To The Fire - a cozy contest entry :D Note: I literally wrote this in ten minutes because I've been super busy with school lately. Haha me and deadlines dont really work If //'s surround a word, it's taking the place of italics those dont exist here XD Song is Sunrise by Vexento Thumbnail created using canva I always loved Sundays. All the kids were out, families were walking around, and best of all, /we’d/ go walking. And not just the normal walk around the park and back home– like most days– we’d go to the forest. My family would walk on this little trail that winds through the pine trees. The smell of the fresh earth and wet leaves flowed around me, begging me to come here and there, inspecting everything and giving my approval. Little birds chirped on the leaves of trees, tweeting about the new day and all the wonderful things that it could bring. I led my family down the trail, going from one side of it to the other, making sure everything was in order. If I saw a squirrel I’d tell it to go away. If there was an ant out of line I’d make it go back. My family talked behind me. Roger, the little boy who always followed me with a strap, was pointing at the trees and saying, “look!” as a falcon took off. His older sister, Athena, would look up for a brief moment, smile, then continue the conversation she was having with Mom. Roger was about twelve; Athena was sixteen. I pressed them onward, straining against the strap. I could smell something interesting up ahead. Inches suddenly felt like miles, and feet felt like leagues. My family never seemed to care about how much I wanted to see something; they would just keep walking at that lazy pace as if they had all the time in the world. When we finally reached the area that held that curious smell, I started to get excited. I pressed on, following the scent, which was leading off the trail a little bit. Roger allowed me to go where I wanted, saying “look, we’re almost here!” I zigzagged past bushes, wound my way around trees, and finally, /finally/, emerged into a little clearing. I saw Dad putting meat on sticks and setting them carefully on a fire. Four chairs were circling the firepit, and my family all sat in them. “This’s so fun!” said Roger, taking a stick and putting meat on it. “How long have you been here for?” Athena asked Dad. He shrugged. An hour or so.” He turned to me and smiled. “Come here, Maxx!” I ran up to him and jumped into his arms, licking his face. Dad laughed. “Athena, I thought you didn’t want to bring Maxx.” She shrugged. “He’s not so bad.” Dad laughed and picked me up, then walked over to his chair and sat down with me on his lap. The fire glowed a brilliant orange and spread its warmth in all directions. After we ate a delicious dinner, Mom pulled out some marshmallows and they roasted them. The fire eagerly made them golden, dancing as it touched the tips with its fingers. I saw little fireflies hovering around us, and stood up to chase them. They evaded me, but not easily. If it weren’t for all the distracting smells I was sure I’d be able to catch one. The holes from heaven’s floor began to peek out, shining in harmony, little accents for the moon. As Athena began to tell us a spooky story, I trotted over to Mom and lay down next to her. “Good boy,” she whispered. “You’re a good dog, Maxx.”
