His heart slamming into his rib cage, Ignis knew that this was his only chance. Slowing reaching towards the smooth oak door knob, cracked with age and use, he tried to inhale only to find his lungs trapped in a vise. The candle burning by his bedside gave off an inadequate halo of light, illuminating just enough to cast shadows that further drove him towards the sanctuary of his parents’ room. Through sheer force of will Ignis grasped the handle and prepared himself for the inevitable confrontation that would once again make his room a haven, protecting him from the horrors of the outside world; all that was left was driving off the evil spirit he knew to taunt him from his closet. Bolstered by a light coming from the hall, he readied himself for battle. Firmly grasping his stuffed frog in one arm and a keeping a tennis racket at the ready in his right hand, he twisted the knob.
The initial blast of heat drove him back against his now blackened sheets. Holding up his arm to protect his young eyes from the intense light emitting from the fire demon, Ignis gasped as his tennis racket began to melt, and with it is only sense of protection. The demon stepped out of the closet, welcome for the additional space that its enormous frame quickly filled. Standing a full 10 feet tall, Ignis was surprised to see hooves in place of feet, hooves that were already smoldering against the old pine floorboards of his bedroom. Wearing little more than an improvised loincloth, the demon grinned a malevolent grin, creating a visage that would haunt Ignis to the end of his days. As his eyes slowly travelled up the creature’s torso Ignis could barely see through the tongues of flame that covered the demon from head to its whipping tail. The creature's tail was as thick as strong rope, topped with a menacing spiked ball that whipped around dangerously close to Ignis' baseball trophies. Mesmerized by the greens, yellows, reds, and blues of the violent flames Ignis completely had forgotten the night time glass of water that his mother had left him.
The demon let his fire whip unfurl to the ground, cracking with energy and igniting a nearby desk. Snarling into a fierce grin, the demon rubbed its horns that were fashioned directly above his eyes and began to gnash his needlelike teeth. Perhaps the most terrifying sight for young Ignis was the great mane of fire that seemed to encircle the entire head of the demon. Entranced by the power of the creature, Ignis was not prepared for the crushing blow from the fire giant. Its large bicep pulling back its boulder sized fist, the demon was getting ready for the final blow when Ignis reached for his water, now remember the nightly glass of water and recognizing it the only weapon at his disposal. The glowing ember eyes of the demon followed the boy as he leapt for the nightstand. As Ignis reached the glass, he was careful not to spill the precious liquid and brandished it triumphantly, his own Excalibur that would deliver him safely from this nightmare. Recognizing the liquid death for what it was, the demon bowed his head to the small child and disappeared as quickly as he came. Ignis looked about his destroyed room and nonchalantly dusted the hot ash off of his bookshelf. He vaulted into bed, pulling the covers up tight to his chin, relishing in his victory.
When he awoke the next morning, Ignis was surprised to see that his room did not look damaged at all, with no apparent fallout from the fight the night before. When Ignis was about to lose all hope in his victory he noticed grooves under his cool barefoot feet. He couldn’t help but smile as he picked up his feet to reveal two cloven marks that were still smoldering. He bounded out the door on the way to breakfast…it was pancake day.
No comments:
Post a Comment