The Immortal Woman

“Was that tea poisoned?”

“Why? Do you feel woozy?”

“No more than usual.”

He let out a sigh, stirring the spoon in his mug. “That was three doses of foxglove. Your heart should be stopping right about now.”

“Well, it doesn’t feel like it’s stopping.” She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked around the shop. He knew what she saw: an absolute mess. His books and journals were all stacked ceiling high, his various beakers and cauldrons bubbling over in every corner. He had charms and trinkets and talismans covering every surface and falling from the rafters like snowflakes. They twirled in the morning sunlight that filtered through the front windows, casting rainbows in every direction. His cats darted about their ankles or slept on books, their collective purring mixing with the crackling of the fireplace to make a drowsy hum in the background. “You should really clean this place up.”

He steepled his hands under his chin and looked her over. She wasn’t much to look at in the way of women: mousy brown hair, a crooked nose, shifting gray eyes that seemed to flash with anger every time she looked his way. Her body was wrapped in a multitude of shawls and scarves, which she had refused to remove upon entering the sweltering shop. The snow outside had just begun to pick up again, and she shivered just looking at it.

He had been surprised when she walked in. For starters, no one ever came in this early. It was well known in town that he rarely rose before noon. If a patron wanted his attention, they were better suited to come in around six, right after his evening dinner when he was full and happy. But this woman had come in at seven in the morning. Seven! As if any sane person would ever be awake at such an ungodly hour. He had been asleep in his king sized bed upstairs, a cat under each arm and leg, when her yelling had woken him up from a lovely dream about freshly baked scones and someone that smelled like lavender.

She had introduced herself as Sadie, and simply Sadie. No last name, no honorifics.

When he had politely asked her to return to his shop later that evening, she had let out an unsatisfied noise and simply plopped herself down into one of his velvet armchairs, as though she intended to wait for him there until later. The idea of having a stranger in his home for such a long time with no supervision didn’t sit well with him, so he had tied his silk robe tighter and joined her, sitting across from her in the matching chair. He had to shoo three cats off of it before he could sit.

She began immediately. “I am in need of your assistance.”

“And why is that?” He scratched at the stubble that was growing across his chin. It had been too long since he had shaved, but he found he enjoyed the rugged look. He was convinced it gave him an air of mystery.

“Because I would like to die, and I know you can help with that.”

The crackle of the fire was the only thing that responded for a long time.

“Why on earth do you want to die?”

The corner of her lip twitched as though she were fighting back a smile. “Look again. Really look at me, and see what you missed before.”

“I don’t see what that has to do-”

“I was told you were a great wizard. Don’t let the rumors precede you, Michael.”

He paused. Only a minuscule portion of the world knew his real name. He took her advice and looked her over, flexing that part of his brain that would rip away all glamours and illusions.

Suddenly, her plain appearance faded away. Here was a beautiful woman, her violet eyes flashing as he looked her over. He couldn’t get his attention to focus in on any one feature, as though she were constantly in a state of change. The only thing that stayed constant were her eyes, and the crescent moon that was tattooed on her forehead. He bit back a gasp as he leaned back into his chair. “You’re one of the Immortals.”

Her ruby red smile was easy as she relaxed. “It looks like you are worth your salt, after all.”

He unfocused and let her glamour slip back into place. He didn’t wish to look upon something so painfully beautiful. “It has been ages since I’ve seen one of your kind. I honestly wasn’t sure that many were still around.”

“There aren’t. A lot of us go insane before we seek to leave this world gracefully. The pain of immortality weighs on one, you know.” She tugged her kid gloves off her fingers and laid them over the fire grate to warm. “I have been on this earth for too long, and I wish to pass.”

Instead of responding, he made them some tea. He wanted to know everything about this woman. He waited until he had poured her a cup before beginning. “Might I ask how old you are?”

She cracked a full smile. “I just turned 3,791 last summer.”

His mind swam with the information. To be alive for so long and to have seen what she had seen? It was almost impossible to consider. “I see. And you want to die because it’s been too much?”

“I want to die because I have lost another love, and this time I choose to go with him.” She fiddled with the handle of her teacup, her eyes cast to the fire. “I’m sure you can imagine what it’s like. I know wizards have long lives, as well. You look relatively young. I’d guess you were about 200 years old?”

“189, actually.”

She laughed. “Practically a child. I’m impressed with the name you’ve made for yourself in such a short time. I’ve heard ‘Michael Hex’ whispered throughout back alleys for decades now. You must be very talented.”

He shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t normally prone to being humble, but something about this Immortal’s countenance made him more somber than usual. Perhaps it was just her sheer age. He often felt old in his own bones, but he couldn’t imagine what it was like to be her. “I do my best. I’ve never had the pleasure of actually conversing with an Immortal, though.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t have. It’s rare that we show who we truly are. Humans simply can’t comprehend it. I’ve only met a handful in my long life that were able to accept me for what I am.” Her eyes flashed with that tell-tale violet, as though her memories lived right on the surface of her face.

He gave her a thoughtful look. “I suppose one of those humans is why you wish to die now?”

She gave him a shaky smile as her eyes grew lined with silver. “His name was Carter. I loved him more than I even thought possible, and I have loved a lot in my life. I’ve never been so affected by a mortal’s death before. I find that I no longer wish to walk this earth if he is not by my side.”

“How long were you together?”

“Sixty-eight years. He grew old and gray while I stayed the same, but we didn't mind. I loved how the curls on his head turned white, and how his beard looked like someone had sprinkled pepper all over his face.” She laughed to herself, lost in the memory of her lover. “He was kind, and generous. I’ve never seen a human so kind before. He used all of his riches to better his community.”

He tapped his chin with his forefinger as a stark white cat leapt up and curled into his lap. Sadie had two cats rubbing against her shins, but he doubted she even noticed them. “And you’re sure you won’t be able to just heal and move on? Surely you’ve encountered this kind of heartbreak before.”

“Never. Never has someone so changed me as Carter did. The funny thing is, I don’t even know what it is about him that made me like this. I’ve never been so in love before, which means I’ve never felt this kind of pain in my life. Surprising, I know. Maybe Carter was my soulmate. Have you ever found that with someone?”

“No, I don’t think so.” He wasn’t even sure if he’d ever been in love before. It often seemed like such a silly concept, much more trouble than it was worth. He watched moon-eyed children walk into his shop day in and day out, begging him for love spells and trinkets that would make their object of admiration fall head over heels obsessed with them. He would oblige them. After all, it was his biggest source of income, and he wouldn’t deny that. But he certainly never understood it, either.

“You’re lucky, then. I feel like I’m breaking in half. I don’t understand how this feeling doesn’t kill humans. They’re so fragile, and yet they must be stronger than I thought,” she said, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks now.

He nodded. It was a conundrum to consider. She was ancient. No one could ever say she hadn’t lived a full life, and one had to assume that once you passed the 3,000 year mark, decisions were easier to make. “Have you ever… tried to die before?”

“Here and there, mostly out of curiosity. We are unbreakable. In my youth, I wondered how indestructible I really was. I got myself burned as a witch once, and that did nothing more than make me cough. I drowned on the Titanic and I simply swam around until someone picked me up. I’ve even been hit by a car or two, but the cars came out with more damage than I did. I don’t get sick, and I can’t be cut by a blade. It’s made it easy over the years to maintain myself, but now, at the end of it all, I hardly know what will work.” She rubbed at the exposed skin on her wrists, as though remembering all the times she attempted death.

“Well, I have a few ideas, though I may need some time to study the subject. This is unlike anything I’ve ever attempted before.” He looked around his shop, locating the books he might start with. He retrieved a pen and paper for her, gingerly placing them on the table in front of her. “While I do that, why don’t you work on your will? I’m assuming you have some kind of vast fortune, and as tempting as it is, I’d rather not have to deal with it when you’re gone.”

She cracked a dark smile and got to work, her pen creating scratchy music throughout the shop.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

By the time they reached the poisons, night had fallen in the town. The pair watched as snowflakes floated lazily down to the cobblestone street. The lanterns had been lit and children raced through the piles of ice, daring each other to go faster as the wind chased them down alleyways and neighborhoods. Their echoing laughter was so full of life. Such a stark difference to the mood inside their shop.

Sadie had grown more distant as the afternoon went on. He had closed his shop for the day, wanting to focus only on her and her dark request, but despite all of his studying he had turned up nothing about how to kill an Immortal. He had learned they were extremely powerful beings, the longest one ever recorded still walking this earth today. In relation to Immortals, Sadie was almost considered young. They were known for their philanthropic work, often showering the world in wealth and good deeds. How else was one supposed to fill all that time? There were the odd bad eggs in the basket, so to speak, but they had been swiftly dealt with. And yet, how they had been dealt with wasn’t recorded anywhere. Their records simply stopped.

She heaved a sigh through her nose. “Maybe I’m just meant to be here forever. I should’ve known it was just a dream.”

He hesitated, wondering if he should respond. “And you’re sure there’s nothing else in this world you’d like to stay for? Granted, this is coming from a young wizard who has never been in love before, but still. It seems like life could have a lot to offer you yet.”

“No, I’m sure. I’ve never been so sure of something in my life.”

And that was that. He invited her to stay the night so they could get up early and work again at first light, but she politely declined and claimed she had a hotel room just down the street. He watched as she wrapped her coat tightly around herself and then stepped into the swirling snow. She disappeared into the lamplight.

He found he was unable to sleep that night for the first time in many, many years. His cats pawed at his blankets, moving around him as though they were caught in a riptide as he watched his trinkets wave from the ceiling above.

What would it feel like to wish to die? He had tasted so much of life already and all he ever wanted was more. Perhaps it was different for her, having lived such a terribly long time. She had to have lost so many in that span of time. What was it about Carter that had impacted her so?

The books he studied began to blur together under his eyes while he tried to read by candlelight. Nothing. There was nothing about how to kill an Immortal. And now that he thought about it, would that not mar his soul in some way? He wasn’t immortal, just long-lived enough to get a taste. He actually had to worry about his soul. Would killing something that ancient shift the world in some irrevocable way?

Three of his cats raced over the floor just past his bed, yowling and hissing as they went. He rolled his eyes and got up to see what the commotion was. They were batting something small and furry between their paws, something lifeless, and he shuddered as he realized it was a dead mouse.

“You’re all feral,” he muttered, gently pushing his cats out of the way as he retrieved the poor creature from the cold hardwood floor. It was immensely tiny, barely covering up an inch of his palm. He felt a twinge of sadness as he walked it to the fire.

Just as he was about to toss it in, its ears twitched, then its nose, then one of its paws scratched at its face. The mouse had survived the cats, somehow, and was back to life.

“What a resilient little thing you are,” he murmured, stroking the creature’s fur with the pad of his thumb. He paused, watching as the little mouse’s chest breathed at an impossible rate. They watched each other in the light of the fireplace.

“I do believe, Mr. Mouse, that you have given me an idea.”

The mouse did not respond.

He figured a creature this brave deserved to be spared. He found an old shoebox and filled it with socks, placing a teacup of water and some cheese just in reach, before placing it on the mantel to be warmed by the fire. He watched with a smile as the mouse burrowed into the socks, safe from any malicious cats.

Sadie arrived early next morning, as promised, looking worse than the day before. The dark circles under her eyes had grown, and she wedged herself into the velvet chair with a sigh. He had already placed a teacup filled with steaming tea on her tray, along with a plate of cookies and biscuits. She picked at one idly as she watched him waltz around the room.

“You seem cheerful,” she commented, popping a crumb into her mouth.

He let out a bark of a laugh. “I wouldn’t say cheerful, per say. More like I didn’t sleep all night and am simply running on fumes. I’ve had enough black tea to power a small steam engine. Have you met Mr. Mouse yet? He sits above you on the mantel.”

She busied herself with retrieving the box, shooing away the curious cats as she peered into the small nest. The tiny mouse, now fat and contented with endless cheese, was curled up in the corner, his tiny head resting on a boot sock. She found herself smiling as she looked down at the creature. “And how did you come across him?”

Michael climbed one of his ladders, his fingers reaching for the ginger root and cardamom he stored. “Oh, my devilish cats were trying to make a meal out of him. I didn’t have the heart to toss him out into the snow, so here he lives now. Quite the comfortable life, I might add.”

“Quite,” she mused, placing the box back on the mantel.

He joined her in a huff, his arms filled with jars and bowls, all of which he placed at her feet in a heap. She simply watched him as he worked, drawing symbols on the floor with chalk, chanting to himself or sometimes pondering a question out loud. The ingredients sparkled as he dumped them into his enormous mortar and pestle, his left hand idly stomping the ingredients together while he read from something that looked like an enormous engraved cookbook.

She could endure the silence no longer. “I have to ask, have you found a solution to my problem, or are you just making breakfast?”

“I do think I found a solution. Or at least, one kind of solution.” He sat back on his heels as he looked his work over. It was sloppy, but it would suffice. “You wish to leave this world because of your beloved Carter, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Well, what if I brought Carter to you?” Before she could respond, he clapped his hands together, the sound echoing throughout the room as flames sparked from his fingertips. He stood, waving them in an arc, creating what looked to be a doorway. The air in the room flew in a whirlwind as the door opened up, papers and trinkets and biscuits all being sucked into the void as a shape appeared in the archway. Sadie jumped to her feet and shielded her eyes against the onslaught as cats scattered from the room, their angry hisses being sucked into the darkness. A man stepped through, dim at first, but then finally taking form as he shut the door behind him. The tornado in the room stopped abruptly.

Michael looked him over. The man gave him a sweet smile, his tweed suit looking rumpled from the travel. His brown eyes lit up as he looked around the room, before they landed on Sadie.

Sadie let out a keening sound of mourning before throwing herself towards the man. They embraced, kissing one another and crying into each other’s arms. Michael stepped back, observing his spell work and giving them some privacy over their reunion. He couldn’t help but listen to their conversation.

“How? How is this possible? In all my life no one has ever-”

Carter interrupted Sadie, his brown eyes mournful. “I cannot stay. Not even your brilliant friend is able to bring the dead to life. I am here only for a moment. I’ve seen the way my death has affected you.”

Sadie began crying anew, throwing an accusatory look at Michael where he knelt on the floor. “So you brought him back only for me to say goodbye again? How can a person be so cruel?”

“Sadie, my Sadie, I had to come back. If only for a moment. I know about your plans to die so you can join me.”

Michael thought he could hear his own heart breaking at the devastation that passed over Carter’s face.

“I miss you. I cannot walk this world without you anymore,” she cried, pulling him closer to her. “You have to understand that.”

He brought his hands up to his mouth, kissing her fingers. “I know. I have missed you too, more than I thought possible. But knowing that you’re still here, alive, is what gets me through. I need you to stay here, even if it is without me.”

“How could you ask me to do that?” She said, her body shaking.

“Because you love me, and I love you, and if you stay here then that love can never die. If you’re here remembering me, then it's like I’ve never really left.”

They shared a look that cut Michael to his core as they brought their foreheads together, holding each other for one last moment. It had been a gamble to bring Carter back. Such a gamble. But something about Sadie had changed when he stepped through the portal, something that seemed to piece her back together in a way he never could have done on his own.

“Alright,” she replied, kissing his cheek once more. “For you, I will stay. I will love you for the rest of my eternal life, Carter.”

He replied by kissing her forehead. “And I will love you for mine.”

With that, the doorway began to open once more. Michael watched as Carter stepped back towards it, holding Sadie’s hand until the last possible minute, their fingertips just grazing each other one more time, until he was gone.

The silence in the shop was palpable.

Michael wiped the spell from the floor and watched as Sadie sank to her knees in front of the fire. She stared at the space where the door had disappeared, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

He shuffled to her and sat beside her, daring to wrap an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, the pair watching the snowfall just outside the window.

They stayed there for a very long time.

“What do I do now?” She asked, her voice dreadfully bleak.

He rested his chin on the top of her head, now warm from the dying fire. “You know, this shop is an absolute mess. I’ve been meaning to hire an assistant to help run this place, but no one has been up to snuff yet. I’ve got a spare bedroom, and my spells always require a second set of hands. Can you recommend anyone?”

She didn’t reply for many moments. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, she accepted the offer that he hardly had to say. “I’ve been looking for a change in scenery, anyways. Can we start with maybe getting rid of some books?”

“You asked me to kill you, and yet, that’s the worst thing you’ve said to me in the entire time I’ve known you.”

She snorted, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her dress. “Thank you, Michael. For everything.”

He held her tighter. “No need to thank me. I’ll just dock it from your salary.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Threaten my books again, and I will.”

“If not the books, then what about the cats?”

“This immortal life has made you heartless, woman!”

She laughed again, leaning against him once more. “No. No, it hasn’t. Quite the opposite, in fact.”