Persephone's Promise

"If we're going to travel, we'd better do it sooner rather than later," said Persephone. "My sight's worsening by the day and I doubt that your emphysema will be improving any time soon."

"Yes, I totally agree. Let's spend the day sorting out our cruise. I assume you have a passport? I renewed mine last year so it's all good."

After breakfast they walked the short distance to the local travel agent, Lionel having to stop to rest several times despite the comparatively short distance. They looked at a wide range of cruises to many exotic destinations and after several hours decided on one that seemed most suitable, made their bookings and paid their deposit.

"If young people did this we'd think they were mad. Booking a month-long cruise with someone I only met yesterday. Crazy. Isn't spontaneity wonderful, darling? I feel like a teenager again," bubbled Persephone.

Her enthusiasm was contagious. "Yes, sweetheart, it's fantastic. I even think I love you, although it's been so long that I almost forget what that feeling is like. I just know that you've brought some light into my life for the first time in many years. Thank you, sweetheart."

They hugged and kissed each other right there in the travel agent's display room, much to the joy of the staff who were watching the two lovers and who gave them muted and polite applause. Persephone and Lionel acknowledged their good wishes and then walked to the café where they had first met. Over lunch they discussed their adventure enthusiastically.

The four weeks of waiting finally ended. During this time Lionel had terminated his tenancy and moved in with Persephone. While they would have liked to very much, they did not make love like teens but rather more sedately like the older and less robust people they were. Nevertheless, their love making brought them great joy and possibly, it seemed, even improved Lionel's ability to breathe.

They also discovered a latent interest in the spiritual realm. It happened by accident after Persephone experienced a particularly intense orgasm, that she went totally limp and unresponsive for several minutes. Once she returned to consciousness, Lionel told her how concerned he had been for her, thinking that possibly something was wrong and he'd lose the love of his life for the second time.

"Oh, no, darling," explained Persephone, "That happens occasionally and I've found I can do it sometimes voluntarily. I can't fully explain it, but sometimes I just feel my spirit leave my body to go to an absolutely wonderful place where everything is perfect and I can actually see clearly. It's an amazing place. Sometimes when I'm there I look back at my poor body and see its defects and feel how much better my life is without it. If I could, I think I'd just like to leave my body here and stay there."

Lionel was silent for a few seconds, a worried look on his face. "So, you'd leave me here and never come back?"

"No, darling, of course not. We've just found each other and I never want to leave you. In fact, I'll make a promise to you; I will never leave you. There, that's my promise; Persephone's promise. It sounds rather grand, doesn't it?" She chuckled to herself as Lionel smiled up at her gratefully.

"Yes, it does. Thank you, sweetheart, that makes me feel much better. I couldn't bear the thought of possibly losing you so soon after I'd found you."

"Well, there is another way; another way in which we could be in that place and we could be together. You could come too."

"What, you mean I could find that place and we could both go there, together; like we could both just leave our bodies and go to this new, fantastic place? How could I do that? I don't even know where it is or how to get there or anything. We could go to separate places and stay there, apart, for eternity. No, that's even crazier than us going on a cruise together."

"Yes, darling, I agree it sounds crazier than going on a cruise together, yet we're doing that. Why not this also?"

Lionel had been unable to think of an answer or a reason why he should not accompany Persephone on her astral travels, as she called them. So, for the past two weeks she had deliberately left her body and astral travelled after giving Lionel instructions on how to accompany her. The result had been about what he expected - nothing. Persephone returned after a short time away each time and they discussed what she had seen and he told her that he'd just lain there, trying hard to will his spirit to leave, but it refused and remained firmly attached to his physical form. However, Persephone vowed to persist, thinking that maybe when they were both relaxed on the cruise that it may be easier.

The rigmarole of boarding the vessel, sorting out their belongings in the cabin and finding where everything was on the ship was exciting. Lionel took her on a slow tour, giving Persephone time to make mental maps of the territory while he regained his breath on frequent occasions. They were on deck as the ship sailed from land, waving to the crowds which contained nobody they knew. They sat on deck until the land disappeared below the horizon behind and they went downstairs to the dining room as the sun disappeared below the horizon in front.

The food, drinks and service were amazing. Far from losing the weight he needed to lose, Lionel considered that a few weeks on this ship would see him expand to twice his size, as he said jokingly to Persephone. However, he did have the sea air, as prescribed by his doctor, and he did have a little exercise walking the decks and stairways, and even more exercise with his beloved Persephone each night. Persephone was now almost totally blind and relied heavily upon Lionel to take her around the ship and to describe what he was seeing. Without him, she would be completely lost, in all senses of the word. She realized that even without making her promise, she would have great difficulty existing in the world on her own.

While ports were exciting to visit, the effort of leaving the ship, finding transport or walking in strange streets with different languages being spoken and different smells of exotic herbs and spices were simply not worth the effort. Lionel's breathing was now far worse and Persephone lived in a totally black, sightless world. When the ship was in port, they could be found on the loungers on the rear deck, soaking up the sun and listening to the sounds of the port as Lionel maintained a constant monologue interpreting the sounds for Persephone.

It happened at sea, three weeks into the cruise. Lionel and Persephone had enjoyed a delicious dinner of tender lamb chops with sautéed vegetables, followed by their favorite desserts and accompanied by a Portuguese wine they had come to adore. After this sumptuous meal they had made their way at the usual slow pace to their cabin and then stripped each other lovingly, much as they had that first night only a few weeks ago. They then climbed into bed and made love together as they did most nights.

Lionel was feeling particularly amorous that night. After Persephone had ridden him in her usual manner, achieving a gentle and loving orgasm, Lionel decided that it was time he exerted himself sexually.

"Darling, do you want to try something different?" he asked.

"Yes, honey, anything you wish so long as you feel up to it."

"Ok, get onto all fours then. I want to do you doggie style."

Persephone had done as instructed and Lionel knelt behind her spread legs and eased his erection into her well-lubed tunnel. Gently he thrust himself fully inside, then began a slow in and out movement. He felt his loved one responding, thrusting back towards him as he pushed forwards. Their combined movements felt wonderful and he increased his speed and power of thrusting. He remembered doing this once with Julie all those years ago, and these thoughts, along with the beautiful sensations that Persephone's gorgeous body was giving him, pushed him towards his release and towards even greater efforts.

He heard his breathing become noisier as he made love to his darling with all his strength, pushing them both towards their crises, feeling the joy of taking control at last. Then he was there; he thrust as deeply as possible and let go his stream of sperm into the end of her love tunnel, which began pulsating, milking his cock of its load, as she reached her orgasm.

There was no pain when his heart stopped beating. He simply felt dizzy for a few seconds then collapsed on top of his darling Persephone. She tried rousing him, wriggling out from under his weight, but with absolutely no response. She felt for his pulse; nothing. She listened to his chest; again nothing. She correctly figured he'd suffered a cardiac arrest and knew there was nothing to be done for him. She straightened his body then lay beside him, pulling his arm over her as though he was cuddling her. What to do now?

After a few seconds, she remembered her promise: I will never leave you. She relaxed, putting herself into the state that she used for astral traveling. Could she find him? Would he be there?

She drifted timelessly around her spirit world, where was he? She tried with all her strength to bring him to her, or move herself to him. Then she noticed somebody she hadn't seen before, a tall, handsome young man looking slightly bemused. She drifted effortlessly towards him.

"Are you Lionel?" she asked wordlessly.

"Yes, Persephone?" she heard his soundless reply.

They embraced, kissed and held each other tightly, each marvelling at the differences between the person they held now and the person they had known in physicality. He was so handsome and healthy, she thought; she was so beautiful and with such bright, clear blue eyes, he thought.

*********************************

The two coffins were laid side by side beside the large hole in the ground. They recognized some of the few people there, but the priest officiating at the funeral was unknown to them. There were few tears; everyone who knew the deceased knew that they were in a better place. After the formalities, the coffins were placed in the hole side by side and the hole filled in before the people slowly and sadly drifted away.

"We didn't really have many friends in that life, did we, darling? Even my son wasn't there," commented Persephone.

"No, we didn't," replied Lionel soundlessly, his arm around each of the two women alongside him. "Still, it's nice to know some people turned up."

"I would have loved to have children with you," said Julie, looking into his eyes, "They'd have turned up to their father's funeral. But we had so little time together."

"There may be another time. Who knows what we'll choose in the future."

"True, but just remember my promise, which stretches through all time: I will never leave you," said Persephone with a smile.