A Violet Flame

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a girl with a violet flame behind her eyes.

The flame was wild, mysterious, and beyond containment.

Afraid for the girl’s safety, she was taught to extinguish it.

Unwilling to let it go, she secretly hid what remained in the corners of her heart.

As a young woman, she met a man who would become her home.

They started a family of two children, both born with violet flames behind their eyes.

Though she had no name for it, she could recognize its power in their innocent eyes. Determined to keep their flames bright, she took her family deep into the woods.

As her kids grew, so did the secret fire in her heart.

Fueled by the rage of being discarded, the fire grew too large to control.

At its height, it became a madness within her. It grew so loud and relentless that it nearly drained all of her life force.

In her most desperate moment, she called to the madness, “What do you want?”

“Create something wild and wonderful,” it replied. So she painted four bright blue wild horses running free. Pleased, the madness went away.

Years later, the intensity grew, and once again, at her worst hour, she called to the madness and asked what it wanted. “Let me be free; I don’t want to be hidden anymore,” it replied.

The girl couldn’t do it. Too much time had passed; she was older now, stuck in her ways.

Though she wanted to be free, she couldn’t find her way back. She tried and tried, but the journey led nowhere.

Feeling drained, she rested beneath a tree at the forest’s edge.

Tired from her struggles, she fell asleep.

In her dream, she saw a Red Fox with an opalescent glow. The Red Fox spoke to her, saying, “Meet me where the moss covers everything and the mist lingers. You will know the way.”

When the girl woke from her dream, she rushed into the woods,

feeling guided, even though the path was dark and full of mystery.

When she finally reached the Red Fox, she was exhausted.

She collapsed beside a tree and fell asleep again. As she rested, the Red Fox gently touched the top of her head and said, “We’ve been waiting for you.” When she awoke, she found herself surrounded by all the beings the Red Fox had healed.

The group was made up of people like her, each with flames of a unique color. When they gathered, their flames formed a kaleidoscope that lit the sky.

It was so beautiful that it instantly healed all the parts of her that had hardened. The group’s colors circled in and around her and unlocked something deep inside.

The girl remembered everything, and her chest burst open.

The violet flame locked behind her heart shot back up behind her eyes.

This time, the flame was even bigger and brighter, grounded in compassion and humility.

Her journey in this world, without her second sight, had become a gift.

With her husband, family, teacher, and now a coven, she began to feel she belonged.

From here, she was ready for everything that was to come.