THE THREE LIVES OF CHRISTINA THE ASTONISHING (#48)

As Told by the Holy Woman in Her Own Words
A Hundred or So Years after the End of the World

On the surface all was well, but inside I felt restless. I was happy to give up performing feats with my indestructible mortal body and concentrate instead on my powers of mental insight. It was surprising, and gratifying, to discover I could remember the future better than the past. But was this all Giver intended for me when I came back from the dead—to be a despot’s tame lackey, debasing Giver and myself with cheap predictions whose main function was to keep him in power? One day I told the Duke I needed to go away for a while. For I did love being alone as much as I loved being seen by people; the two desires constantly warred with each other inside me. But I knew if I were to continue remembering the future accurately, I needed time alone to commune with Giver. He scowled. “If you don’t come back, I’ll put your sisters’ heads on pikestaffs.”
I promised to return in two weeks.

(to be continued tomorrow)