G’narsh
The Troll, The Myth, The Legend
by
Kevin Stillwater
chapter 3
# # # And Here Now Our Story - G’narsh’s Ray’s # # #
page 9
“I’ll never forget will I,” he wispers, this time
out loud. But then, a thought unbidden from the back of his mind
points out that in death all things are forgotten, which for some (((unknown))) reason causes him to feel the need to quickly amend his previous statement, “Not while I’m alive, that is.”
“Forget what?” Flicker asks. Flicker being the candle flame, the
precocious fire elemental that inhabits the wood fired stoves and ovens
in the restaurant (and on occasion the torches that line the
walls). But for the moment, she has co-opted the candle that sits
in front of G’narsh and slowly dances back and forth in the flame
weaving a hypnotic spell that is nearly as captivating as Mi’lay’s.
But tonight, her charms do not work. G’narsh is unable to fall
into the joy of the moment; and instead, is suddenly aware of the smoke
that fills the room, the oppressive heaviness of the air, the sting in
his eyes, the snot that forms thick in both of his noses, and the
hoarse rasp in his throats. These things would not normally
bother him. He might even find them nostalgic, comforting, but
tonight...