This was originally planned to stand on its own, a simple one-shot drabble type of piece. However, I've found that I'm actually rather fond of it, and am seriously considering expanding it into a short story. No doubt I'd have to go back and edit some of the finer details with a continuation, but I'm actually pretty proud of this. (Especially because I was trying to write something short, not the long and drawn out plots I'm partial to.)

:::::

Orange and red flames licked the wood in a loving caress, sliding across the twigs as they charred, sending flecks of ash into the crisp, night air. Smoke permeated the clearing, the light clouds of gray emitting a scent incomparable to anything else in the world. Bright flakes peeled off and floated in the cool breeze as the fire continued to burn, brown morphing to black, and then fading into a silvery-gray as it diminished into a fine ash.

Kael watched the flames burn brightly as the fuel quickly ran out and the blaze simmered down into a smoldering pit of embers. He gave a bittersweet smile as he was reminded of the one girl who had affected him to the point of insanity – the girl with an untamable spirit, who lived with the earth, and cherished the elements.

Seeing her was like a breath of fresh air, breathing life into his body and mind as he gazed upon her wild features, flaming scarlet hair and dark adventurine eyes; a fire burned in her soul, one ignited from the flames of the sun itself. Her voice was a harmony of sounds, echoing in his ears wherever he wandered, her laughter as clear as a bell, her heart warm and open, always finding time to greet a stranger, her smile infectious.

A soft smile appeared on Kael’s face as he remembered when she dragged him into the rain, tugging on his arm until he finally relented and followed her mutely ouside. She danced with him in the falling mist with such a wild abandon he had to pinch his arm to assure himself he wasn’t dreaming. The rain had soaked him to the bone, and it was practically impossible to see within an inch of his face, but still, he saw her. Emerald eyes gleaming, lips curved gently, hands outstretched to the heavens; she was listening to the thrum of nature, and she wanted one and all to see her.

During that one moment, for the first time in fifteen years, Kael felt alive.

She became a constant in his life, her flaming red hair that trailed limply over her shoulders, normally accompanied with a halo of frizz, her eyes glittering with a passion he came to love, and crave.

She was addicting, her sweet smile and innocent gestures, her enthusiasm for even the most mundane jobs – like cleaning – contagious, as she turned everything into a game, transforming work into entertainment, dull into fun, monotonous into riveting. Similarly affecting the other occupants of the town, she rushed into their tedious lives like a whirlwind, stirring everything upside-down, inside-out and backwards until they had no choice but to start over again, but this time with the cheerful persona influencing their perspective on the deed to be done.

Her bright attitude managed to conceal her faults, such as her tendency to forget simple things, and the naïve façade she presented was never noticed – until she had left. A desperate, sinking feeling had hit Kael when he awoke one morning, deciding that it was the day, when he would finally take a leaf out of her book and live for the moment, not dwelling on what could go wrong, but focusing on the positive aspects on what could go right. He had decided; he was going to tell her. Tell his bright-eyed redhead that he loved her. There was only one problem.

She had left.

As quickly as she had appeared, she had vanished, leaving behind but a simple note, scrawled in a hasty script, begging them for their pardon, and expressing her gratitude for allowing her to stay with them, however brief the time had been. She was being hunted, and she didn’t want to endanger the lives of the people she had come to love and cherish.

Kael remembered the dejected feeling the town had radiated for weeks, the fire that had been brought into their life had been snuffed out, like candlelight in a soft breeze. The feeling of hopelessness, the feeling that they had all been under a magic spell, tricked into believing that there was something more to life.

Refusing to believe it, he brought the fire of passion back into their lives. Not once had his green-eyed beauty lied to them, she had allowed them to live, making the most out of life; what was the point of life if you weren’t going to live it? Kael had decided what he was going to do, and he made sure he left the town looking on her memory with fondness, instead of a bitter aftertaste.

And then he had left, in search of the girl with scarlet hair, bright green eyes, and the soul touched by sunswept fire.
:::::
onto the chaptered story