Into the Fire
{Inspired by Jane Eyre, Chapter 15}
"At least shake hands."
No sooner did the words escape his mouth than my tiny, shivering hand was enveloped in his two large, capable hands. Any onlooker would think his monstrous paws were about to swallow mine - my small, delicate, pale, trembling hand. However, to me, his hands were anything but monstrous. They were large, stern hands to be sure, but, to me, they were naturally warm, tender, and reassuring. I assessed all of this in a moment, a fleeting moment, that flickering instant when his hands enveloped mine.
Though my eyes were still captivated by his so-called monstrous paws, I felt him gazing at me. Felt it? Impossible. I must have seen him staring at me. But how could I? My eyes were still transfixed on his strong, reassuring hands. No, I did not see it. I felt it. I felt it... With that realization, I slowly yet steadily looked upward into his eyes and met his intense gaze. In that instant, our eyes locked, but it was something more. We were not simply staring blankly into each other's eyes. There was a connection. A deep, meaningful, soulful connection.
An eternity passed as our souls mingled, using our eyes as portals, though only a few moments of earthly time transpired. Minutes before, a raging fire almost consumed him in his sleep. Now, in this instant, this eternity - when our eyes met, as he spoke these words, as I replied - a burning inferno, an almost desperate ache, sparked somewhere deep inside me. I neither knew where it started, nor had I ever before felt such an intense fire. The private blaze spread from deep inside me and instantly engulfed my body in an intense flame which spread upward and crimsoned my face. Conscious that my face showed the burning desire I felt inside, I broke his gaze. I must not let him see me in this state. My body was a flaming temple. Nevertheless, the outer shell of my body failed to receive the message. Though a wild fire raged inside me, I stood cold and shivering in my master's chambers, soaked in the water used to quench his pyre. I turned to leave. His monstrous paws still held my shivering hand.
I remark about the servants stirring. He releases me. I retire to my room but do not sleep. I woke early with a a fever still igniting my body and soul.