Moonlit Dance

Snow lightly falls, coating the streets in a blanket of white. The lights shine in all the colors of the rainbow, illuminating the busy streets with a vivid breath of life. People, all dressed in their favorite winter wear, flock the road minding their own business, but all share the same kind of festive air of a Christmas Eve – from couples frolicking around with their dates to families joyfully strolling to their dinner celebration.

Then there’s me, sitting all alone on the rooftop of some crazy black corporation, with only a cheap bottle of sake as my company.

It’s been a hectic year where I work. One of my coworkers just died around August, after three previous unsuccessful suicide attempts to boot. And to top it off, she dragged her boyfriend with her, resulting in a double suicide, and along with it, a chain of people offing themselves ever since. Only a measly four months, and already there have been three other cases, all in my department. Work, as you might expect, just keeps piling up with each body that’s discovered. The funniest thing is, the more people that die, the more work there is, and the more work there is, the more people die. It’s nothing but a vicious cycle that we can’t seem to escape from.

Sure would be nice to join them, huh…

“My… I don’t think I’d see another person here in this hour.”

A voice calls out from behind me. As I turn my head around, the figure of a beautiful woman enters my view.

Peerless white skin, shining like pearls. Light auburn hair tied into a bun, giving a sense of elegance, maturity, and a hint of regality in her looks. Sharp, golden eyes as if peering into my soul. Every detail of hers exudes the word “beautiful”, but no doubt the most prominent one has to be the long dress that she’s wearing. A mesmerizing dress that accentuates each and every curve on her body, with a top half as black as night and a smooth gradient shift to a moonlight yellow at the bottom.

“Not spending the night off?” The woman asks, a light curl forming on her lips.

“Overtime tonight… Rotten luck, isn’t it?” I let out a bitter laugh.

“Work must be hard. You know, after those incidents.”

“Tell me about it. I guess you’re the same?”

“Something like that,” the woman smiles at my guess.

“You look like you’re attending a party, though.”

“Perhaps I am. It’s Christmas after all.”

“Parties are a luxury to me at this point.”

“And that’s why you’re here drinking away your sorrow?” Lightly pointing to the bottle in my hand, the woman chuckles.

“If I could, I would. Unfortunately, the bottle's empty,” I shake the bottle of sake, neck pointing down, to prove my point.

“Doesn’t it get lonely standing here? Not to mention cold, too.”

Her words coincide with a dose of heavy snow. I can’t help but give a snide grin.

“Must be prophetic, you.”

“Perhaps it’s just fate,” grins the woman in return

“Then entertain me,” I continue with a playful tone. “What would fate bring us here for?”

“Well…” she gestures around the rooftop, which has been completely covered in snow. “We have a pure white floor, a beautiful glittering sky… Makes a perfect stage, don’t you think?”

“A stage? For what?”

“A dance, of course.”

She offers her hand to me.

Why not?

I take her hand in return. Together, we twirl around the snowy stage.

There is no music, but strangely enough, we’re in perfect harmony. It’s as if she knows my every thought, my every move, and adjusts her own accordingly. No unnecessary steps. No need for signals. She and I move as one, turning the white field into our own little playground.

“Tell me,” within that blissful stage, her sweet, lustrous voice echoes. “Are you happy?”

“Of course,” I give a light nod. Surprisingly, she shakes her head.

“Not right now. Just… in general.”

My feet move, but my head spins in a completely opposite direction.

“... Not really, I guess.”

“Are you tired, perhaps?”

“I… guess so.”

“Do you wish to get away from it all? Spread your wings and fly free?”

“I do.”

When I come to, the two of us have already pushed our backs to the edge of the building. A light pile of snow falls to the bottom, disappearing into the night.

“Would you like to join me?”

The woman concludes with an alluring smile, the kind of smile that could kill anyone who dared fall for her.

I instinctively gulp.

Am I happy with my life?... No, I’m totally discontented with it.

Work sucks. It pays too little for what is too much effort. No one’s here with me. And with all the nasty rumors about those suicide attempts…

With the woman leaning down, I can see the streets beneath her. People nonchalantly going about, all enjoying their lives. Meanwhile, I’m up here, doing who-knows-what with mine.

I take a deep breath…

And let go of her, standing back straight again.

“Yeah, sorry, no can do,” I answer.

“How so? You don’t seem like you have any attachment to it.”

“... Maybe. I agree that life is nothing but terrible. It’s a game with only ‘hell’ as a difficulty. Running away seems awfully tempting and all, but not for me. For any of us, even. We struggle, and we may not even succeed, but that’s what makes us… us.”

“Then… you have no particular reason at all?” The woman’s eyes widen just a bit.

“When you put it that way, probably so. But that’s just human.” I shrug in return.

On the woman’s lips form a smile.

“That’s just human… I see. An interesting outlook for sure. Well, since you’ve entertained me enough, I shall be on my way.”

“Not through there?” I jokingly point toward the other side when she approaches the door to the stairs.

“I could, but I wouldn’t want to give you any more on your plate.” With a giggle, she answers while pushing a piece of paper into my hand. “I’m always free for a call, by the way.”

With a wave goodbye, the woman disappears from the scene. I glance at the slip of paper she gave me.

There’s no number on it. Only a name… two names, actually.

A scribbled-up name that vaguely reads “Thanatos.”

A clear, neatly written name “Eros”.

“… My, isn’t today an eventful day?”