For anyone who has read a fairytale and thought, “Yeah, I’d kiss themonster.”
1.
Top five things that caught me off guard when I uprooted my #influencerlife and moved to a cabin in the middle ofthe woods:
You can’t escape the sound of angry tweets even if you log offline because birds and squirrels are way louder than anyonetells you.
Literal actual Mothman falling on my roof during a storm.
Falling in love with said Mothman, whose human form is unspeakably good-looking (though, I’ve grown pretty fond of how he looks as a monster too).
A monster-obsessed hunter using me as bait to lure Moth outof hiding.
And lastly, becoming mortally wounded and permanently transformed into an immortal moth-creature…
Yeah, I’m stillkindaprocessing thatlast one.
Not exactly the calm #cottagecore life I was looking for, huh? My life in the woods had a rocky start, but honestly, ours is a classic love story. Girl meets cryptid, nurses him back to health, and they fall madly in love—all the drama surrounding our story is not what I need to be focusing on.
Despite all the wild rumors posted online and sightings of Moth in the woods and me at the nearest Trader Joe’s, we’ve managed to create a pretty cozy little life in the mountains together. I’ve been capturing it one snapshot a day; the photos are just for me, and once in a while, for my social platforms. I don’t feel pressured to share anything I don’t want to, notanymore.
This morning is typical—for us, at least. It started with sweet moments cuddled in the cabin, records spinning and our limbs intertwined. Now, we’re out stretching our legs and wings before a brunch date with Rosie and Clara. They’ll be over in a few hours, and honestly, I had to get Moth out of the house before he devoured all the treats I made. The legendary cryptid from Point Pleasant has my heart and one hell of a sweet tooth.
We walk through the forest together, birdsong filling our ears while leaves crinkle at our feet. After everything that happened last year, you’d think I’d be terrified to be out here in the middle of nowhere, but Moth is never far away. It’s easy to relax when he’s at my side. When we’re alone in the woods, I try to get used to my new form. The glistening green wings are gorgeous, but I bump into everything—and I meaneverything.
There isn’t a knickknack or picture frame that the tips of my wings hasn’t toppled over in our cabin. I don’t know how Moth does it, but he’s been spreading his wings in the more metaphorical sense lately. He’s still not a social butterfly, but he’s working on it, and I’m proud of himfor that.
As intimidating as he can be, he’s a goofy gentle soul, and I’m glad more people are getting tosee that.
I take his hand, swinging our arms as we walk. He grins, his pointed teeth gleam in sun, and my mind wanders to images of his fangs digging into the exposed skin of my shoulders. I’m about to pull him into a kiss when something odd and prismatic catches my eye.
“Hey, do you see that?” I move forward, feeling Moth catch the tip of my wing to try toslow me.
I rush toward the source. The hollow of a tree ripples and gleams gold for a moment before something flies through the center. Moth catches a piece of ancient-looking parchment in his claws. His handsome face creases in a frown as his eyes flick over the page, a golden glow the shade of sunrise beginning to encircle his body. It starts at his wrists like a puff of smoke then flows between us like a heavy cloud.
“What? What is it?” I ask. Until this point, I’ve been working under the assumption that the strangest thing in the forest is standing right next to me.
“We have been summoned.” Moth draws me close until his chin rests upon my head, and his arms wrap tightly around me. Shielding my body, he attempts to lunge out of the golden light, but it keeps hold of us like a force field. The world around us is tinted in yellow and carries a faint scent of flowers as it continues to build and glow around us.
No, no, no, no–
Oh my god, whatever this is—whatever is happening—it’s something even he can’t stop.
“My flame…” he says desperately. For a moment, I’m unsure if he’s going to try to push me away—to do this alone. I hold tight around his waist and am glad when he doesn’t let go. Swallowing my nerves, I meltinto him.
Whatever happens, I’m just glad that we’ll be in thistogether.
“Where are we going?” I ask as the light turns to liquid gold. I tightly close my eyes, tucking my head so it rests on his firm chest.
“Home.” His voice ripples as the world twists and turns like a tide during a lightning storm.
Home…
How can that be true when that’s where we already are?
So, like, when Moth revealed he was some kind of royalty banished to the mortal realm, I figured it was kind of a done deal. They sent him to my world as a punishment—no way they would try to bring him back,right? Apparently, I was wrong because waiting to greet us when we zap into Moth’s old world are a dozen winged guards who look just about as confused as I am. They wordlessly shuffle the two of us inside a castle that looks like something out of a fantasy novel while I shout a million questions that go unanswered. Moth remains calm and silent atmy side.
“Where are you taking us?”
