Short Story

The Flaming Forest

written by Madubuike Michael

It all started with two lovers, Quartz and Obsidian. They both lived in a cave near the shore of the biggest blackest sea. They met at the cave when a strange man-like looking animal used Quartz to crack a

nut to feed itself. When it was finished it threw Quartz against the inner wall of the cave, she ricochets off the wall and lands on another. The impact gave a bright spark that
almost started a big fire inside the cave. When all was settled, Quartz turned around to see what or who she had landed on. "Mama mia! a handsome one. I wonder what he's being doing here all alone" thought Quartz to herself. Dazed and trying to pick himself up, Obsidian's gaze met with what blew him away in an instant. "Oh lord, this is beauty divine. An angel didn't just fall out of heaven, she landed on me" thought Obsidian as his unbreakable gaze was still fixed on the beauty he beheld for the first which was fully manifested by the light of the dying fire their collision had sparked up. Love at first sight. Both got acquainted real fast and become lovers even faster. They remained with each other for a very long time within the same cave they met in.

Sometime later, a man dressed in shorts, long socks, boots and a funny looking hat (looking like a bowl) walked into the cave carrying a torch light. As he looked around and waved his light around the light fell on Quartz her beauty was quickly noticed because she glittered in the light form the torch. The man with the funny hat walked straight to where she was and picked her up studied her for a minute. He looked around to see i he could find others like her, but there was none. The man walked away from the cave with Quartz in his black leather bag. Obsidian was devastated, his soul mate was gone, taken away from him and there was nothing he could do about it, although he had screamed at the top of his voice to ask for the release of his sent from heaven but the man did not hear or he was not paying attention or probably did not care. Obsidian cried for many days.

One afternoon a big white Heron flew into the cave looking for where to nest. As she pecked around and surveyed the cave for a proper hiding spot she jumped on small black rock, pecked on it. "Just get it over with, kill me. I have nothing else to live for" The heron leaped up into the air and almost flew away in fear, but something about what the voice said moved her. She walked back into the cave cautiously. " Who is there?" asked the heron

" It's just me, OB" replied the black rock.

"OB?" asked the heron looking around. She saw Obsidian depressed, sitting at the corner where she had been pecking around at.

"I'm sorry I pecked on you"

"It's okay, I wasn't hurt as much as what happened to me a many days ago"

Obsidian narrated his ordeal to the bird, she took pity on him and consoled him. 

"Wait a minute! I think I saw the man you are talking about" said the heron "He is moving with his herd, there are a few of them"

"You did?" asked Obsidian.

"Yes, they are not so far from here"

"But how am I going to get there, I'm only a rock." Just then the heron jumped on top of him and pulled him off the ground, but he fell back to the ground. The Heron cycled back, reached low and grabbed him. Up and away they went in the evening golden skies,in the horizon the sun was retiring from a hard days work, night creatures were already creeping out of their holes, some out in full view others with just their heads sticking out. 

The heron flew for about an hour with the rock in the grasp of her talons when they finally set their sights on the "man herd." 

"There they are" she said 

"I see them" replied Obsidian. "But where is she, I can't see her" The heron was circling the man-heard and was getting tired after a long flight coupled with carrying the rock.

"There! I see her, I recognize the black bag" The rock said with a little excitement in his voice. At a closer look he could see her lying beside the open bag beside a box filled with long brown sticks of some sort. "Hey! big bird, I know you are tired, but I need you to drop me between the black bag on the ground and the box." 

"Yes, Sir. replied the heron in relief. "And my name is Heron, not big bird. Good luck rocky"

The bird took a dive from a distant and dropped the rock right where he had asked. Bulls-eye, he had landed on Quartz just the same way they met. 

"Mia more', You found me. I thought I lost you forever" said Quartz happy to see her lover

"Baby, I'm here now. We wont be separated again." replied Obsidian.

"How do know? We are still in the camp of the...." she paused and looked around. She could see fire everywhere, the flames were as tall as the trees in the forest. Their collision again had sent a little spark into the dynamite box which had exploded to cause the fire. The man-herd was scattered, the bushes and trees were burning, everything around them was in flames.