A Shadow of You...

Once upon a lifetime ago…

You were beautiful, young, welcoming…

Each moment spent with you… a priceless treasure.

***

Rich aromas of roast pork and veggies wafted through the kitchen...

Spicy Ginger Nut biscuits cooled on the windowsill…

Tantalising Sylvester, the midnight cat, complete with his snowy white bow tie.

***

Hide and seek, played out under creaking stairs...

Rooms rang crazily with laughter and verbal sparring with siblings…

Spiralled into elbow jabs and stinging, tea towel swipes.

***

Cosy chats by the rough-hewn, stone fireplace

Languorous bedtime tales… cuddled in closely to our mother

Until… that fatal, final night…

***

Mosquitoes droned incessantly

Attacked us mercilessly

Repelled by the feeble defence of lowly mosquito coils.

***

Their pungent smoke wove erratically down hallways

Crept through vacant rooms,

Snaked up wooden staircases.

***

A silvery crescent moon watched

A whispering ember wander…

Silent stillness ruptured.

***

Golden tongues lapped greedily

We fled in terror

Powerless to save you.

***

All too soon that crackling, furious monster

Ruthlessly devoured you

Leaving an empty charred shell.

****

Now…

A mere lifetime later…

Although no longer young nor beautiful…

Life again adorns you…

***

Verdant green ferns wave their welcome

Streamers of vines festively decorate beams, door frames…

Ulysses butterflies flit joyously…

Flashes of iridescent electric blue, edged in black.

***

A surreal shadow…

Of you…

In your former glory.

***

Inspired by Dharrsheena Raja Seggaran’s intriguing photo for Mackenzie Davis’ Photo Prompt below.

In case I was too cryptic… an errant ember from an insect repellent mosquito coil caused the fire which gutted the house in the photo.

Derelict abandoned houses always fill me with sadness, pondering the past lives and happenings that led to their present state.

***

Below is my original entry into Mackenzie’s Ekphrastic (photo) challenge… I think it has a similar mood.