Context: Back in September 2019, my English teacher assigned a prompt to write a myth. It was in the requirements (if I remember correctly) for the story to be an origin story, or a tale that describes how an existing concept/way of the world came to be. The underlined words in my written work are three vocabulary words (from a list of options) that I had to add in. The story was meant to be a minimum of one and half pages double spaced... and I ended up writing over nine pages. (Writer problems.) I remember putting this off until the end of the day, coming up with a billion ideas, and eventually finishing this at 1:30 AM. Currently, I see a few critiques that could be made to this, but considering the fact that it was only a homework assignment, that I spent a single day on it, and that it was my first attempt at a new writing style for more of a myth-like feel, I'm happy with how it turned out.

***

A long time ago, long before humans reigned Earth, before time itself was even recorded, there were spirits. There were Star-spirits and Meteor-spirits and spirits for all of the planets in the galaxy. There were spirits of the wind, of the skies, and of the light. Spirits ruled the lands, bringing peace and order to every realm under the heavens. And one of the spirits, born when two stars collided to form a powerful entity, was named Guadalupe.

She was beautiful, absolutely stunning in every way possible. Her eyes shone like radiant blue pearls, gleaming gems in deep waters. Her skin was a lovely dark shade, flawless in every way. Gorgeous black curls spiraled their way down from the crown of her head to the ends of her hands. In her figure, there was nothing at all to criticize. Everything about her was perfectly set.

Many spirits tried to win her over, attempting to gain a place by her side. But Guadalupe, unlike the others, had no true place in the galaxy. While they stayed in one place forever, she was constantly moving. No matter how hard she tried to settle herself down, whether in the glorious haven of the Milky Way's lights or the thrilling journey from the back of a comet, she always grew tired and bored. For the beauty she had, she matched it equally with restlessness, never being satisfied. She always thirsted for new experiences, new places, and new blessings that the world had to offer her.

Her power was great, mightier than most spirits in the reaches of all the galaxies far and wide. She had the gift to move as she pleased with great haste, flying wherever she so wished. Unlike other spirits, who were bound to their charges such as stars or suns, Guadalupe could visit distant realms and emerge freely by her own will.

At one point in time, bored with her current flights of fancy around an asteroid belt, Guadalupe found herself faced with a rather interesting phenomenon. It was a planet, colored with swirls of greens and blues unlike those she had seen in all her life. Like all of the other planets she knew of, it was still and unmoving, but it still had a difference she couldn't quite put her finger on. The planet intrigued her, and she desired to learn her way around it until it no longer caught her interest. So she flew into its atmosphere, laughing as she drifted across the sky.

That was the moment when Archer, an Earth-spirit, was captured by her beauty.

In his eyes, she was the most indescribably attractive being he had ever laid eyes on. He had been walking round the planet, Earth, tending to its land and calming the oceans, when his gaze had turned skybound. Archer had fallen to his knees, completely overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of her piercing eyes alone. Her laugh was like velvet, smooth and pleasant, and her smile was brighter than any rainbow. The clothing she wore glowed with a power he'd never met, and the carefree way she flew through his skies brought both a peace and a wild excitement to his heart. It was then that he knew it was love at first sight.

He stood and called to her. His essence almost broke to pieces when she stared right at him, the blue pools of sky reaching into his soul and shining a beam of pure light. She landed beside him eagerly, her joy lighting up her entire countenance. That joy, in turn, spread to him.

"I am Archer, bound to this planet Earth," he volunteered, his voice laced with awe.

Guadalupe studied him. The Earth-spirit was neither handsome nor ugly, but a good place in between. His eyes were a dusty brown, matching the ground on which she stood. His hair was also a perfect balance in the middle of dark and light, of shine and shadow. The garment he wore did not stand out, and he had not one striking feature about him. But he was someone she had never met before, and for that, she had all the excitement in the world.

"I am called Guadalupe," she told him. "I am not bound to anything or anyone. I am free. To stay anywhere for too long makes me feel as if I cannot breathe." She turned to him, and he simply smiled without replying, so she assumed he was one of the few who understood.

With only gleaming eyes for a warning, she reached out for his hand and grabbed it. Her face lit up with curiosity. "Will you show me around your planet?"

Archer's face reddened with emotion. Guadalupe, confused at his strange reaction that she had not seen in any spirit she'd spoken to, wondered if she had done something wrong.

He firmly grasped her hand, his heart pounding in his ears, and whispered, "It would be my greatest pleasure."

From that moment on, for countless days and nights, they ventured around Archer's planet. He explained to her the beauty in being rooted in something so strongly that it was all he desired, and she confessed to him her love of freedom. Each of them had lifetimes of experience that were intriguing to the other, and they talked without halting for a long length of time unmeasured.

The way she vividly described her tales to him, and the way she held herself as she did so, only made him fall for her even more. Every move she made purely enchanted him, and he realized that if anything else were offered to him, he would still choose her first. She became all he longed for, and she very quickly became all he lived for as well. But he waited, hiding his love under a mask of temperance.

Not quite in the same manner, but still coming to pass nonetheless, Guadalupe soon realized with surprise that she was also taking a liking to Archer. He showed her all of the wonders of his world, and it made her question if she could possibly be content with him and Earth for the rest of her life. The prospect, to her shock, made her happy. At that moment with her burgeoning love, she decided she wanted to live her eternity with him.

So they continued to grow their bonds with each other, wandering the Earth and caring for it together. Archer was having more and more trouble restraining himself, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he poured out his emotions to the free-spirited love of his life. But while he was contemplating his feelings, Guadalupe faced a different problem.

As they were talking happily, she slowly felt a sensation that hadn't stirred within her since she'd arrived on Earth. There was a tug in her stomach, a breeze that wanted to pull her away into unseen galaxies of newness and unknown. There was a longing to go and experience that which she hadn't experienced before. She missed her adventures alone, shooting through the universe without a care in the world. She missed being able to fly as long as she pleased. She missed her independence.

But she was torn. Guadalupe wanted to be free, but she wanted to be with Archer, the spirit she was becoming closer to in every moment. Her heart filled with sorrow at the ideas in her own head. She became very reserved towards Archer, casting her gaze away from him and towards the skies.

It didn't take him long to follow her eyes upwards. Within a short amount of time, he knew exactly what was going on inside of her mind. He understood the storm of confusion that was overtaking her, and it stabbed him right in his own heart when he realized that she was not going to stay with him forever. He had been foolish to think he could catch the wind, which flew where it wished.

Hurt and grief washed over him like a tidal wave, flooding his sight and spilling out in tears. Archer wanted her more than anything the world could offer. His mind could not understand why she didn't feel the same. He would give his life for her in a heartbeat, give up everything he pleased if it meant keeping her. And yet, after all of his devotion, she willed to leave him behind.

The more he meditated on it, the more furious he became. Rage slowly replaced all of his pain. He turned to the spirit that he wanted so dearly, who had betrayed him with her eyes alone.

She looked at him, her face no longer shining. "Archer," she murmured, her voice breaking. "I hunger for adventure."

"I love you with all of my being. I can give you all you seek," he begged, grabbing her hand.

Guadalupe shook her head sorrowfully. "No, you cannot," she declared. "Our love for each other ties me down, away from the skies. In gaining you, I have lost my freedom." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She had made her choice.

Archer's heart twisted in pain. He felt as he did when he had first met her, like he was falling apart. Only now, all he had was anger to hold him together. Slowly, his fists clenched, and he had the firm resolve in his heart that he would keep Guadalupe from leaving him whether she wished it or not.

Before she could leave his sight, he grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the ground. She screamed, begging him to let her go, but he denied her the chance to escape. To him, she deserved nothing.

There was a dark art he'd learned from the previous Earth-spirit before him, something he'd been told never to use without proper cause. Completely fueled by hurt and anger, he recklessly held on to her hands and began to summon up all of the power he could. He focused on her, on her might and her restless soul. All he had to do was envision it all leaving her, flying to him instead.

Guadalupe fell into hysterics when she felt the power being seeped out of her. It was as if her spirit, which had been light and free, was suddenly growing heavy. She felt anchored to the ground, and the sensation gave her a choking fear. Terrified of him taking her freedom entirely, she fought his grasp and attacked him with all her might. His eyes filled with surprise as she forced him away from her.

Desperately, she tried to take any power she had left to float off of the surface of Earth, but with great horror, she realized that he had stripped that of her.

Archer's spirit now felt light, almost weightless, but he hadn't captured all of Guadalupe's power. He could not lift off of the ground, and it didn't bother him. Archer wasn't interested in flying across the skies. All he desired was for his true love to stay by his side. At this point, he sensed that their power was equal, that neither of them had more might than the other. He and she were equally free. But one look in her eyes told him that she was not at all pleased with his decision. They were at a stalemate.

"How could you?" Her voice was soft, soft with a pain he'd never heard from her before.

Making a shushing motion, Archer walked near to her in an attempt to calm her. "Stay with me, Guadalupe," he asked again. "You have nowhere to run. Nothing is before me now." His heart swelled with desire. She was truly his now, and she could no longer push him away.

Or so he thought.

Guadalupe was filled with terror at her sudden loss, backed into a corner. She knew exactly how much Archer wanted her to be his. But nothing could ever make her stay with the Earth-spirit who had dared to take away her control.

She took a few steps toward him, almost pretending to soften to him. Her eyes looked into his, and she did all she could to make them hypnotize him as they did when he'd first seen them. A smile played at the edges of her lips, concealing her true inner chaos.

It worked. She caught the relief in his stare, the way he let down his guard. He smiled at her, a soft, happy smile. And she returned it to him.

Then, she muttered, "Never will I be yours."

Archer took a single moment to register his shock. And at that moment, she turned and fled from his presence.

Suffocating with fear, sobbing with pain, and hurting from a longing that was now impossible, she ran from him. He had taken away her flight, but he had not taken away her speed. Faster than all of the shooting Star-spirits, she sprinted away into the distance. Guadalupe experienced her pain in full detail, and let it fuel her every move.

Mind reeling from her betrayal, Archer took purpose in his every step to catch up to her. He cursed himself for letting her go, for the fact that he couldn't hold her close. He let out an irate scream as he continued to give chase. She was his. No matter how long she ran, he would pursue her. Though she was fast, he knew Earth better than she, and the planet itself produced energy in him.

For ages and ages, they ran around the earth again and again- Guadalupe, chasing her freedom, and Archer, chasing his love. Neither of them stopped. Neither of them tired. Neither of them even slowed. It was an endless journey around the planet.

And then, after a while, something began to happen. Earth responded to their endless pursuit. The way they chased each other produced such a momentum that the planet, once still, began to spin on its axis. It rotated from the speed of their running alone. In a twisted way, it was their love that made the world go round.

Until this day, the earth still spins. Archer still longs for his soulmate to become his and resolves to catch her one day. Guadalupe still fears a life of confinement and resents the spirit who betrayed her. As the sun rises and sets, the enchantress flees her captor.

There may be a time where the earth simply ceases to move. That day will be a special one, for it will signify that the two of them are facing each other once more. There are endless possibilities for that time. Perhaps, when it comes, Guadalupe will forgive Archer, and will stop running from him to give him a second chance. Or maybe, Archer will give up on chasing his love after trying for so long to catch her in vain. The both of them could even possibly fight each other in the end.

Many have tried to predict what that fateful moment of the earth's stillness would truly mean, or when that day will come. It could happen now, tomorrow, or in a thousand years. The interaction between the two spirits could go in various ways. Or, perhaps, they will never stop their run at all and are simply destined to forever sprint across the surface of the earth. The answer is truly undetermined to all but a very few Star-spirits above the earth, who can see visions of the past and future.

***

Reading this back, I'm actually really shocked at how much I still like it. Especially the ending. Not bad for a late-night endeavor. :DD

Pretty sure my English teacher just saw nine whole pages and went, "Why is she like this...?!" and didn't read it all. Hahaha. I did get a good grade on it though, so it worked for me.

Like I said above, this is not my usual writing style! It was fun to try out, though, and I think it turned out well!

Hope y'all enjoy! :))