A short story - The Devil's Lilly

(A short story that I've written inspired by the artwork above.)

Eons ago, a curse was placed upon a human and a demon, for they did the most unspeakable thing; they fell in love. Revolted by their relationship, a jealous witch and former lover of the demon cursed the two lovers with eternal life, through rebirth. Should they seek to reunite and be together they were cursed to die upon each reunion. Heartbroken by this loss, the lovers made a deal with the devil in exchange for their soul. 

Alas, the witches curse was so strong that even the devil could not lift the deadly curse. He could only grant the lovers temporary reunion until the curse took hold. So, he promised the lovers that in each lifetime for only a season while the Devil’s Lilly bloomed, they could be together. He linked their lives to the Devil’s Lilly. Once the flowers withered, they would perish, cursed to live another lifetime searching for their love until the flower bloomed again.

The girl listened to the eerie silence of her planet looking up at the stars. 

"Will I ever return to you my love?" she wondered. The devil’s Lilly was in bloom and she had journeyed leagues to find its location. With baited breath she saw the familiar Lilies swaying in the breeze. Running up to them, she breathed a sigh of relief, dropping to her knees. Her fiery hair fanned out in the grass. As she sprawled out, her slender, porcelain frame coiled itself amongst the white blossoms. Its intoxicating scent from the passing breeze soothed her soul. She watched the blossoms billow up into the sky as she lay on her back, reaching out with her hand as if she was able to grasp one. She watched sullenly as the petals floated away.

The Devil’s Lilly floated betwixt the universes, landing on the palm of a demon’s hand. His claws grasped at the delicate flower. The demon’s muscular stature cautioned him to be gentle so as not to crush such beauty between his palms. 

The flower seemed familiar; he had spent decades searching for a flower like this, but to no avail. He feared the flower would never bloom again. The demon sniffed the foreign flower, sensing it was not from this world, his curiosity peaked. Could this be the Lilly he had been searching for? He wanted to find the place where these flowers bloomed; if he did, maybe he could find her.

His wings unfurled behind him. He soared up into the sky until his world was a mere spec below him. Following the flower’s scent, he journeyed a perilous flight requiring all his stamina. A few days passed, to no avail. He was about to give up, wondering if his memories were mere dreams after decades of futile searching. As the scent grew stronger, he traced it to an outlandish, unfamiliar world.

This unique flower did not bloom on his planet, but it was in abundance here, landing in a field of white Devil Lilly’s. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, with a devilish smile of contentment. As he opened his eyes an orange haired beauty stood before him, barefooted and donned in tribal attire, her eyes wide with curiosity. He stared at her dumbfounded, and cautiously reached his hand out to her. She blinked several times, as if she was confirming to herself that this was not a dream. She reached out to touch his hand.

“Is it- you- it can’t be-”

To ease his doubts she called him a series of names from his past lives that sent tingles down his body.

“— I’ve finally found you.” As he spoke, his voice cracked, and tears filled his eyes.

She cupped his face in her hands, and in a softly spoken, melodic voice, she whispered 

“The Devil’s Lilly… it brought you to me once more, my love.” Her eyes traced his new face, etching it into her memory. When he smiled, she beamed back at him, observing the familiar twinkle in his eye.

They stood together with their foreheads pressed against each other smiling.

Tears rolled down their cheeks, and they were relieved to have found each other once more, vowing to hold onto one another until they began to wither.

A season had passed, and the two lovers had spent every waking moment reveling in each other’s presence. It was worth the wait for these precious few moments that seemed to slip by so quickly.

The Devil’s flower began to wither, and the girl fell to her knees. Falling on his knees beside her, the demon caught her, both of them too tired to rise again. He spoke softly as her eyes closed. 

“I'll hold every piece of you, for eternity. Until we're reborn.” He held her in his arms as their bodies slowly disintegrated into Lilly petals, leaving naught but two skeletons cradling one another in a bed of Devil’s Lilies.