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Zoe watched in horror as Shadow began to fade into the darkness. She looked at the tree, to see the pomegranate buds wilt, while the light of the will-ó-wisps ebbed into the gloom. And she knew that without magic, the Underworld, and Shadow, were doomed to fall.
“No, this can’t be happening.” Zoe blinked back her tears. “There must be another way.”
But Shadow smiled, and shook his head sadly.
“Thank you, Zoe.” He held her gaze, his eyes distant and vacant. “For making me feel more alive than I have in an eternity.”
Zoe drew a shaky breath as Shadow dissolved into the darkness. She went to take his hand, only to find thin air where he had once lay. As a cold wind swept through the Underworld, she searched the darkness for any sign of him. But there was none.
“No! No, Shadow, this can’t be the end…” Zoe’s cries echoed through the Underworld. “Please… please come back.”
A low whine cut through the air, until Cerberus pawed the ground beside her. But rather than howl at his master’s passing, he nudged her side insistently.
“Not now, boy…” Zoe blinked back her tears, only to look in surprise as the dog dropped a slobbery item from its jaws. “What the…”
Zoe looked in surprise as the motel guest book lay before her, its gilded cover shining in the approaching light of dawn. She studied its blank pages before she drew a startled breath in understanding.
“That’s it!” Zoe took the guest book, and spoke to the darkness once more. “Before I came to the Underworld, I drifted through life. I was lost and alone, and no matter how hard I worked, I still felt empty. But you opened my eyes, and taught me how to see the magic in life once again.”
Zoe held the quill with a shaking hand, and pressed its nib to the parchment.
“You always said that the Underworld needed to save a lost soul for its magic to return.” Zoe drew a shaky breath, and gazed into the darkness where Shadow had lain. “I might be made of flesh and blood, but I too was another lost soul. But you brought me back to life, Shadow. You taught me how to live again. And you saved my soul.”
Zoe pressed the quill to the parchment, and signed her name on the blank page. Her tears mixed with the ink, until she spoke once more.
“Please, come back to me, Shadow.” She spoke in a whisper, until the winds carried her plea across the Underworld. “Don’t leave me in the darkness.”
A flash of light illuminated the guest book. Zoe watched as her signature glowed with a golden light that pierced through the darkness. It burned through the storm clouds, until a magnificent sunrise broke across the horizon, filling the Underworld with glorious rays of sunlight. The storm winds were replaced with a gentle breeze, while the drifts of snow and ice melted into raindrops that bathed the landscape in a sparkling sheen.
Spooks yelped at the strange and wonderful sight, as a warm spring breeze gently breathed life into the slumbering landscape.
“What’s happening?”
Zoe’s feet touched the earth once more, as the rays of sunlight returned her to her mortal form. But despite her magical transformation, her gaze remained on the guest book, which bloomed with a radiance that spilled across the Underworld.
“You saved a lost soul.” Zoe watched as the deep fractures in the earth slowly repaired themselves, while green shoots emerged from the barren landscape once more. “Which means magic will return to the Underworld.”
A beacon of light shot from the guest book, striking Persephone’s Tree in a radiant explosion of magic. Zoe’s vision filled with a blinding golden glare, while a rush of warmth flooded through the air. She gasped as Persephone’s Tree healed its wounds, while, nestled within bountiful leaves, ruby-colored buds burst to life. Everywhere she turned, life emerged in the Underworld. Shadow-filled valleys became luscious wildflower meadows, ice-filled chasms melted into riverbeds, and even the empty flower pots at the motel sprang to life with verdant blooms. But what drew Zoe’s attention wasn’t the light-filled displays of magic. It was the veil of darkness, where a lone figure emerged.
“Shadow!”
The two met in a glorious explosion of light and darkness. They kissed under the light of the will-ó-wisps, serenaded by the music of the Phantom Fiestadores. As life returned to the Underworld, Zoe gazed into Shadow’s eyes, marveling at the way they shimmered in the light of dawn. He smiled as he cupped her face in his hands, his touch a cool breeze that sent tingles to the base of her spine.
“You saved me, Zoe.”
“Well, I guess that makes us even.” Zoe returned his smile, and watched as Spooks and Cerberus merrily chased each other across the blooming gardens. “It looks like life has finally returned to the Underworld.”
As she marveled at the beauty of the landscape, her gaze lingered on the city in the distance. Shadow followed her gaze, until he stirred beside her.
“You might have saved the Underworld, but you still have a choice.” Shadow sighed regretfully. “I understand if you wish to return to the mortal world…”
“I’ve made my choice.”
Shadow blinked in surprise. “You have?”
“Of course. I want to experience life, Shadow. I want to know what it means to truly be alive…”
Shadow’s shoulders sagged, but he nodded. “I understand. I suppose it was always inevitable that you would want to return to your world–”
