Frozen

Frozen

A candle flickered in the dark room, the flame fidgeting around nervously as if wary of the darkness surrounding it. Hesitantly it cast a weak glow over the girl with the photo albums in front of her. She had been sitting hunched over in the small meager circle of light for hours, seemingly unaware of time as the candle steadily burned away.

Most of the pictures had been taken only a year or two ago, but already they were so foreign to her. The ghosts of her past stared back at her, smiling.

Smiling?

Why? What had been so wonderful that she had felt inclined to smile? Desperately her eyes bore into the glossy paper squares to seek out an answer, but there was none. She saw only herself, smiling up at her as if mocking her of better times…of happiness she could not remember that were trapped in these photographs.

The girl wondered why she had so many of these silent memories. What good did they do her now? She should have left the past where it belonged.

But yet…despite her bitterness, she could still remember her love for the camera. The way it could take a moment and freeze it forever. Such power, to make a single second of life and preserve it for eternity.

She felt warmth on her cheek and for a fraction of a heartbeat wondered if the flame had leapt upon her face. It slowly trickled down her face, leaving coldness in its path, and plummeted downward, missing the candle by a hair. It was followed by another, and another.

The girl dispassionately let the tears fall, feeling comfortably isolated from herself. It was strange, the things her body did without her consent. Laughter, tears…after awhile it became the same.

A droplet landed on the plastic covering of the album, and she stared at the shining puddle for a second. Perhaps if enough of those gathered, they would defrost the picture. Perhaps it could bring back the moment, help her remember what it was like to smile again.

But of course that was silly; water couldn’t melt ice. In fact, ice was made of hardened water. No, melting it with tears would not work.

She knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn’t help but wonder…maybe…

Slowly the girl slid a hand under the plastic sheet and slipped out a picture, never taking her eyes off it as she lifted it over the candle. The edges began to curl and turn black, but still the picture remained cold and unmoving.
She waited patiently, so very, very patiently…Even when the orange flames danced upward toward her fingers, she made no effort to put them out.

Losing interest in the picture, the flames traveled up the girl’s arms and quickly spread across her body. She felt warmth again, and wondered if she had started crying. The warmth soon turned to burning, and she vaguely thought to herself that tears had never been this hot.

Still she waited.

And as the flames consumed her whole, she never moved an inch, patiently waiting for the picture to become un-frozen.

Soon the only movement was the candle, almost burned out, but still flickering. It continued to illuminate the photographs, but they were covered in a layer of ashes so thick that the faces were unrecognizable.

Fire and rain
But it's all the same
Everything you know
Will go up in flame