Either the humidity in the evening air or the biting bugs were bound to get on an outsider's nerves sooner or later. As the vivid, enraged red sky of twilight dropped on the horizon, however, so did the temperature and the number of mosquitos. Meanwhile, the merriment in the restaraunt resumed and went on undeterred. As the sky darkened, the commotion outside was at its peak. Crowds swelled in the night, the air abuzz with excitement, and the boy known as Axel Brodie found his parents eagerly dragging him out onto the street. Apparently, this was what the day had been building toward.
Considering how young Axel was, he was not very familiar at all with cultures outside of his homeland, though he did have great interest in them. This was the culmination of their celebration of hot dogs and canned drinks, a night of revelry. Honestly, it wasn't unlike some of the celebrations they had back home, Axel found himself thinking. Even with a militarized lifestyle, there were still moments for fun. Thinking of it now brought a pang of what Axel was sure was homesickness. The child hadn't witnessed his own country's holidays in over a year or two and any memories of them seemed distant now.
Axel found himself swept up in these thoughts as he walked through the streets beneath the expanse of the night sky. The young child would have been completely lost in the mass of people if he had not been being led by the hand by his mother. He swallowed his sadness and forced it down, curiously moving his attention to those around him. A hush had fallen over the gathering. Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths in wait, but for what? Confused, the child followed their gazes and looked upward, not knowing what to expect.
His eyes were caught by a thin golden streak across the sky, which he normally would have thought to be a falling star if not for the high-pitched keening that heralded its upwards course. There were many of them as well, all syncronized in a delicately-arched row. At the peak of their ascent, they violently exploded into a flash of colors that flooded the town with light and a booming reminiscent of guns. Axel clapped his hands over his ears, recoiling in shock, but he stared at the sky's spectacle in wonderment, utterly transfixed by the display. "It's fire", he gasped. "They've put fire in the sky." His voice was lost in the din.
Originally planned on doing more with this one, but its been sitting like this in my files for a while now. I figured I would leave it as it is.