Chapter 57

Darkness. She floated in darkness, a gentle ocean of nothingness and tranquility. Upon its gentle waves, she rested, relaxed in the cocooning embrace hugging her. Protecting her. Buffering her from the pain. The unfairness. She enjoyed the soothing touch. Never wanted to leave its comforting safety. But something disturbed her eternal rest. A voice, a gentle susurration, an insistent murmur penetrated the layers she'd sunk under, woke her, roused her consciousness. . .and stirred her curiosity.

She struggled to sink back down and remain in her deathlike trance, to recapture the peace of her final rest. However, the buzzing noise kept returning. Butterfly touches tickled her.

Like a flower unfurling in sunlight, or more aptly, the sleeping princess who wakens at the gentle kiss of her prince, her eyes popped open and she awoke.