Event Private Finished A Glimpse of Tragedy [Solo]

Ashley had been watching her fire for around 20 minutes now.

It was by no means a large fire, as it had only been a small one set up in a more secluded area of the woods. It was peaceful, and perfect for watching her fire.

She really wasn’t sure why she’d gone through all this effort. Seeing her dead parents’ faces wouldn’t make anything better. It wouldn’t accomplish anything or relieve her of the crushing guilt for it. It wouldn’t bring them back, either. Even in spite of all of this, she’d done it. The possibility was too antagonizing to pass up.

The last 20 minutes had just been staring at her fire in vein. Nothing even reminiscent of anything, much less her parents. But Ashley’s curiosity burned with the chance of seeing them again, as bright as the flames dancing in front of her. She kept waiting and waiting and waiting.
Another 10 minutes, and Ashley’s confidence and patience started to dissolve into the ocean of doubt. She could be waiting here all night with nothing. Empty-handed. While her curiosity was still there, other thoughts had sprung up. Even if she did see them, it probably wouldn’t be beneficial to anything. It was probably best if she left now.

Sighing, Ashley got up and broke her previously-unwavering gaze on the fire. About to walk away, she threw a careless glance towards the fire. She’d forgotten to put it out. She walked over and grabbed the bucket of water she’d brought. Just before she dumped it over the fire, something happened that Ashley would forever remember.

Two other faces stared back at her for just a moment.

The fire extinguished itself.

Ashley dropped the bucket and stared at the extinguished area where the fire was. Silent tears began to roll down her face. She wasn’t sure why; she’d gotten what she wanted, after all. But her mind spiraled into memories, especially the moment of death...

Tears streamed down at this point is a silent waterfall. The aftermath played out in her head. The next half-hour was a daze of tears and memories as everything came up again. Things didn’t usually get this intense, but their detailed faces appearing had triggered everything.

Finally, Ashley managed to get up and head back to her dorm. Her mind was still racing, the weight of guilt on her shoulders twice as heavy. It would be another sleepless night, perhaps another sleepless week for Ashley after this.

End.