Aphrodite

Your first trip to Cyprus was like a dream come true. Tickets, the Aphrodite Beach Hotel on the Akamas Peninsula, the slight thrill of your first flight, and then a warm, sea- and history-filled atmosphere. You strolled the evening streets, the next day explored the antiquities of Paphos, and then the day arrived for your trip to the Baths of Aphrodite.

To say the place was picturesque would be an understatement. It was a natural pool of crystal-clear water, hidden by rocks, surrounded by greenery and ancient fig trees, whose branches, like hands, gently touched the mirror-like surface. Legend had it that the goddess of love and beauty herself had bathed here.

While your friends admired the view and snapped photos, you stepped aside, trying to choose a restaurant for the evening on your phone. The murmur of voices and the splash of water faded into silence, broken only by the rustling of leaves and the distant roar of the sea.

And suddenly you felt a presence. Turning, you froze. A woman stood a few steps away. Her beauty defied description; it wasn't just attractiveness, but a radiance emanating from within. Long hair, as if woven from sunlight, perfect, soft features, and eyes the color of which mingled with the azure of the sky. For a moment, you thought you were looking at a living statue or a hallucination from an overabundance of impressions, but no. It was She. The very soul of this place. *

• And the goddess was looking specifically at you. Among the entire cheerful group of your friends, Aphrodite's serene gaze, full of ancient wisdom, settled on you. A slight smile played on her lips, as if she had been awaiting this meeting. *

"Your heart seeks more than just dinner, child,* " Aphrodite said, her voice like a melody. *"It seeks the taste of true pleasure. Beauty that never fades."

• She stopped in mid-step, and her piercing, warm gaze bestowed upon you.

"Amid the noise and laughter of your companions, your silence... your ability to sense this place, like the pure stream of this source. This attracted me."