Cursed Boyfriend: Hugo (complete)

Ages ago, the Golems were enslaved, their skills used to mine the deepest reaches for the most glorious of treasures. The Golems rose up against their captors, earning their freedom and returning to their homeland in the northern mountains of Dimgrin, where Reuel, grandfather of Habbar, was made king. Before leaving, Reuel laid a curse upon the mines where he and his fellow Golems had once been trapped.

“The deeper your greed goes, the further it takes you, and the farther you’ll be from yourself. Your blindness will lead you. Your thirst won’t sate. You will be trapped forever, inches from hell’s gates. Only a Golem’s heart will redeem your fate.”

In fear of what might happen, the mines were sealed off, shut down for ages. The Golems’ uprising against the Rakshasa turned into a fairy tale of sorts, something the Rakshasa used to warn their children about what could happen when greed was allowed to run rampant. There were still people in the world who chose to forgo history in an attempt to uplift themselves. Such a person was King Hari, great-grandfather of King Amit. 

Hari married Sherya, heir to the Rakshasa throne. Sherya was a brilliant woman, but she was often sick and weak. Hari took advantage, often taking over for his wife while she was ill. This included a decree that the mines along the coast be reopened. It was a polarizing decision to say the least. Most were still fearful of what had happened ages ago, but others thought that the mines should be utilized and strengthen the country. For Hari, it was all about the desire to line his own pockets. He reasoned that they would not be using Golem labor anymore, but instead would hire miners from the surrounding villages. ‘Hire’ was a stretch. While the men who went to work for the mines were paid - barely - they worked awful hours and were punished for any lateness or dalliances on the job. 

My husband, Hugo, and I had just moved off of one of the islands in the Cobra Strait. Hugo was working as a blacksmith, but upon hearing about the riches along the Rakshasa Coast and the possibility of making a better life for our family, he took the chance. 

“You see how fat all the Rakshasa are?” Hugo said as we were searching for a house. He scooped our eldest son off the street, placing him on his big shoulders. “That’ll be us! We’ll get nice and rotund and grow complacent with our lives!”

“Now, now,” I fussed at Hugo. “We do not want to be filling the children’s heads with delusions. Rotund is one thing, but I will not be having my babies become complacent with anything.”

“If we are lucky, our name will mean something here,” Hugo said. “Erik,” he said to our son, “you’re a Smithson! And that name stands for hard work and perseverance. You can get as fat as you want-” He tickled Erik’s tummy, making the boy squeal. “But you have to promise me you will always work your hardest.”

“I will, Dad,” Erik giggled. 

Together, Hugo and I had four children; twin girls, then Erik, and a fourth still on the way. I feared I would give birth on the boat, and thank goodness I didn’t. After Hugo secured a job in the mines, I decided to set up shop repairing shoes and mending clothes. The girls were a big help, and they would be able to assist us in keeping up with things once the baby arrived. Erik also did what he could to help out. I had become so massive that moving around our new, smaller home was becoming difficult. Erik was a wonderful little helper, and I was lucky he enjoyed to cook. 

Hugo, poor thing, had become lost in his work. They kept him such long hours that I rarely saw him, and when I did see him, he was like a shell of his former self. He was always so exhausted from working, he just tended to drift about.

“I don’t like this,” I told him one evening. “I don’t like what you’ve become. I have not seen you smile in weeks, nor play with the children at all. Erik misses you. I miss you.” I grabbed hold of his hand, noticing welts and bruises up his arm. “Please, Hugo, quit this job. We can take our money and open a blacksmith shop, or we can go home.”

Hugo ripped his arm away from me, shoving me in the process. “I won’t quit,” he snarled at me. “I’m not leaving.”

I frowned at him. “I’m terrified every day that when you leave through that door, it will be the last I ever see of you!” I snapped at him. “I’ll receive word something happened in those awful mines. I can’t keep bearing it, Hugo!”

“It won’t happen,” Hugo growled at me. His eyes were dark, and I’d never seen them in such a state. It was as if the mines had clouded them and turned him around. When we met, part of what charmed me about Hugo was how bright and full of life his eyes were. Now, those eyes looked like they have never existed. 

“You don’t know that,” I hissed at him. “Those mines are dangerous! And I have been hearing stories!”

“Oh gods,” Hugo scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Don’t tell me you think the Golems’ curse has anything to do with this. It’s all stories, Lorina, all of ‘em.”

“It’s cause enough for me to worry!” I winced as I felt a bolt of pain. I held my belly, then glared back at Hugo. “I’m always going to worry! I worried when you were a blacksmith, but I learned to trust you. I cannot trust this,” I was nearly crying. “Those mines, they’re like evil mouths! I’m afraid they’re going to chew you and never spit you back out.”

Hugo stared down at me, his expression blank and unamused. “I am doing this for us. Be grateful.”

That was like a needle in my heart, and another shooting pain ripped through my lower abdomen. “Hugo, please-” I tried to touch him, but he yanked himself away from me and stood up from the bed. “Just go to sleep, Lorina,” he growled at me. “Think of the baby.” He walked away, leaving the house for the pub, I assumed.

He came back briefly the next morning to retrieve his things, then immediately left without a word. In the heat of the moment, I wished something would happen to him that would teach him a lesson. He would fall, or a rock would hit him, anything. Maybe that would bring my Hugo back to me.

I continued to get small pains all day. Erik tended to me well while the girls did my work for me. I was at least happy that my children were well and coping as best they can, although I knew they missed their father as much as I did. 

By evening, I knew the baby was coming. I was a sweaty mess and my insides felt like they were tied up in knots. I was laying in bed when Erik stepped into the doorway with an urgent look on his face.

“Mama, someone is here to see you,” he said. “I told him you weren’t well but he insisted.” 

“Bring him in,” I panted. “I can’t get up.”

The man who walked in looked like he’d seen hell. His skin was covered in soot and dust, matting up his hair and blurring the expression on his face. I did my best to sit up to greet him, but the contractions were coming.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, grasping his hat in his hand. “We did all we could, but-” his voice trailed away. “Hugo, your husband, he’s-”

I screamed out loud as the contractions hit me like a cannon. My breath was knocked from my lungs and I fell over onto the bed again.

“Mama!” Erik cried.

“Doctor-” I strained to tell him. “Hurry, hurry, the baby-” I looked up at the man delivering me the news. “Where is he?” I cried. 

“I’m sorry, he’s gone!” The man looks panicked.

“No! No!” I cried. “He can’t be! You have to go get him!” The girls had come to my side and were trying to coax me back down.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but the mine--He’s still in there! He can’t get out!” He blurted.

I screamed again, a deeper agony than I ever experienced ravaged my body. The man ran away - afraid or wracked with guilt, it doesn’t matter. I gave birth to my son the same day my husband died. Baby Hugo came into the world screaming with me, wailing for a father he would never know.

Years went by in a blink. The girls got married and moved away. Erik and Hugo opened up a blacksmith shop together on Erik’s eighteenth birthday, when Hugo was ten. I continued cobbling and repairing dresses. The boys took care of me, or at least they liked to believe they did. I continued to be their mother, making sure their clothes were clean and they didn’t eat junk. 

Erik was beautiful, and he could have had any woman in the village he wanted. Instead, he wanted the men. Erik had charmed noblemen’s sons more than fine wine, and he never owned up to it, but I was certain he was getting money from them. Baby Hugo, or Hughie as I called him, was the hardest-working thing I had ever seen. He also was a carbon copy of his father, with the same dark hair and the same bright eyes. I loved having him around, he was so precious to me.

The mine Hugo died in had been sealed off for good. The collapse hadn’t been enough of a warning for Hari, and when he tried to open it again, even more men died in the resulting explosion. The other mines were quick to follow, as was Hari’s marriage to queen Sherya. He was hanged for treason - as it turned out, Sherya’s sickness was caused by poisoning. Her son, Lilit, Amit’s grandfather, had taken over the throne and was cleaning up his father’s messes, which included a letter of apology to the current Golem King, Habbar, for ever touching the mines again. This gesture began a hesitant alliance between the two kingdoms. 

I received word one afternoon that both my daughters were pregnant. They had moved to another village with their husbands, both of whom were guards for the Rakshasa Court, and they were asking me to come stay with them and help them through their respective births.

“I can watch Hughie, Mama,” Erik told me. “You don’t have to worry.”

“I was going to ask Hughie to watch you,” I said with a smirk. “But I know you two boys can take care of one another.” I kissed Erik’s cheek, then knelt down to receive Hughie’s warm hug. 

“I’ll make sure Erik doesn’t get into any trouble,” Hughie whispered to me.

“I know you will.” I kissed his forehead. “I’ll send your sisters their love. Maybe once the babies get bigger, we’ll all go visit them.”

I left that evening, arriving at my daughters’ bedsides late the next day. They had always been in sync, even as babies. It didn’t surprise me they were both due around the same time. Their husbands were wonderful, outfitting a room in one of the houses for both of them, and I couldn’t have asked for better son-in-laws.

One evening, while the girls slept, their husbands offered me a drink and drilled me with questions about babies and raising them.

“They told us about their father,” said one, a handsome black panther Rakshasa with golden eyes. “I don’t want that to happen to my family,” he declared staunchly. “I haven’t told her yet, but I’ve decided to quit the guard, just in case.”

“And what will you do?” I asked him.

“The armory,” he said. “I’ll be making repairs and learning how to fashion things. My dad was a blacksmith, so-”

I laughed. “Oh, I see. That’s what my Hugo was too, before he went to work in those mines,” I said with a bitter edge on my tongue. “I would much rather he had been a guard than ever worked there. You have nothing to worry about.”

My grandchildren were born the next day, first one and then the other. Two beautiful little Rakshasa babies, one as black as night, the other a tiny golden lion. I stayed with them for a few weeks, teaching their fathers how to do things around the house, as well as change diapers and various other necessary tasks. I went home, excited to see my sons and report back on their brand new squirming niece and nephew. 

But when I got home, I found a stranger in my house. Erik was in a panic, rushing from downstairs to grab hold of me.

“Oh, thank god, Mom!” he cried, weeping miserably into my shoulder.

“Where’s Hughie?” I gasped. “What’s wrong?”

“It happened two days ago!” he blubbered. “We’ve been working, trying-” Erik was speaking so fast and was barely making any sense. The man behind him came up and pulled him away, making him sit down.

“He hasn’t slept at all,” he told me. “He’s been over at the mine this entire time.”

I furrowed my brow in disbelief. “The mine?”

“Hughie-” Erik sobbed. “We wanted to go fishing. We cut through the blocked-off area around the mine. We’ve done it a thousand times, but-” He broke down again, sobbing uncontrollably.

“There was a collapse,” the young man comforting Erik replied. “Hughie fell in.”

“My baby-” I was ready to choke. “Is he--? Oh god, is he--?”

“He’s still alive. He’s hurt, but he’s down there. We’ve been trying to find a way to get to him these past two days, but we’re afraid that mine will collapse more if we even get near it.” The young man said. 

“Have you thrown him a rope?” I was beginning to lose my mind. I had never felt such an overwhelming pressure and loss of control, not since Hughie was born.

“If more than one of us stands near the edge, the rock will collapse from the weight. We’re doing everything we can, but--”

I rushed from the house before he could finish. 

As I approached the mine, I saw people gathered all around. Some were just onlookers wanting to shove their noses into everything, others were there trying to find a way to get Hughie out. I pushed through them all, running towards the sinkhole my son had been trapped inside. I was grabbed as I tried to force my way towards the edge.

“Hughie! Hughie!” I screamed. 

“Ma’am, you need to get back! You could fall in too!” 

“That’s my son!” I kicked the man holding me back in the crotch and raced ahead. The ground was feeble where I stood, and I could feel it slipping away even then. I looked down inside, seeing only a deep inky blackness within.

“Hughie!” I cried out. “It’s Mama, I’m here!” I snapped my head back as men approached me. “Don’t fucking touch me!” I looked back to the hole. “I’m coming, baby! Don’t you worry! I’m coming, I promise!”

“Mama,” the voice was faint and so far away, but I could hear him.

“I’m coming!” I screamed at him. 

I rushed towards the entrance of the mine. I grabbed what supplies I could from those gathered around and tossed them in through the slates of wood. It had been sealed off ages ago, but I easily slipped through the boards and found myself inside. Everything was dark and quiet. I turned on the lantern, then tied a piece of rope to the entrance and started walking. 

I used chalk to mark off the walls, pointing towards the way I came. The deeper into the mine I went, I found more rope and tools I could use. I knew I didn’t have a lot of fuel for the lantern, so I would have to use it sparingly. 

Perhaps I had rushed this and gone into this cave blind. But I was doing this for my son, and I would have gone into the cave with nothing if I had to. I started to sing, hoping Hughie could hear me in some way and know I was there.

As I wound my way deeper and deeper into the mine, I found a pathway that was blocked off. One of the explosions had triggered it to collapse. I was flooded by an overwhelming fear that gnawed away at me with cold teeth. Hugo could easily be behind that wall of crushed rock. I felt sick to my stomach, and I had to sit down. I clasped my head in my hands, taking slow breaths to try and calm myself. I couldn’t allow myself to panic or fall deeper.

“Mama.” The voice was so close by that, for a moment, I thought I was hallucinating. “Mama!” I was tackled by a warm, strong hug. I grabbed Hughie up into my arms, holding him tight. 

“Oh, my baby!” I wept happily. “My baby! My baby!” I rocked him in my arms. I grasped his face between my palms, seeing a cut along his forehead and dirt smeared on his cheeks. “Are you okay?” I gasped.

“I need your help,” he said.

I frowned for a moment. “That’s why I’m here. I’m trying to get you out.”

“No,” he shook his head. “Not for me.” He grabbed hold of my hand. “There’s someone else down here.”

“Someone else?” I whispered as I got to my feet. “What are you talking about? You’re the only one down here, Hughie!”

“No, I heard him. He’s been helping me. He showed me to water and talked to me when I was scared. But he’s trapped down here, Mama.” Hughie squeezed my hand so tight. “Please, you have to believe me.”

I looked down into the darkness from which Hughie emerged. I grasped his hand in mine, rubbing my fingers along the back of his hand. “Did he tell you who he was? Did you see him?”

Hughie shook his head. “I’ve never seen him, I’ve only ever heard him. He said he’s been down here for a long time.” He led me away, the lantern revealing glittering objects in the walls. As we went further, I could hear water, and we soon came upon a flowing stream.

“He brought me here,” Hughie said. “He said as long as I stayed near the river, I would be okay and someone would find me. Then I heard you singing.” He looked up at me. “But he’s still trapped down here, Mama.”

“I don’t know what I could possibly do,” I whispered.

Hughie tugged on my hand. “He’s over here.” He brought me towards what I thought was just a wall of stone, but it was a gaping maw the stream flowed into. Inside the gap, I could hear the wind groaning and echoing. Its hollow reverberations rumbled in my mind and made me feel as if I was standing in a mausoleum.  

“H-hello?” I called into the maw. My voice came back at me, nearly screaming in my face. “My name is Lorina. Do you need any help?”

I heard nothing, only the sounds of my voice still echoing back at us. I looked down at Hughie, wondering for the briefest moment if he had been hearing things in his panicked state. 

“Get out.” The dark snarl rasped through my body, scraping against my bones, and curling itself in the haunted parts of my mind. 

I picked Hughie off the ground, clutching him close to me. I saw fire, lots of it. It started as a small spark at the far end of the massive cave, growing until it took shape and barreled towards the mouth. I could feel the heat of it breathing down upon me, and I ran with Hughie still in my arms. I rushed forward, forgetting where we had come from. I couldn’t find the path we had taken, so I ran around the stream as the creature continued to scream at us. 

I fell, tripping into a wall that crumbled against my weight. I clung to Hughie for dear life as we slipped through airy darkness, screaming until we fell into the water below. As we sank down into the icy depths, light began to flicker around us. Below, it was as if dozens of burning embers were floating up from the bottom of the underground lake. A hand came down into the water, pulling us out and setting us on land. 

Hughie and I gasped and panted, struggling to regain ourselves from such a horrifying experience. I looked back and saw that the fiery creature that had been chasing us was struggling to stay afloat. They clung to the rock Hughie and I were on, and their grip was beginning to weaken. 

“Come on,” I gasp, “let’s go,” I whispered to Hughie. 

I then heard the creature weeping. 

“Mama, he’s hurt,” Hughie whimpered.

I turned back, hearing the creature’s pitiful sobs as he tried to stay afloat. It looked like he couldn’t swim.

“Hurry!” Hughie reached out, grabbing one of the creature’s hands starting to pull.

I sighed, following my child’s kind example as I took the other hand. Bit by bit, we were able to pull the thing up onto the stone with us. The water flowed beneath us, but I still could not make out much of the creature against it - just a massive, dark outline of what could possibly be there.

“Thank you.” His low dark voice rumbled off the walls. “Thank you.” His next breath was a sigh of relief. 

“Are you okay?” Hughie asked.

I stood up, trying to get a sense of our surroundings. “Hughie, don’t talk to it.”

“He saved me,” Hughie scoffed.

“He tried to kill us,” I snapped back down at him. “We need to find a way out now, or we will die down here.” I stepped off the rock, finding a muddy bank. “I think we can walk across here. Hughie, give me your hand.”

“I’m not leaving him!” Hughie snapped at me. 

I frowned and stepped back onto the stone. “Can you get us out of here?” I growled down at the creature. 

“Yes,” he breathed. “But I am weak from the water.”

“What are you?” I asked. 

“I’m a Golem,” he replied. “I was left down here.”

“He’s hurt, I told you,” Hughie insisted. 

“Look, Golem, whoever you are,” I huffed. “I am not going to die down here and if I am, it will be because it was the only way to get my son out. If you fail us, I will see to it you will suffer even further down here.”

“Yes,” he coughed, sputtering out water. “You have my word. I just have-” he coughed again, wheezing horribly. “I just have one request.”

I furrowed my brow. “Go on.”

“Stay in front of me,” he wheezed. “Do not look behind you, no matter what.”

“We can do that,” Hughie readily agreed.

I frowned deeper, glancing to Hughie and then back to the Golem. “Is there a reason for this?” I asked.

“I will get you out,” he huffed. “But I will not be leaving with you. It is better this way.” He managed to rise up from the stone, and his figure melted into the darkness above us. “Walk along that path. It leads towards a cavern.”

I stood up, grabbing Hughie’s hand. The pathway was narrow, and the entrance to the cavern looked like it had been carved out recently. Ahead of us, there was a deep, amber glow, and when the pathway opened up I lost my breath.

Everything was gold, lit by a river of magma beneath us. The heat was indescribable, taking my breath away as my clothes dried, then were soaked again with sweat.

“All these riches,” I whispered. “They really do exist down here.”

“No one can have them,” the creature snarled behind us. “Keep moving forward, there is nothing for you here.”

The gold cavern led into a dark room where I could hear the magma moving in the walls. The room was steamy, but nowhere near as hot at the gold room. “Is that what is down here? What the Golems were forced to mine all those years ago?”

“Don’t ask questions,” the Golem insisted. “Keep moving forward.”

“It’s okay, Mama,” Hughie whispered to me.

There was a shove at the back of my shoulder. “Keep moving! We need to get away from the magma river before you can rest.”

I gave off a disgruntled sigh. “This would be easier if you just led the way. Just because you want to stay down here doesn’t mean you can’t.”

“It isn’t just that,” the Golem rumbled. “Just do as I say and it will make this journey a lot easier.”

“If you hadn’t have chased us, this wouldn’t have happened!” I barked back at him. “We would have been fine, and we would have found our way back without you.” I shook my head. “What was even the point of all of that? Rushing at us and screaming. Bursting into flames.” I grimaced, wondering if that was the last thing Hugo had ever seen. 

The Golem remained quiet.

“Uhm-” Hughie cleared his throat. “How were the babies?”

“They came at the same time,” I replied gently. “Both healthy and lovely little things. Vera had a boy, Violet had a girl.”

“How cute are they?” Hughie continued to try and distract me as we walked ahead. The further we got from the watery cavern, the brighter the Golem glowed behind us. 

“Extremely,” I sighed with a grin, remembering my grandchildren with pride. “Once we get out of here, we’ll plan a trip to see them, and maybe even move as far from these mines as possible.”

A low grunt escaped the Golem’s throat. He sounded almost pitiful.

“It isn’t the mine’s fault, Mama,” Hughie murmured, as if trying to defend the Golem. “The Rakshasa royals overmined it, and they hurt a lot of people. I stepped too close even though Erik warned me.”

“Why?” I glared through the shadows at him. “You were supposed to mind your big brother! What were you doing so close?”

“I learned my lesson, if it helps,” Hughie grumbled. “But I saw something.” He reached into his pocket, fidgeting around. “I grabbed it as soon as the ground opened up. I can’t-” He tried to peer into his pocket.

The Golem then placed his hand over Hughie, illuminating him so he could dig into his pocket. “Here it is.” He held out the silver charm towards me. “It caught my eye.”

I took it from him, rolling it over in my palm. It was a small dented locket, caved in and unable to open. Along the back, there were initials engraved: H.S. and L.S.

“This must be some sort of trick,” I mumbled to myself. “This was-” I took in a breath, but could not quite breathe right. I felt dizzy, and the room around me started to spin. I stumbled, falling backwards into the Golem’s hands. He held me up, picking me off the ground and tossing me onto his shoulder.

“We need to get her out of here. Now,” the Golem said to Hughie.

Hughie led the way while the Golem gave him orders. My vision blurred and became dark, shrinking to a pinpoint between blinks. I could hear water again and the Golem laid me down on the soggy bank. Hughie gave me water. It tasted like copper and was a little warm, but I was happy to have it. After a few moments and some deep breaths, I sat up from the ground.

“I didn’t mean to scare you like that,” I muttered.

“The air is thin down here,” the Golem whispered from the shadows. “Not to mention the heat, and mixed with how long you have been in here already, it didn’t add up well.”

“How long will it take us to get out?” I asked in the direction his voice came from. “How far away are we?”

“Let’s just say no mortal man has ever come this far, but you will be out sooner rather than later,” the Golem chuckled.

“Hughie has already been down here two days!” I snapped.

“I had food then, the lunch I took when Erik and I were going fishing. He took care of me too in the beginning,” Hughie replied. “I’m fine, Mama.”

“Hughie,” I tried to coax him. “It still doesn’t explain why he tried to kill us before.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill you!” The Golem snapped.

“You didn’t have to! All you needed to do was light up and scream. You didn’t have to chase us at all.” I glared into the darkness. “Are you trying to keep people away from that fortune back there?” I asked. “I don’t want any of it. This mine is cursed as far as I can tell. It took from me once already, and it’s trying to take from me again.”

The place was deathly quiet except for the sounds of the stream. I placed my head on my knees as Hughie sat there, quiet as can be, staring at the silver locket he had found.

“My dad died down here,” Hughie grumbled out. “He was working in the mine and it started to collapse. He didn’t get out in time.”

“He-” The golem’s voice sounded shaky as he tried to speak. “He would not be down here after all this time if that is-”

“Of course he’s not alive!” I yelled at him. “He’s gone! He’s been gone! He was gone even before the mine collapsed. As soon as he started working in this mouth of hell, he was taken from me and his family! His kids grew up without him!”

“Mama,” Hughie tried to calm me down.

“His son never even knew him! All because of this fucking mine!” I took a rock from the ground, chucking it across the cave. I could hear it clatter and fall, plunking into water somewhere in the shadows I could not see. 

I sniffled and rubbed my tears away, feeling grit from mud on the back of my hand. “I won’t let it take me or my son,” I scoffed with a whimper. “I won’t allow it.”

After a long moment of silence, the Golem’s body started to glow from behind the boulder where he was sitting. “We should keep moving, then. If you feel you are able.”

I sniffled and stood on my feet, wobbling for a moment until Hughie took my hand. “I can keep moving.”

“Then follow the river for as long as it will let you.”

I turned around, letting the Golem rise from his hiding place. We continued our trek through the mine until Hughie grew exhausted and could no longer walk. We stopped to sleep, but I could not find rest no matter how hard I tried. Hughie slept in my lap, and that was good enough for me.

I sang softly to him, running my fingers through his thick black hair. It had the same kinky, curly texture his father’s had. It grew in the same perfect ringlets, and was so thick I had to fashion a special comb just for it. Violet, Vera, and Erik’s hair was almost the same, but it was thinner and easier to manage. They all had the same beautiful earthen skin, although Hughie’s was darker, just like his father’s. 

Hugo had been one of the most popular men in our old village. He was known for his skill, his charisma, and his strength. Long before I met him, I had heard him spoken of often. It wasn’t until a fateful encounter at the pub that we met. I was being harrassed, had my skirt flipped up, and Hugo punched the offender into the wall. He walked me home and came by the next day to check up on me. By the end of the year we had met, we had married. He kept his hair long then, wrapping it into braided cords decorated with charms, but he decided to cut his hair short when we had the twins, because it hurt less than having them swing by his braids. It’s not a new story at all, but for us, it was special. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” The Golem dragged me from my thoughts.

“I can’t,” I grumbled.

“I am keeping watch, you’ll be fine.”

“It’s not that,” I scoffed. “I just… can’t.” I rolled my eyes and slouched back. “I keep trying and trying, but sleep doesn’t come, rest doesn’t reveal itself.”

“Try again,” the Golem replied.

I glared towards his glow on the other side of the boulder. “You try,” I snapped. 

The Golem chuckled. “Golems do not rest like humans do.”

I rolled my eyes. “Obviously,” I grumbled under my breath. “How long have you been here?” I asked him. “The Golem Uprising was well over a hundred years ago. You haven’t been down here that long, have you?”

“I have been down here as far back as I can remember,” he answered.

“Then-” I hesitated. “Do you remember anyone who was in these mines? Do you know what happened to cause them to collapse?”

“If you are asking me if I know the fate of your husband, I do not know the answer to that, Lorina,” the Golem replied. “Do not ask me. You got your answers years ago. He’s dead. He’s gone. Do not cling to ghosts who do not exist anymore.”

I held back the painful lump in my throat. “Was it you?” I asked. “Did you cause it?”

The Golem growled low. “Lorina, I told you, do not ask me.”

“They said that King Reule left a curse on this place. Was it you? Did he leave you here to seek his vengeance?”

The Golem snarled, his glow becoming frighteningly bright, and then he blurted out, “I am getting you out of here! You should just be grateful!”

Everything went still then. I took small breaths as the quiet became a ringing in my ears. “What did you say?”

“Be grateful, Lorina,” the Golem whispered. “I’m doing this for you.”

I sniffled, wiping at my face as more tears came. “What happened?” I whispered to him. “Please, I want to know.”

“You don’t,” the Golem answered.

It was becoming clearer to me, something I should have noticed long ago. “Please. Maybe then I’ll fall asleep.”

“I am not the curse,” the Golem sighed. “Reule was much smarter than that, much too kind to leave someone behind. His words are all over these mines,” he whispered. “His gospel, his vision. He left them in every dark corner where someone who was in need of them could find them. The words of good men are hard to come by, especially when they are wise.”

The Golem hesitated for a moment and I could hear him shifting behind the bolder. “I found his words when I was at my darkest and lowest point. I read them, discovering them bit by bit in the stone. King Reule wasn’t trying to curse this place at all. It was a warning, he wanted to protect people from what lay down in these mines, not harm them.”

I tilted my head back. “The gold room?”

“That was only the beginning. Men can’t survive down there, but greed could. When Reule found the gold room, he knew what he had to do. The rebellion had been building, but finding that and knowing how hearts can be turned, he had to protect the secret.”

“That’s what you did,” I whispered. “You knew about the gold room, so you had to keep people away. The men who were working the mine would die trying to get to that gold. If Hari knew about it-”

“He wouldn’t stop. He’d do whatever it took to get it, including trying to get the Golems back. It wouldn’t be worth it,” the Golem whimpered.

At this point, in my heart, I could feel the truth all around me. “So you sacrificed yourself. You risked everything to protect people you didn’t know, creatures you’d never met-” I swallowed as my mouth started to grow dry. “That’s what you meant by ‘be grateful’, wasn’t it, Hugo?”

“It was. I-” he stopped suddenly and went very quiet after that.

I moved Hughie from my lap, using my shawl as a pillow for his head. I moved to the other side of the boulder, and the Golem’s arm moved away. 

“Hugo,” I whispered to him. “Is that you?”

“I told you not to look at me,” he said in a shuddering breath. “I just wanted to get you out of here! I don’t want you to see me.”

“But don’t you understand, that is all I want! It is all I ever wanted! All these years, Hugo!” I started to sob. “All I ever wanted was to see you suddenly walk through the door. Erik is grown, the girls have babies of their own!” I fell to my knees. “All we’ve ever wanted was you back.”

“You don’t know me anymore,” Hugo whimpered. “I am not the man I was, Lorina. I did die. I am gone!”

“The locket Hughie found-” I whispered. “It was yours.”

Hugo let out a strained cry. “I kept it with me, always. That day in the mine, after I left that morning, I lost it. I must have dropped it outside. I searched for it… those first few days trapped. I searched, I did… It was all I had.”

“You were still alive?” I gasped.

“I fell into the same lake you did,” he whispered. “I stayed there for days, searching for a way out. I had to end it myself.”

“Hugo,” I whimpered.

“Obviously, something else happened,” he growled. “I woke up… changed.”

“Only the heart of Golem,” I murmured. “You did what king Reule wanted, his words saved you.”

“But I could never see you again,” he cried. “Not like this!”

I stepped around the boulder, placing my hand on the warm stone that was now his shoulder. His body was made from heavy stone that resembled obsidian. There were seams and openings all along his body that revealed the liquid magma inside him.

“All I ever wanted was to see you too, Lorina.” He placed his hand over mine.

I fell into his lap, wrapping my arms around him. He held me tight, his strong arms locking me in place. The rocks around his mouth parted, revealing a pair of lips that kissed mine. I cupped my hands around his face, crying as I kissed my Hugo for the first time in ten long years. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered to me.

“It’s okay,” I laughed. “It’s all okay now!” I smiled up at him. “You’re here. You’re here.” I clung to him again, capturing another kiss. 

“Hughie,” he whispered softly. “When did he-” his voice choked off.

“I was in labor when I received in the news,” I told him. “Hughie is for Hugo.” I stroked my palm against the stone of his cheek. “How could I not name him for you?”

Hugo bowed his head so that our foreheads pressed together. “I should have known you would do that.” He smiled at me. “I didn’t know who he was until you appeared. I wanted you out of here so badly, I lost myself for a moment.”

“Mama?” Hughie grumbled sleepily. “Mama, where are you?”

I stood up and went back to him. “I’m right here, baby.”

Hughie’s eyes grew wide as Hugo stood over us. “We’re not supposed to see you!” He cups his palms over his eyes.

“It’s okay, baby,” I coaxed him. “We talked.” I looked back at Hugo as he knelt down on his knee. “I know this may be hard to believe, but this Golem was… is your father.”

Hughie stared at me, confused for a long moment. He then looked back at Hugo. “That’s my dad, but…” He shook his head slowly. “How?”

“He did a remarkable deed,” I told him, “and the Golem saved his life for it.”

Hughie stepped closer to Hugo. His hand slid into Hugo’s and he looked him over. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” his small voice trembled.

“I can’t wait to hear everything about you,” Hugo said with a bright smile. 

As we made our way toward the mouth of the cave, we met Erik already deep inside, having followed my arrow markings and rope towards the hole in the cave that led to the lake. All his efforts were met with derision and everyone told us we were possibly dead. He embraced me and Hughie tightly, keeping his little brother in his arms until we exited the cave. Seeing Hugo, it was almost as if the two were connected. They had always been close when he was a little boy, and when Hugo spoke his name, Erik knew right away who he was. 

Erik made sure we ate once we got home. He stuffed Hughie and me to the point that Hughie fell into a deep sleep. Erik then spent hours talking to his father, telling him everything about his life. How he opened the blacksmith shop and learned the trade because of how much he admired him. How he took care of me and Hughie. He soon passed out with his little brother, leaving Hugo and I alone.

“I can’t believe it,” Hugo whispered. “Seeing him again, it just… He’s grown. Last I saw him, he was that skinny little awkward thing.”

I smiled at him. “He grew into himself, that’s for sure.” I then touched my cheek. Last time Hugo had seen me, I was still young and beautiful. I now looked like all the other doughy housewives, with crows feet stamped onto my eyes, and lines around my mouth. Not to mention the horrible veins on my legs, the pudge of my stomach, and the way my arms sagged.

“You did it alone?” Hugo whispered. “All those years… You never found someone else?” He reached out, taking my hand in his. 

“I didn’t want to,” I murmured. “You were bad enough.”

Hugo kissed my forehead. His finger slid down my cheek and cradled my chin. “You’re still so beautiful,” he whispered. “That has never changed.”

The tears fell from my eyes. “You still light up a room, Hugo.”

He chuckled, wrapping me up in his tight embrace again.

We decided to visit Vera and Violet so they could see their father, and Hugo could see his grandchildren. We also made the decision to travel back to our hometown in the Cobra Strait. Golems were not a rare sight there, as some worked for the pirate lords on the island. Erik, Hughie, and Hugo opened a new blacksmith shop together.

As the years went by, Erik grew and married a handsome young nobleman who took him to his home in the Polar. His letters talk about their romance, and how happy he is, and how he wishes we could visit. Hughie grew into a handsome young man himself, resembling his father more and more with the years. He married a girl on the island, a pretty thing who bore him a daughter named Lorelei. 

As I grew older, Hugo and I decided to travel to the Dimgrin mountains where the Golem resided. There, Hugo met with his kind. After word spread, he met with King Habbar, whose grandfather’s spell had saved his life and turned him into a Golem.

We decided to stay there, and I even made the wedding dress for Habbar’s bride when they were married. I received a letter recently from Hughie, concerned about the recent uprising of a centaur named Demir, as well as the recent courtship of my granddaughter to a pirate named Atticus. My grandson, Kalidas, Amit’s main general, visited me recently when Amit came to talk with Habbar. He’s such a strapping young man, and has told me all about my first great-grandchild. 

I’m too old for travel, and too old for war at this point. So I’ll remain in Dimgrin, even after I am gone. Perhaps I will see what happens in the future, but I am at peace knowing my family is happy and multiplying. My Hugo says there will be no one else after me, I was enough the first time, and too much the second time. But I do hope that, someday in the future, he will find comfort with someone again. If not, that’s fine too. All I want is for him to be happy where he is at. The future is too far away from me now, and I am fine with that. I have reached my horizon, and I will watch from it as long as the gods allow.