F
Foxbat
Guest
I don't have a title, nor the name of the author. It was a short story, written within the an anthology science fiction series, probably dating around 1970-1980's.... The premise of the story is about a young painter who comes to a certain planet, habited by regular people as well as aristocratic feminine alien creatures, I believe called "sylphs" (?), who are shaped in human female form, but are much more beautiful compared to human female. Men are drawn to them, but if they end up sleeping with them, they gradually and slowly die, though most men are willing to do this just to experience the short-lived happiness next to them. Once their lover or husband dies, the sylph goes into some sort of mythical ocean where she is re-born and ready to attract another human male. The painter is approached by one of those creatures while he was trying to paint the local beach, and invited him to her house, where she and her dying husband lived, to paint her portrait. Her name was Madelyn. The painter, taken in by her beauty, agrees to paint her. Her husband eventually dies and Madelyn opens up to the painter. Their mutual liking becomes a friendship, and eventually love, and since she's considered a "widow", the painter can make love to her without being hurt. At the end of the story the painter finds out that each sylph is controlled by a crystal cup with some sort of a substance from ocean in it, which allows them to re-born and re-marry. But Madelyn compares it to a prison. The painter breaks the cup, and Madelyn feeling freed, and after thanking him, runs back to the mystic ocean never to return. The painter gets kicked out of the planet.
Anyways, if someone ever read this and still remembers the title of the story or name of the author, I would really appreciate if you would pass the information. I appreciate your help!
Anyways, if someone ever read this and still remembers the title of the story or name of the author, I would really appreciate if you would pass the information. I appreciate your help!