Status: Progressing
The Melancholy Tales of the Pearl-Tears
Tongues of Fire
Heat; it was everywhere, it felt like he was being peeled off of several layers of skin, his lungs baking inside of him, eyes refusing to generate tears, it was futile, they would just turn to steam.
He heard a low cry, desperate and sad. There, under a scorched piece of lumber, he saw mud-colored hair. The girl was staring straight at a wall of flame, eyes widened with horror. The wall of flame grew brighter and longer, almost as if it wanted to touch the night sky. Long mud-colored hair just like the girl’s was on fire, skin burning away, leaving only charred bone. The little girl mouthed a word silently, tears leaking from her soot covered face. Then the boy knew, then he realized that this was the girl’s mother. She was burning right in front of her.
Something zipped through the flames, too fast for the fire to burn, to touch. The girl didn’t realize someone had found her and was tugging her upwards, small growls its only form of communication.
She pulled away, struggling away from its grip; small nails pierced her ash-covered skin. She still struggled. When the boy finally pushed her from under the burning lumber, that was when the girl cried out frantically, her screams fighting with the crackling fire. She struck out blindly, mud-colored hair whipping around everywhere. All the boy did was grunt. A tongue of fire licked her face, grazing her vision. She cried out, covering her eyes, while the boy finally took this to his advantage, his glossy black feathers ruffled with exasperation, small talon-hands gripping the girls’ shoulder. He didn’t know that someday she wouldn’t be able to see again.
The boy helping the little girl was him.
***
“Eat.” He heard the girl’s shaky voice say distantly. He slowly shook his head. She shoved a pearl-tear into his hand, “Eat.” She pleaded. He ate the second pearl-tear.
He heard a low cry, desperate and sad. There, under a scorched piece of lumber, he saw mud-colored hair. The girl was staring straight at a wall of flame, eyes widened with horror. The wall of flame grew brighter and longer, almost as if it wanted to touch the night sky. Long mud-colored hair just like the girl’s was on fire, skin burning away, leaving only charred bone. The little girl mouthed a word silently, tears leaking from her soot covered face. Then the boy knew, then he realized that this was the girl’s mother. She was burning right in front of her.
Something zipped through the flames, too fast for the fire to burn, to touch. The girl didn’t realize someone had found her and was tugging her upwards, small growls its only form of communication.
She pulled away, struggling away from its grip; small nails pierced her ash-covered skin. She still struggled. When the boy finally pushed her from under the burning lumber, that was when the girl cried out frantically, her screams fighting with the crackling fire. She struck out blindly, mud-colored hair whipping around everywhere. All the boy did was grunt. A tongue of fire licked her face, grazing her vision. She cried out, covering her eyes, while the boy finally took this to his advantage, his glossy black feathers ruffled with exasperation, small talon-hands gripping the girls’ shoulder. He didn’t know that someday she wouldn’t be able to see again.
The boy helping the little girl was him.
***
“Eat.” He heard the girl’s shaky voice say distantly. He slowly shook his head. She shoved a pearl-tear into his hand, “Eat.” She pleaded. He ate the second pearl-tear.