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"i want a love that falls as fast a body from the balcony and i want a kiss like my heart is hitting the ground" mitski - townie
Once upon a time, in a magical but rather small town called Adelfia, there was a girl whose smile looked like a daydream.
Her mother, nicknamed Molly for a reason she didn't know nor was able to understand, was a star, born next to Venus, during a solar eclipse. Molly had fallen one day of winter and had nearly died and had yearned for a touch that would feel like how burning in the cold, huge sky used to feel. She had found Arthur, after months of longing, a kind sorcerer who liked to fix damaged trees. From their pure love emerged seven children, all with peculiar gifts, six boys - Percy, who could hear books talking, Bill whose nose could smell everything, Charlie whose bestfriends were tiny dragons, the twins Fred and George who knew how to make fireworks with their mouths, Ron who could control little objects he liked - and a girl - Ginny, short for Ginevra, who could change her appearance at will. Like her father and her brothers, Ginny had red hair, as red as the feathers of a sick, powerful phoenix ; yet she was the only one whose freckles formed the Cygnus constellation.
She was rumoured to be the most beautiful girl in the world and, when she turned seventeen, young men from many different countries tried to woo her, unsuccessfully. At first, she had explicitly refused all the suitors and their promises, claiming stars would never belong to anyone - which made her mother secretly very proud. But when the wealthiest and scariest of them had threatened her family, asking for a fair chance to know her, she had agreed to test all these people who wanted her : she promised she would marry the person who would manage to get the key of her shack hidden in the woods from her loyal cat, Thespis. To explain this choice, she had simply told them, with a soft voice so they would not protest, "I want a love that falls as fast as a body from the balcony and I want a kiss like my heart is hitting the ground, however I also want a hold that will send me back to the clouds." No one understood her words, but they did everything as she had asked them to.
For years, men attempted to get the precious key from Thespis, and for years they got lost in the woods, wanting to follow the burgundy cat, searching in vain the hidden shack. Unfortunately for them, Thespis was too fast, clever and quiet : one just couldn't have the honor of caressing its fur. The village had then thought they would give up but they never did ; Ginny's smile was too unforgettable. That was why she was still single and as free as the wind, at the age of twenty.
One sweet, rainy afternoon of November, Thespis was drinking from a tiny lake when it saw, near a brownish bush, a young woman singing and braiding flowers together. The woman noticed the cat and whispered, cautious :
"Beautiful cat of the woods, forgive me for bothering you. I hope you weren't frightened, but I don't think you were, you seem to be fiery and brave. May I ask you where I am? You see, I sometimes use my father's seven-league boots but, silly me, I often forget how to get home. Are we far from Hallowstown ?"
Adelfia was miles and miles and miles and miles away from the lovely city that was Hallowstown, and the cat didn't know how to find its road. Of course, Thespis didn't answer.
"So you don't know?", the stranger said with a disappointed tone. "Oh forget it, I quite like this place. I might stay a bit and look out for a solution. Is there anywhere I can rest?"
Stunned but still generous, Thespis led her to the hidden shack and slowly pushed the key towards her so it could open it. When it was done, it looked at the woman until she understood she had to give it back.
"Thank you, sweetie. My name is Luna, by the way. Quite a common name, i know. My father named me Luna because my hair is as pale as the moon, and his love for me is according to him as immortal. He's cute."
For about a week, Thespis came everyday to see Luna and check on her. They would walk together near the lake, near the trees and the hummingbirds and Luna would sing or talk about the wonders she had seen in the past. Thespis would seem to listen with great attention and would stare a lot at her light pink cheeks, the dirt on her fingers, the way her dress swang. Before leaving, Thespis always made sure it had the key of the hidden shack. It was the first time someone that wasn't a child wanted to befriend Thespis.
The first day, they had done some stargazing.
The second day, Luna had pushed Thespis into some mud and Thespis had looked shameful and amused, somehow.
The third day, Thespis had slept a bit next to Luna, but not even to be touched by her.
The fourth day, Luna had sung a traditional song from Hallowstown and teared up a bit. Thespis had got closer.
The fifth day, Luna passed her graceful hand on Thespis' body and lingered there a moment ; confused and scared, Thespis had jumped away.
The sixth day, a few seconds before Thespis left the shack, Luna had murmured "I don't know why, but my soul is telling me you're the most precious dream ever."
The seventh day...Thespis forgot to take back the key from Luna, because Luna didn't look like a stranger but like someone it had known since the beginning of the world.
The eighth day, Thespis didn't came. Instead, Luna had seen a woman of her age, hesitating in front of the shack's door, with long red hair and a face that made her shiver, even if she didn't know why. She had allowed herself to say "I know you" : Thespis and the woman both smelled like camellias on a fireplace.
The woman then transformed into a cat she knew.
"Beautiful cat of the woods, let me love you forever."
The cat showed her the key in her right hand.
They are said to have lived for a long time and to have watched the saddest twilights with smiles on their faces.