Flashback 19

Coupled with RuIng’s suggestion and the latest pictures in the crystal, he was especially anxious. It often became hard to breathe, and his eyes darted around. Something as simple as getting up and going around the room was next to impossible lest he slip and fall.

All he could do was wait for RuIng anxiously. The crystal grew warm right after RuIng left, but it kept getting warmer and warmer and warmer still. More than half the day had passed. The crystal grew so warm that its heat had burned a hole in the sheets, charred the table and marked the floor.

He wanted to put it under water but the afraid that the crystal must be absorbing heat like RuIng had said; he dare not do it. Eventually, he couldn’t hold it anymore as it burst int flames of its own.

This had never happened before. The flames were orange and red and yellow, RuIng flame. It did not burn him, but the fire danced around on his hand and caught his sleeve unexpectedly, quickly, falling to the floor.