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Prompt 11 (Burning Bright): This time of year there are candles popping up in just about every shop selling anything. Maybe you stopped by one of these shops yourself, or maybe a friend wanted to get you a thoughtful gift, but somehow you’ve come into possession of a pair of candles. They don’t seem to be anything spectacular upon first glance; they are pretty and well made and have a pleasant fragrance. They would be pretty decor on their own, but once you light them, they really shine. Nonstop. For twenty four hours. No matter what you do, you cannot put the flame out. No wind, no water, no fire extinguisher–nothing–will extinguish the flame. You just have to wait until it burns itself out. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem very flammable so you don’t have to worry about other things catching on fire in the meantime. Wherever you keep the candle will have a pleasant smell for several days after the flame extinguishes.
The candles had been gifts from his neighbors. Small little things, harmless really. They were cute and both had pleasant fragrances. They weren’t even the only candles he had gotten but they were the first ones he decided to burn. One was a mild vanilla and the other a smokey pine. He figured they would work well together so he placed them on a glass trivet in the middle of the empty table and lit them before going about whipping up the next month’s pre-packaged dinners. He normally spent a few good hours either completely making, and then freezing, meals that he could just reheat or preparing as much as he could for the rest of the meals so it wouldn’t take him long at all to toss it all together. Between his work and his ‘work’ Pat had to do something to make it so he actually ate healthily. Chips and soda weren't good enough, nor was ramen. It might have been simple enough to make but it was horrible for his health. Hence spending the whole day in the kitchen cooking while music played in the background.
Occasionally he would check on the candles, he would even just rest while sitting at the table between moments of meal prep. The smell of the candles wove throughout the space, bringing a nice holiday cheer to the area even as the stronger smells of the cooking mingled with them. Finally after several hours he had pretty much everything either done or next to it, there were several things already in the fridge and freezer and the only item that was left cooking was that night's dinner. Everything else was complete, or as complete as it was going to be. Done working in the kitchen Pat walked over and tried to blow out the candles… only to stare in surprise when they didn’t go out. He tried again, with no luck. Could they be trick candles? He honestly wouldn’t put it past someone to do it but still… they normally reacted differently.
He tried to snuff them out, smother them, he even tried to ‘drown’ one candle with the hot wax of the other… When that didn’t work he poured out the excess wax hoping it would shorten their candle lives. Nothing seemed to work. Both candles were still burning as brightly as ever. Pat knew the dangers of open flames. He had been on quite a few calls where they arrived at a house or an apartment where a candle tipped over or was left unattended. House fires were no joke. He had no intention of following in those footsteps. When it became apparent that the candles wouldn’t go out no matter what he tried Pat moved the two candles to the empty sink. Everything that was even remotely flammable was moved well away and he let them burn there, in their stainless steel bowl. They would have to eventually burn out, it wasn’t exactly like the wax was endless.
In the meantime he moved his recent project to the kitchen table and continued to work on it while keeping a general eye on his little flammable hazard. They were still burning when he stopped to eat dinner. They were still lit into the early hours when he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore. By the time he woke up the next morning they were still burning but Pat knew that it wouldn’t be long now… there was next to no wax left. It took another hour or two before they guttered out and finally the flames were gone.
They were good candles but dear god did sleep horribly. So many dreams of burning buildings and people on fire. Just because of two little candles. Unable to even contemplate using one of his other candles, even ones that he knew would be fine, Pat put them all away before he headed out for a run. He needed to get some fresh air. Something not tinged with pine or vanilla.
