Writing Prompt

It’s that time of year again. You know the one where those small humans like to blow up colorful little flames in the sky. Especially right now during the years of the constant sun, or “July” as they call it, they really love to throw them up today. I wonder if they see and hear the same thing we do from up here. Do they see the beautiful patterns the tiny colorful flames make when they melt together. Can they see the ethereal glow the tiny colorful flames leave behind. Or can they hear the soft whistle in the wind every time the colorful flames are thrown up. I really do wonder if they experience their tiny colorful flames the same way we do. It’d be a shame if they didn’t. Here’s to hoping they do.

“Ooh, look at these ones, Nicole!” cried Jackson. “They’re brilliant!”

Indeed they were. From the top storey of her mansion in the clouds, Nicole the cloud-dweller could see brilliant arrays of colours lighting up the sky. Every year on the Fourth of July, though she didn’t know why. She’d marked a circle around the numbers on the page the minute Jackson had returned after one of his clandestine flights to Earth. He’d always bring along a ‘clalendrar’, because he claimed that down on terra firma, the dates moved one day ahead every year. Those humans might be wondrous, fascinating creatures with all sorts of gizmos and gadgets, but they sure could act odd sometimes.

There was an explosion which jolted Nicole from her musings, and the sky was illuminated once again. Red, green, gold, pretty. The sparks fell back down to the Earth, spiralling as though playing a game. If she went over to Martha’s at seven, she could see the one that made special shapes in the sky. It was like the humans manufactured their own brand of lightning, different but as beautiful as the cloud-dwellers’ own.

“Come down to the bottom floor, Nic, it’s much more beautiful here!” Oh no. Nicole couldn’t possibly do that. She’d feel all woozy and dizzy, as she did every time she descended too low. Jackson was fearless - he practically lived on the bottom floor - but for Nicole, getting over her fear of depths was nearly impossible.

“Oh, stop acting like such a sissy and come on down, Nic! It won’t kill you!” Jackson yelled, accurately deducting the thoughts running in her head. She slowly descended, shutting her eyes tight, until she felt Jackson’s hand wrap around her wrist and tug her down to cloud level.

“Open your eyes, dummy. The whole point of coming down is to see them up close.”

Slowly, Nicole opened her eyes. Whatever terror still filled her mind suddenly disappeared. She looked around in wonder. It was just magical. She heard a faint bang. Looking down, Nicole saw something rocketing upward, higher and higher, getting larger and larger, until it exploded a few inches below their colony, dissociating into a mix of lights and sparks, so close to her that if she just leant down a bit, she could probably catch one of them.

She continued to stare at the beautiful twinkling lights, approaching her in a never-ending sequence. She liked to think she was beckoning them- they came rapid and numerous, always exploding just when she anticipated their crash. This was her favourite night of the year. When she could see each little nuance of the sky in vivid detail due to the lights. When she could see colours she did not know even existed. Sure, the smoke was pretty hard, but it was all worth it. For those pretty twinkling lights. Jackson called them ‘fireworks’, but he never knew what he was talking about anyway.

It looks like rain, fired from the deep Like splotches of mystical saliva And the sound it makes, a pixie’s scream Followed by clumsy giants

It tastes like cherry but ends in tangerine And there’s a tartness long after That begs to be solved with yet another bite Mixed with the cool taste of evening clouds

It’s cheers falling upwards Abstract drips Sprinkles of light Illuminating flecks of its point of origin And mystifying the rest of us, I suppose

It’s a treat, not a meal A rare indulgence

As I was in the aeroplane above, I saw some beautiful shooting colourful lights, they were extremely loud, like a bomb going off but somewhat calming and exciting, how bizarre. They were shimming in the sky, they were stunning everyone was loving them and filming them, bright lights everywhere and a happy atmosphere. What a lovely flight. Thank you Ryan Air

What are those lights The noise causes a fright Fires coming at me Are those weapons from the sea

Better go hide from the fires Lost in space mires Retreat to my sanctuary To be safe again and merry

But wait those bombs make colors Bright red, blue and green wonders The colors brighten the sky These are not weapons, oh my

But what is this spectacle Curiosity now the obstacle These bright explosions go away quickly Retreating into absurdity

More explosions I hear More colors and lights appear Listen to the crowds below cheer Strange this is, so weird

@Tessa🦋

What are those lights The noise causes a fright Fires coming at me Are those weapons from the sea

Better go hide from the fires Lost in space mires Retreat to my sanctuary To be safe again and merry

But wait those bombs make colors Bright red, blue and green wonders The colors brighten the sky These are not weapons, oh my

But what is this spectacle Curiosity now the obstacle These bright explosions go away quickly Retreating into absurdity

More explosions I hear More colors and lights appear Listen to the crowds below cheer Strange this is, so weird

@Tessa🦋

Wow! What an amazing ride, flying around in a helicopter. Pedro and Mason, were enjoying the flight when they noticed fireworks in the sky. Pedro , told the pilot go higher so we can see the show from the sky. It was amazing looking at the rocket launchers as they left the ground. Thousands and thousands of fire works going off.

 Mason said, I have never seen anything so beautiful. The colors the brightness the amount of fireworks coming toward the chopper. The people look like ants on the ground. The explosions in the sky the brightness they lit up the sky around us.

The fire work show last for 10 straight minutes. Very unique watching from the sky said Pedro. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity said Mason, yes it was replied the pilot. I really hope that y’all both enjoyed the show in the sky. It was amazing said Pedro, thank you for letting us watch. My pleasure!

                                       Written By:
                                       Ghostrider 
                                       6-27-2021

Darkness. Darkness.. Darkness… The cool evening sky seems so endless and so vast. The anticipated murmur below is all that breaks through this silence, this darkness. There is a small light, as insignificant, as minimal, as a single birthday candle on top of a cake. The murmur dies down to a brief whisper. A whisper of hushing. All that is heard is the sorrowful song of the summer grasshopper in the distance. All that is seen is the single flame of hope and expectation in the darkness. A brief sizzling sound intrudes the sweet melody of that evening song. The flame licks its way up the cords eagerly as a lover to the base. The death of the flame is brief as it enters. A take off. Faster than an angry hand of an aggressor. The vast night is penetrated deeper, deeper and deeper still. The sky opens to this foreign, yet familiar, intruder as a virgin who opens her legs willingly. A burst of light breaks through and cascades down onto the faces of the beholders in frightening shades of blood red. A loud crack, a boom, like a bullet leaving a gun explodes through the silence. A brief squeal of the next before a star of royal blue is born next. Again and again these colors change onto the faces below. Yellows, greens, violets and oranges again and again in a diligent spiral. A climax. So beautiful and luxurious display of all merging colors of the bursting sky flowers. Grins of excitement fill the ground below this chorus of delicious lights. A final shocking bang of the final rocket punches the sky before silence. All that remains is the hazy smoke, the heavy empty air and the expected cheer of the crowd for these sky bombs.

They stand, mouths agape, eyes fixed on the light and smoke in the sky. Their bodies form patterns, clustered across the beach, children darting in and out of the shapes they create. There is whooping and whistling just before the sparks flit across the sky. The energy is explosive—enough to make you forget about the fireworks. Enough to make you realize they are the fireworks.

“The sky is blood!”

He screams and rushes to me, little hands gripping my thighs. I try not to laugh.

“The sky is blood?” I echo.

“Yes.”

I smile.

My brother Eli has the wildest imagination. Most nights he sleeps in my bed for fear of unknown things devouring him.

It’s almost concerning.

I stroke his blond mop of hair, scoop him up, and I’m climbing up a grassy knoll.

I set him down at the top. We sit.

“Those are fireworks.” I say softly.

The expanse explodes again, this time in colors of green and blue. He grips me tight.

“Fireworks?” He whines. I nod. “They can’t harm you. It’s just noise and pretty colors.”

He relaxes. “I like to color.” I grin. “That’s what fireworks are. Colors for the sky.”

He stared up, eyes wide and filled with excitement.

At least I managed to convince him of the beauty of fireworks.

Before long he’s making up stories about how one firework was on a mission to find his friends.

And not to long after that, he’s asleep.

Mission accomplished.