Chapter 1

As a child, fire always fascinated me. I remember being young and my family doing bonfires for fun. At one fall bonfire, I was sitting at my father's feet, just staring into the flames. I watched the orange and yellow ribbons dancing together, intertwined and moving freely. As I watched the dancing, I became more and more drawn in. I saw these beautiful, sensual dancing figures. They appeared human. but not necessarily male or female. The deeper I fell, the more vivid the picture of the dance became. Suddenly, I could hear this deep, booming base drum as the beat that the fire figures danced to came to life. I felt myself falling, wanting to join their beautiful escapade; to be a part of the stunning accord I was watching.

"Mel!" My dad says sternly. He suddenly had his hand on the back if my shirt, pulling me towards him. "Sweetie, you have to stay back from the fire. If you had gotten any closer, you would have gotten hurt very badly. Do you understand, fire can scar you for life?" My father's face was stern, but his eyes showed the softness of care and worry.

"Yes, Daddy." I replied, as I snuggled back between his legs to start gazing at the fire again. If only I had applied that lesson to other aspects of my life.