検索キーワード： ナレーター "Rebecca West" すべてのカテゴリー

This essay comes from the NPR series This I Believe, which features brief personal reflections from both famous and unknown Americans. The pieces that make up the series compel listeners to rethink not only what and how they have arrived at their beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

When prominent don and celebrity TV historian Peter Devanti dies after dining at High Table, his colleague Gilbert suspects foul play and invites his former student Simon Harrison, a disillusioned health and safety officer, to investigate. Meanwhile, Simon’s former girlfriend Zoe, a freelance journalist, arrives to write an article about Devanti’s death, reopening old wounds for Simon.

Rudyard Kipling’s best loved book, full of timeless and beloved tales of adventure. The story of Mowgli, the abandoned "man-cub" who is brought up by wolves in the jungles of Central India, is one of the greatest literary myths ever created. As he embarks on a series of thrilling escapades, Mowgli encounters such unforgettable creatures as the bear Baloo, the graceful black panther Bagheera, and Shere Khan, the tiger with the blazing eyes.

By the time an agathos woman reaches twenty-five, she's supposed to be one thing, and one thing only: Bonded. I'm zero for four soul bonds, a disgrace to my family, and the black sheep of my community. It had me feeling reckless. Impulsive. Daring. In a moment of weakness, I let the darkness lurking inside of me rule, and it changed everything. I was supposed to embrace the light, but how could I fear the dark, when it brought me Riot?

Five years ago, in a moment of hubris, I ruined my life. I made my choices, and I live with the curse that haunts me. I've found purpose in ensuring no other Keres makes my mistakes, and I was prepared to go through the rest of my days in lonely silence. Until her. Grace came into my town, into my life, and changed everything. As hard as I try to stay away, to keep my curse from touching her, it doesn't matter. The gods are watching Grace. They're not going to let her go unscathed.

Every night of her life, I've visited my Amazing Grace in her dreams. Every morning, she wakes up with zero recollection of it. Does it hurt? Well, a little, honestly. But that doesn't matter because the time has come for us to meet in real life. This is our moment. I'm ready to show her all the reasons why I'm her best soul bond—sorry not sorry, Riot. But it seems the Goddess of Night doesn't love me and my girl as much as I thought she did because just when everything was starting to work out, things get complicated.

I've watched from the sidelines as my friends found themselves bound to the same agathos. I've stood aside and wondered if she was mine. I've watched, I've waited, I've hurt. And I've wondered. Finally, the time for all that is over now. I've arrived in Greece and it's time to find out if a little of my soul belongs to an agathos too. And if it is . . . How can I live with that? Knowing what the agathos have done? The pain they've caused me?

By the time an agathos woman reaches twenty-five, she's supposed to be one thing, and one thing only: Bonded. I'm zero for four soul bonds, a disgrace to my family, and the black sheep of my community.