Innocence

The first thing Lucy noticed when she arrived to Sin was the smell: a soft, almost imperceptible smell of what she thought were cherries and something else, something she could not quite describe; at first, she thought this to be odd. You see, Lucy was from the country side, and had only arrived to Sin -her dream city- that afternoon. Like many girls her age, Lucy had traveled from her house to the big city trying to make a better life for herself, and, after hearing so much about the city light's, about how they blazed like tiny stars night and day without a pause, or about the people, the fun-loving amiable people, it struck her as odd that the first thing she noticed above anything else, was the smell.

It wasn't as if it was disgusting or anything like that -in fact, she quite enjoyed it- it was just strange. As she went deeper inside the city, she found that she could sense the smell getting stronger: now she got not only a whiff of strawberry, but a hint of homemade pie, and still that something else she could not bring herself to name, at the very best she could only say it was a soft, tender fragrance, almost imperceptible amidst the rest of the odors that formed part of it (then again, she knew that, without that infatuating smell -for there was no other way to describe it- the rest of the odors would simply break apart, diffusing in the cold night air). after a few minutes of -literally- sniffing around, Lucy finally arrived to the source of the smell: a small house that looked as if it were going to fall down any minute, in which doorsteps lay sitting an old lay, busy peeling a basket full of apples; as she approached the house, the old woman turned to her with a smile, and as Lucy lay motionless, basking in the smell that had brought her there, she spoke in a voice that sounded not unlike the age of a teenager: "its innocence my dear, what you smell? it is called innocence"

"innocence?" Lucy responded, "what is that?"

"it is what you smell of" the old lady answered. Baffled by this response, Lucy decided it was time to go, for she still had to search for a place to stay, and so, bidding the woman goodbye, she departed, still so hypnotized by the smell that she only half heard the lady's parting words: "If you ever wish it taken away..." to Lucy, the rest of the sentence was lost between the thoughts inside her head.

The months passed and Lucy found out that life in Sin was not as they had told her: she'd spent every waking hour for the las couple of months looking for a job, only to be rejected time after time; It was as if the people did not want her to be near them, and everywhere she inquired, she got the same answer over and over again: "you smell of it, you're can't work here"; for Lucy, these words made no sense, until, one day, passing near to where the shattered old house was, she remembered the old woman's words. Was it really that? was this innocence she'd heard of the smell that had robbed her of a new life in the city? "well" thought Lucy "then I'm just gonna have to get rid of it", and, having made up her mind in that matter, she went straight to where she knew the woman would be.

"come in, darling come in" was the first thing Desire -as Lucy found out the woman was named- told her after hearing her plea "do have an apple will you? they're freshly picked", famished as she was (after all, not having a job meant cutting down not only on luxuries but necessities such as food) Lucy gladly accepted the offer, and had soon devoured the whole basket. "My oh my, filled up, have we?" asked teasingly Desire "well, as long as you're here, you may as well sleep a little, they say it is good after a snack"

"what about my problem?" asked Lucy "when will the smell go away?"

"Don't worry child, you shall soon be without it, I promise". Consoled by the words of such a kind lady, Lucy closed her eyes -for indeed they were a bit heavy after such a meal- and went to sleep.

The first thing Lucy noticed when she woke up was that the smell was gone, it had finally disappeared, and it wasn't until the thrill of this discovery was gone that she realized Desire had disappeared: she was nowhere to be found; She also found out two things as well, firstly, that her honor had been tainted, for there was blood in her clothes, and secondly, that it wasn't until she lost it, that she truly understood the meaning of Innocence: it is what we long for most when it has gone; On her way out, she saw a new basket full of freshly picked apples, and understood what it meant: she had a job now; without any other thoughts, Lucy carried the basket out to the doorsteps, and started peeling the apples.

Two months went by, the sun rising and setting and still Lucy sat on the doorstep, waiting, until, one day, she looked up to the street smiling melancholically: the smell of innocence was in the air...