The BLTS Archive- Burning by Trexphile (trxphile@cox.net) --- DISCLAIMER: Don't need it. Author's notes at end. October 1999 --- Heat. Flames. Smoldering embers flashing forth into a white hot blaze. I never imagined it would be like this. I lie still, feeling my scorched skin cooling in the thick air. I can do nothing else -- I am blistered and spent. There's nothing left of me. Nothing but ashes. Against the black backdrop of my closed eyelids, the sparks still streak and flash, pulsing in time to my slowly decreasing heartbeats. With a sigh of effort, I sluggishly raise my arm and reach through the viscous air, searching. I feel cool flesh beneath my palm and spread my fingers, hoping to absorb this oasis, needing to be replenished. My hand moves as his body shifts toward me and I realize that I am still whole, that I have not been consumed by the flames. He is here. Here with me. His breath that just a few moments before had seared my flesh now flows along the skin of my neck and breasts, a balm that cools and heals. I can feel my body coming together again, the ashes reforming, and I wonder if I'll recognize this new person. I wonder now what I was so afraid of. The fire had smoldered for so long, the embers always kept from igniting. I was so very accomplished at keeping them under control. So when I finally decided that I would add a little tinder, I expected a cozy little campfire that could be easily extinguished if it got too hot. And I could always just step back, keep away from the heat if it became more than I could handle. I didn't expect the fire in him to be so strong. It surrounded me -- in his eyes, his voice, his touch. And suddenly I was burning, burning with a desire that I'd never felt before. His flames merged with mine and we were there in the middle of it all, melting and flowing together. With my eyes still closed, I touch his face with reborn fingers. The heat of our joining has forged a new element. As we cool and solidify, I know that now we are one. That we are indivisible. The smoke has cleared and the air is now fresh and cool. I feel his fingers brush my cheek and I open my eyes. His face is aglow with the vestiges of our merging, and I wonder if he sees the same flush on my face. He leans in and touches his lips to mine. Soft, cool, belying the heat that still burns, that will always burn beneath. "I love you," he whispers and all I can do is nod and clutch him to me. My hot tears spill over and he kisses them away before they can cool on my skin. As he moves over me, I can feel the heat flaring again. I take his hand and, as one, we surrender to the flames again. --- The End --- AUTHOR'S NOTES: Many thanks to Martha, Erin, Kate and my Snubby. Oh, and I couldn't post this little thing without including the lyrics that inspired me. --- "Burnin'" written and performed by Nichole Nordeman Started rubbing sticks together Thought a spark would take forever Never dreamt this fire would appear When Moses saw the bush in flames And heard the branches speak his name I wonder if he felt this kind of fear. 'Cause I'm burnin' Yeah, I'm burnin' And I know I'm gonna blister in these flames But I'll stay here Till this smoke clears And I'll find you in the ashes that remain. Used to be that I could say My faith was one arm's length away From any flame that ever felt too warm Asked for matches and I received A gallon full of gasoline Now my cozy campfire days are gone. And I'm burnin' I'm burnin' And I know I'm gonna blister in these flames But I'll stay here Till this smoke clears And I'll find you in the ashes that remain. Knock with caution at the door They said "Beware of what you're praying for" So I'll stand with my whole desire in the middle of this forest fire Till I've nothing left to show And new life begins to grow. 'Cause I'm burnin' Yeah, I'm burnin' And I know I'm gonna blister in these flames I'll stay here Till this smoke clears I'll find you in the ashes that remain. ---