Fiction: Group 2
The Blessing of Crystal Fire
Kennedy School, Cheng, Anika - 10, Fiction: Group 2
stand in front of my friend. I look at her, and I still see her. But she is different somehow. She looks
wiser, and even… haunted. The look one gets when they witness a curse being laid. Of course, she
would have that look. She has, in fact, known more than that. She has been cursed on behalf of a dear
friend… But the curse has been twisted cruelly over time, being fed by the deep sorrow in her soul and it
was not to be reversed.
I have made a decision. I will save my friend. In order to, I must find the crystal fire… or the remains of it. I
will sacrifice myself, burning myself in flames. All curses will be undone. One death to save many others. I
WILL succeed. I must. I shall begin at the forbidden forest...
“Hello?” My voice echoes in the forest. I step carefully, but a twig snags my wing, leaving a line of crimson
blood on snowy white feathers. I fell, clutching the scratch. I could not afford to lose my wings. They were
the source of my magic, my life, my soul. I got back up. The clearing was in my sight now. Climbing over
the thick tendrils sprouting out of the ground, I stepped into the clearing. The crystal was there. A piece of
the crystal fire. Oh, it was there alright… in the paws of a bear. Although my instincts screamed RUN!!! I
could not. For the sake of my friend. Instead, I faced it, nocking an arrow dipped in poison onto my bow.
Whoosh! The arrow struck true, and with a bloodcurdling scream, the bear lurched backward, dropping the
gem and retreating into the woods. I allowed myself a small feeling of victory. I had found the first piece.
Seeing a glow, I plunge into a river. While the water soothes my wings, it also burns my lungs. I swim
forward but am thrown to the side. A current! I fight it, pushing against the current. The time! I have been
under for too long. The overpowering panic was all I could feel when my body went limp. I watched
helplessly as moments of my life flashed in front of my eyes.The current tugs my body in all directions. No!
I reach out at the dissolving memories. It will NOT end here! I flail around, but it is no use. I am deprived
of my energy. Unnamed colors dance at the edges of my vision. Water fills my lungs. A flaming iron band
pulls my chest in, tightening every second. I claw at my eyes. I MUST SUCCEED! My wings begin to
glow. They wrap around me, providing me an extra puff of air. They guide me towards a pearl, wrapping us
both in a cocoon, then taking me safely to the surface. I blacked out.
In your quest to save your friend, your wings will be the only thing that will assist you. You must rely on
yourself and only yourself. You must give up your beautiful wings in order to save all those cursed. You will
burn in your fire. Yet your soul will not burn. It will flee from your wings, leaving to what will soon be the
pearl river delta. From then on, the river will be blessed. But be careful. If you fail, your king will be angry,
punishing all, leading to the end of all living. Be careful…
Time… Wings… CURSES! My eyes flew open. The sky was just awakening, blushing a rosy red. “Ugh…”
I shake my head to clear the grogginess. I fly up, plunging into the sun. Red hot flames enveloped me, with
only my wings protecting me. I fly in, shielding my face, delving deeper into the core of the sun. After what
felt like hours, I was there, taking a drop of the very essence of the sun, placing it in a vial made from one of
my feathers. Thrusting myself outwards, I dive into the icy coolness of the sea. Although my wings are
blackened and burnt, It is a relief to know I will soon save the world from the curses.
Again, I set to work, taking pieces and putting them together, but there was still something missing. I stand
back to look at it and my wings started glowing. They shone with such brilliance, I was nearly blinded. I
had to close my eyes for a second, and when I opened them, the crystal fire was finished. It was time to right
a wrong.
“Spirit of the crystal fire, please, call up your mighty flames,”
I called out, reciting the words of the spell.
“Esprit du feu de cristal, se il vous plaît appelez vos flammes puissantes"
. As I chanted those words again and
I
