The Candle

 My name is Sydney.

 As I write this, I'm currently traveling through what's known as "The Deluge". It's a large plain that stretches over the midwest section of my home country, Aigne. There's nothing of particular note here outside of one thing: It never stops raining here. Or at least, it very rarely stops. It's caused many a great marsh and lake to form throughout this whole area and it's a haven for people like me.

 I love the rain and I'm sure I must have loved it as a child too. Thunderstorms are fine and all, but nothing beats a nice heavy rain shower (especially if you're under a tent or a tin roof).

 As I'm writing this, I'm staying at one of the stables on the outskirts. It's taken me a month to travel through this part of the country, but tomorrow I'll be leaving and heading toward a desert area known as the Dunes.

 But, you didn't read this to hear about me. I mean, I hope you didn't, because that would be strange... Anyways, I heard many great stories while I was here and I hope to write more of them down at a later date, but there was one in particular that caught my attention a couple of weeks back.

 It's called "The Candle" and it's quite a fascinating tale that's been told and retold by the people of the Deluge for centuries now.

 The story goes like this:

 There once was a young girl who wandered these flooded lands. She had no home, no family and the only two things she held in her possession was a tattered old umbrella... and a candle.

 Now, the candle was just a plain old wax candle, white as a fresh snow with a pitiful little wick that just barely stuck out the top. It rested on an old brass candle holder that had a small handle which just barely fit within the child's hand. This candle was always lit and the girl's only purpose in life was to keep the flame alight.

 Nobody who saw the girl could understand it, but she kept the candle close to her and out of the rain, making sure she kept a close guard about it, lest a stray raindrop fall and snuff out the fire. This was a challenge considering how her poor umbrella was so full of holes that it seemed to most as if she could keep a better watch over the candle without it. However, on she walked along that old dirt road with the fragile candle in one hand and the meek umbrella in the other.

 Despite her traveling the main road, it was surprisingly very rare for anybody to actually see the little girl. Oh, there were many people who would claim to have passed her on their way, of course. Some would say they even offered her a new umbrella or a ride to wherever she was going, but she would hardly say a word and continue on her way.

 Did she have somewhere in mind to go? And what would she do when she arrived? I suppose we will never know.

 Now, this next bit of the story changes depending on who you speak to. Some say that the girl still roams the lands to this day as a ghost, while some say she was probably a ghost to begin with. Others say she was cursed by a witch and that's why it never stops raining here, while others yet say she's the witch who placed the curse herself and if the candle was to ever go out, the curse would be lifted and she would die. But, the version of the story I heard most often (and the one I like the best) went like this:

 One day, the girl began to grow very weary from her travels. She stumbled along the road, hungry and tired. She had gone two days without a single bite to eat and was afraid to go to sleep for fear of somebody stealing the candle while she slept. So, she continued on her way, eyeing the candle as she shuffled forward.

 "You're certainly a pitiful thing." She thought to herself (for the girl rarely spoke aloud, you see). "You burn and burn, yet the wax never melts and the wick never recedes. You're certainly the sorriest excuse for a candle I've ever seen." The flame seemed to flit about at this, almost as if it were trying to respond to her thoughts. "And you're such a tiny flame, as well. When we pass through a town, the street lamps are always burning with ten times the ferocity as you do. Why, I bet you could try and try with all your might and you still couldn't burn as brightly as they do." The flame actually seemed to grow a bit brighter at this, but it was still just a runt of a blaze, hardly any brighter than a dash of sparks. "I should really just be rid of you, you know. It's very bothersome looking after you, especially since you do nothing for me in return."

 Just then, a large gust of wind blasted past the girl. She was incredibly quick to wrap her arms around the candle and shield it from the gale. She was just barely able to hold onto both the candlestick and the umbrella, but she did manage. After the wind died back down, she carefully uncovered the candle and was relieved to see it still burning as faintly as ever.

 "And yet I protect you with every fiber of my being. And why, you may ask. Well, I don't rightfully know why, but I suppose you should thank your lucky stars I do." The flame did nothing in response to this. "Why... if I very so pleased, I could... I could snuff you out in an instant! I could just hold you out in the rain and let it soak you out of existence! It would only take one single raindrop, mind you!" The flame still did nothing in response. "Or... or I could just take you between my thumb and my finger and put you out myself!"

 Oh, the flame danced around at this. It was laughing at her; scorning her. As if it were saying something along the lines of, "Oh could you? I really don't think you'd have it in you, silly girl."

 The girl took great offense in this, of course. She was much, much taller and bigger than that dinky little flame. Why, she was stronger than it too! She was convinced that if she tried hard enough, she could probably set an entire forest on fire faster than that pathetic little candle could! The nerve of it saying such things! Why, it would better for her to just be rid of the stupid thing once and for all...

 "And it really would be, wouldn't it?" The girl thought. It would be just as easy as she had just said. Just hold the candle out in the pouring rain, that would teach it. But, no. It wouldn't do the idiotic little thing a bit of good to let the rain take care of it. No, if it questioned her authority in this case, she would do much better to end its miserable existence herself. She looked at her tiny little fingers and thought about how they were still large enough to snuff out a miniscule flame like that. Just one little squeeze and FSSSS the candle flame would be no more.

 She had been the protector of the flame for so long... could she really do it? Should she do it? She was just beginning to second guess herself, when her tummy began to rumble.

 Two straight days without food.

 The candle seemed to find amusement in this and it danced about as it heard her suffering.

 If she hadn't made up her mind before... she had now.

 Without giving it another thought, she clamped the flame between her finger and her thumb. She anticipated it to be over and done with, but the tiny little flame bit back. The girl pulled her hand back and a tear welled up in her eye. The flame was clearly damaged, but still alight. She looked at her singed fingers. The fire had done quite a number on them. They were black as coal; burnt to a crisp. This made the girl right furious, mind you. She reached back down again with those same fingers and pinched the wick of the candle again. The fire tried to bite back again, but this time the girl felt no pain.

 After a few minutes, the girl let go and pulled her hand back. The fire was gone. The girl smiled and let the candlestick and umbrella hit the road in a clamor. The cold rain swept over her as she fell to the ground. And as she died there in the chilling deluge, she continued to hold that same peaceful smile.

 It ends rather abruptly, unfortunately. As for what the story is trying to say, well, I suppose that's up for interpretation and, again, it varies depending on who you hear it from. It wouldn't do for me as a writer to try and tell you it means one thing or the other, or if it means anything at all. I just find that it makes for an interesting story on a rainy day and I happened to recall it just as I was settling down for the night.

 At any rate, I hope you enjoyed this tale and if you find yourself caught out in the rain tonight, I hope you've brought along a good umbrella.