burn

please don’t put the new fortress there, said the old woman to the emperor. remember what happened to the last one?

he picked her up, spun her around, smiled. he sang a happy song about self-love.

it’s going to burn, she said. she lived in a tiny hut near the well. she was calm and very polite. she made no mention of his nakedness.

you are so wise! he said, laughing, and your eyes! wow, are those wells, too?

then he assured her not to worry. he had the best of intentions and these were the opposite of burning. all good! he sang, spinning off.

later, when the blaze ate the hillside and everyone on it, including the old woman’s hut, he cried, SEND SOMEONE! HELP!

o god, he whispered, after the shouting.

but by the point, even the helicopters had to retreat. the woman near the well was silent.