An Eye of Fire and Flame

Rudyard had in truth been watching the flames already.  There were so many things to ponder lately, he was already an uncle and soon would become a father.  The magical autumns were pleasant, the feast had been strange but enjoyable, and he’d visited statues with talking familiars.  

This was again things that were wrong in the fact it was abnormal in the same way the long night had been.  The talking familiars reminded him of the firefly fellow even if they did have different personalities and apparently motives.  There was another thing, one he had no idea how close to the mark he was hitting.  During his wedding how he had wished Resin had been alive to be there with the rest of his family.  Art had to feel the same at his wedding and the birth of his children.  Rudyard wished mom could also see how he had grown, and that he would also soon be a dad.  His children would never get to know her but Rudyard would be sure to tell them all about her.

These thoughts came and went as despite everything else going on there was nothing that could keep his main thought flowing back to the fact he would still be a father.  A very protective father with all that was happening.

Suddenly, the fire died out.  Rudy blinked, an intentional harder blink as if to clear something from his eyes.  There was nothing to see that should have disrupted the fire.  Rudy was about to walk towards it when the fire lit again.  As sure as hearing a ghost story and then something weird happening, Rudyard's mind jumps straight away to a ghost.  Here, with past experiences, it wasn’t a far-fetched idea.  Was it hope or possible truth that made Rudyard imagine Resin?  Protection for those he loved here and a desire of hope for it to be his mom warred within.

The fire lit up again.  One could try and say wind had put the fire out, a wind that he hadn’t felt nor should be here.  That wouldn’t explain the fire lighting up again.  “Mom?” Hope sparked in him more as surely as the fire.  Hesitation was there though as just as assuredly he could be wrong.  Something or someone had to be here and he wanted it to be mom but could he know for sure?  His head swiveled about the place wondering how strange it would sound if anyone listened or took note of it but the hope demanded he say something.  

“Mom?  I want you to know.  I’m going to be a dad.”  It was the most important thing he could say just in case it was her. “I’m going to have pups with Fern. Art just had pups.” The last time mom had been visible, they could see her and hear her.  If she was here why was it different?  Hope and fear of disappointment kept up, ears and eyes alert hoping for more signs that it was her.

"Rudyard Carpathius"