A Fire Hangs in the Sky

It wasn't everyday one discovered that the sky wasn't smooth, grey and cold to the touch. Warm depending on how close the nearest fire is. That you couldn't touch the end of the world. That there is a fire you couldn't temper. Couldn't even stand near since it burns so bright.

Six- no, Peter's my name. I heard the stories of course, my sister told the most popular one and in the best way. With voices.

She'd sit under a small fire that, in a corner she managed to find. Corners were popular because fires were oftentimes near and if you huddled to the cool wall you can warm up faster.

She'd tell a story of a dashing prince and a noble steed, she told him that a steed was a creature that was larger than Drax- a very big man- and faster too.

How it ran on 4 legs and had no arms.

Tell a story about a prince slaying a dragon, - a fire breathing lizard- while the princess kept her Kingdom together with good diplomacy.

She doesn't know what that word is but she thinks it's a type of food.

In the end the Prince and Princess would reunite and seal their love with a kiss- which I always thought was gross- and ride off into the sunset to celebrate their reunion.

"What's a sunset?" I asked, tugging at her dress.

She furrows her brow and finally says, rubbing dirt off her feet "I think that they live in a world much bigger than ours. Or perhaps they are smaller than us, because I think the sun is a big fire that is always burning and moved by man from one side of the world to another- so that when it is taken away it looks like it is falling."

"Why would they ride off into it? Fire burns" I show her my hands which sported burns from when I accidentally sat on stone too close to the fire.

"They are a princess and a prince, magic probably."

"Where did you hear that from?"

"Jace said he saw one once."

"Jace died."

"I know."

I remembered the exact day, when men in yellow and black came storming in. Yelling and screaming for everyone to cover their mouths and noses. Their yells echoed over the sky- what I now knew where walls- How the big scary men who always stoked our fires and the ones in white who always took notes and asked how I feeling were lead away, their hands bound behind them.

I couldn't see much, my sister- Eight now Jamie- was hiding me behind her. Other people moved to cover their sibling and children too.

But I remembered being given something they called 'shoes' and being lead towards a corner no one's ever approached- mainly because the scary men always slept there. But they weren't there anymore, so they were lead out and it was weird.

It was even colder than the inside!

But instead of fires, there were white little dots in the sky and a big 'moon'.

The next day this big nice man, with very white teeth and big belly explained what happened.

According to the man- we were living in a 'cave' and being kept as 'science experiments. I was..., i'm not sure, but according to the big man I was 8 years old.

When I was told this I had to correct the man and tell him that his sister was 'Eight', I was 'Six'.

The man got really sad then, so I told him that I was sorry.

Later the man asked me if i'd like to be his son.

The man then took me home and told me to call him 'Dad'. Then I learned about the sun- it took weeks for my eyes to be used to the brightness-, about school about horses, and about Christmas.

Now I was going to learn about Halloween, Dad was very excited. He put on a shirt and pants that made him look like a bear. I was given clothes that made me look like a 'knight'. My sister, Jamie - who was actually '14' looked like a witch.

Jamie was going to walk in front of us with her friends, I tried to go with her but she told me i'd have more fun with Dad because Dad knew the best way to get candy.

I decided not to point out that if Dad knew the best way to get candy why wasn't she trick or treating with Dad? She looked like she really wanted to go to her friends.

When she left, I tugged on Dad's arm "Is she leaving?"

"No, son. She's just going away for a bit. Just a few hours."

"Did I upset her?"

He shakes his head, putting his hand in my hair the way adults always do "Nah kid, she just wants to have some 'girl talks'."

I decided that Jamie had made the right choice, I was a boy and could not help her with that.

"Why are you dressed like a bear."

He tugs the mask back over his face, "Because tonight, the scarier the better."

"Why?"

"So we can dress up!" He swings our hands, "Did you nt like dressing up."

I did!

"I did! It was the best part."

He laughs, "Let's see if you still think it's the best part after the candy hunt."

And he took me, from house to house to house. All of them nearly identical and decorated to look spooky. I almost cried when I saw an ugly clown but Dad made me laugh by punching the toy in the face!

And the candy?

I had some before but there were so many! Every time I saw a new one I tried it- some I like like the Hershey and the Sourpatch but some I didn't like the Twisti one and the Nerds.

The people were nice, at first they laughed at me when I tried to do sword tricks and I thought they were making fun of me-but Dad was smiling and he looked happy. I watched the other kids dance and perform, some acting like a ghost and shouting 'boo'. The adults pretended to look scared but they were smiling too big.

They were happy.

So then I decided that they weren't making fun of me. And Dad was right- it was fun!

I got to act like a knight and ask for candy and see the weird decorations people had.

There was this girl from school, Sammie, and she was a princess. Her big brother was casing her- he was a dragon- and remembering the story I jumped in and pretended to fight off the dragon. The dragon's friends tried to help the dragon but kids from school were joining in to help me.

Since I was holding a dangerous weapon I hit him softly and when the dragon fell, moaning in pain - the boy looked like he was as old as big sister, who was cheering me on from behind her friends- and asking for a for maiden to bring him to life, I think he was looking at Jamie.

"Jamie, you can't do it! You're a witch!" I reminded her.

Dad looked very happy then, but Jamie wasn't but even she laughed when Sammie tried.

Sammie sat next to her brother and hit his face yelling at him;

"Hurry up, Diego! Wake up! We haven't reached all the houses yet and mom said that we can't stay out past 10:00 PM!"

The boy went really red and stood up quickly, putting his monster head back on (he took it off when he asked about a fair maiden) and he tugged his sister away.

But not before Sammie hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, because I was 'her knight' and ran away laughing loudly.

I ran back to Dad, burying my face in his fur covered belly, "What a ladies man," he laughed so his belly moved under my face.

That made Jamie mad, she started talking about 'sexism' and how 'Peter can have a girlfriend and he's almost 9- yet I can't have a boyfriend and i'm almost 15.'

Jamie's birthday was in May. Mine was tomorrow.

I wanted to hear what Dad was going to say but I fell asleep. And even though I woke up a it later when Dad carried me to bed I didn't bother telling him because if I did he'd make me brush my teeth and I didn't want to.