A teeny-tiny short story prompted by the art of Remedios Varo.
Of all the things she had found and otherworldly beings she encountered, Godiva never heard anything so loud and so clear as this commanding voice. It went on unheard to others yet carried the weight of a thousand voices echoing through the atmosphere. It often spoke the words, “And when it is done, return to me.”
All attempts at recognizing patterns and times when the voice could be heard at its clearest were useless. There seemed to be no source. Godiva accepted that for now at least, she would get no relief. She would continue traveling, carry the flame until it was done. Whatever it was.
Her time spent sailing through space had led the inhabitants of her home to write her off as a lost cause. Simply a dreamer carried away by her occupation with escaping. They had not witnessed her bravery in the face of chaos that threatened other planets, her kind and generous dealings with natives of planets that were nothing like her own.
Not one of them could have anticipated the course she’d take. Until the moment she took flight, she had been unclear of it herself. One lesson she learned early in her travels was to be present. Feel her weightlessness, acknowledge the darkness when it lingers and breathe easy when the darkness relents and is interrupted by magical maroon and orange hues. Appreciate the silence, as it was not often that those she came into contact with broke from conversation. It was during those moments of silence that Godiva considered all the beings, places and decisions that brought her to that very moment.
This type of inward reflection had become commonplace, but this time things felt different. It was as if she had a moment of enlightenment. The voice she could not shake was her very own. The long, arduous journey had been a necessary one to bring her back to a place of assuredness and tranquility within.
The peace she fought for in foreign regions, the lessons she learned and the love she gave unconditionally was making its way back to her. She now knew her travels were necessary to reveal to her just how connected she was to the universe and the magnitude of her presence. Although the choice to return home was always available to her, space was what she needed. It was where she belonged.