Flame

     She lay in the bed watching the fire flicker through half closed
     lashes, the half light throwing strange shapes on the wall,
     shapes that didn't bear looking at too closely, shapes of
     entwined bodies, legs and arms thrown about in passion, shapes
     that reminded
     her of things that she wanted to forget, her hurt threatend to
     engulf her once again, so she forced her mind away from things too
     close to the pain.

     Her Grandmother had once told her that fires were dangerous, that
     strange things happened to people who stared too long at the fire,
     they saw things that weren't real, heard things that weren't real,
     she snorted under her breath, if that was the case then why hadn't
     she seen anything, staring at the fire had been her favourite way
     of falling asleep when she was young, she dreamed whole lands in
     the fire, peopled by flickering sprites of flame, her friends.

     She could not believe that the fire was dangerous, not to one who
     was its' friend, after all she and Dan...no, she turned her thoughts
     away from the rememberance of naked bodies clothed in flame, the
     heat and sweat covering them with an oily sheen, their passion
     surpassing even the heat of the fire, many times she saw the flames
     rise higher, growing with their passion until it overflowed and
     their cries filled the room with their primal screams of sheer
     animal joy and release.

     No, she could not beleive that the fire was dangerous.

     Slowly she drifted off to sleep, the tears still wet on her lashes
     as she stared at the fire, in the fireplace the fire slowly died,
     all but one small section which glowed cherry red, growing in
     intensity, one small patch of brightness in a sea of dead, warm
     ashes.

     She woke with a certainty that someone had called her name,
     dragging her up from the depths of dream infested sleep, sitting
     upright in the bed it was some seconds before the fact that the
     room was bathed in a warm red glow, registered on her, some further
     seconds later the fact that she was looking straight at the fire
     place and its' warm dead sea of ashes, also penetrated her dream
     fogged mind.

     FIRE!!!

     Instantly she was awake, alert and looking for the source of the
     warm, red glow, the adrenalin pumping through her system blinded
     her at first to the realisation that the room wasn't on fire,
     slowly she looked around, noting for the first time the diffuse
     hazy quality of the redness, and the way it seemed to pulsate, as
     if in time to someones breathing, or heartbeats.

     Her own heartbeats sounded harsh in her ears, and her breathing
     ragged as she fought down the sense of panic that was threatening
     to overcome her, her breathing quietend and her racing pulse slowed
     down as nothing happened to her, she sat quietly, sure in her own
     mind that she was still asleep, and having a very vivid waking
     dream.

     "No-one will hurt you"

     The voice insinuated itself into her mind, panic died aborning as a
     feeling of warmth and calm swept over her, and her fears were
     banished with a soft gentle caress of her mind.

     "I will not hurt you, I have watched you for many years"

     She tried to speak and felt a momentary stab of fear as she opened
     her mouth and no sound emerged. The voice urged her to forget her
     fears and listen.

     "I know you know the flame, the burn of passion, the pain and
     exquisite agony of the release, the cold aching death of ashes, the
     death of hope and delight. The glow of firelight on naked bodies,
     worshipping the flame, making us strong, giving and sharing,
     feeding us and being fed on, you have known these things".

     Quietly and passionately the voice went on, explaining, she knew
     these things were true as soon as he spoke them, she knew these
     things, she knew the lore, her Grandmother was right, but danger
     was a two edged sword.

     "Come to me, walk on the edge, for I AM the edge"

     "I am the flame"

     Strong hands pushed her back on the bed, hands that caressed and
     stroked her body, there was no protest, her eyes shut of their own
     accord, her hands lay folded across her breasts.

     Every touch, every stroke, burned and enthralled her, his hands
     gentle on her body, she could feel the flame, trace the burn of his
     fingertips as he caressed her skin, she cried out in soundless
     passion as his mouth engulfed her nipple, the exquisite pain, the
     pain that burned and soothed, that freed her from the ordinary to
     somewhere far removed.

     Her body arched on the bed, as his mouth traced streaks of fire down
     her belly, hands firm under her lifted her up towards his seeking
     mouth, the fire in her nipples and breasts was nothing compared to
     fire between her legs as his tongue sought entrance to her
     innermost secrets, impaled on a rod of fire she hung there, burning
     from the inside.

     Again and again his stabbing tongue sought out the tender depths of
     her womanhood, his fingers strumming across her tender clit, her
     mind fought against the pleasure, agaisnt the pain, finally
     surrending.

     Pain upon pain and pleasure, she felt his encompassing heat press
     down upon her, as he pleasured her with his ultimate gift, filled
     to the core with an unrelenting fire, it burnt and seared as he
     filled her up with his seed, the seed of pure flame, of pure
     untouched copper red flame, she cried one more time, arms reaching
     out to encompass him, press him closer, take him into her, somehow,
     she didnt know how she knew, but she knew that he smiled, he
     gathered her into his arms.

     "We are one"

     No, she could not beleive that fire was dangerous.


     (c) Teddy 1996