Fragments Gallery
Firelight
The fire flickers before us. The air is filled with the rich scent of wood smoke. Wood splits and sparks are sprayed out towards the distant stars, but the glowing dots pulse and die within moments of their birth far short of their goal. Darkness surrounds and encompasses us but we don't mind; it’s warm on this night. Beyond that which is lit by the flames and the starlit silhouettes of the pines around us we can see nothing through the gloom.
We don't mind. We don't need to see anything else. Nothing else matters.
Something, some thought, lurking on the edge of your mind makes you frown. You are looking for something, have been for a while, but you can’t see quite what you’re looking for. You had hoped to forget the worry, but there it was; it was always just within sight. You push the thought away and focus on your surroundings.
Around the fire are those who are most important to you. Some of them are friends, some of them are family. In your life, at this moment, you could have no better company to share this night with.
The fire flickers across their faces. The light gleams in their eyes.
A friend from across the fire rises to add more wood to the flames. The fire flares up greedily as it begins to consume the fresh fuel.
You sit back, content and happy, and your eyes drift shut.
You can hear the sounds of the night over the crackling of the fire. The crickets sing softly from the darkness and the trees rustle as they move.
Everything seems to grow further away. You drift in a vast ocean of thoughts and hopes as your pulse slows. You can feel your body and mind relax. All your worries slip away. When your eyes open next the fire has died down once more.
The embers now cool and dim those surrounding you rise. Someone douses the fire and you separate to find sleep that night.
Perhaps sleep will bring the epiphany you seek.