Marble and flame
A candle and a book rested on a dimly lit round table. She sat beside it, watching the last light of day slide across the floor, its lines growing sharper as evening fell.
When the light finally left the room, the candle ignited on its own. The space was quiet, yet alive, pulsing softly with the flame.
She asked a question in her mind. The flame danced, making the room blink in and out of darkness.
She asked another. The flame danced again—but this time, before it settled, she reached out and caught it. It hovered in her palm, weightless.
Its color was different now: a pale blue that shifted with her thoughts—red, yellow, green—then back to blue.
She focused on the blue, and the room began to change. The air thickened, turning water-like. Her hair lifted, floating along with every loose object around her.
When the flame turned green, the furniture dropped to the floor. From where it landed came the sounds of animals.
The flame turned red. She pointed it toward the wall ahead and grasped it like a doorknob as she approached.
When she turned it, the house vanished.
She stood in a dark room, the only light coming from the flame in her hand.
The flame shrank as it shifted back to yellow. She cupped it with her other hand, and it grew slightly brighter.
Unsure where to go, she began walking forward. Each step echoed as though she were wading through shallow water.
After a while, she looked up and saw a circle of light far above her.
She placed her hand into the flame. It did not burn. Instead, it wrapped around her arm, climbing to her shoulder.
She swept her arm to the side, and the flame stretched deep into the darkness.
A metallic sound tightened it as she pulled. The scrape of metal against stone drew forth a black, circular staircase that spiraled upward toward the ceiling.
She began to climb. Each step rang loudly in the void.
The flame returned to its normal size, floating once more above her palm.
When she stepped onto the final stair, the room began to chant. Everything turned white. The staircase rusted and crumbled behind her as she stepped onto the solid floor.
She turned to the opening she had come through and lit it with the flame.
