i pretend to close my eyes;
i pretend i'm burning bright.
i pretend i'm burning bright.
I was not super impressed with the Tundra at first. It is cold, and in the spring it is squishy and wet and I still do not like wet. But there are places to go that are less squishy, and when I’m cold I just make sparks and little bitty fires that keep me cozy and fend off the chill. Plus, I’ve got Romek. He said I could call him Dad, but I like his name. It’s the first one I ever heard, after all, and the first one I said too. So when I see him wandering through the snow all alone, it’s not the word dad that I shout to draw his attention as I grin and bound toward him. Or at least not just, anyhow.
“Daddy Romek!”
I cuddle up against him the second I reach his side, closing my gold eyes and rubbing my face against his shoulder. “Guess what I did today!” I exclaim, bouncing back a step so I can look up at him, all wiggly with excitement. “I explored a new cave, and I played chase with a deer--though I don’t know if the deer knew how to play chase, because when I caught it and ran away it didn’t chase me back. Silly deer. Maybe deer have different games? I’unno, anyhow, I tried to play chase with a deer, and then? Oh, um, then I...didn’t start a fire! Or, didn’t start a big one, anyhow. Snow’s a handy thing, huh? It may be cold and yucky, but it’s good at keeping fire from getting biiiig. Which I guess is a good thing, even if big fires are pretty. And fun.”
Ooh. A big fire would be nice, though. “Ummmm, so is there maybe somewhere that it is okay to make big fires? Just...just out of curiosity, of course.” I smile really big and blink, all innocence and charm. Really. “Or! Or to practice, that’s a good reason, right? Yeah, to practice, because it’s safer if I have better control, right? Good, yes, that. Where’s good to practice with big fire? Oh also hi, I miss you, how are you?”
“Daddy Romek!”
I cuddle up against him the second I reach his side, closing my gold eyes and rubbing my face against his shoulder. “Guess what I did today!” I exclaim, bouncing back a step so I can look up at him, all wiggly with excitement. “I explored a new cave, and I played chase with a deer--though I don’t know if the deer knew how to play chase, because when I caught it and ran away it didn’t chase me back. Silly deer. Maybe deer have different games? I’unno, anyhow, I tried to play chase with a deer, and then? Oh, um, then I...didn’t start a fire! Or, didn’t start a big one, anyhow. Snow’s a handy thing, huh? It may be cold and yucky, but it’s good at keeping fire from getting biiiig. Which I guess is a good thing, even if big fires are pretty. And fun.”
Ooh. A big fire would be nice, though. “Ummmm, so is there maybe somewhere that it is okay to make big fires? Just...just out of curiosity, of course.” I smile really big and blink, all innocence and charm. Really. “Or! Or to practice, that’s a good reason, right? Yeah, to practice, because it’s safer if I have better control, right? Good, yes, that. Where’s good to practice with big fire? Oh also hi, I miss you, how are you?”