The wheat stalks whispered and hissed as I crouched down among them. I could hear his heavy hunting boots crunching as he crushed the wheat. My thighs burned as I crouched there, shaking. If he found me all would be lost. I held my breath until his footsteps receded. I could hear rumbling men’s voices yelling in the distance. Mysterious crackles and pops were coming from behind me and I felt a strange heat warming my back.

Then, a yell.

“How do you like that, witch? Getting a little too hot for you?” Even though my back felt like it was burning my heart seemed to freeze. Fire. They had used my old enemy against me. Without looking behind me, I got up and started running, the wheat whipping against my bare legs. A sudden gust of wind blew towards me, carrying embers of fire.


I watched in horror as a smoldering ember landed on a piece of wheat. Within seconds it had erupted into flames. Once again I felt the uncomfortable hot feeling on my back and I realized that I had stopped running. The fire was closing in. I looked behind me for the first time. Hungry orange flames everywhere, cackling as they reduced everything to ash. I choked on a strangled sob, and in that moment I knew I was going to die. In that moment I knew that I wasn’t going to run. I collapsed onto the ground, pressing my cheek into the cool earth.

I was so exhausted that I could’ve fallen asleep. I was hot, though. Way too hot. A rumble of thunder came from over head. The soles of my feet felt like they were being branded by a white-hot iron. I almost got up and started running but no. I had chosen the way I would die. I wouldn’t die fearing them. I wouldn’t die fearing fire. I would die fearless. More thunder overhead, louder this time.

Then the first droplet fell. I lay there for a second, watching it trickle down my arm.
Water.
Water.
WATER!
I scrambled up and started running again. Water. Water. Water. I didn’t have to die. The water would save me. But the fire was close. The fire was too close. I was tired. I was too tired. It rained as I ran. I could still hear the fire but it wasn’t cackling anymore. It hissed angrily at the water that was slowly but steadily putting it out.

My legs were numb. I tripped and stumbled, almost falling to the ground. Water was still pouring down from the sky, drenching me to the skin. I wanted to look back and see if the fire had been extinguished, but I knew that if I stopped running I wouldn’t be able to start again. So I ran as it rained. I ran until it felt like that was all I had ever done. I ran until my foot got caught on something and I came crashing down to Earth. I lay in the mud, panting. I think I was crying but my tears were getting mixed in with the rain and I couldn’t tell the difference.

I slept in the field that night. Just me, the stars, and the whispering wheat. I slept.