Page 2 of Emergence of Fire
Tonight, I try to focus on the crunching underneath my feet. On other occasions, my brain deduced it was just rock. I stop to investigate further, bending down I wave away the smoke to get a clear picture of what I pick up. As I straighten up, I scream out, “What the fuck?!” I stare down at my palms in shock. In my hands is half of a skull, a human skull. I brush my hands over the jagged edges of the bone. It has been cut. Or were those grooves teeth marks? What had befallen this person? I decide I don’t want to know. I drop the skull to the ground in disgust. I rub my hands down my pajama pants as I run away from the human remains scattered around me. No more analysis is needed, I am ready to wake up. I can feel myself starting to panic, my fight or flight instincts take over as I stumble toward rocky cliffs ahead.
Suddenly, a gigantic beast casts its shadow from above me and I slow down my progress. This is a new development, and my fear is replaced with curiosity as another beast follows behind the first, as if it’s giving chase. Their silhouettes are hidden behind the massive black clouds against a bright red sky. Something lights the sky up behind the clouds, and considering the smoke and ash floating around I can only assume it’s fire. I’ve never been able to identify what they are, their forms always appear hazy, as if I am not meant to see them. I know they’re a beast by the sheer size and sounds they make, and I wonder if maybe they are prehistoric in origin. I always liked dinosaurs when I was a kid, I just wish I could see them. I watch the shadow beasts roar with the smoke shrouding their forms. They attack one another, twisting and turning in the air, their clashes explosive as they collide.
I shuffle to the edge of the cliff and step up onto a rocky outcrop to get a better look. Out over the horizon, fires burn the land below, more of the giant monsters fight in the distance, the smell of smoke, ash, and blood sting my nostrils for the first time. I gasp in shock from all the chaos. Death is all around me, littering the ground below are both shadowy forms of beasts and…oh, my goodness, people. Tears roll down my face unchecked as I become overwhelmed by the scene in front of me.
I feel the sudden need to defend them. I don’t know how I know it, but those people are my people, those beasts are my beasts. I need to protect them. Deep down in the pit of my stomach, something snaps inside of me. I wipe away the tears from my soot-stained face. Suddenly, the clouds part in the distance. I watch as a small red dot flies toward me, it never deviates from its course. It gradually turns into another large beast as it flies closer. Unlike the other giant beasts flying around, I can see this one as clear as day. I realize then the unrecognizable beasts that I could never put a name to are finally revealed.
Dragons.
As if a veil has been lifted from my eyes, the clouds give way to hundreds of them battling it out in the skies above me and on the ground below. A colossal Red Dragon comes into view right in front of me but instead of running, my feet are rooted in place. I am unable to move as it approaches. There are no words to describe how big it is as it gets closer and closer to the rocks I am standing on. Its body is completely covered in bright red scales that sparkle against the night sky. It comes to a stop right in front of me, its large, red, leathery wings, similar to a bat, flap with such force I have to shield my face against the gust of wind.
This dream has gone on longer than it normally does but all of this feels significant in ways I can’t explain. The Dragon's head is as large as a house. As it brings its snout towards me, it huffs out a plume of smoke from its nostrils that instantly begin to wrap around my body, encasing me in a swirling, black cocoon. I know I should be afraid but I’m not. I look out through the smoke as the Dragon fixes me with its large, golden, reptilian-like eyes.
“Wake up, Cordelia.”
I stumble back against the now solid wall of smoke, or is it rock behind me? I am not sure what I feel because the voice in my head has me in shock. The deeply feminine voice is not my own, but I am sure it’s the Dragon before me.
“This is not possible.” I say out loud as I start to pinch myself to wake up. I’ve seen enough for tonight.
“Wake up, Cordelia! It’s time!” She says again with more insistence than before.
“I’M TRYING TO!” I scream in frustration. I want nothing more than to wake up in the safety of my own bed.
The Dragon roars in my face, nudging my chest with her huge snout to express her own frustration. I try to move again but my feet won’t allow me to. I panic as the wall of smoke closes in on me. My limbs begin to tingle, and I look down at my arms and something ripples underneath my skin. Pain starts at my head and progresses throughout my body, down to my toes. I throw my head back and I roar along with her. My body feels like it wants to erupt into flames, I can do nothing but stand here and burn.
“Wake up, Cordelia. Arcadia calls us home.” The Dragon states.
I try to speak but all I can do is scream from the pain. Fire explodes out of my hands, burning away the smoke all around me. I feel relief at the release, calm even, like this is right. It’s just another part of me. Suddenly, the Dragons are gone. The dead are gone. Eerie silence is all that’s left as I am left alone to look out on a barren and scorched landscape. A loud claxon goes off in the distance as fire licks away at my skin.
* * *
I joltawake to the sound of the fire alarm blaring. My room is filled with smoke, and—holy shit—my bed is on fire underneath me! With a scream I roll off my bed as the spot where I was just lying is engulfed by flames. I hit the floor while patting at the flames that are slowly eating away at my pajamas. I stare at my hands in shock when I realize they aren’t burned. “What the hell is happening?” I whisper to myself as I watch my bed burn in front of me. I crawl on my hands and knees to stay below the smoke. For some reason the smoke does nothing to my lungs as I take in a deep breath that I know I shouldn't be able to.
I can hear banging, followed by someone calling my name. “Cordelia! I heard your screams, child. I’ve called 911.” I hear my neighbor shout. Oh, thank goodness for that. Although I don’t know how the hell I am going to explain the state of my bed, let alone the fact there’s not a burn mark on me. I am relieved the fire department can stop the fire before it spreads. I panic at the thought of lying there while flames dance all around me. I don’t feel any heat, there’s no indication to say I was on fire, just the pain from whatever happened to me in my dream. My head is pounding. My stomach cramps and my muscles ache like I’ve just done a HIIT workout from hell.
My dream. Holy shit, I need to get out of here. Still crawling I find the door of my room by banging my head hard against the frame. Wincing, I fumble my hands around until I find the doorknob and push my way out of my bedroom. I don’t know what I was thinking, but the first thing I do is run to the bathroom to check myself over. “Rule number one in fire safety is to exit the building, Cordelia, not check for burns,” I say to myself. Looking in the mirror, I see the same unblemished light brown skin I saw before I went to bed. My black hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail. The only indication I had been on fire is the remnants of my charred pajama pants. Well, pajama shorts, the blackened frayed edges leave nothing to the imagination as they skim the bottom of my booty cheeks.
Another bang on my door has me running through my open plan apartment toward my front door. Quickly glancing around the room, I see no signs of smoke so that’s a plus. All of the soap I made the other day is still curing in containers. If I have to remake them, I will cry. My online natural soap and skincare business is my baby. My bread and butter. I’m lucky it pays my bills, and I am doing amazing trading at the moment. Thank goodness there’s no damage in here and it’s only contained to my bed.
The thought of having to report this to my insurance company makes me cringe. I realize I have to lie to them. As soon as I open my door and see firefighters at my door, I know it won’t be easy. I feel utterly embarrassed as the firefighters in front of me look me up and down as they check me over, and their eyes briefly stop at my very charred rendition of daisy dukes.
“Oh lord, Cordelia, I heard your screams from my apartment. I thought you were entertaining at first.” My neighbor Ms. Banks said with a wink but quickly replaces her amused expression with one of worry. “But when the screams continued and the fire alarm went off, I panicked and called 911.” She rubbed her chest as the first firefighter spoke.
“Ma’am, if it’s ok, we would like to get to the fire.” He squeezes past me, all muscles and his uniform fits him in just the right places. I have to drop my eyes so I won’t stare at him and his colleagues as they rush in.
I cross the hall to where Ms. Banks is standing in the doorway of her apartment and give her a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Momma Banks.” I bend down to her eye level so I can peer into her concerned face. “See, I’m tough, not a scratch.” I smile again, but all I want is to say is I was on fire and I didn’t burn. That I am losing it on the inside and I feel like I will hyperventilate from how terrified I was after the nightmare I just had, I mean, who dreams of Dragons having aerial battles in the sky, let alone one talking to them?
“Your screams, Delia. They didn’t sound normal. You sounded like you were...” Her voice wobbled and broke, I see the tears pool in her eyes as she recalls it. “In pain. So much pain.” I open my arms and embrace her, both to comfort her and myself.
My thoughts go back to my night terror, I refuse to call it a dreamscape, and the agony of the fire as it built up inside of me before it spilled out through my hands. The relief I felt after the release, as if I’d been holding on to it all my life, how it was like a dam breaking inside of me. It’s the closest explanation I have for it. I don’t know what I felt really. All I do know is I feel different, and yet whole all at the same time.
Ms. Banks holds me tight, bringing my attention back to her. She was always so spritely, but seeing her like this makes her appear so small, so fragile. Ms. Banks is looking every single one of her seventy-five years. I feel lucky she’s been my neighbor for three years now. She always looks out for me. So, I do the same for her. She lost her husband a year ago, so I keep a close eye out for her. My protective nature takes over as I step away from her and give her a once over. She looks tired, but she always tells me at her age she doesn’t need much sleep.
“You need to sleep.” I tell her with a little reproach behind it. Of course, she waves her hand in the air like she can physically wipe my words away and I can’t help but laugh. “Listen, I will sleep when I’m dead.” She chides me with her hands on her hips. There she is. I smile then add a pout in for good measure.
“Ma’am.” I turn around to see the lead firefighter standing in my doorway and suddenly I feel slightly exposed now that the adrenaline of my situation is wearing off.
“What’s the damage?” I ask as I step slightly to the side of Ms. Banks who is just as interested in what he has to say as I am.
