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There is a fire crackling in the grate. It cannot be said to be crackling merrily, because merry it is not. There is too much anger in those flames, too much hate. They flicker back and forth, moving forward as if to grasp something other than the air, then leaping back, its prize tight in its hold, which it transfers to the center of its being where it is silently devoured by others waiting. It has no visible eye, yet it is watching, always watching. It shifts itself to see things more clearly. Even then, there seems to be a certain vengeance in its eyes; it cannot be seen, only felt. At times, it will seem to pause, and the ends of its flames appear to hover in mid-air for a split-second; it is at such moments that a distinct form becomes visible in this fire, its features too hideous to want to remember. Before one can blink or turn away, it is gone, and the flames fall with a certain shiver, subtle yet noticeable, indicating the yearning it had when it was stretched out to its limit of movement, and the self-control it seems to display as if doing one of us a favor. It is not hot, nor does it radiate heat, no, it is ice-cold, giving an outward appearance of warmth, and yet chilling one right to the bones, cold that soaks through until it scarcely touches the boundary of the soul, and yet that is enough for one to despair. Its thirst for revenge is insatiable. It longs to be one with all things, to bind itself to them, when in actuality, it is consuming them of its own free will. It can sometimes pretend to be tame, but that is just a form of pretense it puts on for the gullible and the naive. It gives a quality of light to itself, beguiling the observer that it is providing light when it is actually feeding on it. The longer the fire burns, the darker its surroundings become. It sets up a pattern in its dancing flames, a dance-routine that has an enchanting quality to it, a lulling touch that will first cause one's attention to be caught by it, and then to hold that gaze until it becomes an unblinking stare. The person having any minor thoughts of withdrawing his gaze will find such thoughts suddenly and strangely subdued; the fire cannot afford to let those eyes, now caught, wander. This transfixed gaze allows the person's mind to become entranced, and the flames cause him to become dazed, as he will exist, for many long moments, only as himself and then as the flames, shifting from one state to another, sometimes flame, sometimes human. It is one of the attempts of the fire to have someone become one with it, to exist as a single being instead of two pulsating beings of life. It rests on its bed of ashes is if it were a throne, a seat of honor entrusted only to itself, though it is willing to share it with any followers. It knows no reluctance, it knows no hesitation, it is fiery, impulsive, demanding. And yet, it is not perfect. It dreads many things, things that threaten its existence and nothing more. Even such a fearful entity is capable of experiencing fear itself, such is how Nature goes.
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