Heaven's Home

The small figure of a woman lay under a layer of thick blankets for a full week with only shallow breath to signal life. She barely moved as the woman washed the sweat from her fevered brow was rewarded only rarely with her eyes flickering open. Even with the mysterious woman being nearly unconcious; she had become the talk of the town after being found in the middle of the desert barely covered by scorched clothing. It was no question that the woman was indeed beautiful and many of the young village men boasted of future conquest against her virtues. However, none of these boasters had enough courage to get close enough to the old healing woman's house to get more than a peek before being chased off by a stern look.

The healing woman had two daughters one was engaged to be married to a merchant who visited their humble market once a month. He had managed to come into the daughter's good graces with nearly worthless baubles that jangled from the daughter now where ever she walked. The daughter liked the attention and now spent many hours in front of a mirror or bathing herself in perfumes. She was a beautiful woman but what natural beauty she had was covered by pastes and powders the merchant had given her. The healing woman sighed as she heard the jingling of her daughter leaving the house.

Turning to her younger daughter she asked "Has Raul come to town already or does she plan on waiting all morning for him in the market?"

The younger daughter looked up from crushing herbs together in a small wooden bowl. "I heard his caravan horn not long past. His tents should be standing by now and he is sure to have trinkets a plenty for dear sister."

"Hush." The old healing woman chided her daughter gently. "It is good that she is marrying to a man that can take care of her and keep her happy. You would do well for yourself to find a man."

Having heard this line often enough since she had turned sixteen the younger daughter went back to her grinding until the herbs made a fine paste without comment. The smell of the crushed herbs was a robust heavy smell that seemed to fill the entire room. The old healing woman looked up at her daughter as the sound of wood against wood stopped and was replaced with a stifled gasp.

Bringing the blankets up around her bare figure Heaven the goddess of the moon slid backwards against the wall. Her eyes were so brillantly silver that they seemed to glow in the shadows of the small room.

"Dear oh dear. Don't move so quickly! Rebecca go and fetch some water quickly."

The wooden bowl clattered onto the floor as the younger daughter raced to fetch water from the common well the was only a short walk from the healing house. She came back with a wooden cup half filled with water and wet sleeves from splashed water. She handed the cup without hesitation to her mother who leaned in closely to the strange woman.

"Drink something but drink slowly. " She raised the cup to the woman's now chapped lips and began to gently pour a sip into her long dry mouth.

"Thank you." Heaven closed her eyes after the cup was finished and Rebecca was sent to fill it again. She leaned back against the wall and let out a soft groan.

"You have been asleep for a long time. Do you remember what happened to you?"

Heaven opened her eyes and looked at the old woman sitting in front of her. Memories of fire and darkness danced behind her eyes but she was having trouble remembering what it all meant any more. A handsome man dressed in fine clothes standing over her limp form. He was laughing a soft laugh seemingly without malice but somehow she knew that he was something truly horrible. At the same time she felt a longing to be with him.

"Are you ok?" The old woman reached up to touch Heaven's forehead.

"Yes. I don't remember everything. I was attacked, I think. "

"Do you have a name?"

Heaven paused for a moment. " I think it's..."

~~~

Swirling dust and biting sand walk through the desert like a bloated giant. The lumbering cloud tore through the desert with a determined pace; the small trading village in it's path was doomed. Dirt and rocks kicked up and flew in all directions as sand furrowed out a path through the dunes. Rumbling voices spilled out across the sand; chanting echoed off rock under a grey sky. The sand billowed up and ran across the length of desert like a wave of water breaking against the beach. Hot sun shone through the cloud of sand reflecting off the sand and causing a rippling mirage to radiate off of it. Few plants grew in the desert and none truly thrived, but the few that stood in the way of the swirling storm were cut down.

For a long moment the occupants of the small trading village were unaware of the looming swarm of rock and sand. Almost as one they turned their heads and gasped. A shadow spread out like a blanket; blocking out the sun moments before the sand came crashing down. Out of the belly of the beast came a battalion of horsemen; vomited out into the crowd of dumb struck peasants.