Leah’s Refuge
Leah curled in front of the fireplace clutching her legs to her chest her cheek rubbing against the filthy braided rug, she didn’t care, this was her refuge from this ugliness’s inhabiting her body and mind.
She watched the flames dance in front of her eyes filling her pupils with orange, temporarily blocking out the feelings of dark arid barrenness, that’d become her soul.
Leah was frightened by her lack of feeling more then anything else. Change had hit Leah like a landslide in the desert mountains, dust clouds of confusion surrounding her senses while the dryness of anxiety choked off her words and thoughts.
As if trapped on a carousel her mind chattered round and round the same thought, was she losing her mind like her mother had. Would she succumb to the terror she’d seen as a little girl. As this gained strength her body started involuntarily jerking in petite spasms. As if she were already dead her tongue fell out of her mouth touching the pee stained rug sending revulsion echoing through her, she didn’t move.
Leah morphed into a rag doll melting into the floor crying softly for everything she’d lost. One hand over her face catching the tears while in furtive gesture of despair her other hand wedged itself between her dry legs knowing there was nothing left to feel.
From her fetal prison Leah could see the fires consuming dance slowly leaping skyward, hot blue interior of the flame directing it upward to freedom. Leah wondered about the feel of burning on her skin, asking herself which was worse a long descent into madness or the madness of crawling into the fire and freeing herself.
The flames call grew louder seemingly promising Leah a way out, crackling and popping, laughing, pointing and enticing her to get up to crawl into its burning arms for relief. The fires pull was overpowering Leah, she felt longing for release her hands now pushing her heavy body upright.
Leah unconsciously unbuttoned her shirt throwing it into the hungry fire, soon her jeans and underwear fed the fire. Naked on her knees leaning toward the flames hands rubbing her stomach in tight circles Leah gasped at the nothingness playing out in front of her.
Her shoulders felt like rusted steel bending and twisting in searing pain yet Leah grabbed the field stone skirt and pushed herself away from the ravenous mouth that drooled its lust out into the room showering embers of anticipation in front of her horribly naked yet upright body.
Leah stood quietly watching as the mouth folded back into a fireplace, her body drenched in sweat, she ran her fingers over her stomach and felt a little fire burning there where a moment ago there had been nothing. Leah let a little smile break out out in her scared soul and laid down on the bed to sleep.
