It's like ice on her skin.
Burning with a fierce passion.
She aches with the pain,
Curls further into herself,
Seeking warmth and relief from the burning.
Her fingers burn
As though her skin is finest kaolin.
A cough escapes,
And a slow breath out counters
To no avail, as it
Transforms into another cough.
She twists away,
From herself,
The world,
The ice and burn,
Into the cold.
More burning,
And she falls into herself again.
Her breath-noise fills her ears,
Loud,
Raspy,
And then suddenly silent.
The world is ethereally silent,
And she opens her eyes.
Moonlight falls like a silver snow.
Stars gleam like dew in the sky.
There is a cool hand against her forehead,
Softening the burning inside.
It is there for
A moment,
Eternity,
Just long enough
To bank her fire and stop the kaolin ache.
A voice calls to her.
She answers, but there is no reply.
Just a feeling of
Someone.
