Bloodstone by M.J. Mallon

Author:M.J. Mallon [Mallon, M.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Next Chapter
Published: 2021-06-21T22:00:00+00:00

Puzzle Piece 23:

Aphrodite’s Restaurant

A fascination,

With the exquisite or strange,

Is hidden away,

In a strange tucked away booth,

No room for intimacy.

After Ryder’s words had such a mesmerising effect on my brain, my thoughts ran away with the strange images of what I perceived the restaurant to be like. I imagined the interior of Aphrodite’s Restaurant to contain whitewashed walls, a sky-blue ceiling, and private booths tucked away in dark alcoves. Somehow, I knew this romantic restaurant would fit the drop-dead gorgeous bill since its namesake was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. The tumultuous waves of Cyprus Bay allegedly gave birth to Aphrodite.

Ryder’s voice broke into my dreamlike reverie. Those crashing waves in Cyprus Bay fizzled out, and his words flooded my senses. ‘Y’know, I think I may have forgotten to mention we’re meeting a few of my college friends there.’

That got my attention. My happy sense of anticipation now lay at the bottom of the bay, drowned and buried. But instead of voicing my feelings, I answered with a succession of words that didn’t seem to belong to me. ‘Oh, yeah, right… it’ll be nice to meet your friends. I’m looking forward to it.’ I berated myself. What a wimp. Why had I even said that?

I carried on even though I was feeling peculiar at the change of events. I could swear that I lingered on the verge of fainting. Struggling to get rid of this strange sensation, I took several deep breaths, but it made no difference.

We had arrived at the front of the restaurant by then, and I strained to recapture control of my drifting mind. Ryder held the door, and as I walked inside, I focused on the restaurant’s interior. Aphrodite’s presented everything I’d expected and much more. The waiter seated us next to an exquisite painting of the waves crashing against the cliffs of Paphos Bay. We slid into our very own private booth.

A snow-white Aphrodite statue stood in the centre of the restaurant as a focal point. Her exotic and mysterious image enthralled me. No wonder she deserved the title of the Goddess of Love. The realistic statue captured my attention. I almost expected her to step towards me and crush me with her stone arms in an over-enthusiastic embrace.

Large elaborate fish tanks lined the walls, housing exotic fish, including coral and ferns. I glanced around at the pictures of white doves which dotted the walls.

My eyes travelled to a painted likeness of the Golden Apple of Great Renown. I remembered the goddess Eris had written ‘for the fairest’ on the side of an apple. Both Zeus’s wife, Hera, and his daughter, Athena, as well as Aphrodite, claimed they were the fairest. But the Prince of Troy, Paris, couldn’t choose between them. The rest is history. Paris fell in love with Helen, which led to the Trojan War. I had been paying attention in history class after all. I reflected for a moment on what a bitter-sweet and ultimately destructive force love could be.

Ryder edged closer to me in the booth.

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