the desire to know where we come from comes from burning desire
Agnes pinches out the votive candle,
proxy for her hundred years.
She likes the hiss of wick, its tingle.
No cake, but she makes a wish.
A wish to vanish and end her story.
With that, both flames extinguish.
The family hadn’t been close in years,
since her nephew played with fire.
Then Henry, in special care, disappeared,
which did not stop accusations of arson.
Although never convicted of a crime,
public conviction wasn’t given to pardon.
About that time, though nowhere near,
Wiley decided to explore her ancestry,
making use of a gift recently appeared.
An online site, with a genetics kit.
The test led Wiley to Agnes, then Henry.
It led her to what she thought a myth.
Tracing back people, from them arose
a pattern of fire starters by generations.
A pattern with a geographical focus.
At one time, all Wiley’s long lost kin
lived in a region of historical mystery
and that’s where the story begins.
Half a millennium ago, adjoining villages
vanished like legendary ghost ships.
No sign of disturbance. No witnesses.
A few farm animals broke free
and wandered the countryside.
Their capture led to the discovery.
The only inhabitants were children,
none old enough to understand.
All too young for rite of initiation.
These were Wiley’s ancestors.
Taken in to other villages, these
were first of the fire-starters.
On the anniversary of Agnes’ passing,
Wiley departed for the village ruins.
Resolved to discover what was taken from
them when taken from the region.
The urgency is in her hands,
starting to burn and tingling sensation.
