The Hazel Fire

I use the sounds in my memories to fill the deafening silence as I look out the car window. Textures and musical notes from the past overlap with the visuals from the present. It feels like a new landscape emerges every five minutes in Iceland, from desert sand bursting with hot steam to pieces of glaciers floating down massive lakes. I shuffle through the different sounds in my head to match with each grand view from the window.

People often assume that I’m desperate for a cure to my deafness because of my career. But the truth is I’ve made more money from my last album than my entire previous career combined. I composed an entire instrumental album using nothing but my memory and imagination. I made it completely with the leftover sounds in my mind, drafting blueprints of new musical notes and playing them to perfection despite the fact that I could not actually hear what I was making. I made a record that I can never actually listen to, and the media ate it up.

As my suffering increased, my fame did as well. But on the bright side, with that money came more capital to spend on finding a cure. Ever since the doctors gave up, I’ve been traveling to every corner of world to meet with famed alternative healers.

The man I’m in Iceland to meet, Icaro, arranged for a driver to pick me up as soon as I landed. He even made sure to get me a driver that knows sign language, which was awkward because I’ve still refused to learn that. The driver handed me a cellphone that was given to him from Icaro. On it I found instructions to go to the famed Skógafoss waterfall and collect some water from it.

The driver and I were on the road for a little over two hours before we finally arrived at the massive two hundred foot waterfall. I slowly walked over to it. An enormous amount of mist had formed from the sheer force of the waterfall’s perpetual impact on the shallow ground. The driver and I found ourselves enveloped in the mist. The driver handed me an empty container right as we got face to face with the waterfall. I imagined that the sound of the waterfall must have been thunderous for everyone else.

The aggressive mist surrounded me, but it felt like a soft, wet hug. I held up the empty container to the fall and slowly managed to fill it. When it was completed, we started walking back to the car.

When we got back, a new message on the cell phone showed a set of GPS coordinates. I set up the GPS navigation and showed it to the driver, who began driving towards it.

We drove for what felt like another two hours, until eventually the car stopped in front of a massive field of purple flowers. The GPS was telling us to keep going straight but there was no paved road to do so.

We got out of the car and began walking. The flowers surrounding us felt graceful and confident in their massive swarm.

We walked further and further, and eventually when I turned my head back the car was no longer even in sight.

We got closer and closer, until we were only a few dozen feet away from the coordinates. That’s when I saw it.

As we officially arrived at our GPS destination, we directly stood over a brown paper box.

I held it up, and read the message written in some kind of ink right on top of it.

“Don’t open until I get there. - Icaro”

I looked around the wide open field surrounding us. Nobody else was in sight. I suppose he’s on his way?

I stood there waiting for a few minutes before deciding to sit on the ground. The driver stood completely still not far from me, seemingly completely patient. On top of that, he also seemed unbothered by the impending sunset.

The night time eventually came upon us. I was now left with neither sight nor hearing.

Another hour passed. And then another.

Suddenly, while turning my head left to right, I saw a glimmering light in the distance.

I stood up immediately and began walking towards it. It has to be something.

When I finally got closer to it, I realized that it was a bonfire. Sitting right next to the bonfire was a masked man in all black, his face completely hidden. He was almost indivisible from the night’s darkness around him. Behind him was a small tent.

The masked man made a gesture to the driver, who then immediately sat down next to him and grabbed a boxed meal that was next to the masked man. He began furiously eating the meal. Apparently he was starving.

I sat down as well. As soon as I did, a message lit up on the phone.

You’ve been patient. Thank you.

I messaged back immediately.

Are you Icaro?

Yes, he messaged back. I see that you brought both the water and the package. Good.

He stood up and held his hand out, gesturing for the water. I handed it to him. He immediately poured it into a metal bowl that he then held on top of the fire. He sprinkled something extra into the water and brought it to a boil. Then, he strained it into two cups.

He must have said something, because the driver finally looked up from his meal and grabbed both cups and sat down next to me, handing me one of them.

Tea. Please drink.

I read his message a few times over before replying.

Right now? What kind of tea is it?

He replied without hesitation. Yes, right now. It’s a special tea made from the flowers in this field.

I looked over and saw the driver drinking the tea as fast as he could. When he was finished, Icaro made another gesture to him. The driver then got up and walked into the tent, seemingly to sleep.

Another message lit up on the screen.

Now we can talk in private. So, Why do you want your hearing back so badly? Haven’t you gotten used to it by now?

I wanted to ask him how that is even a question. But ultimately I decided to reply in as sympathetic a way as possible.

I simply can’t bear to live in a world full of sound waves while being caged away from them.

He seemed to nod his head before replying.

I’ve looked into your entire case, and it was fascinating. It took me two weeks to figure out the cure.

My eyes immediately beamed. The screen kept lighting up as another message came in.

However there’s one catch. One last test.

My mind started racing in multiple directions. I anxiously replied to him.

What’s the catch? I’m willing to do anything, or pay anything.

He seemed to wait a moment before sending his next message.

You can’t gain new hearing without taking it from somewhere else.

I read his message a few times over before the rest came in.

The only person that also drank that tea with you is the one connected to the ceremony now. If you choose to complete it, you will gain your hearing back but he will wake up without his.

My heart started racing. I never could have imagined this. In an instant I was completely overwhelmed. A test like this?

A long message came in.

You have two options now. Either you open the brown package and complete the ritual with the plants inside, or you throw the package in the fire. It’s very important to burn it if you choose not to do it. If you choose to open the package I will make you another tea with the plants inside it that will complete the ceremony. The choice is yours.

I looked up from the phone and into the fire. Icaro was sitting behind it completely relaxed. The fire seemed to get stronger and bolder the longer I waited.

Obviously I should just complete the ritual. I could even pay the driver more money than he’d ever need to retire and live happily. I’m sure he’d actually want me to take the deal.

I need to do this. I’ve waited too long and come too far.

I looked back at the tent, with the driver sleeping in it.

I then looked at the brown package, and picked it up in my hands.

My hands started shaking, and I tried to get myself to open it. But, I couldn’t move a muscle.

Instead, it slipped out of my fingers and onto the floor.

Without letting myself think about it further, I threw into the fire. If I didn’t do it as fast as I could I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to get myself to do the right thing.

Immediately the fire got bigger and brighter when the brown package was put in. The color of the fire turned bright hazel.

I picked the phone back up and messaged him.

I’m sorry I wasted your time. Thank you Icaro.

He didn’t reply. He didn’t even move.

I looked into the fire again. The brown package opened up, revealing nothing.

It was empty.

The burning box was starting to let off a thick, dense smoke. The smoke began to make me cough.

Why was it empty? I realized that this man is clearly a scam. I wanted to leave immediately.

The smoke was too strong. I stood up with the intent of going to the tent for the driver to take me away, but as soon as I stood up, the smoke had gotten so intense that my body began to curl up and I felt myself begin to pass out. The last thing I felt was my own body falling towards the floor.

The next morning, I woke up. Slowly my eyes opened and I saw the massive mountain in front of me.

Icaro was gone, and the fire had burned out.

I stood up and walked over to the tent. In it, the driver was laying, thankfully. I shook him awake and walked out.

I stood outside the tent and waited, anxious to go back home.

“Ma’am?” His voice suddenly said.

My body froze. I just heard his voice from the tent. I just HEARD his voice.

The driver walked out of the tent ready to go.

“So, did it work then? Can you hear me?” He asked.

His voice rang through my ears. It pierced the veil of silence that’s hung over me for so long with ease. I felt goosebumps all over my skin.