The Sea of Roses

The heavy mansion doors swung open and she stepped outside. How did this come to be? She thought silently as her amethyst eyes took in the ocean of her family’s patented roses, a fortune, laid out in front of her. The sight of which seemed more magical than usual.

The cool breeze blew her black silk dress around her tall frame. It ran through her shimmering silver waves of hair that reached down her back. Near the entrance to the yard, a few feet from the iron gates that separated the estate from the the world, she caught sight of her dear friend and caretaker Daimon Clauneck. He was whistling a tune as he loaded up two of the men that had been tempted during the night by the intoxicating beauty of the roses, and had attempted to steal some for themselves, into a wheelbarrow. She started walking in his direction, but stopped to examine one of the 3 varieties of roses that grew here. This rose was the darkest shade of smooth and velvety black. Her parents had aptly named this one The Black Hole rose. Next to it was a rose of the most royal and brilliant shade of blue. It’s name was The Egyptian Queen. The last, but not least, shade of rose was a deep violet color, this one was the exact shade of her eyes. It was called Amethyst. All three roses sparkled like someone had sprinkled them with the finest and shiniest glitter, day or night. She walked over and met Clauneck at the gate where he carefully propped the two men. He looked at her and grinned. “Happy birthday Miss Medusa Ashford!” He said, while wiping his brow once with the black handkerchief he kept in his lapel. Clauneck was a very handsome man, 6 ft tall and strong with edgy dark hair and sparkling black eyes to match. She had known him her whole life. He was her only family now. She smiled warmly at him. “Thank you kind sir, but I do wish you could have thought of a better gift, a girl only turns 18 once you know!” She jokingly nodded in the direction of the unconscious men leaning against the gate. She reached out and picked 2 of the black roses. The stems were free of thorns, and their petals were softer than the silk of her dress. She brought one of them to her nose and took in its indescribably beautiful scent. It was a scent that didn’t seem to belong to this world as there was no comparison to it. She looked down at the unconscious men, and placed a rose in each of their hands. The smell of the roses was undeniably beautiful, but could be completely intoxicating. But not to Medusa. These roses were designed to put the person smelling them into a state of euphoria. A single rose, or even a bouquet would be just enough make a person feel as if they had either been struck by Cupid’s arrow so to speak, or feel warm sensations of love, depending on the intent to which the rose was gifted. In very large quantities, such as the gardens, they acted like a security system. No one knew the secret of the roses except the two of them. It was a secret that went without saying could hold many implications, hence the absence of hired help. Clauneck had been the one to develop the vaccine that provided immunity to the toxic effects of the roses. Medusa even could recall the day her mother, father, Clauneck, and herself, had all injected themselves with it when she was six years old. These men at her feet with their twisted pleasure filled faces, where by no means the first, nor probably the last to be seduced by the roses. Clauneck looked at the two men, sleeping soundly, awaiting the local authorities to come collect them, then looked back at Medusa. He smiled and said “ I did my lady.” He reached into his crimson blazer and pulled out the black book. Her eyes grew wide. “How could I have forgotten?” She whispered as she reached out and carefully took the book from his hands. As she did her heart skipped a beat and she almost dropped it, but managed to quickly catch it. Clauneck placed a strong and gentle hand on her shoulder. He led her over to a bench in the middle of the sea of roses to catch her breath and regain her composure. She though back 8 years ago to this very day…

She looked up to the comforting sky. It was her perfect sky, one that was swirled in shades of grey. It had started to rain ever so slightly. She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt the rain fall upon her cheeks, the tears that were there hadn’t lasted long and were now already a washed away memory. Both of Medusa’s parents had vanished without a trace, save for a very substantial trust fund, and a brief note on top of a mysterious black book, which had read;

Medusa, our love,

We are so deeply sorry. Know that we love you more than you could possibly ever understand right now. You are so very special. Keep strong always in body, mind, and soul. One day you will know why this had to happen. Mr. Clauneck will take care of you, you can trust him, he is family. He will give this book back to you on your 18th birthday, until then he will keep it safe for you.

Love,

always and forever,

Mom and Dad.

From that day on Medusa was cared for by her parents oldest and closest friend. He too was saddened by her parents disappearance, but managed to do everything he could to make medusa's life pleasant and meaningful. She had attended private school until she graduated with honors at 16. She didn’t care to make friends so much as she had a passion to help people in need. She would volunteer where she could and would donate where it was needed. She started helping Clauneck with the business, shipping and delivering the roses all over the world. But nothing gave her more joy than to see a small big eyed child gazing with wonder at the otherworldly roses she carried on the way to the local florist, and the excitement and joy they experienced as she handed them one. The roses had given her family their extreme wealth, so Medusa felt the need to give back as much as she could. She never let any of the negativity that came with a wealth such as hers effect her. She understood the nature of the world and how it seemed to favor a few instead of the many. She was grateful for being able to be one of the few in order to help more than just herself, and forgave those who lashed out at her either due to her family’s fortune or her exceptionally unique beauty. She was a truly old soul, far beyond her years as anyone who knew her would say.

Medusa’s thoughts were shattered back into the present by a very loud clap of thunder. The rain started coming down harder. Medusa clutched the mysterious black book to her chest, protecting it from the elements. “Let’s get inside quickly now.” Clauneck yelled over the rain. The two of them ran together back up the driveway. Her flowing black dress billowed behind her as she ran, Clauneck right beside her. The roses were a blur of color as they passed. He reached the heavy front doors first and threw them open. The inside of the mansion they shared was dark with a color scheme that matched the roses perfectly. Medusa hurried to the large rectangular table in the dining area. She wiped the water droplets off the book with the hem of her dress and inspected it for damage. The book was untouched by the rain, it was as if the pages were impervious to damage of any kind. She breathed a sigh of relief, then took a closer look. It was a plain book except for the fact that it had her name embossed into the front of it in gold. Clauneck walked over to her, brushing his suit off with his hands. Now that they were inside, away from the roses, she could smell his cologne. He smelled of sweet tobacco, earthy cotton, and the slightest hints of the finest whiskey. It was his signature scent and he had developed it himself in the lab that lay under the mansion many years ago. Medusa looked up at him. He was always smiling and that didn't change in this instance, but there was a certain seriousness in him now that she hadn't seen before. He put his hand on her shoulder once again, and looked at the book as he spoke to her. “Medusa, as you know your parents and I have been very successful in our scientific and business endeavors.” He said, arms now clasped behind his back as he slowly walked around the table. “Have you ever questioned why this may be or how it is possible?” He stopped and turned towards her, just a trace of a smile now on his handsome face. His eyes pierced hers as if searching for a the answer. Medusa returned his gaze. “Yes, albeit very briefly. I just knew it was natural for all of you, I feel like there’s magic involved somehow. The way other people react to the roses. Our features aren’t like anyone else’s that I’ve seen either.” She said looking into his star filled eyes. “As for my parents I love them. I did then and I still do now. I know they did what they needed to do, I never felt anything other than love and respect for them. Ive always loved myself too, I know I’m unique and am very proud of that fact. I’m grateful for you and everything you have done for me. I am grateful for all I was able to give back to those that were less fortunate over all these years because of the roses, because of our family.” Clauneck smiled brightly at this. He walked back over to her. “Medusa, we are Gods or Deamons if you prefer, the terms are totally interchangeable to us. We come to this dimension called Earth to help humanity find love, happiness, peace and prosperity. You were born here on earth, the love generated by your birth helped the spell for the roses. The roses are a gift from the Gods to humanity to help them feel love and to find more connections to love in this life. You are so important for that reason. You are human, but once you open this book you will be transported to where the Gods reside and you, therefore, will become one of us. You will become what you were intended to be. Your parents had to go back even though they most assuredly didn’t want to. The fact is that all pre-Deamons need to find themselves here on earth in human form first, before they can make their grand transformation. Your parents had to leave so you could become the strong human you needed to be to make this transition. They also had to help preside in the meetings held to brainstorm and help facilitate the release of the next wave of inventions to help humanity. We, as Deamons, are all tasked with helping humanity.” Medusa looked at him, her vision ever so slightly blurry with a tear that would never flow upon her cheek. Everything he said was true and made perfect sense. She felt the truth of it in her core. It felt like the gears of her mind completely clicked into place. She smiled and wrapped him in the warmest hug. “Thank you Clauneck for everything.” She let the words and embrace reflect the love she felt for him in her heart and soul. After a moment they stepped back from each other. He smiled at her and asked “are you ready my lady?” He held out his hand to her. She nodded to him and took his large, warm hand in hers. Medusa took a big steadying breath, and opened the book. The pages blew open and beamed upwards a light so bright that it could rival the sun. Medusa felt a warm sensation take over her body. She looked to her left and saw Clauneck enveloped in a beautiful warm, golden light. She closed her eyes and let the light consume her entire being. The book snapped shut. Medusa and Mr. Clauneck had vanished without a trace.