Burning Too Brightly

I had finally finished what was left undone six months ago, and now I feel as if I can finally return into the world of writing; but first things first, I must rest for it appears that I have taken up the entire night to write. This night's slumber was more peaceful and comforting than the ones previously. It feels as if a curse had been lifted and serenity had come down from Heaven and into my home.

After finally acquiring a good night's sleep, I looked upon my work again and smiled. In such a long time, I have never felt inspiration and happiness such as this well up within my heart. The more I think and reflect upon myself, it feels as if I was diving down into an abysmal ocean that I only know a fraction about.

As per usual, I began my daily morning routine after putting my draft inside a drawer underneath my bed for safekeeping. Once the routine was done, and there was nothing else on my agenda today, an idea had suddenly sparked within my head. For today, I put on my ragged shoes and decided to live the day outside standing atop the warm grass. The same river that laid just a few steps beyond my home calmed my heart despite the events that transpire there and the bare road to the south of my home enticed me to visit the town square.

I thought that with the huge amount of spare time I have been given, I should try to at least build my body as I build my mind and character. My body felt invigorated just by stretching my legs, but when I started to move my body, I felt my body become warmer. My speed gradually increased and I was about to burst into a full sprint. The faster I became, the stronger the wind blew against my face. With only nature to sing and speak to me, I felt as if my soul had been untethered from the soil and had finally soared through the skies.

It took at least half an hour to arrive in the town square by sprinting. The energetic experience made me feel accomplished yet terribly exhausted for expending too much stamina that I had almost collapsed by the entrance. Fortunately, I was able to quench my thirst with a bucket filled with water that was near me. Somehow, it didn't bother me whether that bucket was someone else's or if it was used to clean someone's animal; I just felt somewhat enthusiastic all throughout my day as if salvation had come unto me.

I walked around town while I was drenched in my sweat. People constantly gave me looks of disgust but none of them have bothered me at all as my own self-confidence, or perhaps my own arrogance, acted as a shield for my ego. Continuing my stroll, I came across Arnold the publisher who seems to be relieved from his morning duties.

"Hello!" I greeted the jubilant Arnold the same way he would speak with a joyous voice.

"Alastair? What a surprise!" Arnold exclaimed but quickly pinched his nose from my stench, "My goodness! Is that you who brought this cursed scent?" He was annoyed at first but nonetheless, he was still happy to see my face.

"Unfortunately, I am the one to blame for it, but on another note, did the readers enjoy my work?" I asked.

"Ah yes, concerning the short story you have provided me, quite a number of people have taken an interest in it. May I ask if more of these kinds of stories are in production?" Arnold asked.

"Yes, the story I gave you was only one part of an entire book." I was greatly satisfied to hear of the news that I thought it would be appropriate to declare the whole story will be finished soon.

"Delightful, I hope that it will be completed soon." Arnold patted my shoulder and my face shined with a smile before we parted ways.

How beautiful it must be, to be loved by a great number of people for my works. It is such a beautiful dream to think of and to manifest it into reality. With each and every step on my stroll, I dived deeper into the thought of my possibly brighter future. Never have I thought before of becoming widely famous and incredibly wealthy; but with my mind free to roam and to speak as it pleases, the ideas of nobility have possessed a greater influence on me than my idle thoughts of quaint living.

As I continued, my feet suddenly halted and turned to the stairway that led to Elizabeth's room. My mood had suddenly shifted into a nervous state as the thought of her would make me anxious about what I should say. I thought for a second as to whether I should knock on the door and greet her for the day or just continue along my walk until I decide to return home. After a second of thinking, my body and mind shared the same answer and agreed that I should pay her a small visit.

I gave three knocks on the door and immediately footsteps were heard hurrying towards the door. The door swung open, and I was greeted by a tired-looking Elizabeth.

"Oh, Alastair!" Elizabeth hugged me in her surprise.

"Hello to you too, Elizabeth." I looked around her room and saw that half of her items were packed into bags and cases, "What is all this? Where are you going?" I asked.

"Oh, you mean this?" She said as she presented her luggage, "By tomorrow morning, I am to return to my hometown for a family reunion. I had intended on telling you this news tonight but since you're here now, I might as well ask you to help me pack my luggage." She said with a small chuckle and let me into her home.

The process took about a few hours for half of the time was spent actually packing things while the other half was spent dancing and playing around as if we were children forsaking our responsibilities. Once we completed fixing her luggage, my overflowing confidence had burst and made me ask her: "May I come with you to your hometown, Elizabeth?"

She paused for a small moment and expressed her shock. Eventually, she nodded yes in return and we both laid our bodies upon the floor since neither of us had the energy to express our happiness. With a small portion of willpower inside of me, I stood up and told Elizabeth that I will be taking my leave. She smiled and spoke to me about one more thing just after I put my first foot out of her room.

"You've changed quite a bit, Alastair." She said in an indiscernible tone that made me confused about what she was feeling.

"Oh? Would it not be a good thing if a person changes the way they are?" I asked in a joking manner.

"It can be both, it can be neither, or it can be either one or the other, but I do miss the way you were before." She sounded like she was disappointed in me but I do hope she doesn't come to hate me in the future for it.

Such a small fleeting moment passed by quickly as I left her home. Surprisingly, the night sky was present above me as I walked back home and made me wonder how much time did I spend with Elizabeth today. However, as I walked through the rows of stores, restaurants, and homes, there was an aroma present within the ecstatic evening that had caused me to follow it. It was a familiar smell, one that I can vaguely recall.

After a few turns, that very scent was accompanied by shouts of pleasure. It was a strange occurrence but even though it had scared me slightly, my curiosity carried my legs forward into the unknown. The origin of this scent came from a small shop located just at the border of Greenberg where only a small amount of people would travel to. While other shops would glow with a faint goldlike color, this one, in particular, radiated a vibrant pink light that could easily attract anyone who passes by. I, of course, fell victim to its charming color and decided to enter the shop with only the nostalgia I felt from its scent.

Upon entering, groups of wealthy-looking people were seen enjoying a certain substance that gave them an indescribable amount of ecstasy. None of the customers noticed my presence but one of the attentive staff attended to me quickly.

"Welcome to The Den" A staff member greeted me and the scent that I was searching for exuded from her body in a very powerful punch to the nose, "You don't resemble any of our usual patrons here, would you like to sample our product? I'm sure you'll find your stay here to be pleasurable." Being as the staff was polite, I thought it would be nice to at least try what they were offering to lay my curiosity to rest.

I was given a sizable couch to sit upon and was separated by the rest of the customers because of the small fence that divided the lobby and where the people were seated. For a few moments, I was asked to wait upon that couch and to my surprise, I was also able to discover something else. Above me, there was a second floor and since only my ears could perceive what had transpired there, I can confidently say that the shouts of pleasure were from an activity that no one would not want to be made known to their spouse.

After the wait, a staff member had come to me and laid a small pouch upon the glass table in front of me. I was given the freedom to investigate the contents inside and what awaited me was but a few grams of a pink powdery substance. The realization had struck me in the head, what attracted me here was a vice rarely used in Greenberg.

"One pouch of consumable Fairy Dust" The staff explained to me, "This small pouch given will be regarded as a free trial and if you would like to purchase more in the future, we are open to discuss the terms of subscription." As polite as she was, I hesitated to know how this thing was consumed yet, my curiosity pushed me further on and told me that this must be something worth knowing.

To begin with, this substance puts people in a trance of ecstasy and can cause them to move in a drunken stupor. Come to think of it, why should I care if this thing makes me act like a drunken madman? If this thing can make me feel a level of happiness that I have never experienced, then so be it. This is only a free trial, after all, if I don't enjoy it then I'll refrain from it and if ever I want to quit consuming it then I'll abstain from it whenever I please.

"How do I begin?" I asked.

"Fairy Dust can be eaten, mixed inside of a drink, sniffed upon as if it was a flower, and can even be used upon the eyes." The lady explained and already were my expectations subverted by its peculiar traits.

The lady then placed her finger inside of the pouch and brought out a small grain of Fairy Dust up to my nose. I hesitated for a moment but eventually, I willingly sniffed that small serving from her finger and already did it take an effect upon my body.

My vision started to blur and my hearing felt as if something was piercing my ears. Everyone and everything around me started to deform as if they had all turned into ocean waves whilst my head felt as if it was spinning into a tornado of emotions. At first, the experience had put me in a whirlwind of pain but once my senses had awakened to another realm of reality, I felt as if my own imaginations and dreams had finally come to life.

Instead of being inside a shop of vices and pleasure, I was taken into a world where everything I've seen was like lines of colors. With a swift attempt at standing up, even the air that touched my skin as I moved felt distorted in a peculiar manner. Beginning to move with one foot forward, Already did my body's balance started to collapse. The feeling this time was as if I had traveled a great distance with only one small step. My will did not falter nor did my conscious fail me as I continued to slowly step forward. The lines of colors traveling past me and the comforting air that touched my skin attempted to drown me in pleasure. Joy was the only feeling I could describe that took over my whole body as I walked.

Small steps soon progressed into quick running as this feeling surrounded me and wrapped me in a blanket of ecstasy, joy, and whatever words are used to describe this feeling. My temperature grew hotter and hotter as if I was burning too brightly with this feeling that my body was already out of control at this point. I had already been consumed by this intangible monster of happiness leaving me helpless and unable to move my body according to my will.

Suddenly, the lines of exuberant colors faded away and my body continued to run faster than ever. My perception of time was affected as well, making me confused whether seconds had passed or a full day had already come to replace the night. I became lost within my own body but before the Fairy Dust could separate me from this world, my body had suddenly lept into the air. For a split second, I thought that I was actually flying free like a bird but all too suddenly, my body had become enveloped with a cold and wet substance. My senses were gradually restored and once I discovered that I fell into the river of my home, feelings of relief and assurance had taken over me this time.

Though I had returned into the world of normalcy, a sharp migraine was present and the only thing I could do was to hold my eye patch made of cloth in hopes that it will subside soon. With my left hand holding up the left side of my head, my other hand had held the dust without me knowing. This Fairy Dust was a powerful substance that could tamper with the thinking capabilities of any human being and yet, I could only feel as if I wanted more of it.

The moon was already at its highest point and my body became sorely tired from the experience. This time, I had full control over my body, and successfully, I willed it to move into my home and lay upon my bed. Just before I could sleep, I realized that I had forgotten to pack my luggage for tomorrow's trip with Elizabeth. With my already tired body, I attempted to gather as many clothes as I could from the wardrobe located opposite of my bed and stuffed as much as I could into one large case I kept under my bed.

As I pulled out the case, the drawer where I kept my work was accidentally pulled out as well. Instinctively, I took the papers out of the drawer and added them to the case. Once I had finished packing, I finally laid my body to rest and let my own bed sink my sore being into comfort. However, one more item was to be disputed as to whether I should bring it or not. That item, being the Fairy Dust, laid upon my work table and in its silence, it called out to me as if it were my lover. As tempting as it was, I thought to myself whether it would be appropriate to use it during the trip or not. Being that the Fairy Dust has given me one of the most joyous moments in my life, it would be nice to keep the pouch with me in secret and only consume it when I'm given a good level of privacy. However, what would become of me if I really did use it during the trip? Would that not stir up trouble for Elizabeth and her family if I lose control over myself once more? These thoughts had grown to become too troublesome for me to handle throughout the night that I had decided to lay my head to rest and let tomorrow handle this affair.

Upon the next morning, I brought my luggage out of the house, and hesitantly, I also carried the pouch of Fairy Dust with me. My excitement and anxiety had fully taken me over as my will was bent by the Fairy Dust's addictive qualities. It took at least one whole hour for Elizabeth's carriage to come and pick me up. During the waiting time, I continued to argue with myself whether I should bring this thing with me or not but when Elizabeth finally came, the pouch was stuffed into my back pocket. As relieved I was upon seeing her face through the carriage's window, I still had to put up a demeanor that would not make her think of anything suspicious about me. I entered inside the carriage quickly and greeted Elizabeth as if no troublesome thing bothered me.

"You seem to be quite excited" spoke Elizabeth as I attempted to put my weighty case right beside me as I sat down.

"Yes, indeed, I'm very much anticipated to see what your hometown will be like. I believe it was called the Ville de something?" I tried my best to maintain my sentences but it seemed I faltered almost immediately.

"It's called Ville de L'envie. It's well known as the ideal place for vacation spots and for its romantic scenery. Perhaps you should consider moving there someday." She spoke enthusiastically about her hometown.

Our conversation lasted long until the night where we both resorted to reading books in our remaining time but for me, I continuously strained my gluteus muscles to make sure the pressure I put on the pouch would not cause it to burst. Thankfully, Elizabeth soon grew tired and let herself sleep deeply during the rough ride.

Within my soul, I felt another burning sensation of my feelings well up and completely ready to burst at any moment. It was like I developed a greater craving for what was in the small and tiny pouch I carried. My heart was beating faster and my breath was almost failing. With only my pinky finger, I carefully pursued down to my back pocket to grab a small bit of Fairy Dust for my pleasure. Barely any of the substance stuck to my finger but eventually, I resorted to that small amount and licked my own finger to immerse myself in the dust's embrace once more.

Once again, my senses were heightened but this time, I did not feel an overflowing amount of energy taking over my body. What once was the moon became a long white streak in the dark sky and the faint visage of fireflies flying in the trees as we passed by became more of bright stars than insects. The insides of the carriage soon became distorted into spirals of color seemingly devouring the things that dwelled within.

However, the only person who was not affected by the dust's effects was Elizabeth herself who laid peaceably in her sleep. The very image of her within that moment was that of an angel coming down from Heaven to proclaim its message. In some manner or another, she calmed my heart more than my vices and even laid my mind to rest just by her emitting her beauty during her slumber. My eyelids became heavy and my breath started to calm, putting me to sleep.

It was peculiar to think that Elizabeth's image was the only thing I needed to keep myself calm but nonetheless, I was grateful for her keeping me still. The only thing I could do now during this trip is to pray in the hopes of keeping me and my sanity together.