Written: 1-9-25
When I was born, my family gave me a candle and lit it with their flames. They told me, “As long as you keep this light shining, you will always be protected from the Dark World. Once you’re lost in the Dark World, it can be almost impossible to escape.”
I cherished my light, feeding it every day to make it glow brighter and magnificent with vibrant colors. When I grew afraid of the shadows and darkness of the Dark World, I would grow my light to make sure I would never be lost in it.
Sometimes, the corruption of the Dark World would seep into our home and infect my family. They would fight so loud that their flames would start to dim. I was afraid the corruption would overtake them, so I made my light brighter to chase the corruption away.
One time, our family dog’s light went out. I made my light brighter, trying to use the rays to reignite it. But no matter how bright I made my light; our dear pet’s light wouldn’t catch. That day I learned that once a light is extinguished, there is no reviving it.
As I grew older, it became harder to keep my light shining bright and maintain its magnificent colors. Sometimes, older adults would tell me that my light was too bright, and it was blinding them. Not wanting to be a burden, I dimmed my light to make it easier for others to see.
Other times, friends would feed off my light, stealing it to make their lights bigger and more vibrant. Each time they stole a piece, mine would slowly dim.
Some people would be attracted to my light, but when they got close, they were burned by the intense heat. I did not want to hurt them, so I dimmed my light again to keep them safe.
When I saw how dim my light was becoming, I asked my family for help. But they told me that I needed to be more considerate of others. I nodded and kept dimming my light whenever I was around others to make sure they felt comfortable.
Somedays, I would get so angry and upset with how harmful my light was, that I would dim it myself hoping it would go out. But no matter how hard I tried, a tiny flicker remained. After a while, I couldn’t see my light anymore, except for a faint flicker of an ember on the wick.
Barely recognizing my light anymore, I walked into the Dark World, hoping to extinguish it so I couldn’t hurt others anymore.
While walking through the shadows, I found a young woman with a light barely visible on her candle. I approached her and asked, “Why are you hiding in the shadows?”
She replied, “My light is nothing but dark colors that corrupt any light it touches. I belong here where the flame is as dark as the world.”
Curious of her colors, I shared the flickering embers of my light with hers. In a blinding flash, her candle erupted in a beautiful plume of bright magentas, reds, and hints of black. I was amazed by her flame and told her it was truly marvelous. Seeing her fire with new eyes and vigor, she thanked me for helping her see the beauty of her flame. Revitalized, her light guided her toward a door that she used to leave the Dark World.
I smiled seeing her go but sighed when I saw my light remained nearly gone. Sad, I continued on.
Next, I met a young man who was trying to extinguish his flame. He was shouting, spitting, and stomping on his candle, trying everything he could to extinguish the tiny spark on the wick.
I approached him and said, “Why are you doing this?”
“This flame is a constant source of mockery in my life,” he cried. “Everyone mocks me for its weird colors and sparkles that I never want anyone to see it again.”
Curious of the sparkles, I asked him to share his light with me so I could see what he meant. When the embers of my light met with his, his candle exploded like a sky full of fireworks. His flame radiated a cascade of all colors of the rainbow and glittered in a dazzling display of light.
I was awestruck by his flame and begged him to not extinguish something so wonderful.
Hearing the support and admiration in my voice, he agreed to protect his flame. His light illuminated a door out of the Dark World, which he walked through with a newfound smile on his face.
I watched as his fireworks faded from the Dark World, but when I looked at my light, it was still barely flickering. Sighing, I continued on.
Then, a stranger came up to me and said, “Excuse me, I couldn’t notice but your light is so beautiful, why is it here in the Dark World?”
Confused, I told the stranger, “You are mistaken, my light is merely an ember on the candle. I can barely see it myself. Surely it would be impossible for you to see it amongst the darkness.”
The stranger shook their head, “Quite the opposite, your light is so bright that it lights the Dark World as if it were day.”
The stranger revealed their candle, a gentle and calm flame elegantly dancing on the wick and held it next to mine. Before the wicks could touch, my flame erupted like a volcano. The brilliant colors I thought were long lost returned with a pulsing aura that radiated like an aurora.
The stranger laughed, “You see, how could I not see such a beautiful star shining amid the darkness!
Stunned, I looked around me as the Dark World itself slowly broke as lights emerged from around me. The rays from my light brushed against people lost in the Dark World, igniting their candles and revealing doors out of the Dark World.
The stranger joyously cheered, “Look at the many lights you’ve ignited. How could anyone miss such a glorious flame?”
“Dear stranger, does my light not burn or blind you,” I asked, holding the candle away from them.
“Not at all! I bet with more effort; you could send the whole Dark World ablaze!”
With the stranger’s words, my flame intensified and grew larger, completely engulfing me. I believed the flame would burn me, but instead, I felt the comforting warmth of all the lights my candle touched embracing me like a gentle hug. I saw the magentas and lush reds of the woman happily sharing her candle with another, the sparkles and glitter of the man celebrating with others, the elegant flames dancing around each other from the stranger, and lights from old friends and exes who used my fire to make theirs stronger. The flames grew higher and pulsated a wave of energy in all directions.
The flame slowly spread, revealing a door out of the Dark World. Taking a deep breath, I contained the flame to surround me like an energetic aura that connected to the candle. Looking back, I thanked the stranger for their kind words, opened the door, and returned to the Light World with new confidence to burn brighter than ever before.
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