Chronicles of Flames

Three 🔥

Griel's face was grave. He stared intently at the parcel that hovered before him.

His countenance mirrored that of the other two winged pairs that flanked his sides.

A quick 3D examination of the delivery revealed that it was an highly important pre-warning of the enemy's comeback plan. The fire and water insignia engraved on the top of the wrapped package where the seal was meant to be indicated that very fact.

When he finally spoke, it came as a statement of fact. An unwelcome one.
"It's the resurfacing. Too early. Too dangerous to venture in."

Ammiel tapped his hammer's tip with a pulsating finger. "This is not good."

"The problem isn't them. They would be easy to finish off. Besides, I'm itching for some good ol' combat. The problem is the girl..." Haliel was pensive.

"We have to hasten things up then. There is no time to lose. We proceed as the Lord commands," Griel said.

"For our King and His chosen one," they all chorused, flapping their wings slowly in simultaneous unison.

~~~

Ella opened the door to her apartment and grimaced as it creaked painfully.

A wave of nostalgia hit her. And along with it, a deep feeling of dread.

Why did it feel so suffocating in here?
As if it had been abandoned for a decade? She thought.

Deborah had dropped her off in the morning but wasn't able to enter in for a cup of tea and maybe some little bit of time of lounging around because she was almost late for her 9:00am Anatomy 121 class. She promised to be back in the afternoon.

Ella could smell something in the air. Was that rotten fish? She traced the odour to the kitchen.
Eewww... The three-day-old fish sauce she had made was spoilt and stinking, all beyond remedy.

She gingerly took the pot and opened the back door. The neighborhood was quiet as it usually was in the mornings, and oddly, every other hour of the day.

The trash was an eyesore. Huge and energetic houseflies were buzzing loudly and dancing about. Ella scrunched up her nose at the horrid stink and resisted the urge to gag when she sighted some wiggling maggots as well on the edges of the bin.

Sighing, she dumped the whole pot into the trash can. So much for the trash pick-up service. See this mess... And all because she was away for a few days.
What would have been the state of things had she died? She shivered at the thought of that. 

This place sure needed a renovation; a makeover, if one could term it that. At least, if indeed she would start afresh, she needed to start from this.

Rolling up her sleeves, entered her house with a renewed determination. She moved a few things here and there. Off with those glass bowls of water that decorated her window sill and the center table. She stacked up some random magazines and strewn paper that littered her table space and threw them out. Her dirty sweaters and socks went into the laundry. She swept and dusted and mopped till she was sure her mother-figure would be so proud of her achievement.

By the time she was halfway done, the sun was already at its peak in the mid-June sky.  She decided to take a nap and then resume her arrangement afterwards.

But just before then, she connected her electric kettle, thanking her stars that her landlord was yet to disconnect her supply of electricity even though she hadn't paid her quota of the bill for this month. She intended to make tea after her five minutes snooze.

Choosing not to go to her small bedroom, she laid on the rug in the middle of her sitting room which doubled for a bed at the moment.

"Oh! What a day!" she said exhaling.
From nowhere, exhaustion washed over her as she plonked unto her little bed. She fell into a drifting slumber.