A life bound by Books and Confessions of a Bookaholic are doing a Story Contest giveaway as part of their Haunted Halloween, so I decided that it might be fun to try and enter. We are now down to the final 8, and the top 4 of those will be the winners. Voting can be found HERE.
So this is my entry, I call it "Friendly Fire"
Fire. One word. One very short word. And yet, for Kaylee it was the most important word in the world. It was the last thing her mother ever said to her. As a child she had been hurt that her mother hadn’t spoken words of love and encouragement in the last moments of her life, it was only when she was older that she understood the true power behind that one word.
Fire. It brings warmth. It brings light. It brings destruction. And eventually it can bring life. But for Kaylee it brought wonder and mystery and a power so overwhelming that the mere sight of her would strike fear into complete strangers.
On her sixteenth birthday she was to spend her first night in her husband’s bed. He was an old man, probably the oldest that she had ever met and his treatment of her had thus far been nothing less than cruel. Of course the marriage was not her choice; he had wanted her and would not be denied, and thus had paid her uncle a hefty price for her hand. The old man was the one being tricked though, as her uncle would have gladly paid him to take her away, he so feared her even though she, herself, had done nothing to earn that fear.
Fire. It brings warmth. It brings light. It brings destruction. And eventually it can bring life. But for Kaylee it brought wonder and mystery and a power so overwhelming that the mere sight of her would strike fear into complete strangers.
On her sixteenth birthday she was to spend her first night in her husband’s bed. He was an old man, probably the oldest that she had ever met and his treatment of her had thus far been nothing less than cruel. Of course the marriage was not her choice; he had wanted her and would not be denied, and thus had paid her uncle a hefty price for her hand. The old man was the one being tricked though, as her uncle would have gladly paid him to take her away, he so feared her even though she, herself, had done nothing to earn that fear.
Kaylee had dreaded her wedding night for weeks, not wanting to feel that old man’s hands upon her body and allow him to control in that final way. She had tried desperately to stay awake as long as possible, not wanting him to surprise her, but the stress of the days leading up to their wedding had been too much and sleep had come.
It was the flames that woke her. In her dream she saw them spread slowly through the house consuming everything that they touched. She watched them lick at her husband’s flesh in an old leather chair in the library and she smiled with pleasure. She knew they were working their way towards the bedroom where she slept yet she felt no fear. When the flames finally reached the bed she giggled as they tickled over her flesh like a lover’s fingers. As that laugh escaped her lips and her body arched into the flames, her eyes slowly opened and she looked around in awe. They were everywhere, devouring the bedding and the drapes and everything else that they touched. Everything except for her. Though they touched her, caressed her, they showed no ill will and she felt no fear. They were an old friend and a welcome new lover all in one. And she knew then what her mother had meant when she spoke the word fire with her dying breath. It was her last gift to her daughter.
It was the flames that woke her. In her dream she saw them spread slowly through the house consuming everything that they touched. She watched them lick at her husband’s flesh in an old leather chair in the library and she smiled with pleasure. She knew they were working their way towards the bedroom where she slept yet she felt no fear. When the flames finally reached the bed she giggled as they tickled over her flesh like a lover’s fingers. As that laugh escaped her lips and her body arched into the flames, her eyes slowly opened and she looked around in awe. They were everywhere, devouring the bedding and the drapes and everything else that they touched. Everything except for her. Though they touched her, caressed her, they showed no ill will and she felt no fear. They were an old friend and a welcome new lover all in one. And she knew then what her mother had meant when she spoke the word fire with her dying breath. It was her last gift to her daughter.
This is very well written: Good luck on the contest!
ReplyDeleteDefinately got that creepy vibe from this...good job! This is really good. Good luck in the contest =]
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