In a Heartbeat

"Will you catch me if I fall?" I survey your sweet face, the trust in your eyes. I am strong, I am young. I will catch you. "In a heartbeat," I answer. You jump, and my invisible wings guide you to a safe landing, my breath drawing a gossamer heart around you as you turn to me and smile. Your smile is the sunshine that warms my world, that wraps tendrils of compassion around my beating heart. Together we travel through ticking time and soaring space. We do not need anybody else.

We do not need anybody else. Yet they come, insinuating their busy bodies and reckless minds, introducing chaos to our order. Some are easy to banish, others stick around until they learn they cannot break through our defences, but this one....... This one will not leave. It lurks in the shadows at the edge of our realm, silently stalking, stalking silently. We catch a glimpse of it here and there, as we gather water from the river or pick berries in the forest. We hear its throaty growl rumbling softly on the wind, catch the scent of its pungent odour, and feel it

s hot breath on our necks. We find the occasional print on the earth, sometimes human in shape, sometimes feline, sometimes something else entirely.

You stand in front of me, no longer a child but a man. Your gaze is steady and determined, yet gentle, your stance firm and strong. You hold the spear I crafted for you long ago, binding the wisdom and magic of our ancestors into the shaft and the cunning and strength of the beasts of this island, who have been your playmates and mentors, into the point. You are ready to leave, and my poor heart is breaking. I knew this day would come. I knew I had no right to stop you. Yet somehow I had hoped you would be satisfied to stay here forever rather than follow your father, who has been waiting for so long. I have taught you all I can about survival, about magic, about kindness. I have no more to give.

I feel my heart constrict as I try to match your stride on our journey to the beach. His boat is anchored just offshore, and I am curious as to what shape he will take on this saddest of days. I hold you one last time, feeling my heart beat wildly, your tears falling into my tangle of hair. I feel him approach, and you disentangle your limbs from mine as we both turn to face him. I am pleased to see he has settled on a mainly human appearance, this God who fathered you. I look into his eyes, and they gleam with gold, catlike and full of warning. On his head he sports two magnificent antlers. He does not speak but acknowledges me with a bow. Resting a hand on your arm, he turns you gently towards the ocean, and you both begin to walk away. I feel my heart break and sink down onto the sand, warming up with the first rays of morning sunshine. I hug myself tight and refuse to watch as you board the boat and the gentle breeze blows you away on your first adventure without me. I don't know if I will ever see you again.

I finally look up. The boat is a speck on the horizon already. Walking towards me is a magnificent tiger. I am not afraid. She reaches me and nuzzles into my neck, urging me to rise. She will now be my companion, the owner of my heart. Until you return.