A prince came riding into a dream one night. He rode a white stallion and wore bright shining armour. His eyes shone like beauty itself, his lips were made of velvet steel. When he spoke, bellowing dragons would listen. When he sang the dragons danced.
His hair shone like the rays of the sun and when he kissed he melted ice.
He gazed upon his sleeping beauty, she turned and moaned in her laboured sleep.

Crystal was very tired after a very long disastrous day. Everything went wrong at work, she had a terrible argument and was struggling with the day. She was looking forward to meeting her boyfriend, to unload some of the day's problems, maybe have a drink and a chat. Her boyfriend would be very understanding and supportive as he was very much in love with her. She was very much in love with him. They met by chance at a bus stop one evening. He had just missed the preceding bus, was a bit out of breath and cursing the driver for not waiting for him.
He turned round, gulped, and excused himself to the girl beside him saying "Sorry for the language, but I missed the bus. "
There was frustration in his eyes but no anger. He resumed to his usual state of being, saying "Well I suppose I'll catch the next one. I'm at the bus stop now and unless I get hit by a bus, I'll have no further problems. "
The girl was attracted to him immediately and wanted to say something.
She said "Don't get hit by a bus you might dent it."
He looked at her with a boyish grin, then laughed, he also felt a strong attraction to her.
He introduced himself and they took the next bus together. He missed his stop and carried on chatting with his new acquaintance. She missed her stop. The bus completed two circuits of its route while they chatted, but time seemed to have stopped for the newly acquainted strangers.
The strangers became an item, then a couple. Their friends saw a genuine love develop between both of them. It radiated all about them and enveloped the people who were in their company. It was a beautiful thing, a rare beautiful thing.

Crystal met her boyfriend, they went for a drink, she told him about her day, the problems she was having. Normally she was able to cope with whatever came her way, but it was like there was strange forces at work complicating things for her. Her boyfriend listened and asked her several questions relating to her work problems. Questions like, when did the problems start? Were there any new employees started? What was the argument over and who was it with? They chatted about other things, shared some jokes and laughed.

Crystal's boyfriend suddenly said he had to go, that he had some business to attend to. She was surprised, disappointed. She did not want to sleep alone that night. She lived nearby, he walked her to her apartment block, kissed her goodnight, turned and left. She watched him dissapear into the night, opened the door of her apartment block, took the elevator up to her floor, made her way to the door of her apartment and let herself in. She looked around, sighed, she felt alone.
She decided to pour a nightcap and watch some T.V. She would drift into the night where her darkness dwelled.

Crystal's darkness came and went, ever since she was a young girl. It was very hard to explain as it seemed other worldly. When it came it stayed for hours or days at a time, then would disappear as quickly as it arrived. It was during the midnight hours when like a spell, something came over her. She felt strange, like a dark cloud would surround her, torment her body. It was like an evil was trying to take hold of her, violate her, but failed in its attempts, but kept coming back. It haunted her but it was the one thing she could not share with her boyfriend. Where would she begin to try and explain such a strange thing. It haunted and frightened her but it never physically hurt her. The Darkness would pass as it always did and she would be free for a while. Sometimes she drank the nights the Darkness came. It seemed to null the fear she felt.

Crystal went to bed, she fell asleep when the Darkness came. The cloud of darkness swirled and moved around her bed. The haunting breath, the robes of death trying to get close to her, to have it's way with the beautiful woman that lay in the bed. As it taunted and frightened her, a prince appeared on a white steed. The eyes of beauty, the shining armour startled the Darkness in its disheveled robes. The prince spoke and the Darkness could only listen, although it tried to hide its ears to try and block out the sound. The sound of the voice was tricking him. The Darkness weakened, the sound of the prince's voice was too strong. The prince then started to sing, the Darkness fought but finally surcumbed and began to dance. The Darkness danced and danced, it danced until it left the room. Exorcised by the prince's voice, the Darkness danced itself to death.

Crystal slept soundly for the rest of the night. When she awoke her boyfriend was laying beside her in the bed. He woke with Crystal's movements. He asked her if she was ok? He took her hand and explained that when he finished the business he had to attend earlier in the evening, he decided he would call on her, as she was not her usual self. He was concerned about her. As it was late he let himself into the apartment. He knew Crystal would be in bed, but when he checked on her she seemed to be having a very bad dream. He explained how he lay down beside her, spoke softly to her and sung quietly to her to try and comfort her. He said "finally you stopped shaking and a calmness came over you, you fell into a deep sleep. "
Crystal was speechless, she moved closer to her boyfriend and kissed him. She kissed him passionately. She knew she would never want to kiss anyone else, but him, like this again.

© Conor Boland