Coming Together: For Gabrielle
By Alessia Brio
()
About this ebook
Coming Together: For Gabrielle is a multi-author anthology of sensual fiction & poetry edited by EPPIE Award-winning author, Alessia Brio. ALL proceeds from the sale of this volume benefit BLISS, the U.K.’s premature baby charity.
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CHARITY!
Alessia Brio
Take one part Appalachian redneck, one part aging wet dream, and one part filthy-minded wordsmith. Mix well and serve with chocolate-covered cherries. There you have the one and only Alessia Brio. Alessia writes all colors and flavors of erotica, from heterosexual to menage to same sex, and from twisted to humorous to deeply touching. (Sometimes, usually by accident, it even qualifies as romance.) Her work has earned her critical acclaim in the form of a few EPIC eBook Awards for Best Erotica, a couple Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and a Romantic Times Top Pick in addition to a plethora of glowing online reviews.Not all of Alessia's publications are allowed here on Smashwords due to censorship. Readers interested in the full catalog are encouraged to visit her label's website at www.PurpleProsaic.com
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Coming Together - Alessia Brio
Introduction
For three days in the fall of 2006, an Internet writers' community came together in a heart rending vigil for a tiny baby girl, born before her time and taken from this world far too soon. In her precious hours with us, however, Gabrielle reached more hearts than most people do in decades. Her life was not measured by the number of breaths she took but by the depths of compassion she inspired.
Anyone who bore witness to this event can never again claim that online relationships are not real—or that they are in any way, shape, or form lesser than those taking place offline. The virtual candles glowed just as brightly, the e-hugs were just as warm, and the abundance of love just as palpable. I know that I, for one, will never be the same.
Many of the stories and poetry contained in this volume of Coming Together were written in the wake of Gabrielle's passing. Unlike other volumes in the erotic cocktail series, this one is often sensual, but it is not explicit. It carries a theme of hope. Proceeds from its sale will be donated to BLISS, the U.K.'s premature baby charity.
Your purchase will help the next baby who leaves the womb too soon take more breaths and touch more lives. Thank you.
~ Alessia Brio
editor
www.eroticanthology.com
I Believe
© Luna Fae
The Tiny Angel
© Scarlett Doutant
In memory of Gabrielle.
In tribute to her loving parents.
______________________________
The Creator wishes to see you, Small One. Please be swift.
The Tiny Angel sped through the gold and silver avenues as fast as her small wings would carry her. She had appeared in the Starry Realm only a short time ago, and already the Creator had requested her presence. It was so exciting. There had been much to see and comprehend since her arrival, but everyone she met was kind and helpful.
Some of the senior angels were intimidating at first. Michael, who had given her the message and sent her on her way, had a voice that rumbled like thunder in a mountain pass. The Tiny Angel was not afraid; his smile was as comforting as his flaming sword and shield were menacing.
Finally, the Creator's sanctum sanctorum was in sight; two immense seraphim standing guard at the golden doors, their flaming swords at the ready. The Angel hovered before them and said in her tiny voice, The Creator has summoned me. May I enter?
Welcome, Small One, you may enter,
spoke the seraphim on the left, in a voice that crashed like ocean waves on a rocky cliff.
The Creator will see you now,
spoke the seraphim on the right, in a voice like autumn winds through a forest.
The ponderous doors swung wide, and the Tiny Angel passed through into an enormous gilded hall. She saw the Creator surrounded by a halo of light that outshone the brightest of stars. The Tiny Angel's wings fluttered excitedly as she neared the Creator's presence, and she felt the power and majesty coursing through her.
She tried to concentrate on the Creator's face, but it rippled and shifted, resembling in turn each one of the races and sexes in the universe. Finally, she averted her eyes, relaxed, and listened attentively to the Creator's voice. It was like no other voice she had heard since she arrived in the Starry Realm. It was the music of the spheres, the spiraling of galaxies, and the expanding waves of the universe. It was all these things, yet the Tiny Angel understood the Creator perfectly. Such were the gifts bestowed upon her since her arrival.
How are you faring, Tiny One?
the Creator asked. He already knew, of course, but he apparently wished to put the Tiny Angel at her ease.
Oh, I am well, Creator,
she answered. Everyone that I have met has been very kind and helpful. The Starry Realm is so large, and I am so tiny, yet I already feel very much at home here. How may I be of assistance to you?
she asked.
It is I who choose to assist you, Tiny One,
the Creator replied. Behold.
An image appeared before the Tiny Angel. She stared intently at two figures standing close together on an emerald green surface.
What is this place, Creator? Who are those beings, and what are they doing?
This place is called a cemetery, Tiny One,
the Creator replied. Those beings are your parents, and they are mourning your loss.
But I am not lost, Creator. I am here with you in the Starry Realm.
You are lost to them, Tiny One,
the Creator said gently. They loved you very much.
A gleaming halo of light appeared around one figure and then the other as the Tiny Angel watched. This woman bore you in her womb until you emerged in their world, and this woman loved and cared for you both after you were born. Now they weep for you and for one another.
Pardon me, Creator,
the Tiny Angel said, bowing her head, but why was I summoned to your side after such a short time? Should I not be with my parents so they will not weep?
In the Starry Realm, there are many Mysteries that will be revealed to you in time, Tiny One,
the Creator replied. Suffice to say that your Ultimate Destiny is here and in time, you will understand everything.
I wish to comfort my parents, Creator,
the Tiny Angel said, her wings becoming a blur. May I do so, please.
Of course you may, Tiny One,
said the Creator kindly, his reason for summoning her fulfilled. They cannot see or hear you, and your touch will feel like a soft spring breeze, but go to them. You will find a way.
* * *
Riding in a shaft of brilliant light emanating from the Creator's glowing aura, the Tiny Angel appeared in the cemetery before her weeping parents. Now I am here, but how may I comfort them? she wondered. True to the Creator's words, her attempts to brush their tears away or touch their hair and faces were like a gentle breeze in springtime, felt but hardly noticed.
The Tiny Angel then noticed the numerous bouquets of flowers at her parents' feet, and she knew they were there in memoriam. Creator,
she cried, her voice no longer tiny, grant me the ability to console my parents. I wish to give them a sign that I am with you and that I am happy.
Granted, Tiny One,
came the reply, and the Tiny Angel felt the Strength of the Infinite coursing through her body. Swooping down, she touched each wilting flower in turn, returning them to their initial, freshly-cut vibrancy. The women ceased weeping and fell to their knees, grasping bunches of the newly revived flowers in their hands, smiling at one another and gazing upward at the sky in wonder.
The Tiny Angel hovered before them, content that her gesture told her parents that she was at peace and with the Creator for all Eternity.
Do not weep, my parents,
she cried exultantly. I am always with you. I am the rosy glow of first morning light and the silvery shine of the moon on still waters. I am the first blossom of spring and the last leaf of fall. I am the warmth of the summer sun and the new-fallen snow of winter. I am the rain from clouds and the ground beneath your feet. I am the passing of the seasons, and I am one with the endless progression of time.
Then the Tiny Angel felt the pull of the Creator calling her home to the Starry Realm. Farewell for now, my parents,
she cried as she spiraled upward. "We shall