Mythology is just another term of aging

No matter what, he has to be the one. Celi fidgets one foot deeper into the mud, anxious from waiting. It has been a millennium or more, but still, she is standing here...waiting.

There is no limit to cruel men, and she knows it. But, it is always waiting for the redemption of catching one. The space where her back should be catches the breeze from the creek. It won't be too long now.

"God damn woman, what the hell are you thinking draggin' me out here at this time of night?" Mack hollers above her. a smile creeps above Celi's lips before she answers, "I thought we should talk." The smile settles as she reminisces on the pregnant woman Mack has abandoned tonight.

"Come down here!" Celi demands. She can see Mack's shoulders bunch. Tonight, she will earn the respect of her sisters. One lacy strap of her dress drifts downward.

"At least one woman damn well wants me," Mack mutters as he makes his way towards her.
"what is it that you want, baby?" His voice is playful as he approaches her.

Celi plays it back a thousand times in her head as she smacks him. It's perfect and sharp with the drag of nails against his cheek. Fury consumes his face as his hands spring around her throat, "I do not need anymore bullshit tonight, woman," he mutters as he grabs her. He is remarkably unfazed by the joy on her face.

Celi does what she is meant to do. She falls backwards into the water with his hands around her throat. His breath catches as the cold water hits him. The stupid man was never prepared for this. Celi lets herself drift downward for a moment, relishing her success. Then, it's over. Her own smile envelopes her face as she grabs his hands and tugs Mack towards the bottom. He trashes admirably, for such a simple, vile thing. Long after he's stopped, Celi still holds him. Unwilling to break this beautiful embrace. Finally she pries his fingers free from her neck and swims to the surface.

Gasping and crawling, Celi turns her face to the new sky above the small creek. She cannot wait to share her victory with her sisters, but at this moment, she is struck by the glinting moonlight off the tree leaves. Her smile creeps back across her face. She muses to herself,

so this is what it's like on the other side.

Awkward and Difficult

It's about 9:00 on a boisterous evening at the sports park. Awkward has dashed away from the game to the port-a-potty at the edge of the lights because it would be more than her name could cover if she peed her pants on the field. She is true to herself on this bathroom run, standing on one foot, holding her breath and hovering, then yanking her shorts somewhat into place and leaping out of the blue plastic box while trying not to touch anything.

She lands and exhales loudly...and there is Difficult. Standing just a couple of feet away, eyebrows raised. Difficult is pretty, if aging, and looks nice in a calf-length skirt with perfect hair and subtle makeup. Awkward feels the disadvantage of the bunched waistband of her shorts, dripping sweat and wild hair escaping her ponytail.

"Hey, aren't you Awkward?" Difficult smiles. Of course, Difficult knows Awkward's name, they have met and spoken at social events several times.

"Yeah," Awkward breathes heavily and nods. In her true style, Awkward then claps her hands and raises her eyebrows, "I gotta go." She turns and runs back to the field, away from Difficult and away from a conversation she isn't going to have.

Maybe it isn't all Difficult's fault, but she got herself into this situation, and that shit she just pulled was a manipulative power play. She had played her own game, being both manipulator and manipulated until she had landed in a position so true to her name. Sure, she hadn't hurt Awkward, but that wasn't enough to make them friends.

After this, Awkward will continue to avoid Difficult, who will smile and wave whenever convenient. Awkward will feel awkward, and to her limited perception, it will appear that Difficult has no idea how difficult she truly is.