A Wicked Choice (2 page)

On this occasion, after several non-touching energy
love explosions
, the pair drifted off into
paradise
realms
, as did the rest of the collective. All were sated.

After a time, C, who had been floating next to K, jabbed him in the ribs.

“What is it,
sexy girl
?” he asked without opening his eyes. A sweet
, beatific
smile appeared on his face.
His hands were clasped loosely over his flat abdomen.

“I’m bored,” C replied.

K frowned and lifted open one eye. “Bored, you say?”

“Yes, bored.”

The collective heard the statement as well.
They gasped in unison and said, “She’s bored!
She who is the
soul of the universe is bored.
What does this mean?
”

K repositioned himself, opened both eyes and stared at her. “Yes,
mon amour
, what exactly does this mean?”

“It means I want to do something different. I want to have an experience like the others have.”

K frowned again. “What
kind of experience
?
”

“I want to feel my body connecting with another body.”

K’s frown deepened.
“
Our high exalted love is sought after. Galaxies of beings have fought to uncover the secret of you and me. You know this, though. Why would you wish for a lesser experience?”

“What makes you think it
’
s lesser?” C reached for a bit of cosmic dust that floated past.
She rolled it between her fingers
, placed it upon her palm
,
and then
blew
it back into the atmosphere.

“Remember that group of beings who wanted to measure the energetic output of
our loving exchanges
and compare it with the energetic output of the collective’s exchanges?”

“Yeah, so?”

K narrowed his eyes at her.
What was she up to?
“Well,” he began carefully. “It showed that our orgasmic energetic output was 10 times the output of the others
combined.
I think that qualifies as greater, don’t you?” He beamed at her, thinking he’d put the subject to rest.

“That only showed energetic output. It didn’t reveal levels of satisfaction.”

“Ouch,” he said, squinting at her.
“Just what are you saying?”

The collective now sat up, ears and eyes alert. If it was going to be an argument, it was going to affect them all. They cringed and waited.

Her voice began to rise. “I’m saying that I want a different experience, K. What are you going to do about
it
?”

His eyebrows shot up.
Again, he searched carefully for the right words to say. “Well, if this is
your
idea, what are
you
going to do about it? I shan’t stand in your way,” he added, feeling like this was th
e perfect, supportive
answer.
He flashed a brilliant smile at her.

C looked thoughtful. She looked at K. She knew she couldn’t try out her experiment with him. Their very existence depended on not
physically
conjoining. All of
t
hem would be gone in the blink of an eye – poof!
She looked at the collective. None of them would do. Then, she snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it! I’ll assume an earthly form and mate with one of them!
That planet has a lot of promising partners!
” She
grinned
, pleased with her idea
.

The Galaxy Dancers cringed and looked nervously at one another. They stared at K, waiting for his response.

His lips were tight
,
and the muscles of his neck were thick and corded. Taking a deep calming breath, he said, “
Mon amour
, you know I would not, could not, deny you any experience.
I have not done so throughout time, nor shall I begin to do so.
We are shared mind, shared heart, shared soul.
But assuming earthly existence is not without its perils.
For instance, you’ll have to abide by Earth rules most of the time. And think of how it will affect that planet if anyone should find out about you – you know, who you are in truth.
”

She waved her hand in the atmosphere, dismissing his concerns.
“We’re Galaxy Dancers. We can deal.”

“Yes,” he said cautiously. “We are Galaxy Dancers. But you
r heart
beat
s
with the rhythm of existence
. Your life rhythm
helps keep
the universe
in synchrony
. What do you think will happen if you assume a different form elsewhere?”

“You guys can pick up the slack. I’m tired of so much responsibility here.
”

“It’s hardly what you
would
call responsibility. All you have to do is exist in enjoyment.”
H
is lip curled
in annoyance.

C shook her head.
“
I need a break.”

At this, K was baffled.
With great effort, K forced his eyebrows to move down
from his hairline
,
his eyes
softening
from their bewildered appearance. “Alright, we can try that for a time. What do you say, everyone?”

The collective nodded and plastered smiles on their faces. “Yes, of course, we can help out in whatever way we can.”
They looked at one another in alarm.

“See?” C said brightly.

Saying something and doing something are two different things,
K thought.

“I heard that,” C said sharply.

“We all heard that,” chimed the other dancers.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Realizing he had not shielded his thoughts,
K slowly turned his head, giving everyone one of his piercing gazes. The collective turned away from the heat of scrutiny.
He turned back to C.

C returned his gaze with equal challenge. “I’m doing this,” she said in crisp
,
measured tones.

“I know you are doing
this.
” K
gave her
a flinty stare
. “I’m not stopping you, am I?”

“No,” C snapped back. “But I feel as if you are placating me.”

“So what if I am? What are my choices?”

The two faced one another in a starry stand-off of light and heat.
Their bodies blazed with flames of anger.
The collective turned in the opposite direction and stared out at the
cosmic dust,
planets
,
and stars.

“You don’t have a choice.”

“And there you have it!” K bellowed. His retort reverberated through the dancers, causing their hair to stand on e
nd. “Only the truth is
I
always
have a choice.
Always…”

“
Yes,
you
do!
You
have a choice.”

“So do you!” K retorted. His rage shot from his eyes
like a flame thrower
.

“
Well, then, why are
you
always leading us around the universe like cattle? What kind of choice is that
for me
?
!
We roam, roam, roam some more, bring love, joy
,
and pleasure to the cosmos. I’m tired of it, I tell you. Tired!”

K’s eyes flared with heat. Tiny swirls of fire burst from his eyes and rolled along his face
before disappearing from existence
. “
Are you saying you want to bring chaos and misery to the universe? Have fun. Go make the cosmos a living hell!”

“That’s not what I want! I just want to have a choice in the matter!
I want to have a choice in what we do each day!
”

“
You have a say in this! You always have! This
existence
is not…my…choice…alone.” He bit off the last words with precision, like chopping meat
into bits
with a razor sharp knife.

Her words left her mouth like icicles. “And
yet
who decides where to go and what to do
every day
? Me? The collective?
You say my heartbeat helps synchronize cosmic rhythms. Then why am I following after you all the time
?
Are you God? Are you
the
S
ource of
E
xistence itself?
I, for one, think you are not
,” she spat out in fury. “
All I’m asking for is to pursue a different course of action for a change. One that I decide on. Me!
”
As t
he words
left her mouth, they
coalesced into cold, sharp fragments.
She plucked one of them out of the atmosphere and flung it at K.

He caught it with ease
, wincing as it sliced his palm. He sucked the blood that seeped from his skin
. “Are you finished?”
He focused his mind on the cut until it disappeared.

“Not yet.
”

The Galaxy Dancers shivered from the cold her words had produced. They huddled together for warmth.

His eyes let off so much heat
and rage
that C was momentarily cowed.
The collective began to bead with sweat. It seeped from their pores and drifted away.

C shrank back from K
,
frightened.
His anger could be substantive and fierce. Plus,
he
could evoke feelings in her like no other.
All he had to do was look at her sometimes
,
and she would be surprised by the feelings evoked.
He would never hurt her
,
though
, would he? She thought a moment. Powerful male, yes.
Throughout time, he had never
knowingly caused her pain
, however
.
Recovering
from her momentary lapse in judgment
, she allowed her body to broaden and extend.
She was equally powerful. This was her moment to take destiny by the horns.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “You know you will
be subjected to
everything I
undergo
. It will be a shared experience.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

Her eyes softened. “Why are you worried?”

He sighed
,
and h
is eyes sought hers with warmth and love. The collective sighed
, relieved
. “Because I adore you, beloved.
Even if your heart
beat did not help synchronize the cosm
os, it is essential to my heart
beat. I cannot exist without you. You know this. I feel, sense, see, hear everything that you do.”

“We’ll be doing this together, then, lover. Only it will be something I want to do. It will be my choice.” Her face creased into a sweet, shy smile
,
and she tucked her head. Looking up at him through a fringe of eyelashes, she said, “It could be fun.”

The collective trilled in response.
“It could be fun!” they echoed.

“It could be a disaster,” he replied. “It could be utter chaos. You could get your heart broken,
mon amour
. If your heart breaks, my heart will break.”

“It could be a disaster,” the dancers said ominously.

“Hearts mend,” she responded, reaching for his hands.
“I’m not worried. What’s the harm?”

“She’ll recover!” the group said in unison.

“Sto
p it!” commanded C. “Look at us -
we’ve all become one giant throbbing being with no sense of individuality!”

They all nodded, wondering what her point was.
K knew what she was getting at.

“We all wander around, having the same shared experience. Don’t you want to know what it’s like to have a separate sense of self? To be able to have your own unique experience?
And then to bring that experience back to the collective so that all can grow and learn from it?
”

They all shook their heads in negation.

C laughed. “Come
on
everyone, this will be fun! I’m going to be the one to spearhead this idea. The rest of you can do as you like. Let’s see a show of hands to see who wants to try it too. Anyone?”