In which it is the end of Valentine…and the beginning of his holiday

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January 14, 270 A.D.

Every hour there is a pounding on the door…
Three words get shouted through…
“Deny your god.”

I respond now by reflex, “God is Love.”

♥✞ღ

This is the next to last chapter of the story of Valentine. About 15 minutes of reading will take you from beginning to this end. The ending is bitter – but dark chocolate-y sweet. Almost the entire story is on Deep into Love but writing it went a little longer than I planned – so two parts of it had to be placed here. In case you’d like to peak at any parts, or if you haven’t read the whole story, here…

The beginning
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7
part 8
part 9
part 10
part 11
part 12

♥✞ღ

My spirit is strong…my body is failing.
I am sustained by His love, and by the angel he sends to me every day.

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Today I am dragged out of my cell. My eyes open but are blinded by the sunlight they haven’t seen for nearly a year. I am thrown to the ground. There is rustling, and a mob, and something hits me in the side.

A rock.

Then another, then one more. I block them with my hands until one lands on my forehead. I am dazed. And in this moment of inability come all of the others, pounding my flesh and bone since I have no defense.

If this is to be the end so be it.

Come Lord…come.

I cease all movement – because I cannot move.

And finally the rocks cease as well.
Rubble surrounds and covers me.
They prod me – check my breathing.

They have failed.

My body is carried back to the cell.
It no longer feels a part of me.
And this evening, as every evening…
my Asteria visits me again.

She fashions a pillow for my head.
She takes a strand of her hair and bows it around my finger…
and another on her own.

She takes a scarlet ribbon and wraps it around our wrists.

I understand, but cannot react.

Lastly, she removes a rose petal from the folds of her dress…
one…red…rose…petal.
As she places it in my hands I find new strength…

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I hold tight to it as to gold.

I try to speak…but she hushes me…
and I lay my head down again…
I cannot keep it raised.

This night she remains by my side, on the icy floor, until the dawn.

I wake from sleep before the rooster crows. One eye opens slightly, and for the first time I see the face of Asteria. It is the face I have known for months without once seeing. But I have seen her now. I smile.

It is both the first – and last time I see her.

When I wake again, she is gone, but the ringlet of hair that she placed on my finger, and the ribbon, and the rose petal, they remain.

♥✞ღ

And the story ends today over on Deep into Love…

think of it as “extendo-Valentine’s Day”

if you haven’t already, would you consider clicking here to go there…