The bonfire.
Walk through the woods, swim the river, climb the mountain, jump down and keep running.
She could see it.
Roaring gently.
The bonfire.
In the middle of nowhere.
Probably the woods? She had no clue.
She was lost.
But the fire.
A homely heat on a cold night.
A bright, confident light,
in the enveloping dark.
She decided to sit beside it.
It made her feel secure.
Soon before her eyes, gradually,
it began to grow in size.
This did not terrify her.
Instead, she felt like it may be an attempt,
an attempt to reach out.
Like extending a hand.
So she reciprocated the gesture.
And slid both her arms right into its flames.
As she sat there, she thought,
Do fires have a core? Like the sun?
If so, I want to look for it.
She crawled inside the big blaze.
Nothing. It was empty.
So she just sat there, in the midst of the fire.
Allowing the ribbons to lick at her skin and engulf her in what felt like a hug.
It did not burn her, only warmed her body and soul.
The fire had now grown as massive as a home.
The girl at the centre of it.
She had another thought.
I should talk to her.
“Hello”, said the girl.
“Hi”, said the fire, in a voice that betrayed her magnitude.
It was soft and quiet.
The girl was amused, she continued to speak.
“Why are you not burning me to death?”
“Well, why would I?”
“Are you protecting me?”
“Do you want to be protected?”
“Yes…”
“Okay, I shall protect you”.
“What will you protect me from?”
“Everything and nothing, I am here”.
I am here…
I am here.
The girl stood up and walked out of the fire.
The chill of the night could now sharply be felt in contrast.
But it didn’t bother her.
Her whole being was now cloaked with heat.
Clothes, hands, legs, hair, face, eyes, ears, fingers.
She gazed at the fire.
The fire crackled back.
“Who are you?”, the girl asked curiously.
“Whatever you want me to be, but for now, just a fire”.
Silence, a long silence.
And a swirling pool of thoughts.
The girl was feeling lost once more.
“Where can I find you again?”
A flame stretched out and flicked the girl’s forehead.
“Why but in your heart, silly!”
The girl felt a rush of emotions in her chest.
A fluttering sensation. A flickering spark.
“So… what do I do now?”
“Walk through these woods, swim the river, climb the mountain, jump down and keep running”, answered the fire in a wise tone.
The girl followed her instructions.
She reached the top of the mountain.
And looked below.
The fire was there, waiting.
The girl smiled to herself, took a leap and closed her eyes.
The fire caught her in a blaze of glory,
placed her down delicately,
and nudged her to continue on.
The girl glanced back for a moment,
then ran with all her might and fury.
She ran and ran and ran…
screaming like a warlord,
who had just won the greatest war of his life.
P.S. Like what you read?
I was left spellbound. Never read anything so simple yet so powerful