thelizabeco

The moon rose - low and red in the night sky. The Blood Moon. Mercy rose from her bed as if lifted by an unseen force. Her eyes were open but unseeing. She moved through the house like a fog rolling in from the sea: silent and shifting. She stepped out into the garden barefoot, the wind pressing her nightgown flat against her form. The gate to the forest was already open. And she walked through it. The woods were glowing with soft moonlight. Every leaf glowed rust-red. Every branch seemed to...

Step softly. There is a bend in the forest path where the air turns sweet and green at the same time, where moss climbs the stones like velvet upholstery and the light sifts down in sugared ribbons. If you follow that hush a little farther, you will find it. The Mossmallow Charmery. The Charmery stands in the heart of Mossmallow Forest, where roots braid beneath the earth and rain lingers in the leaves long after the storm has passed. Its windows glow gold at twilight and green at the crack...

Act I: To Love and To Leave Lucia entered the Cathedral the morning after her wedding should have taken place. Her fiancé died the night before the vows were to be spoken. The dress remained unworn. The future unraveled quietly. She did not run from love. She ran toward God. For months she lived beneath vaulted ceilings and stained glass light, believing devotion would steady what grief had hollowed. Then she met Matteo, a seminarian preparing for vows of his own. They did not intend to see...