He finished with the lock on the back door and held it open while she snuck inside. After closing the door, he peered through the windows to see if anyone had seen them. None of the lights near the abandoned house had come on. He grinned, pulled the curtains and turned to reassure her that he'd been right.
She wasn't there.
Moving through the mudroom, he peered into the kitchen doorway, calling her name. Quietly at first, and then with more force as his annoyance grew. Once he'd left the kitchen, he heard a crackle and saw a soft glow coming from a front room.
She was there. Staring into a lit fireplace, entranced by the flames. He sighed, and as he went to tell her not to scare him like that, it dawned on him that there shouldn't be a fire. She hadn't had time to start a fire, let alone get one blazing along merrily like this one was. When he called her name again, she didn't respond. Getting angry, he strode forward, reaching up to grab her shoulder when the log made a loud pop. Startled, he looked down into the fireplace.
The fire was bright and its heat felt good after being out in the cold. When had be been so warm? So comfortable? The flames, oranges, yellows, and blues, performed a mesmerizing dance. How beautiful! He couldn't look away. Why look away? He had everything he needed right here.
The couple stood, entranced with fire. Unable to hear the dark, satisfied laughter from deep within the house.
My Recent Freewrites
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