Soulmates, interstellar travel, a live Tyrannosaurus rex, 
Time, forgiveness, some things used to be too precious
To buy or rent for any price, before Nephele fell from the sky.

Nephele, a little girl with a big imagination.
Little — perhaps not so little, but she started out small.
Girl — perhaps not a girl, but the cloud Zeus created looked like one.
Big — perhaps big wasn’t the right word — infinite?

When the NOT SHADOW enveloped Seattle,
An electronic pulse whirring like giant locusts,
The void in the sky inhaled SUVs, ships, cars.
Everyone on Alki Beach screamed, except the naked girl. 

Nephele, I found her crouching beside a trash can,
Eating a sandy hot dog bun. Anything devoured by her mouth
Always came back. Different. She regurgitated a tiny Pterodactyl
That hissed like a snake, quadrupled in size, and flew away.

The strange waif took my towel. Draped over her delicate bones,
Nephele looked smaller than three feet two inches tall,
But her grip was strong when she grasped my palm.
She took my loneliness and gave me a purpose. 

An hour after we walked to my apartment, she morphed,
Screaming on the kitchen floor. Her split epidermis leaked light
Instead of blood. I hugged her while she wailed. An irrevocable bond.
Nepheles used touch to become replicas of us.

A face identical to mine streaked with tears.
She pulled me from the balcony when I tried to jump.
I felt her heart pounding when she held me tight.
Our breathing synchronized. Dread became acceptance.

The NOT SHADOW whirled across the world.
Doppelgangers multiplied, spawning fear and riots.
We cleared rubble, transforming broken cities to verdant havens.
Am I a monster for finally feeling at home among Olympians?

[Alicia Hilton believes in angels and demons, magic, and monsters. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Eastern Iowa Review, Creepy Podcast, Lovecraftiana, Modern Haiku, Neon, NonBinary Review, Vastarien, World Haiku Review, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volumes 4, 5 & 6, and elsewhere. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. Her website is https://aliciahilton.com. Follow her on Twitter @aliciahilton01. ]