THE STORY…

Terra lived in a time and place where many things were forbidden. Rules about what she couldn’t eat, drink, or wear. Rules about when she couldn’t come and go. Rules about how she couldn’t work and play. And rules about who she couldn’t love. By the time she was ten, she knew she liked forbidden things.

 Her brain worked faster than anyone else’s, so she blamed her foibles on a quirk of fate. Though after discovering one or two of her faults, her parents blamed the devil. They made her work the earth as their parents did, toiling until her mind was too tired for forbidden things. She’d learned her lesson—keep her desire for such things hidden.

 Satisfied Terra had corrected her ways, her parents saved their money to forge a better life for her. When she was old enough, they told her, “Go to university, young lady, so you may learn and teach us to toil better.”

 With every penny they’d earned, Terra ventured to the city where she learned the marvels of modern engineering and science. There, very little was forbidden. She could eat, drink, or dress as she pleased. She could come and go at all hours. She could choose to play and never work. And she could love whoever struck her fancy.

 Prettier than most in the city, every boy vied for her attention, but none made her heart sing. Instead, the smartest one on campus, the cute but mousy Eliza had caught her eye. They studied together every day that first year and then the second. They learned from each other, with Terra telling of farming and engineering and Eliza regaling about the arts while exchanging forbidden glances and the rarest of touches. She was sure her parents would’ve called those touches the devil’s work. Terra called them heaven.

 Living like a city dweller, Terra tested every forbidden thing. She never knew her insides could pulsate to the beat of her heart and that Eliza’s could too. Those glorious first years left her wondering if she’d ever want to return to toil the earth in a place where she couldn’t do such things and was told who to love.

 Then came the call. Flu had taken Terra’s parents and others; the elders needed her home. She trembled at the news and everything she’d done. She blamed herself for bringing the devil into her life. She convinced herself if not for her foibles, her parents would be alive and promised to never be tempted by forbidden things again.

On the day she was to leave, Eliza had her in tears. She told Terra the words she had wanted to say herself. “I love you, Terra. Don’t go.” Then Eliza kissed her. Her lips were the nectar of the Gods, a fruit so sweet, so forbidden. Despite knowing no other lips would compare, Terra couldn’t stay.

Without looking back, Terra returned to where her people toiled the earth. Remaining alone in life, she taught them everything she’d learned. Within a year, their buildings were stronger, bridges sturdier, and feasts more bountiful. Soon she became a leader of the community, where she taught the young about the forbidden things she had all but abandoned when she ventured outside their walls.

Then one day, Eliza moved to town. She, too, was there to teach, but her lessons were not of forbidden things. She taught the young art, music, and dance, all the things she’d taught Terra. They taught side by side for years, returning to their separate homes, never exchanging more than glances.

Terra’s skin had shriveled, and her hair turned gray, and in all that time, she kept her promise. She was content with her choice until the day her heart faltered, and Eliza was there to nurse her. For weeks, Eliza stayed, feeding and comforting her, ignoring her desperate need for sleep. Each day Eliza sang, reminding Terra of days when they would dance and giggle, and the day she tasted the forbidden nectar.

Then the doctor came. “There’s nothing more I can do,” he said.

Eliza wept.

The day had finally come. On her deathbed with Eliza by her side, Terra asked one thing, “Kiss me.”

Eliza did.

At that moment, Terra realized love should not be forbidden and should never be forced to wait. With her last breath, Terra said the words she’d wanted to say since Eliza had said them to her. “I love you, Eliza.”