The Ice on Lava

Author: Jennifer Martin

Asle’s praying hands formed the shape of a heated volcano waiting to erupt.  Each palm was numb to the other's burn; yet, those hands were tempests of heat to so many outsiders. 

When she was young, she could use the power for goodness—melting the frost from the radiator, offering a quick flambé to desserts, or warming Sonna’s socks on winter mornings.  That little sister's bright smile reflected the glow that radiated from Asle's hands.

But as time burned its way through their lives, so did the danger. Asle’s power became a lurking cinder whose heat made others sweat with fear.  Visitors to their kingdom would cut their eyes at her odd hue; questions swarmed as to why only the palace stood naked of snow in winter.  Yes, they knew something was off, they knew Asle was not of their kind. 

Still, Sonna loved Asle with a blind sisterly passion that could withstand the heat.  The child's smile even offered a cool relief at the fieriest moments. Unfortunately, Asle knew it was only a matter of time until she hurt Sonna, who had been the icy crystal amidst the charred forest where so much had already fallen to ash.

Mummy and Poppy tried to convince Asle, tried to convince themselves, that the powers would pass; maybe she would outgrow them like a pair of uncomfortable shoes or a childish toy.  But the powers only matured with her.

She would have to take Fate into her own hands—to guarantee that Sonna would have a future. A future filled with the cool brine of the sea rather than scalding licks of a fire pit.

Asle waited until the peaks of the night when all that stirred in the palace was a cool wind through an open window.  From there, she scaled down the wall so no one would see, her hands becoming velcro mitts that burned through the stone.  As her feet hit the ground, she gave one last look at home where her own presence became a menace.  She ran way, leaving a burning thicket in her wake.

But behind her was a sneaky Sonna, who perceived her older sister's tiptoeing as a playful, inviting game. 

Asle fired towards her desertion as her little crystal evaporated behind her in the raging flames.