Victoria

I went up to my room to sort out my hair. Putting on the vinyl as always, I listened to my favourite nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons. Bringing my hair into a twisted knot on the back of my head I let the soft golden brown locks fall softly down the exposed part of my back. From behind my arms I could see swirls of smoke dance their way up the wall on the other side of my room.
I turned around quickly to see nothing then turned back to see the fire. It was only soft but it had made its way up to the second floor I was on. I looked around in disbelief after all the other mistakes that I had thought through that day to find it was true. I panicked not sure what to do. I went over to it to try my best to put it out. I stood on it and tried stomping it out but in the haste of it all it caught the bottom of my trailing dress. It burnt it up half way until I dropped and rolled to get the fire out. It had burnt my dress into a jagged line around the rim. Where I had once had my corset beautifully clean and crease free I now have a hole by my left side at the bottom of my rib cage. And I had ashes all over me and it seemed to stain my clothing.
I didn’t know what to do and all I could hear was ‘here comes the candle to light you to bed’ on repeat and it echoed through my head like a ghost getting slower and slower and more haunting until it got to a stage where I hit the vinyl player on my table and looked around at the mirror when booming through my head ‘here comes the chopper to chop off your head’ as I met his gaze.
We stayed looking at each other and I was unsure on what to do. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. It came flooding back but I was still unsure on what I was doing. It seemed like I had stayed there a lifetime watching him.
As I stayed watching him I could feel my skin burning off my face. I had the excruciating pain getting harder and harder. It then went moving down my body like a rash that went to a sting that then started ripping my skin away. Carrying on down my body taking my breath and sizzling down my arms picking up until it was at such a pace I couldn’t tell when it would go to another part of my body. It got to my fingers and I could feel under my fingernails boil as the blood increased in heat and my fingernails ripped themselves off my fingers one by one with no pattern to which one would go next. I still didn’t leave his gaze as it worked its way down my body and by the time I felt it on my hips I was at the point of not being able to move because the pain was at an unbearable stage.
I gave in and lifted my hand and put my fist through the mirror aiming for the eyes that had me captivated. As the face that had once been together I could see it crumble as the glass fell down and hit bare ground. Letting my head drop down to try to ease my pain I saw it on the floor. What should have been glass was now burning embers of a bright red and deep orange in the shapes of shattered glass.
With the embers dying out and slowly fading into my purple carpet I felt relieved that one part of the fire had gone. The pain was starting to ease and in disbelief I looked at my arms to see they were back to normal and the pain was now bearable more like when you graze your knee. I patted down my face and let out a sigh of relief which dissolved into a low laugh that was not mine. I followed the sound as I turned around to see him standing behind me. Those eyes where now looking at me menacingly up and down. Looking where his gaze was I saw that my dress was still burnt which confused me and in horror I looked back up to him.
I could hear a murmur in my head and as I saw him eye to eye again I could hear it clearer. “Well done that is lesson one learnt on how to survive here. But also the biggest mistake made. You have lost your way out of here. You nearly didn’t make it in the structure that you did. Most people just let the fire consume them and break down but as I was told you really are stronger.” He gave a smug smirk and folded his arms and with a sigh and soft chortle he carried on out loud this time “So enjoy your stay you will be here for oh … ever. But what can I say. Its hell for you” and then I heard his low laugh again and then that was it. I was left on my own.
Looking around I saw my house go up in flames in an instant. I was dumbfounded because I felt my feet staying cold. This couldn’t be real? Could it? Well all I knew for now was I was stuck in this burning inferno that was going to be my final resting place.