EMBER

The heat rose, relieving the stiffness that had held Ember captive for so long. The rock that she’d become began to crack and soften, and the chemicals igniting the heat stirred her consciousness like a drug. Lava flowed and temperatures increased as the intensity of the water and the ferociousness of the wind attacked the volcanic rock, feeding it, helping it form, stirring its growth. Ember found herself floating. It was a sensation she had a vague memory of. She basked in the comforting state, assuming it was merely dream. And then, in an instant, a flame wrapped in a brilliant entanglement of orange and purple shot up into the sky, and burst out across the horizon. Ember was catapulted back into her fiery skin as if no time had passed. Burning flared around her. A swirl of fuel and oxygen bombarded the sky. The flashpoint of her release was visible for miles, drawing the world’s attention to the volcano that had been Ember’s grave as it shot up from beneath the sea. The water was both violent and comforting, surrounding her while the wind funneled barriers and framed the energy of the fire storm that was Ember in her purest incarnation. From the depths of a deserted grave, Ember had returned.

awgryphon© photograph courtesy of flicker.com