A Goodbye

“You don’t have to go.”

“But I do...” Abbi gave a sad smile, shaking her head slowly as she looked up at Eddus.

The wind rustled through the leaves of the trees around them. They stood facing each other. Behind Abbi, at her feet, was the ring of mushrooms, the portal to her world.

They’d spent the day in the company of one another, taking a longer-than-usual lunch at the diner, before slowly making their way to the park, detouring down several side streets along the way.

Abbi held Eddus’ hand and was, for the most part, in her usual happy spirit, though she wasn’t as playful or mischievous as she normally was.

Eddus had remained rather quiet, watching his companion as though he wanted to commit her every movement to memory. He said little, speaking only when she said something that required a direct reply. Neither had spoken of it, but both had been avoiding this moment.

Their walk from the park’s entrance to the clearing in which they stood had been a silent one. As they turned away from the path they walked beside, Abbi slipped her arm around Eddus’s waist. He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked.

As the rings came into view, she felt Eddus slow his pace, and he hesitated when they neared the small clearing. Leaning her head against him, she tightened her arm around him, gently urging him forward. She turned to face him as they reached the faerie-ring, standing with the ring of fungi just behind her.

“You don’t have to-”

“I do, Eddie.”

“You can stay with me if you want.”

“I do, Eddie,” Abbi repeated.

“You do?” Eddus blinked, slightly confused by her answer. He held a breath, waiting hopefully for her next words.

“I do so wish that I could stay with you, Eddus Brandt.” Abbi’s eyes seemed to flash brightly in the afternoon sun. She slowly lowered her head, looking away. “But I do have to... I... have to go back.”

The hope Eddus felt deflated with his lungs as he exhaled. With his left hand, he touched Abbi’s shoulder.

“I really would stay with you.” Abbi looked back up, shaking her head again. “But there are rules, and I’ve been away for too long already.”

“Rules?”

“I’m not really supposed to stay in the human realm for longer than-” Abbi pursed her lips and sighed. “I’ll come back, Eddie.”

Eddus’ eyes met hers for a moment before he nodded slowly. He kissed her forehead. Abbi quickly reached up, pulling Eddus’s face to her eye level, where they held one another’s gaze for just a moment before she again pulled him, their lips meeting in a long kiss.

“I promise I’ll be back.” Abbi’s amber eyes glowed as she hugged his neck. Eddus slipped his arms around her waist, embracing her.

“I know,” he said softly. He slipped his arms around her waist, embracing her.

The night he’d met Abbi, she promised that he would see her again. He again remembered how serious she had been when she told him that she kept her promises. He wanted to believe her completely. He did believe her, but the thought of how long it had been between the night they’d first met and the afternoon when they’d met for the second time cast more than a shadow of doubt.

He wanted to ask her when, but held his tongue.

Releasing her grip, she again looked into his eyes as he straightened his back. Her hands found his, and she smiled.

“I have to go now, Eddie.”

Eddus felt a sudden panic grip him and opened his mouth to speak. Abbi’s lips pursed, thinning her smile, as she stepped backward into the pixie ring and vanished before he could make a sound.

Managing only a gasp, his heart raced, and his mind struggled to believe what he’d just seen. Eddus looked first to his hands, which only a second before had held Abbi’s, and then to the ring of mushrooms he stood in front of. He peered at the ground inside of it, but saw nothing but the same grass and soil he stood on outside of it.

He’d thought about it, this very moment, more than once. He’d imagined it just the night before, but it could not have prepared him.

Suddenly very hot, Eddus could feel perspiration on his neck and forehead. Looking around to see if anyone else had been present, Eddus took a step back.

A feeling washed over him, and he had to get away from where he was. Hurriedly, he made his way out of the small clearing. He was careful to stay as far away as he could from the other circles of mushrooms, though not as far as he would have liked, as there were several around. It was not until he was out of the clearing and could see the paved path that he looked back.

It looked like any other group of trees in the park with a small clearing between them. From that distance, he could no longer see the pixie rings.

Breathing a sigh, Eddus turned and made his way to the park bench. Wearily, he sat down. Though he hoped that his heartbeat would slow, he could not unsee Abbi disappearing as she stepped into the pixie ring.