Flickers

How to Build a Fire

Lighting a fire is only half the battle. The way you build a fire - that is, how you arrange the wood, the foundation - can affect how long the fire will last and the amount of heat it'll give off during that time.

(Author interruption – Odd side note – Triscuits, the snack cracker, burn like they've been dipped in lighter fluid. I'd rather not mention how I found this out.)

We've all seen a fire start. There is something almost magnetic about watching. Its barely controlled chaos, at any moment threatening to cross the line and get out of hand. The heat is so intense at the beginning it seemed to ripple over your skin in waves. It's hypnotic in the way it dances, pops and crackles before your eyes.

Fire has been used as a metaphor for so many things, but usually sex.

Example – The Doors

You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn't get much higher

Come on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire!

Not exactly a mystery what they were going for with those lyrics.

The thing about fire though, is that everyone usually focuses on the beginning. The rush of flames and heat, turning darkness into light, the flicking jets of white, yellow and red flames captivate the imagination. The newness of it and the excitement of those early stages are what most people think of when they picture it in their minds. A fire though, isn't usually over in minutes, it lingers long after your attention has moved to something else. Those first amazing stages are just that, the first stages. But if you stay and watch long enough you see it's still there just under the charred remains that form the spent outer blackened facade. Embers, still imbued with the essence of the original blaze flicker now and then, as if just waiting for something to reignite them and burst into flames once more. They are a reminder that while to most the outer appearance signals it's over, at its core the heat remains.


New York – Two weeks later

League members were gathered to take part in a UN ceremony to support a global initiative to end polio and malaria within ten years. Those two common maladies had been a scourge to mankind for a millennia and it seemed like something every country could get behind. Sadly, there were still pockets of resistance. The reasons for this resistance might vary depending on the location, but they all came down to the same things, ignorance and simple stupidity.

It was hoped that with another push, backed by Earth's most famous heroes, these last holdouts might be persuaded to join in the noble cause. Thus the original members were chosen to attend. Batman had declined, as did Victor, the later wanting to remain on the station, while the former gruffly said he didn't do press conferences. As the ceremony fast approached, only four had arrived. Superman was late.

The officials were getting antsy, wanting to get the ceremony started before the large overflowing crowd and media got too restless. Arthur was discussing the proceedings with some of the officials. Diana had spoke with Arthur earlier and they had decided he would speak first followed by her and then Kal. The Flash and Green Lantern would smile and wave to the crowd, thus limiting their chances of saying the wrong thing. This had been agreed on by the members and privately they thought of it as the Hal rule.

Diana hadn't seen Clark since the night of the Embassy party. She'd been thinking about that night almost the whole day in anticipation of seeing him at this event. His actions were still something of a mystery to her. As she looked at her teammates, she wondered if any of them knew Clark did it, watched them occasionally. She'd never asked, mostly because it was his secret. Bruce probably did, but had never said anything about it to the others. This was most likely because Bruce watched everyone so it was a topic he didn't want to start a conversation about.

The other reason Diana hadn't brought it up was because she did it too. The way she did it was much more direct than Clark's or Bruce's, but she didn't want others to feel as if perhaps she was watching them and judging them. That wasn't the reason she did it, curiosity was. They had all changed so much over the years, grown up around one another in many ways. She watched as Victor came to some sort of peace with who he was now and developed into a leader. The same was true for Hal, although he still had his moments, thus the rule.

Diana worried for Bruce and Arthur the most. With each passing year they seemed to struggle under the weight of their respective burdens just a bit more. The King's crown weighted heavy on Arthur's head as his balancing act of trying to be in two worlds became harder and harder. Bruce's struggle was just as difficult. Personal tragedies seemed to haunt his life. It was almost as if the darkness were pulling him deeper and deeper into it. He was a good man, a noble man at heart, but Diana feared one day he would get lost in the darkness. You stare into the abyss long enough and it starts to stare back.

The one though that she watched the most was no surprise, it was Kal. She had gotten so used to calling him that it became second nature. No one else called him that really, but then few had the reasons she did for doing it. She had watched him grow into a man from very near and far. The role of Superman had changed so much since she first met him. Shouldering that responsibility she felt had taken some of the brashness away from him that she knew when they first met. She had always liked that part of him and hoped it was still there underneath the icon he'd become.

These thoughts made Diana wonder if perhaps the night of the Embassy party he had been doing the same thing, except towards her. Diana liked to think she hadn't changed that much over the years. Yes, the youthful exuberance she had when she first arrived had waned a bit, but that only seemed natural. Diana, when she was in the mood, thought of herself using her swords as a metaphor. When she first arrived she had been the raw, strong metal. As the years went on, the rough edges had been worn off leaving the smooth, polished, tempered steel. Her one regret was that she didn't laugh as much as she used to. The multiple roles she assumed in her life seemed to leave little time for that.

Diana was her mother's daughter and over the last ten years she had taken on the responsibilities that were required of her. Honor and duty were touchstones in her life. Hippolyta had made sure Diana understood that with great privilege comes great responsibility. She may be a Princess, but that didn't mean she had any less responsibility. When Diana took over the role as Ambassador for her people she knew that meant that her actions no longer just reflected on her, but on her people and nation as well.

She knew many of her teammates considered her a bit more conservative than most and to some extent that had become true. The spotlight was always bright and while Diana did her best to live her life on her terms, it would have been foolish to ignore it. This meant her more playful side didn't get used much these days, but it was still there. Probably some of the newer members would have found this hard to believe, but they tended to see Diana as a role model and leader. While this gratified her, it did cut down on the opportunities to just have some fun like the others. Some probably didn't even think she had a sense of humor or were too afraid to find out.

The officials seemed to have decided not to wait any longer, but just as they started into their speeches a murmur went through the crowd. She followed everyone's eyes and saw him arrive. He always said he hated these things, but he certainly liked to make an entrance she thought.


Clark knew he was running late, but that couldn't dampen his mood. It had been a very good day up to this point. The sun had been shining when he woke up and it just seemed to put him in a good mood. For once the city was quiet and while there was always a conflict going on somewhere, he knew he couldn't interfere in all of them. He couldn't save everyone, no one could. That was something he'd struggled with for many years, but finally had to make his peace with it. The simple fact was that everything that lives stops living at some point. All the Gods, men and even supermen couldn't change that simple truth.

Having a break from dealing with the larger issues that seemed to occupy more and more of his time, he decided to pay a little attention to the small things. When he'd started he had made a point to not overlook them. It might feed into his country bumpkin persona, but rescuing a little girl's cat from a tree had its own rewards. For most it seemed too trivial for his attention, but to that little girl it was the most important thing in the world for her at that moment. Rescuing the cat might not change important events, but it would make one person feel special and very happy. How do you put a price on that?

The rest of the day he spent helping with small fires, accidents and other assorted minor problems. To each of those people he helped it meant something. Perhaps in the future they would have their chance to help and in his small way Clark had made them more willing.

All those feelings were part of why he did it, but there was another reason. He liked helping people. He'd been given all these gifts and they weren't just for fighting villains or alien invasions. Some times if you want a better world the best way to go about it was to help one person and hope maybe that would inspire them to help someone else. A better world couldn't be given or imposed from on high; it had to be a cooperative effort from everyone for it to really work.

Clark knew he was late. He landed and made his apologies. He stood off to the left as the UN Secretary General made his remarks and turned it over to Arthur. Clark never cared for speaking at these things, but this was a worthwhile cause. He found his good mood had carried over. He glanced at the others as they watched and listened to Arthur speak. Diana was on the far side from him. She looked every bit the regal Princess and Ambassador she'd become. She wore a polite smile, knowing the cameras were constantly on her. He hadn't seen her since the night he watched her so briefly at the Embassy party. He hadn't spoken to her in much longer than that. He liked to think they were still good friends, but perhaps too much had happened between them for that to be true.

Maybe it was his good mood or just the realization he missed talking to her, but Clark slowly began to make his way over next to her.


Diana saw him moving out of the corner of her eye, but didn't turn away from the crowd. She felt him standing next to her and couldn't help wondering what he was doing?

"Who goes on next?' Clark whispered to her.

"I do." She replied in a whisper too.

"Nervous?"

"No, are you?"

"I used to be,' he offered.

"What's changed?" She asked. Both their voices were very low so only they could hear them. They were standing quite close as Arthur started to finish his remarks and was moving on to his introduction of Diana.

"I remembered that old saying about how if you're nervous speaking in front of crowd, you should try and imagine them naked,' Clark replied.

This caught Diana by surprise and she almost turned to look at him. Out of the corner of her eye she could see he was smiling. Only someone that knew him as well as she did would know this was a playful smile, one she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Are you saying you're imagining everyone naked?' She asked.

"No, just you,' he immediately replied. "It really helps, though I don't actually have to imagine, do I?'

There it was, the tease. He was baiting her, hoping to get a rise out of her in front of all these people.

"I will hit you, Kal, don't think I won't,' Diana responded, taking the bait. 'I'll do it right here in front of everyone."

Arthur was finishing his introduction of Diana.

"Wow, that's kind of harsh for someone that courted you once, isn't it, Diana?"

Arthur turned and extended his hand towards her.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, Wonder Woman!"

The crowd began to applaud. Diana took a step forward and then paused just for a moment.

"Get your facts straight, Kal,' she whispered. "I-Courted-You."

She stepped to the microphone before he could reply. She smiled for the crowd and cameras, but it wasn't the usual polite smile, but a genuine one. When she heard him chuckle ever so softly behind her, Diana's smile got just a little bigger.