Play with fire

"So, what's up today?"

Nesha seemed quite eager about what she wanted to do this night, since she had been busy a whole week just for today's plan. I'd bet she arranged something massive. The flames in her eyes didn't went out even for a second. It was one of those few times she persisted on planning the fun by herself.

She looked at me with that crooked smile she reserved for special occasions. "That impatient, Iwan?"

"It's nearly midnight. When did you intend to share the target?" I burned with curiosity, her restless activity had made me tense. Nesha was rarely that secretive about that kind of stuff. At least towards me.

"That late already? You're right. We should be leaving even though it's nearby." A moment later she added: "It's been a long time since we've taken care of a petrol station, right?" Winking at me, we both couldn't help laughing.

"Alright, let's go then"

We only needed a few minutes on foot. I was relieved that it was really that short. To say Nesha's way of expression often tended to be optimistic was an understatement. Brief could sometimes mean up to an hour. The petrol station laid shortly past a sharp bend of the road, so I only caught sight of it right before we arrived.

Finally, Nesha let me into the detail of her plan. I had to say it was extensive. I didn't doubt it was going to work, I mean, we're talking about Nesha. She would find her way from the front, whereas I would come from the back of the building. I saw the first sparks escape from her fingers after we kissed good luck. Little bursts of fire started sparkling from mine, too. I managed to keep holding them back until I reached the back and got the signal Nesha had promised. I let flames blaze from my palms. The warmth on my skin was a welcome feeling. It was like the feeling you get when you are tipsy. The difference was that you could maintain the control over your actions. At least if you wanted to.

I know Nesha would light the gasoline pump in no time, so I hurried to get my stuff done like setting the building on fire with an eternal flame. The establishment wouldn't be burned, and the fire could be stopped easily by the one who set it. The flames flared up caused by a gust of wind. It was kind of satisfying seeing the fire burn bright. The area was now illuminated of this normally destructive obscure phenomenon. Eventually this was one of the reasons why both, Nesha and I, were so obsessed with it, the fact that people still couldn't quite define fire.

The temperature crept higher and higher but I didn't mind, my body was created for this. I made my way around the individual building. The grounds were already lit but not really burning yet. Dancing shadows brought on from behind me created this special atmosphere. Nesha was standing there in the middle in between all the pumps. She caught sight of me and her eyes lit up. For a moment we looked at each other's eyes steadily. In our glances laid all our faith toward each other.

A moment later everything changed. Nesha had according to the plan set the pumps on fire. We both had done stuff like this before and nothing had happened. But today was different, obviously. There was a deafening bang. Hitting the ground, I noticed that I had fallen. It took me a moment to realise the cause, this furious blast. I could neither hear my fiancée's screams nor my cries for her. Only with delay becoming aware what happened I saw the love of my life, lying distorted on the ground, being burned by her own flames. A jolt went through me before I stood up and ran to Nesha ignoring the fire around me. In the blink of an eye those wavering orange flames had lost their familiarity to me. This can't happen, I told myself all the seemingly endless way. There was no way this could happen. You couldn't die through your own fire. Reaching her I knew every help would come to late. The flames around us, those Nesha had created, already decreased. There was only one explanation to it. The fire would only drop if she took it away consciously or if she was dying. I lifted her in my arms to carry her away since not all the fire died down. On my way to her favourite place I took away my fire, leaving a partly burning patrol station behind.

Reaching the cliff where we had our first date, I laid her down in the grass, creating a circle of fire around the two of us. Resting my head on her chest I sensed a whisper. I looked at Nesha's face, seeing her last words escape from her beautiful lips. "I love you. Carry on." Taking her hand in mine, I pressed my lips firmly on her fingers. Feeling her last heartbeat, I finally allowed myself to let the tears roll down my cheeks.

It would be years before I ever created a flame again.