//------------------------------//
// 383. Tinder by TheWraithWriter 
// Story: The Sun and the Stars: A Twilestia Prompt Collab 
// by Fuzzyfurvert 
//------------------------------//


by TheWraithWriter


***



Making a fire is fairly simplistic.

Even now, so many years later, I still have trouble putting my feelings into words. It was more than happiness, more than joy. Having my sister come back to me, after so long…. I-I’m sorry, I get a little emotional sometimes.

It’s all a matter of preparation.

There was always something different about her. She stuck out, like a pearl in a pile of stones. Like a star in an empty sky.

Gathering tinder.

Always eager to please. But it was different than what I had gotten used to. She wasn’t trying to simply tip the balance of something in her favor. She actually wanted to make me proud. For her, my smile was worth all the gold and power in the world.

Placing it carefully.

Her little, ah, ‘incident’ when she thought she might be late for an assignment. It’s pretty funny, looking back. Just don’t tell her I said anything. She get’s so upset if there’s any mention of it.

Or just throwing it in a pile.

The moment when I knew she was ready. When I knew she could handle the final challenge. That’s when I finally allowed myself that first glimmer of hope. No more late-night binges to get it off my mind. No more shameful scribbling in my diary. Suddenly, it was possible.

Because in the end, it doesn’t take much to start a fire.

…We always try to rationalize these things afterwards, don’t we? We thing, ‘How did I get here? There must be a reasonable explanation.’ You could spend hours mapping out each and every little point, gathering up the pieces so you can say, ‘Yes, it all fits now.’

But it’s all just background noise. Just the lead in before the start.

Because all you need to start a fire is a Spark.