Firekeeper

The fire breathes softly tonight, its glow trembling like a heartbeat beneath my fingertips. I can feel the warmth dancing along my skin, though my eyes cannot see it. The embers whisper… they speak of your arrival, of footsteps drawn to the flame’s cradle. I wonder — do you seek light, or merely its comfort?

Each soul that comes to me carries a fragment of hope, brittle and precious. I have seen them burn bright… and I have seen them fade into the quiet ash. Yet still, I tend the flame, for what else remains when the world grows cold?

Step closer. The fire knows you, even if I do not. Its warmth will wrap around you, the way night wraps around the stars. Stand here with me — just a little while — and perhaps you will hear its song as I do.