The fireplace was cold and dry, littered with charcoal and ash from the previous fire. I pulled the flue open, and a breeze breathed through the chimney. Often times birds and bats would get caught in the flue after a fire, basking in the warmth but not finding their ways out. Today it was thankfully void of flying creatures. I pulled the broom from the fire accessories and swept the ashes into a plastic bag, but i kept some of the charcoal on the floor of the fireplace to aid in the building of a new fire. This would be a sacred fire, one that would carry my intention to the gods.I needed a starter, and matte newspaper would have to do. It crumpled in my grip before i placed it beneath and on top of the grate that would be holding the wood. A mix of birch and cedar laid waiting to the right of the fireplace in its own wrought iron basket. I began stacking the wooden logs in a square around the newspaper. Lastly, I sparked the flame from the lighter in my hand. The flame licked at the newspaper under the grate, and she stepped back to let the fire come to life. The flames spread quickly, traveling to the newspaper sitting on the fingers of the wrought iron grate. Yellows, reds and blues slithered and licked across the wood from the inside out, and the fire roared to life. I wrote my intention on handmade paper and dropped it into the center of the square.
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