and giving in to his embrace. “Fear, I suppose. We used to talk about everything, all our deepest thought and fears. I think we lost that after you came back. I've missed it so much.”
“Yes. Let’s find it again.”
It turned out to be another attempt at a kiss on the cheek that got out of hand: as he made to deliver a brief peck she turned and gave him a more passionate kiss on the lips, and then another. Despite his considerable size and strength, she was able to push him back onto the bed with the lightest touch.
“There are things I should probably talk to you about", he gasped through her kisses, "I’ve felt less in control lately. I’ve done things you don’t know about, ghoulish in various senses of the word. And then there’s this whole indentured servitude thing. We should talk about that.”
“We should”, she admitted, finding exactly the right spot where she could rest her head in the crook of his neck.
“And we will. We'll discuss those things and we will face them together. But I think that’s a subject for daylight hours. Right now, I feel like I'd quite like to make up for lost time. If you see what I mean."
"I think I get your drift", Marko chuckled.
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