Her Fire, by Nathan Wohlrabe

A warrior is running through the forest. He is running madly, being chased.  The forest is on fire and it is raging.  He is being chased by demons.  He is slaying these demons with a glistening sword.  Fighting for his life, he feels the heat as a cold embrace of death covers his body in sweat.  He kills demon after demon.  Their deformed bodies and grotesque faces are shrouded by a blazing forest.

He kills and kills until every demon lay dead, and the burning forest takes them.  He is covered in sweat and blood.  He is wounded and bleeding, however the forest continues to burn.  He runs until every inch of his body is on fire with a desire to live.

The fire is behind him; life and pain surround him.  He reaches a pool with a waterfall making soft and gentle music.  He goes to the pool to wash off the blood.  He falls to his knees and begins to cry.  He drinks from the pool like an animal.  He takes off his clothes and walks into the shallow water.  He looks up to see a woman with a pitcher.

She does not frighten but looks at him and she sees him bleeding.  She fills her pitcher from the waterfall and places it on the edge of the pool.  She comes to him in the water.  She takes off part of her clothing and bandages his wounds and covers his nakedness.

She looks into his eyes and says to him, “I saw you running through the forest, and I started the fire.”

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