blissful showers

All her life, she burned.

From pockets and bursts of light, she let herself grow. She let herself be fueled—until the sparks were fanned into roaring waves of flame. Glowing in icy blue, or fiercely orange—she withstood the test of time.

At times, the light would falter. Her sparks would sputter out. But she would look up to the stars, untouchable jewels in an endless velvet sea, and she would light up again.

Once, she scorched others—without her knowledge, even when she lashed out at them with a bite of her red inferno.

And somehow... She kept burning. Until now.

Over time, she could barely lift a finger. Her head hung low as she dragged her bare feet—blistered and burnt— across jagged rocks loosely strewn over the path. Her shoulders slumped, her eyes closed.

All her life, she burned—until, slowly at first, the rain came. In small drops, the water kissed her skin. "It's been a long time, my friend," she said, lifting her head to the sky. The sky cried, then, and she wept with it. All her life she burned, but now she welcomes the cold as it seeped through her bones. Her knees finally gave, and she let out a sigh as she let herself fall to the ground.

The smell of rain as it met the arms of the earth smelled like childhood and freedom—happiness, even. Blissful showers, it felt like, even as a streak of light tore through the clumps of gray clouds above her. Thunder boomed around her, and with it she let herself scream—a soundless cry escaping her gaping mouth that pierced through the dying embers of her heart.

She closed her eyes—breathing in, breathing out. Maybe she'll burn again soon, but for now... She let the cold embrace her.