“What do you fear you would find?”

Those words resonated in my mind as I made my way through the swamp. It had already been a while since I left the warmth and comfort of the meadows, and the terrain was becoming increasingly difficult to traverse. Two out of five steps I took saw my boots sinking into the mud and several times I thought I would just sink and never be able to to leave that place. The air was impregnated with a strong smell of stagnant water, while the enormous trees around the path I followed blocked any and all sunlight, and sounds made by creatures I couldn’t identify echoed throughout the infinite shades surrounding me.

But I didn’t really mind all of that, for it kept my mind from overthinking, as it usually did, and wandering off into a vicious cycle. After all, what was it exactly that I feared? Was it not finding the answer I was looking for, or perhaps finding it and not being able to accept it nonetheless? There were countless possibilities and it was impossible for me to foresee them all, or prepare for them.

Eventually I arrived at a sort of glade, still completely covered by the trees and as dark as the rest of the swamp, though something immediately caught my attention. A very faint green light was shining at the center of the glade, casting shadows around it as it moved erratically side to side. When I got closer I found a small candle, no taller than my thumb, burning on top of an ancient stump. I looked around but there were no signs of anyone having been there before me, so how did that candle get there? As I knelt down and extended my hand to grab the candle, I felt it was cold to the touch. Extremely cold. However, it was not the only strange thing. The ominous green flame in front of me was burning, but no heat came from it.

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” I whispered.

All the leaves around the glade suddenly rustled as though they were replying to what I had just said. The swamp was shaking and the air became colder, making it difficult to breathe. A foul breeze slowly enveloped me, like an arm around my shoulder.

Yet I couldn’t take my eyes off the candle. The flame had started to flicker, slowly dying. Maybe if I took some of the leaves on the ground I could reignite the flame, prevent it from disappearing.

“You are finally here,” a voice said in my head. “But is there really anything you can do?”

The voice was right. I was weak and exhausted. Why did I care about a small flame in the middle of nowhere? Perhaps…

”… you should let it go?” the voice finished my thoughts.

It had suddenly become colder around me, and the leaves had abruptly ceased their movement. In its place, I thought I could hear faint breathing coming from multiple directions at the edge of the glade, creeping closer whenever the flame would flicker.

“Just let go,” the voice whispered once more. When it did, it felt like a strong current had blown the candle, making what remained of the tiny green flame disappear and leaving nothing but a spark at the end of the wick. No longer was there any light in the glade, and the shadows were now free to move as they pleased, moving closer menacingly.

I quickly started gathering some dry leaves from the ground around me and putting them next to the candle. If I lost that remaining spark, there would be no way for me to restore the flame again and the shadows would take over. Carefully, I put the candle sideways, with the wick as close to the leaves as possible, and gently started waving my hand on top of it like a fan. Whenever I did, the little spark would briefly gain a brighter color, but it was not enough to rekindle the flame. Without any options left, and feeling like I had run out of time, I closed my eyes and slowly blew on the spark.

A slight smell of smoke filled my nostrils and a hot sensation started to travel from the tips of my fingers towards the rest of my body. When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t feel the lurking shadows anymore, and in front of me was a flame burning vividly. However, there was something different about it.

It was the warmest and brightest red flame I had ever seen.