Slippery Shadows

I R I S Iris' bare feet slipped against the rocks as waves crashed against them, black and cool. 'I can do this', she thought as her toes slid down the merciless stone in search of a grip. Her hold on the bottle tightened as that sinking feeling in her gut started pulling her downwards. Her other hand outstretched, she caught a crevice and pulled herself up. Slithering up the rock, using all the limbs at her disposal, she made it to the top. At first, she took a moment to catch her breath and stare at the skies above, clear like a window into a spotted universe. Stars beyond counting burned through the night. "Dear Gods and Godlings!" she called, suddenly propping herself up, bottle scraping against the rough surface below. "I come to you with offering of divine nectar!" She placed it on the altar with a loud clink and dug into her pockets, emptying them of the salty cake that had been meant to soak up what she'd drunk. She placed the cake on the damp rock beside the sweet liquor. Iris had been avoiding this shrine. It could voice a truth she wasn't prepared to hear. Dead or alive, she mourned Elias all the same. Instead, she came to the shrine to ask for assistance in running away as opposed to facing more unpleasant realities. "I have triumphed the trial of the rock, and humbly ask for a boon." She declared, dramatically, voice resonating with awed reverence. Then she got to staring at the statue's feet. She'd never seen a god's feet. She wondered about that.