Heartfire

Heartfire

Written by Ryan Wada Illustrated by Kelsey Ward Always the crunching of the leaves. Honestly, that’s what stuck in Will’s mind the most, his boots crunching on leaves. Part of the reason he got his red leather boots, the crunch they’d make in the leaves. Great evergreens towered upwards. Every inhale felt like the great outdoors, but then again, wasn’t it? Will almost missed the trail, and even when he tromped on it, his puffy black jacket snagging on redberry bushes , he almost veered off the cliff to his right. He didn’t quite remember putting everything on in the morning, but he looked just like he did some 12 years ago, almost the spitting image. Eyes were a bit more tired, nothing new for Will, his knees ached, but they did way back when he reached the apparently old age of 19. Still, the leaves always told him, this is the woodlands, this is sanctuary, some people thought dew, some the branches or the critters that darted across the boughs, just leaves for Will. Had to be the right amount of dried and crackly too, that soft shit that sponged at his step, not the same at all.

His breaths became a few huffs after a small bustle of steps, “should be ‘bout there…” Will said to the branches waving at him. Something caught his gaze, a firefly, but this far south west? Will glanced at his watch, “huh, 3:30, guess,” Will caught his breath, “guess if there would be fireflies…” Will scratched his head. Every so often the image of a strange rabbit would hop out from behind a small copse of alders in this mountainous land, the flora didn’t fit, but still he knew the path he walked. Will paused, slung his waterbottle from his side and drained a portion of water. The crisp water revived him, and looking over his metal bottle he spied a strange deer. Albino, but the antlers…the antlers would have aged, Will never grew up in an outdoorsy family, still he cocked his head, antlers like that meant the oldest deer he’d ever seen.

Another ten minutes and finally he reached his destination. A great vaulted lodge with small windows sat in the middle of a tiny clearing. Some ancient trees withered around the house, some sprang up and grew almost with the structure. A thin wisp of smoke crawled out of the chimney, the chimney sagged to the side, the shingles of the house had moss and wildflowers littering its fringes. Something out of the looking glass, Will could only smirk and shake his head, it had to be like this. After his pause Will kicked off from his spot and clomped up the cobblestone path to the entrance. As he approached the large oak door creaked open.

A friendly face greeted Will, an old friend stood and held out his arm towards Will. Will took his forearm in his and they held each other.

“Fucking hell, how long has it been!?” Will laughed through misty eyes.

“Little over five years now!” The man nodded as they stood back and gazed at each other. Will clenched his hand, that grasp, that embrace, felt a little weak, but then Will expected that.

“Good god, you look good Al, fresh air is doing wonders for you.” Will nodded at Allen’s thin but spritely physique.

The door creaked shut behind Al but Will caught the image of something golden, and an assortment of curious artifacts, Allen motioned towards a nearby metal table.

“So, Will, how’s everyone?”

“Oh, the same really. That’s the thing about my life, it’s really not that interesting.”

“Well my internet is spotty here Will, but I know there’s more than ‘just the same.’” Allen snapped his fingers and holding up a finger ran into his lodge and returned five minutes later with coffee and chocolate muffins. The fresh aroma of sweet chocolate wafted under Wills nose, they chuckled and dug into the traditional friend snacks.

“Ok, so things are,” Will sipped some coffee to get the muffin down, “Ah! Things are a bit changed, I guess. Chris is back in town.”

“Really? Damn, don’t know if I should be happy or fuckin’ concerned…”

“Well Desi isn’t with him anymore, obviously, but then again maybe severing all ties from that life got him…on the wagon.”

“Maybe.” Allen slurped the hot coffee. Will held the fresh mug to his nose, this batch smelled like middle school for some reason. “Yeah, I don’t know about Morry, I think he’s long gone from everything.”

“Makes sense although I did swear I’d patch you two up someday.” Al pointed his small fork at Will.

“I don’t know Al.”

“I know. One day, until then though,” Al held his mug and the friends clinked their drinks. Will took in the scenery, the porcelain table they sat in front of, the cabin built into the very forest of the woodlands. The sparse amount of windows of the cabin were caked in dust, webs, and a soft glow of candlelight flickered behind.

“Al, this is a beautiful home you have here. Where did you find it again?”

“Well, the woods just told me, this is a spot that will keep you safe until you’re ready to move on, so I forgot who brokered the deal but well, I have a house!” Allen shrugged and sipped his drink. Will smiled and looked around at the walls of trees, this place felt peaceful. But just beyond the edge of the forest wall, a coldness almost reached out and gripped Will.

“Hey,” Al reached over and grabbed Will’s shoulder, “all good?”

“Yeah…just, weird feelings sometimes. Can we go inside at all?”

“Oh, not yet, don’t worry there’s still some light man, you’re ok. Trust me.” Al withdrew a short stem pipe, tamped in

fresh tobacco and struck a match. Will felt a pang of reminder as he also dug through his front storage pockets and did the same with his own small curved pipe. Both men sat and puffed and laughed while recounting earlier years.

“Stephanie, man she was a genius!” Will said.

“Remember Jess? She had to be the one that broke things off.” Al replied. The two men chuckled through great plumes of their aged lives. Will felt at ease, almost entirely, the trees and the homestead still remained, but every so often some strange chill grazed his spine. The shadows did get long, the boughs became a mix of branches blocking the last light. Will turned his gaze at the homestead with the upright chimney and the many various windows. In one such window two wide cat eyes stared behind a clear glass window. Will flinched as the image sprang away. Just another grey tabby, short haired…but out here?

“So you finally got a cat after all your unconditional love for your friends’ cats huh?” Will said.

“Oh! You saw Taiyo?”

“Tae-oh?”

“Close enough. Yeah, she’s my little golden sunshine.”

“Huh, she didn’t look golden, but it’s hard to tell that quick...” Will scratched his beard.

“It’s ok Will, really. She’s not really even mine, so to speak, she’s her own little creature. A regular around my heartfire, but not part of it…really…” Al said, rubbing the back of his head and smiling all the while.

“Heartfire?”

“Oh, right this place does have a name after all. I sometimes think the forest named it, and well, who the hell could change what this ol’ forest names?”

“It’s a fine name really, makes me think of a small warm campfire with you n’ me and the dads and moms from those cub scout trips we would take.”

“And you almost setting your Dad on fire?”

“Fuck Al, you guys’ll never let that go!”

“Almost let your Dad go!” The two men began roaring with laughter. Will couldn’t stop gazing over at the few windows of the lodge built into a tree. No golden cat, or grey tabby, but his legs wanted to stand and take respite there.

"Al, your home-“

“It’s a nice home, for sure. Just, I know you’re gonna ask to come in but just not yet.”

“Al, I need to ask you something, it’s a bit…different from the stories we’ve been swapping.” Will felt a cold tendril brush against his calf.

“Yee” Al said.

“How the hell did you end up here, how the hell did I know, more importantly how

is all this happening?” Will’s eyes bored into Allen’s, who sat for a silent minute next to the oak table that looked like a giant stump.

“Will, its been a long road these last five years, more so for you than me. I took up residence in this lodge right when we stopped talking. It really is a nice place, the foods warm, the coffee and location are peaceful, and the beer isn’t half bad.” Al smiled at Will who smiled back but his brow scrunched in confusion. “Ah, buddy, it’s ok. I promise when you take your leave, you’ll feel right as rain.”

“I always hated that saying, how the hell is rain right?”

“Well jeez dude, how the hell should I know? Just is I guess, just like this talk, just like you coming here. Just is. Look, we had a great afternoon, the suns mostly gone, and you do have to go. It’s ok though, the fireflies usually stick to the trail, and you can actually make out the trail in the night.”

“I can’t stay here?” Will said.

“No, I know seems fuckin’ heartless in a random forest with god knows what, but I promise you man, you’ll be ok. Here, take this.” Al bent over, lifted a lantern from under the stone table and handed it to Will. It looked old, ancient, Will’s face twisted in disbelief,

“This thing will light?”

“Sure as Heartfire will!”

“Damn, well I don’t want to impose, I just…feel like there’s more to say.” “There always will be friend, always, but you’ve said what you needed to.” The two men stood, though Will felt a growing terror rising in him, the cold now grasping at his feet in his boots, Al pulled Will into a hug and said,

“Taiyo will definitely dart out when I go back inside. She’ll guide you, and I am confident in her keeping you way more safe than I ever could have.” Al held Will out in front of him, slapping his arms he laughed at a joke Will wasn’t privy to and nodded. With one last glance Al walked up the cobblestone stairs to the lodge with withered trees and some growing right out of the walls. A small wisp of smoke crept out of the slumped chimney. Al turned around as the oak door creaked open, a soothing light, warmth, and drowsiness filled Will's lungs as Al nodded again and turned in.

A golden shape did in fact dart out. A golden striped long hair forest cat sat in front of Will. Cocking his head to the side at the golden tabby, not like an orange, like a shimmer actually came off the small creature's fur. Will took a breath, nodded, lifted his lantern and followed the small trail. Just outside the trail and fireflies, the wall of trees hung over like cloaked figures waiting to snatch Will from his trail. There were times that Taiyo darted in front of Will, at first Will became frustrated but looking back saw that he almost veered off trail and into some random unknown of the wall of trees. The lodge’s light receded, the cliff gaped to his side again, and the evergreens watched in silence above. The lantern flickered at times and as Will felt his breaths come in short panicked huffs, he felt a soft touch on his leg as Taiyo

brushed past him. The golden cat always gave Will a second breath, barely.

Finally the exit crept up from around a corner. The sign post signaling the different trails. The lantern just flickered out as he reached the trail's entrance. Will heard strange undulating noises coming from just beyond the treewall, but he now stood at the entrance. As Will stepped out the sun crept up from the horizon and what had to be almost midnight instead now felt like midmorning. Will stood in beleaguered silence. His old beat up Saturn sat on the parking spot, that’s right, he parked there at this old forest most people forgot or didn’t bother with. With trembling hands Will pulled something from his back pocket. A letter, addressed to his friend Allen Walter, the dates 1991 – 2015 underneath a polaroid he had of their time in the forest excursions. Tears rolled down his cheeks, Will felt something brush past his leg and saw a grey tabby walking away, and Will managed a smile through his disbelief.

The cat leapt into the woods they came from, and a golden blur bounced away as Will felt a fire in his heart…

For Chris