Cupid's Folly

“What do you mean you can find my true love?” She sat up straighter on the stone stage of the outdoor amphitheater and looked up at him. Her eyes squinted to try to see him against the summer light.

“Have you already forgotten that you requested a matchmaking service?” He bent down to offer his calling card. “I have been assigned as your personal cupid to find your soul mate.”

She stared at the business card in her hands and turned it over a few times. “How does this personal cupid service work?”

“I can find your soul mate in exchange for your heart.”

“What’s the point in being in love if you don’t have a heart?” She asked and patted a spot on the stone stage beside her. He obliged and sat with her.

“I meant the figurative heart.” He leaned back until he was lying on his back with his legs dangling off the side. “Mortals also call it a soul.”

“What do you need my soul for? You don’t use them for weird rituals and sacrifices, right?” Her eyes glittered like silver.

“It is a trade secret.” He smiled politely. “Collecting souls allow us to help mortals find their love, it is a symbiotic service of sorts.” He brought an arm to shield his eyes from the sun.

“If that’s the case, then I refuse your service.”

“What?” He felt her move to stand.

When he uncovered his eyes to stop her from rejecting him, she was already holding out her hand to help him up. “I don’t want to give my soul away.”

He took her hand and stood with her. She was the first in centuries to refuse his service. He couldn’t remember the last soul.

A part of him wanted to argue his side, but it seemed that she was firm in her decision for the time being. “Alright, then I bid you adieu, miss.”

“Wait!” She held up both hands and stepped into his path to stop him from leaving. “Is there something else I can trade for your time? I’m curious to know more about your nature.”

“I am not a specimen to be studied.”

“Knowledge interests me more than love, to be honest. I’ve never met a supernatural being before and I want to know how you work.”

“Information for information.” He offered. “I will tell you what I am allowed about my service, and you answer my questions about… love.”

“Love?” She looked confused. “Doesn’t your business depend on matching lovers?”

“Cupids are not allowed to fall in love.” He explained. Her eyes became large with curiosity. “We have this one rule. As love messengers and matchmakers, we cannot involve ourselves with the subjects of our service.”

“But, you’re all so hot! I mean, attractive,” she corrected. “Even the female cupids make me a little self-conscious.”

He looked her up and down. “You need not worry, you are indeed desirable.”

“But, am I lovable?” She held up her pointer finger and wagged it at him. “You can’t answer that, now can you?”

“Unfortunately, no. I cannot.” He frowned. He didn’t like not having an answer.

She grasped his hand in both of hers. “Then, do you agree to a trade? I will tell you about how humans love, and you tell me more about cupids!”

She really was persuasive. The healthy glow of her skin in the sunlight and wild auburn hair paired with her curious charm would have made a great match for her soul mate.

“I still think that finding your soul mate will make you happier than learning about cupids. What if I only take half of your soul as payment? Is that an amenable compromise? It would be a shame for you to not find your love.”

“Love, schlove!” She raised an eyebrow. “No deal!”

He waited for her counteroffer, but she only gazed upon him with a smug smirk as if she had already won. “In a negotiation, it would be your turn to make a counter proposal.”

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Her expressions were so animated that anyone could easily read her thoughts. “Original offer stands. A simple trade in knowledge, as you said.”

“I need at least a fraction of your soul to make the trade worth my while.” He mirrored her pose, toe-tapping and all.

“1/100th of my soul.” She said.

“A quarter.” He said.

“Aren’t you curious about love? The security it—“

“It?” He repeated eagerly. “Security?”

“2/100th.” She offered. “Love gives—“ She stopped again and peeked through her lashes to see his reaction.

“Gives what?”

“Na-uh-uh, it’s your turn to provide a counter offer.”

“A sixth of your soul.”

“5%, final offer!” She held out her hand to him. “Deal?”

He had never been paid such a pittance before, yet he still found himself reaching for her hand. Her warm palm against his made him uncomfortable, but he wasn’t going to be the one to renege on a deal for such a lively soul. “Deal.”

“Ouch!” She released his hand and pressed a palm to her sternum. “What was that?”

“I’ve marked your soul. So, I will be able to find you for my payment.”

“You could’ve warned me.”

“It’s automatic when a deal is brokered.” He answered. “For what you’ve paid me, you have thirty minutes to ask me questions. I will give you three days to come up with them.”

“Wait a minute, half an hour? Is that all my soul is worth?”

“Correction, that is what 5% of your soul is worth.”

“So, a complete soul is only worth 10 hours, or is it just mine? Hmm, how do cupids determine the worth of a soul? Are all souls equal or are bad peoples’ souls worth less?”

“Nice try. I will answer your questions three days hence.” He bowed and turned to leave.

“Can I ask one question and you can ask me one in return?”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“How do you determine the worth of a soul?” She asked.

“It usually takes less than a day to match soul mates. The average time it takes is twenty hours per soul match, so divide that by two, and you get...”

“10 hours per soul.” She answered.

“Correct.”

She seemed to be thinking about his answer to her question, though he could tell she was desperate to ask him more. She squinted up at him. “Okay, now you can ask your question.”

“Why are humans so desperate to find love?”

“The short answer is: we are made for it.”

“And the long answer?” He prodded.

“We are social beings, and thrive in societies. We also need to procreate to continue our existence. Having affection, desire, and love makes it easier to endure when hardships come. Humans know how lonely and difficult life can be when they are alone, so most are desperate to find love and hope that it lasts forever. But, there is no guarantee even if you find your soul mate.”

“Thank you, I will think on your answer and try to understand.”

“Do cupids not have affection and desire for one another?”

“We do but,—“ He stopped himself when she averted her eyes. “You are clever, miss.”

“Bye, Mr. Cupid! See you ‘three days hence’.” She quoted.

“You may call me, Ceron.” He jumped off the stage and offered his hand to assist her.

“Enid.” She said taking his hand.

“My pleasure.” He said and escorted her to the parking lot at the end of the path.

She had written down all of the questions she could think of, but now she had to decide which ones she wanted answers for the most. Half an hour was not enough to satisfy her curiosity. Many times in the last three days, she wondered if she should give him a little more of her soul for more time. She had gone back and forth weighing its merit only to decide that she would stick to her decision. She tucked the list of questions into her pocket and made her way to the outdoor amphitheater.

She stood on the stage waiting for the appointed time she was to meet Ceron, her personal cupid. She took out her list and finalized the ones she wanted to ask. When she thought of the day they met, she could only chuckle. This was the same place she met her soul mate.

“I apologize for making you wait.” Ceron appeared from behind one of the tall pillars surrounding the stage.

“Nah, I was early.” She waved away his apology. “Before we begin, I have to warn you that I have a lot of questions. I don’t know if you’ll be able to answer them all.”

“I will do my best to answer quickly.” He sat down at the edge of the stage like last time. However, this time, he was the one who patted the spot beside him. When they were both seated with their legs over the edge of the stage, he gave a quick nod to tell her to start.

“How do you procreate?”

“We do not. Most of us have existed before the time of humans.”

“If you don’t need to procreate, when why do you look like humans?”

“We adopted our corporeal form so we can interact with humans. If we were in our true forms, humans would not be able to see us.”

“Have you ever slept with a human?”

“Slept? We do not need to sleep.” His tone serious yet playful.

“Don’t act dumb.” She blushed. “I meant, have you ever fornicated with a human?”

“Yes,” she knew he was smiling at her discomfort. “Humans are beautiful, and desirable. As long as we adhere to the rule and do not compromise our contracts, we can have trysts with humans.”

“When was the last time… never mind. Please don’t answer that!” She kicked at the air to get rid of her nervous energy, and let her legs continue to hang from the side of the stage.

He stayed silent but raised a hand, his fingers splayed.

“What does that mean?” She wondered if he meant five days, months, years?

“I thought you didn’t want me to say.”

“Well, now I want to know.”

“Are you sure?” He smiled.

She nodded twice.

“Five hundred years.”

“Bullshit!” She couldn’t hide her disbelief. “How does that happen with the way you look? I mean—”

“So, you find my body desirable.” He said it as a statement of fact. His roguish grin stunned her for a second until she realized that he was wasting her question time.

“You know you’re attractive. There’s no need for you to fish for complements.” Enid shook her head. “Let’s get back to more serious questions.”

“Please continue.” He schooled his features to at least look somewhat repentant.

“What happens if you break the rule?”

“My body will be destroyed.”

“What do you mean you will be destroyed?”

“My true form has no body. If I fall in love, the human part is destroyed.”

“Why?”

“A mortal cannot control the immortal.” He quoted. “It means that my heart cannot be swayed by a mortal.”

“Then, why do you want to know about love if it might destroy you?”

“Sick curiosity and wanting to know if I’m capable of loving another.”

She understood the feeling, but it only reminded her of a tragic love. She glanced at her notes and picked the one that stood out.

“Has there been an instance where you couldn’t find a match to a soul?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” He said somberly. “Some souls parish or are taken before they can find their match. When this happens, cupids do not take the payment.”

Enid asked question after question until Ceron had answered everyone. When she had looked at the time, she only then realized that hours had passed.

“Why didn’t you stop me?” She said holding up her cell phone to show him the time.

“I found your questions amusing and your company a pleasurable diversion. Shall we meet another time for my questions?” He stood up from his seat and offered his hand to assist her.

“You may ask me one question. The one that you really want to know.” She took his hand and let him pull her up.

They silently watched the sun set over the mountainous horizon. The summer breeze smelled sweet and the sounds of people were just above a whisper in the distance.

“I think I understand love a little more from the questions you asked.” He sounded confident.

“I’d beg to differ.” She said. “Trysts, as you call them, are not love.”

“Then, answer me this,” he took her hand in his. “Is this the start of love?”

She didn’t want to think it, but her heart leaped for joy just the same. Was this love or a good first date?

“I don’t know.” She sighed, looking at their entwined fingers. “It could be.”

“I don’t want to leave your company. I wish for you to stay with me.” He said simply with no flourishes or theatrics. “I want nothing more than for this moment to go on forever. Tell me, is this love?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe.” He repeated. He turned to the pink sky above. His profile contemplative, yet the smile on his lips wouldn’t fade. “So, this is love. I like it.”

“Please,” she begged, knowing all too well the ending to this love.

As if reading her mind, he said, “I’m sorry for what comes next, but I choose this path.”

“It’s okay.” Enid whispered in return. “All you did was love me.”