PERSEPHONE

Persephone had noticed Evren pulling away from her in recent weeks. Things had been difficult for her companion over the last few months, but she had hoped things might be getting better by now, not worse. Persephone worried about it privately, twisting the thoughts over and over in her mind until they were tense and worn inside her, but she tried her best not to show it in front of Evren. She asked nothing of her, waiting instead for Evren to come to her.

Like a scab it was best not to pick at it, she thought, in the hopes that when the time came for it to fall away it would be healed beneath.

It was a cold, wet spring morning when Evren finally came to her. The rain pelted down around her in fat, icy droplets. It was heavy even after forcing its way through the thick canopy above, and felt worryingly like a portent. The moment their eyes met, Persephone knew that Evren had decided to speak to her about whatever was on her mind. There was no false veil of bravery nor cheer on her face – if anything, Persephone thought that she saw fear there.

As her name fell from Evren’s lips, Persephone’s ears pricked forwards and the thrum of the rain faded into the background. She did not know what Evren was about to tell her, but she knew that it could not be pleasant if it had to be kept hidden so long. In that moment there was no pouring rain, there was no forest surrounding them, there was no ground beneath her feet. There was just her and the women she loved.

And in that moment, Persephone realised that she had grown complacent. She had grown complacent in the easy companionship between her and Evren – in the way they worked in perfect unison, in the way they had accepted each other wholly. She had forgotten that there were partners who did not always understand each other, who did not always know what the other was thinking – that there were partners who hurt each other.

The words didn’t make sense at first. They didn’t make sense because they were not just unexpected, they were impossible. How could Evren be pregnant if they were women? How could Evren be pregnant if she had not spoken to Persephone about wanting another child? How could Evren be pregnant if she had not mentioned or asked Persephone about sleeping with another man?

“Pregnant.”

She repeated the word blankly. Her expression was stunted, paused somewhere between confusion and pain. She was silent for a long moment, her mind working to accept the truth that could not be. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet, almost shaky.

“How? Who?”

all of your demons will wither away

mixed, bay varnish roan, 14.3hh