• Love is blind. Love is like a selfish creature that takes your heart and twists it around mercilessly until it’s either broken or its painstaking hunger is satisfied. All my life I have been told that love is nothing but enduring pain and believing in false hope.

    Well, I know what it’s like to have to go through that kind of pain. But don’t people so boldly say that they’re willing to die in the most painful way possible for someone they love? Sure. Love is, ironically, a major cause of suffering. But that’s not all it is. It’s also a reward in itself. I’ve also been told that the very feeling of being in love is worth the pain. Amen to that.
    * * * * * *


    The air was thick with smoke. I watched helplessly behind yellow caution tape as the once bustling apartment building was swallowed by flames. They consumed everything I owned aside from my living spirit. They might as well have taken that too. I was already dead.

    I shifted my glance from the burning building to the firemen working professionally to put out the fire, then turned my attention toward the lucky ash-covered victims whose only loss was their temporary home. I reached into my coat pocket and gently touched the twenty dollar bill in my pocket. It was all I had left to get by for the week until I received my next pay. The fire had taken all of my rent money; not like it mattered anymore.

    I sighed and made my way down the sidewalk, pushing past the crowd of curious spectators. I felt a tug on my sleeve and spun around.

    “Alice! Thank God, you’re all right…”

    My eyes met with my classmate’s. Her worried expression surprised me a little.

    “Julia…” I began.

    “Oh my God! I was so worried…” She fought back tears as she held me in a tight embrace. “I heard that there was a fire, but I didn’t think it’d be your apartment!”

    “Julia!” I repeated, raising my voice. “I can’t breathe!” Sensing my irritation, she finally let go.

    “Sorry, Alice. I’m just so happy to see you. I thought I had lost my best friend.” Julia averted her gaze to the blazing apartment building. “By the looks of it, you need a place to stay. Lucky for you, my roommate moved out last week. If you’d like, you’re free to stay with me at the dorms.”

    I had to draw the line at the usage of the term “best friend“, since “acquaintance” was better fit to describe our relationship. But, I still needed a place to stay, regardless of the fact that I had to share a room with Julia, one of the most obnoxious people I knew. At least it was only until I could earn enough money to find another place of my own.

    “Sure,” I answered, reluctantly. “Thanks.”

    Her eyes lit up and her lips formed an abnormally large smile. “Oh my gosh! This is going to be so much fun! It’ll be just like a sleepover…”

    So engulfed by her ridiculous thoughts, she continued on, unaware that I was ignoring everything she said. It looked like the firefighters were in trouble. The flames were starting to spread to a neighboring building. I honestly could have cared less about the people living there, but it was still an awfully painful way to die. It didn’t matter, though. The fire would have reduced the building to ashes by the time they had put out the fire on the apartment.

    People began to cry. Some were praying. I rolled my eyes. Why would God care about a few buildings burned or a life or two lost? These things happened everyday in war. No single entity, no matter how powerful, could possibly care about everybody’s problems. Or so, I thought. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bright flash of white light rush past me, followed by a gust of wind. A sudden commotion filled the air as it began to rain, and the fire was miraculously doused.

    A gentle after-breeze brought me back to reality. Snow white feathers flew by my feet. There were no birds anywhere near the city that could have left these feathers. I looked to Julia. She didn’t seem to notice them.

    I followed a short trail of feathers with my eyes and lifted my gaze to the crowd. My eyes were fixed on a certain presence, whose hands were folded in a praying position. The feathers floated about him, as though they were his own. His hands dropped gracefully to his sides. He turned his head and smiled. I exchanged glances with those gentle blue eyes and nervously looked away. I could feel my temperature rise and my heart race, but I couldn’t explain why. When I turned to glance at this stranger’s friendly smile once again, he had vanished from my sight.