Tanith Lee - Kiss Kiss

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2024-11-23 0 0 33.97KB 14 页 5.9玖币

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Kiss Kiss

You see, I was only eleven when it began. I'm twenty-three years of age now. Just over twice that

lifetime. But did I know more when I was younger? Was I more wise then than now?

The estate was small, and although my father was a prince, we were by no means rich. That is, we had

fires in winter, and furs heaped on the beds. There was plenty of game in the forests for my father and

his fifteen men to hunt and bring home as dinner. We had wine and beer. And in the spring the blossom

was beautiful. And all summer there was the wheat, and afterward the fruit from the orchards. But I had

holes in all but my best dress, as my mother did. One day, I would have to have something fine, because

I would need to be married. I didn't question this, the only use I was, being a girl: the princess. Sixteen

was the normal age. My mother said I was pretty, and would do. It was all right. And on my eleventh

birthday, my father gave me an incredible present. Since we didn't have so very much, seeing it, I knew,

despite appearances, he must think I had a proper value. My mother gasped. I stood speechless. I really

didn't need him to say, "It's gold. Gold over bronze. Be careful with it."

I said nothing. My mother said, "But, dearest—"

He cut her short, as usual. "It can be part of her dowry. They're popular in the city. They're lucky,

apparently. You may," he said, "throw it up and catch it. Don't roll it along. It would get scratched."

"Thank you, Papa."

I held the golden ball in utter awe. It was very heavy. It was, I think, for strong young lordlings to throw

about. My slender wrists ached from its weight. But I took it out through the neglected garden, and

walked with it down the overgrown paths, to the lake among the pine trees where, in the worst winters,

the wolves came, blue as smoke, and howled.

I've heard it said that sometimes when a man stands near the brink of a cliff, he may think, What if I step

over? Just such an awful thought came to me as I stood by the lake, which was muddy and rushy in the

summer evening. Suppose I let go the golden ball, and let it roll, scratching itself, over into the deeper

water?

No sooner had I thought it than a bird screeched in the trees of the forest on the lake's far side. And I

started, and the ball dropped from my tired hands.

It rolled, flush, through the grass, in through the reeds with their dry, brown-purple flowers. I ran after it

all the way, calling to it, stupidly crying, "No, no—"

And then it slid over the water's edge, straight in and down. Under the surface I saw it glimmer for one

whole second, like a drowned sun. And then I saw it no more.

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Tanith Lee - Kiss Kiss

What could I do? I didn't do anything. I stood staring after the lucky golden ball, lost in the brown mirror

of water, sobbing.

My father hadn't ever beaten me, at least not with his hands. He had a hard tongue. I dreaded what he

would say. I dreaded what I'd done. To be such a fool.

Gnats whined in the air. One stung me, and I scratched my neck, still crying. The scratching made a

noise in my ear that suddenly said, "Little girl, little princess, why are you weeping?"

I stopped in amazement. Had I imagined it? The voice came again. "Can I help you, little princess?"

No one was there. Only the gnats furled over the dry flowers. At the edge of the water, in the shallows,

something was stirring.

The sun was among the pines now, flashing. It caught the edges of the ripples in brassy rings. And two

round eyes.

"Have you lost something precious?"

What was it? A frog . . . no, it was too big. The round eyes, colored like the duller flashes of the sun.

"Yes—I've lost—my golden ball."

"I saw it go down. I know where it is."

I thought, blankly, I've gone mad. It's the fright. Like the girl last year when the wild horse ran through

the wedding party. She went mad. She was locked away. They'll lock me away.

I turned, to rush off up the sloping ground, toward my father's disheveled towers.

The voice called again. "Here I am. Look. You'll see, I'm well able to go after your precious ball."

Then I stopped and I did look. And it came out of the water part of the way, and I saw it.

I gave a squeal.

It said, "Don't be afraid. I'm gentle."

It was like a frog. A sort of little, almost-man thing that was a frog. Scaled, a pale yet dark green, with

round, brownish glowing frog's eyes. It had webbed forefeet that might be hands. It held them up. They

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Tanith Lee - Kiss Kiss

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