Cupid's Magic

Cupid’s Magic

 by

B.D. Adams ©2015

G

liding along the deliciously warm afternoon, Cupid just flitted from one love-struck fellow to another. Ah, Spring!! Love was in the air!!

          Even minor gods need to rest, so he laid on a cloud on his stomach to just watch beneath where he was. His bow and arrows were in easy reach, if needed. The cloud was as lazy as he. It stayed dormant; hovered over a small, elongated pond of ducks. He had been in the area before, years ago. Humans merely strolled along the pond or sat on the benches to enjoy the weather. Children played giddily all around. Ah, Spring. Cupid smiled.

            After a few moments, though, Cupid’s attention was drawn to an older man and woman. They were obviously not together. How sad for them, he thought.

The man was light haired and hazel-eyed. He was trim for his age, but had a slight bend at his shoulders. His dress was casually nice – khaki trousers, olive green polo shirt and brown sandals, for the warm day. He sat on a bench by the pond and read a book that seemed to occupy his mind, as the ducks made themselves known with their periodic quacks.

The woman sat on a blanket in the grass near the pond, but was several yards from the man – partially hidden by bushes. She had a paper bag that held pieces of bread to feed the ducks. Her blue eyes were clear and her hair had more white than the man’s hair. Her dress was a denim jumper that was comfortably loose at her middle, but she was not heavy at all. Her wide-brimmed straw sat beside her on the blanket. This seemed to be what she enjoyed – no care while she tossed bread pieces to the grateful ducks.

Cupid sensed that these two should meet. Younger people were easy to place with his arrows, however, the older ones … well, sometimes they could be a challenge. He took up his tools and stealthily flew to the old oak tree between them. One of the large branches was weathered and twisted, which made a seat for him to sit.

Now, the man closed the book and just crossed his legs and looked to the pond.

           The woman wadded the paper bag because it was empty. She sat with her legs out-stretched and just looked into the pond, as well.

Ah, perfect, Cupid thought. He had a good target of the man. There were no other people in their immediate area. This should be easy, so he mused.

The woman stood to fold the blanket. She was in no hurry.

Cupid loaded the bow, aimed and fired. The man bent to grab a grasshopper off his sandal just as the arrow sailed behind him! All Cupid could do was roll his eyes as he thought to himself, best laid plans … or something like that.

The woman had the blanket over her arm and had put her hat on. Casually, she went to the near trash can to throw away the wadded paper bag. She tossed the paper --something she had done many times – however, she missed. The bag bounced a few feet from the can. She seemed embarrassed as she went to retrieve it.

Cupid readied another arrow to shoot the man. And, as luck would have it, he leaned forward and took a step toward the pond as the second arrow missed its target again. This can’t be happening, Cupid seemed flustered. He was not good with failure -- he would not fail!

The man took up his book and leisurely headed to the parking lot.

            The woman had the paper and placed it inside the can. She began in a direction away from the man.

Cupid felt desperate! With his magic, he made a strong breeze that caused her hat to fly toward the parking lot. She saw the man and called to him, “Excuse me … sir?” He turned to her. “Please get my hat!”

He saw it as it cart-wheeled toward him. She didn’t have to ask a second time. He quickly grabbed it without marring the straw and took it back to her.

Cupid decided to sit in the tree to just watch.

“Thank you. I really appreciate your help,” she said with a smile.

“You were lucky that I was here. It’s a nice hat.” The man began to be a little nervous. He had seen her in the past – wanted to talk to her.

“Thanks. It’s old, but it’s my favorite. My name is Dora,” Dora said with a pleasant smile. She offered her hand. She had seen him at other times and had wanted to meet him – talk with him. They made a new bond with their handshake.

“Dora … a lovely name. I’m Dan,” Dan grinned broadly. “Are you busy … do you need to go somewhere now?” Dan was a little worried that he was moving too fast.

“No. I have no plans.”

“Would you have coffee with me so we could … talk? I would like to talk with you. There’s a nice café in the hotel right over there. I promise, all I would like is some conversation and maybe a few smiles.”

Dora smiled her warm approval.

 

           Dora and Dan began a wonderful relationship that would last for many years. As we all know, there are no Cupids to use magic. But then, things have a way of happening when not expected.

 Happy Valentine’s Day!!!