A Fitting Punishment

II

Months passed and the pain of losing her started to subside. After three months he saw this beautiful girl in a bar. After far too many shots of whiskey and her palming his mister, he went in for a kiss. As soon as their lips met he felt a spark.

The spark continued and then became a slow burn. His foggy whiskey brain was slow to process what was happening. Slowly he started feeling the heat. His insides started to boil. He disengaged from the kiss with a blood-curdling yell, falling to the ground, rolling as if putting out a fire. But the fire only burned within.

When he got to the hospital there wasn't a scratch on him. He couldn't verbally explain what happened and the doctor couldn't find any damage to his body.

Things seem to get back to normal and Dustin went on with is life. Mishka only a whisper in the back of his mind. Six months and he could still smell the char of her skin, but he wanted to move on. He wanted to have a family and a life.

He had been seeing this new woman just over a week, but his feelings were strong for her. They talked for hours and it seemed like only minutes.

Today she was coming to his house to relax in the Jacuzzi and Dustin was aching to kiss her. She was the old fashion type, so this would be the first between them.

"I really like you, Dustin," she said.

He didn't need any more encouragement and went in for the kiss. Fire. It felt like fire. They both scream in unison. Him, because of the fire within and her because of the heat coming from his body boiling the Jacuzzi water to an unbearable temperature. Her body broke out in blisters and turned her brain to mush.

Dustin lay there floating in the water, paralyzed from the trauma. "I understand now Mishka". He whimpered. "I hurt you and I will rectify it".

After the pain eased Dustin maneuvered himself out the water avoiding clumps of tissue and skin. He trailed lightly pinked water behind him.

Dustin lay in the tub, another gush of crimson splashing from his veins, creating a pool. Mishka sat on the side of the tub gazing at his beauty, his life source now spilled. She stepped into the tub sitting with him, embracing his spirit, accepting it.

"I forgive you now Dustin. I forgive you"