She was smiling as she said, "You just made all that up."
"Sure." I said smiling easily.
With a sparkle to her eyes Maria asked, "So what happened to the incestuous group of five siblings?"
"They were marooned on a desert island that had giants living on it."
Maria looked at me uncertain as to what that meant so I elaborated, "They got eaten."
Maria's eyes widened as she said, "You didn't make the story up did you."
I didn't say anything but I could see her mind racing with the possibilities.
"How long ago was this?" She asked casually.
I just smiled at her and she guessed that was all the answer that she would get so she settled for asking another question, "Did the story end well for the young king and his pirate queen?"
I sighed and looked down at the table, "It did, but fifty short years after they were gone their grandchildren and the people of the kingdom were sacrificing their children to a moon goddess."
Silence lengthened for a moment and I broke it by grabbing the bill and getting up. What more was there to be said of such a story?
I'd been trying to cheer her up and I had depressed myself with memories of the past.
I stepped up to the cash register and glancing around I found a box of chocolate bars. I threw two of them down with the bill and then moments later I walked out the door to where Maria was waiting on the street.
I tossed her one of the chocolate bars and she caught it with a surprised look.
"You like chocolate don't you?"
The look on her face was answer enough to that.
"Behold your desert. Now shall we return to the scene of our crime and see if the ant colony has calmed down yet?"
Maria did something then I'd never heard her do before, she giggled. It was a lovely sound.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maria lay awake in her bed by the window. She knew Elon was still awake.
"What part did you play in the story?" She asked softly into the soft gloom of the room.
There was a long pause, with the AC being the only noise within the room, before Elon responded, "I helped convince the pirate queen not to kill the son and I helped advise the old king early on in his reign."
Maria glanced over in the dark towards Elon, "Good night Elon."
"Good night Maria."
Time passed and Maria heard Elon's breathing even out into sleep. Sleep was far from her though. She turned over on her side to face the window.