Fire and Brimstone and Salt

One of the angels said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” Genesis 19:17

The sky is orange, like a sunset at noon. I stand a few inches back from the edge of the cliff, my arms wrapped tightly around myself. Despite the roaring fire below, the wind is bitter cold, slicing through my thin jacket and whipping my long skirt around my legs.

Lilibet sits on the ground, leaning against a maple tree, orange and yellow leaves scattered on the dry ground around her, like little bits of the sky fallen to the earth. Behind us, Shay waits quietly, dark hair blowing across his face in the frosty wind. I suppose we must be far enough away from the city now or he would have kept us running.

Sparks float over the city like glittering fireflies dancing in the air. But, by the time they make their way to us, they have faded to specks of ash, grey smudges drifting slowly down among the trees. It is so peaceful here now I could almost forget the panic of earlier, of Shay’s frantic pounding on our door this morning, of running through the streets one hand in Shay’s and one in Lilibet’s, of the roar of the fire close behind us.

A soft, keening sob escapes Lilibet and I crouch beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to me. Shay kneels on her other side and watches us with sad dark eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice rough from the running and the smoke.

I nod to him, not trusting my own voice, and I bow my head to Lilibet’s shoulder, hiding my face in her neck. Only a few hours ago, Lilibet and I were curled together in our bed, warm and safe. My head is aching and as I realize why, a nearly hysterical laugh escapes me, though I bite it off immediately: I missed my usual morning coffee today in our mad rush to escape.

“I’m having caffeine withdrawals,” I say, anticipating Shay and Lilibet’s confusion at my misplaced humour. “My head is pounding.” I barely had time to dress, but my body is worried about coffee.

“May I?” Shay asks softly and I lift my head and meet his kind eyes. His hand hovers in the air between us, paused in reaching toward me.

I shrug and nod. We’ve only known Shay for a few months, but I’ve always been a good judge of character and he is unfailingly kind and good. I don’t know what he thinks he can do for me, but it can’t hurt to let him try.

Shay’s warm hand comes to rest on my forehead and I feel heat radiating out from the contact. It is not like the heat I feel when Lilibet touches me—this is platonic yet transcendent. The pain of caffeine deprivation fades before a warm wave that washes through my head and neck, leaving me refreshed and relaxed, the pain gone.

As Shay takes his hand back, I stare at him in shock. “What did you do?”

He smiles. “Your energy was out of balance.”

I shake my head. “And you fixed my chi or chakras or something?”

His smile widens. “Something like that.” He turns to look into the distance. “We should start walking.”

Lilibet lets out a long sigh and we get to our feet. “Where are we going?” she asks.

I lace my fingers with hers and look over my shoulder. I taste salt and realize I am crying. “Anywhere but here,” I tell her.