A Burning Heart

Prologue- LOST HEART

I see you in the light, but the darkness is near. I can hear you calling to me, saying do not fear. You tell me to just take your hand and to not let go. I can see myself sinking, sinking further into the abyss of the unknown. Deeper and deeper I travel until all consciousness disappears. I dread the moment that I will be forgotten, but I know now not all who wander may be lost. So I will lose my fear, have faith and hold onto hope. Someday I will be discovered once more.

Part 1:

I close my eyes and breathe in deep through the protective layers of my veil that are gently caressing my face. I start imagining the smell of a fresh salty ocean breeze as the harmonious sounds of the waves crests over my ears and into my soul. I feel the sand melt away as the water washes over my bare feet and I sink deeper into its touch. My considerably long dress starts to absorb the saltwater and begins to wrap around my legs twisting and turning against the current. I fall to my knees just as a light wave cushions my fall and surrounds me. A forced chuckle softly escapes my lips as I hope and pray that some water deity hears and answers my plea.

So much water in this vast ocean but not enough to put out the fires that consumed the cities and surrounding forest's. It was like someone took a cosmic sized magnifying glass and aimed it at our world. No warning, we just lit up like a dried out pine tree. The only escape was to find any large body of water. Oceans, seas and larger lakes were the only safe haven through out our lands. Rivers, streams and creeks dried out except for one or two major rivers that ran through our continent. Who knows about what happened to the rest of our world or what is left of it. On top of all that was happening the power had turned off almost immediately. All power sources having been burnt to ash either from the first fires or fried from the second heat wave. The heat waves are now continuously happening sporadically every few years for the last 50 years. We are trying to anticipate the next ones, it has been three years since the last heat wave hit us. Due to this we have been keeping track of the animals and their patterns to help predict. The animals seem to sense the heat waves. They have become more scarce in our area though. Through out the years they have migrated to the colder and more damper regions that still have a form of humidity left or they die due to disease by being exposed to those new habitats caused by losing thier old ones. Our world lost quite a lot of the people during the first wave. The second one was even worse, nearly half the remaining population was lost. The last wave that happened I lost some of my family and friends as well as... my love.

A tear trickles slowly down my cheek as I reminisce about all that had happened. Today marks the three year anniversary, even during the same hour as that year, that I lost everything. My hands crash down into the sand as the waxing and waning of the water rushes over them, powerfully moving the sand causing my body to sink further and further as the tide comes in.

I was getting ready, extremely early for once because I usually sleep in, finally about to get married on the morning of July 1st 2071. I was so excited, the anticipation of that day woke me up early before the sun even began to rise. Everything was going perfectly so far, to be expected on what was supposed to be one of the most happiest days of my life. A wonderfully new beginning in a chapter of my life turned out to be one of the most horrifically surreal moments I have ever experienced (Even more so then the first wave that I can remember experiencing.). We thought we were prepared, we were wrong. We were so wrong. Nothing could have prepared us for this, because this time it was a heat wave unlike any other. Scratch that it was a heat storm with lighting, high temperatures, fire and ash. Suffocating. The air was barely breathable, the heat was unbearable and the lightening was terrifying. The air burned red with flames and the sky turned instantaneously black, like all the stars were blown out as if someone just blew candles out on a birthday cake. Don’t forget to make a wish.

As my memories keep resurfacing, my dress keeps getting further drenched by the second. I feel as though the water is getting increasingly more restless as my emotions run high and my thoughts run away from me. This keeps causing me to picture the past so vividly like a lucid dream, yet it simply feels like it was happening just yesterday. I allow myself to breathe in and out deeply, trying so hard to calm myself. "Please give me a sign! Is this right of me to do? Do you approve my love? Can you here me?" I scream out at the top of my lungs and turn my head up towards the sky. My eyes remain closed as the tears fall more freely from my face and I give more water to the sea.

All of a sudden I open my eyes and look down as I feel something hit my wrist quite harshly in the water just as a wave crashes by. With quick reflexes I hurriedly reach down and grab with my other hand so as to not let it get away and disappear on me. I just know in my heart and soul that what I found is something precious and priceless, exactly the sign I was looking for. I quickly stand shocked to find that the object is rather heavy in weight. It is also fairly worn out, most likely due to age and the weathering of the sea. I take a closer look and peer down at it, flipping it between my small fingers. A golden heart shaped locket stares back at me, with the tree of life on the front. I squint my eyes a little more and bend my head closer to try to make out what is inscribed on the back. There appears to be three symbols, in the bumps near the top of the heart is a sun and maybe a moon. In the body of the heart is the third symbol that I can't really distinguish. My curiosity gets the better of me so I muster up as much strength as I can and open the locket up and see something that breaks my heart all over once again. Clear as a bright sunny day, on the left side, inscribed is the word family and on the other side holds a beautiful picture of a family of three. They seem to be holding a cute little tree in the palm of thier hands getting ready to plant it. I start to cry hysterically while smiling as emotions overtake me. I don't know what happened to this family but I'm sure that this is the answer to my plea's that I needed so desperately. For me to stay strong and carry on, I now know my story isn't over yet and I will brave any wave and any storm that comes my way.