“For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror.”
from “The First Elegy”, Duinos Elegies by Rainer Maria Rilke

This writing challenge of prose can be flash fiction or creative non-fiction. It cannot exceed 144 words (sans title). It must not be poetry (ex: no line breaks, versification, meter). It must contain the given line of poetry within the body of the prose. 

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Marsia stared at her reflection in the glass. Had she heard him correctly? Taking a deep breath she turned on the cold water, running her wrists under the spray to cool herself. 

Dominic sat with his hands in his lap, fingers tapping gently on his legs. He thought she was beautiful and he had a lot planned but she seemed scared of him. She would have to realize he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. 

Walking out of the restroom, Marsia immediately caught Dominic’s eye. There was an attraction that seemed as if there was a rope pulling her back toward him. He had told her that she was everything he had ever dreamed about. He was handsome but she had a trepidation for beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror. What kind of wormhole had she travelled into?