Candlelight

       “It is only through darkness that we may find the light.” My mind strolled over the memory of his voice, feverishly trying to remember the sage-like quality, the omniscient nature, the humble inflection that sprung from his lips.

            “But what if the candle is blown out?” I challenged, playing Devil’s advocate in his intriguing philosophical games. He smiled at me as we fumbled through the shadows of the blackened wood; side by side, guided only by candlelight.

      “The light would still exist. The candle may be blown out, but it will never burn away. There will always be enough flame to keep the light alive.”

            “Hmm… Let’s see about that.” I was always the one to take action, to carry Oro’s theories into experimental reality. I danced across his arms, my essence slipping through his skin, and he was forced to stop in his stride to look at me. I grinned, sharing with him my silver teeth as they reflected off the candle’s flickering fire. His wise grey eyes were, for once, not a million miles away, a thousand worlds beyond this one. They were locked in this land, intent on this moment, focused on the few inches between us, wishing they could disappear, longing for them to vanish, pondering the concept of two as one, a complete being, intertwined for a lifetime, together for all eternity. I shared in this wonder, this idea, this condemnation that we were sentenced to three centuries ago, for it could never be. We weren’t even allowed to truly touch.

            I pushed the thought away. Tonight was not about the cannots, it was about the cans; and because of this I was whisked into the highness of flight and my misty white feet levitated a centimeter from the ground. I puckered my airy lips and with an icy visible breath, the candle blew out and the night went dark. I felt satisfied with my accomplishment. I was gaining strength and, perhaps, with enough work, I would finally materialize, finally form a body from my compacted plasma.

            But then the candle relit itself and my pride weakened. “Hey, this is a trick candle.” I puffed out my cheeks and pouted like a child. That wasn’t fair. How was I supposed to win the debate if he was cheating?

            He frowned, “No, it most definitely is a real candle. The light just found its way back in, don’t you see? It can never die.”

            I floated down solemnly and rested upon a tree stump and allowed my silver eyes to glimmer up at him, captivated by his beauty that I could never feel, never embrace, never make love to. “Just like us.”

            He blinked away a tear. “Yes, Meta, just like us.”