Around fire, time works differently
I didn’t know fire can bend time at will. And this is how it cheats us.
Friends-
I don’t much remember the times I was around fire. But I do remember the times when I wasn’t.
What about you?
The one time I really needed fire, everything was dark.
I was in a cave in the European Alps. It was supposed to be well-lit. Except that day, there were sections that were not. This was pre-cell phones. So I didn’t have the phone light handy.
The way in was small.
I don’t really get claustrophobic. But this one scared me. It was close to noon. So I was just ready to get away from it.
The first thing I remember when I stepped in, was relief.
But then something changed.
I don’t know if it was the fact that the path got more narrow as you go deeper. Or if it was just the weight of the dark. But it must’ve been forty minutes or so of darkness. Following me around like death’s door.
I’ve been in the dark before, of course.
But complete darkness?
It’s like seeing light-years into space. And still *not* knowing where the hell you are in the universe.
Near my face, though, it just felt like something blew frost down the little hairs on my neck.
I really should’ve brought a flashlight. So stupid.
But I don’t know if the flashlight would’ve mattered. Seeing the cold ahead of me—just wasn’t going to help. This was the first time in twenty something years that I wanted a torch. Not that I’d know how to use it.
But still, I wanted it.
And then, there it was: