I stared out into the abyss yawning beneath me, trying to lose myself in the endless void as my horse nickered, pushing its wet snout into my palm. The statue next to me stood stoically still, light patterning across its crown as rose spread from the rising sun and across the sky, bathing the rounded peaks in gleaming light. I dismounted, still feeling a little detached, and ran my hand across its side. It was a strange thing, an amalgamation of many different mythical creatures. It had a head like a griffin but the tail of a phoenix, and the long, coiling body of a sphinx. Silver scales were splattered across its cheeks like freckles, and they glowed like stars, forming constellations that I traced with my fingertips.

My horse pressed against my side, the warm weight dragging me back to reality. I knelt down in front of it to read the small plaque at its feet.

“Here lies the body of Sylvia Grey. Taken from us too soon, but always in our hearts.”

I sat down by its side and laid my head on its back.

“Sylvia,” I murmured. “I’ll have to come up with a more creative name next time.”

I pulled down my sleeve and opened my satchel, picking up a tiny quilled feather. I enscribed the name along the thousands I had used across the centuries. I penned a tiny statue next to it, roaring proudly into the night sky.

I turned and walked away, patting the statue on the head once. I pulled down my sleeve and traced the outline of my tattooed bird of paradise, my finger dotting the Greek letters underneath. A promise. A promise I had made to another that would live until time stopped.

“Until the word stops turning,” I murmured, and trekked down the cliff, ready to start another life.

This is a continuation of another story called “The Stranger” on my profile. You might want to read that one for some context haha