Her Creator (Myths Retold)

by Normandie Alleman

  How did one even make things like this? It wouldn’t fit inside the studio where she was born.

  The more she got to know Ian, the more fascinated she became with him.

  His talent seemed boundless, and while he might be temperamental, she also thought he was a genius.

  He told her more about his work, and after a while they continued walking.

  Suddenly, a ball appeared out of nowhere and just before it hit her in the face, Galatea caught it with both hands.

  One of the young men who had thrown the ball ran over to retrieve it from her. As he moved toward her, his focus transferred from the ball to the person holding it.

  "Sorry about that, Miss. My bad."

  Galatea laughed. Then handed the ball back to him. "No problem."

  The young man’s gaze drifted from her face all the way down to her toes and back, pausing longer than necessary on her curves. "Hey, can I get your handle?"

  "Handle?" she asked, confused.

  Ian stepped between the two of them. "The lady is with me," he said gruffly. "Go ahead and be on your way."

  "Oh, sorry. My bad," the young man said again. He took a step back, holding his hands up in surrender, the ball tucked under his left arm.

  To Galatea’s surprise, Ian gave her a dirty look before turning away and calling over his shoulder, "Come on, let's go."

  What was wrong with him? Why did he have to be so possessive?

  She was obviously with him.

  Why did he have to act like such a jerk? Just because some dumb kid said something to her.

  She hurried to catch up with him, but he was in a bad mood the rest of the day.

  And no matter how hard she tried, she found it impossible to coax him out of it.

  For the next few days, he was as grumpy as a bear.

  Whenever she asked him to go somewhere, he told her he had to work. Each time, the look on his face told her that he heard her words, but her message wasn’t registering.

  A couple of times he made a snide remark insinuating that she only wanted to go out so she could flirt with other men.

  This made her want to scream.

  It felt like he was holding her captive.

  Finally, she woke up alone in their bed feeling like she couldn’t breathe.

  She had to get out of there.

  Tiptoeing through the apartment, she found Ian asleep in his studio slumped over a hunk of clay.

  Poor man. He was working himself to death to support her.

  And things between them were falling apart.

  Picking up Ian’s device that lay next to the bed, she punched the button she’d seen him call for transport before and requested someone come pick her up.

  Knowing Ian wouldn’t understand if she tried to talk with him, she recorded a voice message he would receive after she was gone.

  “Hi, Ian, I’m sorry, but this whole world is new to me, and I need some space to figure out who I am.

  “Now that I’m human, I am more than just your creation. I’m my own person, and I need to experience the world so I can learn about myself and grow. I love you. Goodbye.”

  Once she closed the door behind her, she felt able to breathe much easier and inhaled deeply.

  When the transport came for her she slipped inside.

  “Take me to the palace of the goddess Aphrodite.”

  9

  “You said to come to you if I needed anything.”

  Galatea stood before the goddess, her knees shaking a little.

  She didn’t know anyone else in the world besides Ian, so when she left his place, connecting with the goddess was the only thing she could think of to do.

  But when she arrived at the massive palace, the nerves kicked in.

  The guards kept her waiting for what seemed like forever, but she was finally granted her audience with Aphrodite.

  “I did, and what is it that you need?” the goddess asked, tapping her bottom lip with a blood red fingernail.

  "Mostly I just need somewhere to stay while I try to figure things out. It's been quite a lot to just come alive. At whatever age I'm supposed to be.

  “There are so many things I don't understand yet about the world, and me wanting to explore only seems to be upsetting Ian. I love him, but I just need a little space to get to know myself."

  "Well, of course you do. That makes perfect sense, and I'm thrilled to help you out. You can stay with me for as long as you like." The goddess’ lips curled into a smile.

  "Really? I don't want to be too much trouble."

  "No, no trouble at all. In fact, I would love to have you here under my roof."

  "Thank you ever so much."

  Aphrodite waved a hand to one of her handsome, shirtless men lining the walls, apparently there to do her bidding. "Show Galatea to her room. I believe we have a vacancy on the fifth floor. Yes, I think that would be nice."

  Galatea thanked her profusely then followed the man, whose back muscles were larger and more defined than she thought possible, to another wing of the palace.

  As they went, Galatea wondered how they found their way around this place.

  It was enormous.

  If she were ever on her own, she would totally get lost in this place.

  Looking around, she was surrounded by opulent furnishings and beautiful paintings.

  The walls were jewel encrusted. The floors consisted of elaborate inlaid patterns.

  This place made the little studio where she had been created seem inconsequential, and she felt a pang of guilt.

  She knew it wasn’t nice to have left Ian behind like that, but she had tried everything. Every time she tried to talk to him and explain her position, he either got angry or shut down.

  For now, her plan was to take a bit of time to explore the world and discover herself. Then she would return to him at a point when they would both be in a better place.

  She needed something to do with her time other than sit around his place.

  She needed to find a purpose. Hopefully, she'd be able to make him understand that one day.

  When they finally got to her room, the man opened the door and showed her inside.

  He attached a pretty gold comlet to her wrist and explained that if she needed anything all she had to do was swipe it past a sensor on the wall and someone would be there to provide whatever she needed.

  That sounded amazing. "You mean like food?"

  "Yes. We have a large kitchen staff, and if you need any toiletries or other items you may let them know that as well." He showed her some viewing glasses and left her to explore her new room.

  It looked like what she would have expected a young woman’s bedroom in a palace to look like.

  There was a nice large bed with platinum tone silk sheets, lovely artwork on the walls, and a sensuously textured chair that hung from the ceiling. Flower arrangements dotted the side tables, and the attached bathroom was sleek and modern with a massive soaking tub.

  Kicking off her shoes, she wiggled her toes against the plush carpet beneath her before settling onto a luxurious chaise lounge made of tufted lavender velvet.

  This was a place she could get use to.

  For the first few days, things went well.

  Galatea requested some print magazines, which apparently was a little unusual since most people perused digital content. But for her, there was something special about holding the pages between her hands that she really liked. It gave her a better feel for the content inside.

  Aphrodite's staff was able to find her everything from celebrity gossip magazines to fashion, lifestyle, and decor magazines. Perhaps it wasn't an accident that she was created by an artist and found herself drawn to the visual arts.

  It made her wonder if there might be some sort of art she could create herself. Of course, she wouldn't know where to begin, but she was starting to recognize some of the things that she enjoyed.

  She continued to watch hours of film and found some favorites that the kitchen
could make for her. They had a wicked chocolate mousse that she'd been warned would make her hips wider, but what did she care? It tasted delicious.

  So did their incredible omelets, club sandwiches, and chicken noodle soup. For some reason that was something that made her feel at home.

  The second day she was there she requested for someone to let Ian know where she was.

  The woman who brought her sandwich that day assured her it had been done.

  Galatea waited for him to come visit her or contact her in some way, but it never happened.

  After the first week, she decided she was ready to go outside and do some more exploring.

  When she went to leave, she found her door was locked.

  She had gotten dressed in a comfortable tracksuit Aphrodite's people had given her. Sporting new athletic shoes, she was ready to go out for a walk or a run—something to move her body and enjoy the fresh air, but she couldn’t get out.

  Raising her comlet, she spoke to the air. “Excuse me, but there appears to be a problem. My door is locked, and I can’t leave my room.”

  “Thank you for alerting us. We’ll send someone around to fix it.”

  That was the only response she received, even though she tried to contact them numerous times.

  Several hours later there was a knock at her door.

  She opened the door to find a large matronly woman standing there.

  Before Galatea had a chance to invite her in, the woman pushed past her and swiftly closed the door behind her.

  "Now, Galatea, it has come to my attention that you are interested in leaving,” the woman said, the set of her jaw tense. “But what could you possibly want that we do not provide here for you?"

  The big woman’s tone held a menacing quality, and Galatea surmised that not many people crossed her.

  "I wanted to go for a run, get some fresh air. I'm not really sure why that's not okay."

  The woman crossed to one of the large windows that flanked the room. "If you'd like some fresh air. You may press this button and it will open the top of the window. So there you go."

  "What about running?"

  "We have a few weekly exercise classes you may attend. If you'd like to get more information about them have them send it up with your dinner. You can sign up for the group classes where you can meet some of the other girls, but if you would like a treadmill brought in we could do that as well."

  "Other girls? You mean there are other girls who live here? I haven't met anyone."

  "No, you wouldn't. Aphrodite likes to keep the girls in their own rooms. It causes less trouble that way. But there are a few weekly events where you might come into contact with some of the other residents."

  "I don't quite understand though. If I would simply like to leave, why I can't do that? Is that what you're saying—that I can't leave?"

  "Well, I've seen that you are on Aphrodite's list to remain with us. You should feel quite grateful for her hospitality and from what I understand, you owe her not only for taking you in, but also for your very life. If I were you, I would learn my place and be happy with the station you are given."

  "My station? What does that mean?"

  "That's what I’m getting to. Over the next week, you will begin to train for your new position here. All the information will be given to you in advance, and you will have plenty of time to become comfortable with it."

  "I have no idea what you're talking about. What kind of training do you mean?"

  "As part of your arrangement with Aphrodite, while you remain here all your needs will be provided for, and in exchange, she only asks that you be willing to perform certain things on camera a few hours a week."

  Galatea frowned. "What kind of things?"

  "We are not a pornography site, but there are people who will pay good money to see beauty such as yours. When you were created, you were naked, I gather, so you should be perfectly comfortable showing your body."

  Galatea placed her hands on her hips. "For your information, I was not naked. I had clothes on, and I have no intention of being on camera without them."

  The woman closed her eyes and nodded like she had seen this before. "If you're going to take that approach, let me just recommend against it because we have had a couple girls over the years want to argue and rebel against the goddess, and it never ends well. In the end, you will give in, so you might as well make your life easier and give in right now. It's really not that bad."

  "Excuse me, I will get out of here, and I will not be taking off my clothes for your stupid cameras."

  With a sigh, the woman left the room.

  Galatea considered running after her, but noticed there were several of the gigantic, muscular men standing in the hallway, and she knew she wouldn't be able to get past them.

  The door closed behind the woman, and the deadbolt clicked in the lock.

  Galatea sank to the floor. What was she was going to do now?

  10

  Ian stared bleary-eyed into the mirror. He looked like shit with a stubbly, uneven beard and hair even wilder than usual. His skin appeared sallow, and his eyes were bloodshot from too much vodka and not enough sleep.

  It had been three days since Galatea disappeared in the middle of the night, and he still had no idea what had happened to her.

  At first, he thought she had been taken.

  But there were no signs of a struggle, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had probably driven her away with his sour temperament. He cursed himself for his volatile mood.

  He hadn’t given her enough freedom. He had treated her like a pet and not like a person, and he feared he would live to regret it for the rest of his life.

  For the last three days, he walked the streets asking people if they had seen her, wishing he had taken photographs of her so that he could pass them around and let people know she was missing.

  How could he possibly have forgotten to capture her image?

  He’d been so foolish to believe that she would always be there.

  And now he was left all alone with no one to blame but himself.

  Or not.

  Last night he had a dream that some dark force lured Galatea to it then consumed her. In the dream he felt a terrible sense of foreboding, and he tried to chase after her, but he couldn’t find her. Then he finally found her, and the last image in his mind before he woke was that of Galatea, arms outstretched, screaming for him, but being sucked into a funnel cloud and disappearing.

  What if someone or some thing had taken her? Maybe someone had seen her when they’d gone out and stalked her.

  Because if she left of her own accord, wouldn’t she have left him a note or something?

  As he squeezed toothpaste on his toothbrush, he recalled how it had bothered her he never put the cap back on the toothpaste. He always threw it away as soon as he removed it the first time.

  Hell, if he could have her back, he swore he’d put the cap back on the toothpaste every single time.

  Going back to the bedroom to get dressed, he glanced over at the bed.

  He imagined her there, snoring that adorable snorkel-y little snore that didn’t seem like it could come from as exquisite a creature as herself. He sat down hard on the side of the bed.

  How could he go on without her?

  His life hadn’t been that great before her. But she changed everything.

  It was as if when he created her, he brought to life the best of himself as well.

  Until the worst of him came out, and she had to pay the price for it.

  With a heaviness in his gut, he put on his shoes and went outside. He couldn't bear to be in the apartment or the studio without her there.

  Her absence in the place where she had once been now physically hurt him.

  Closing the door behind him, he started down the steps onto the street. He had only gone a few feet before something caught his eye.

  A camera at the bodega on the corner.

  How had he not
seen that before? Well, no matter. It was there.

  He saw it now and wondered if it was possible that it could have footage of his beloved Galatea leaving their apartment. He crossed the street so fast he was practically running.

  When he got to the bodega, he burst through the doors, grabbed a bottle of tea from one of the refrigerated cases, and plunked his pay chip down on the counter.

  He knew better than to ask something without buying something first in exchange.

  "That camera out there, the one facing the street, does it work?"

  The woman behind the counter squinted at him suspiciously. "Of course it works. Why?"

  "My girlfriend recently disappeared, and she didn't leave me a note. I'm scared there may have been foul play. We live just on the corner. I'll show you.

  He moved toward the window and pointed in the direction of their apartment. “Could I please look at the footage from three days ago? Maybe I could see who took her, or if she just left on her own. Then I can just move on."

  The woman frowned as she took his money and gave him back his change. "Foul play, you say?"

  "That's what I'm afraid of. If someone has taken her, then maybe we can see."

  "Did you contact the authorities?"

  "I don't know if it's warranted. Honestly, I'm just worried. Please, I would do anything to get her back. I just need to know how she left."

  The woman rolled her eyes. "You are lucky I'm a sucker for love. Come back in two hours and you can look at the footage. I will set it up in the back."

  "Oh, thank you so much. I'll be back in two hours." He let out a deep breath and left the store.

  When he returned, he combed through the footage on fast-forward for over three hours before he finally saw Galatea exiting their apartment and getting into a vehicle. She climbed into the backseat, but unfortunately, based on the direction the camera was pointing, he couldn't see the license plate of the car. But at least it was something.

  Maybe it was time to go to the authorities. If he was positive she left of her own free will, he would have to let it go, but what if someone coerced her to do something she didn't want to do? She was new to this world and incredibly naïve.