(This is the first part of a new story that I'll be sharing with you all on my blog. I hope you enjoy it!)
My first impression was one of overwhelming heat, yet strangely enough, it was very pleasant. I opened my eyes for the first time and saw that I was surrounded by red and orange things, moving rapidly. The word came to mind in a moment: flames. Something in me felt that they were friendly, that they knew and loved me.
A gap in the flames appeared in front of me. I saw a man with short reddish-blond hair and bright blue eyes . Just as I'd known the fire would never harm me, I knew this man was a friend. He leaned forward abruptly. as if seeing me clearly for the first time through the flames. I raised my arms to him, suddenly aware that I had arms.
The man reached into the fire with hands nearly larger than I was. He lifted me from the fire, and I was struck by the sudden cold. My newly discovered legs began to kick until I found myself wrapped in something soft and warm. The man cradled me in his arms for a moment, then whispered, "Your name is Joanna, little one. I'm Patrick. Don't worry, you're safe with us."
I suddenly became aware of another person behind us. She whispered, "Patrick, may I hold her?"
He turned to her and smiled. "Of course you may, Lia." She gently took me from his arms and held me up. My head fell forward slightly (my neck was frustratingly unable to support the weight), and I gurgled, my first noise.
Lia smiled up at me, and I saw that like Patrick, her face was gently lined and filled with some strange light. Her eyes were the same brilliant blue, though her hair was pale blond and fell to her shoulders.
She cradled me to her, saying, "It's good to see you again, Joanna." Confused as I was (Surely I would remember meeting someone as beautiful and kind as she?), I could not dwell on it. I had suddenly realized the identity of the strange light in Patrick and Lia's faces: joy. This emotion was new to me, yet felt intimately familiar.
I tried to say something to Lia, something to show the joy I was feeling as well, but my mouth was not yet prepared to form words. Instead, the joy burst forth from me in another audible form: a giggle.
Lia and Patrick, who had come around behind her, joined in my laugh. She pulled me closer to her, and Patrick wrapped his arms around her. One last word came to my mind as I began to drift of to sleep for the first time: family.
