A drop of sweat drips from my forehead to my hand as I sit in front of the crackling campfire. A bright spark makes its way from the top of the waving flames, escaping the fiery depths to land on the surrounding blackened rocks, sizzling as it turns to grey. The wind moves wildly, whipping the yellowy flames at the top and engulfing me with that woodsy late-summer-night smell. A cloud of smoke moves toward me as the wind changes direction, causing my glasses to fog up and an intense burn to erupt in my eyes. My breath comes up short, smoke filling my lungs. Shifting away from the blistering red pit, my ankle brushes a surrounding rock, triggering a deep hiss to escape my throat as I clutch my burnt skin. The fire pops, bringing my attention to the logs at the bottom of the flames, shifting as the wind does. Regaining my breath, the taste of smoky wood is on my tongue as the fire snaps with the downfall of a log and hundreds of tiny, red-hot sparks fly into the pitch-black abyss around me. I am brought out of my daze by the sound of a guttural growl coming from my stomach. I retrieve a marshmallow from the bag next to me, stabbing it with my stick. As I move the treat toward the fire, its flames frantically wave as if beckoning the spongy substance to become its own. Upon contact, the yellow tendrils curl around the mallow, marking it with a golden glow. Slowly moving the stick lower, the flames grow more unrestrained, grinning with joy to be fed. Before thinking another thought, the marshmallow is enveloped in fire, lost in a frenzy of red and orange and yellow. Quickly pulling the stick to my face, the scent of burnt sugar greeting me, I take a deep breath and blow out the possessive flame. It goes out to reveal my toasted marshmallow, black bits of char threatening to take over. I slowly chew the gooey substance, a hot woodsy flavour filling my mouth. Looking back to the fire, relaxing from its rowdy state, my eyes travel down the dancing flames, holding me captive as I am lost in their destructive beauty.
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This was written on February 10, 2022.
This was the first thing a wrote for the Writer's Craft class I'm taking this semester.
The assignment was to write a descriptive paragraph on an object of our choosing. My teacher said to choose something we could go home and see but I chose a campfire based on the one at my cottage. Four hours away.
So, I wrote this through memory. Which really isn't that hard because it's just a fire lol.
Anyways, my teacher thought this was really good and I don't remember my exact mark but I know it was in the 90s :)
Have a nice day!
Madi
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The Collection
Short StoryA collection of random shorts I've written :) What are they all about? Sleep: my sleep paralysis demons In the Darkness: a strange world without eyes Trapped in a Daze: daydreaming in the car A Dream: when you're tired but can't sleep Descriptive Pa...
