Finre looked out his window, just as the night before, longing to go out. But he knew he couldn’t. He never could. He watched, looking this way and that. He waited. Finally, he saw it. A small flicker of golden light appeared in the distance. Slowly, it became bigger and bigger. He thought, _if only I could go out and run down this hill, I could reach it_. But still, he knew he couldn’t. He must never leave the house at night. And he must never ever ever go past the bottom of the hill. He sighed longingly, wishing he could be close to the Golden Light. It seemed closer than the night before. In fact, it seemed to get closer and closer every night. Finally, Finre left the window and went to bed.

***

The next few days, Finre and his family were very busy. They were preparing for his sister’s birthday. For three days he was so tired that he didn’t wait up to see the Golden Light. But on the night after the party, Finre sat again at his window, waiting for the Golden Light to appear. When it did appear, Finre felt the usual awe. The same awe that he felt every time he saw the Golden Light, but this time it was different. The light was closer than it had ever been before. And mixed in with the awe, he felt fear. He had a sudden urge to run tell his parents, but whenever he had mentioned the Golden Light to them, they quickly changed the subject.

_Would it be any different now?_

Finre rose from his seat by the window and tiptoed to his bedroom door. When he reached for the doorknob, he stopped. He heard his mother’s voice.

She was quiet, but sounded worried, “How much time do we have? A few days? A week?”

Finre’s father was slow in answering, “No, a few hours. Four at most, but we should try to leave within two.”

“Should we wake the kids?” Mother asked.

“No,” Father replied, “we should pack first. We don’t want them to worry.”

Finre sat down next to his door and leaned his head against the wall. He was scared. He had heard fear in both of his parents voices. And there seemed to be nothing scarier than that.

_They might need my help_, he thought. He heard them moving quickly around the house.

Finre stood and opened his door. “Mother?” He called quietly. “Father?” He found his mother in the kitchen.

“Finre?” She was surprised to see him.

“Mother?” He asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t worry,” she said, “go back to bed.”

Finre protested, “But mother, I heard you and Father talking. I can help.”

Mother sighed and nodded her head, “Put the rest of these dishes into this basket.” Finre immediately obeyed.

“Mother?” He said after a moment of silence, “Is this about the golden light.” He thought she wouldn’t answer, but finally, she nodded.

“It’s beautiful,” he said, “but what is it?” He looked at his mother’s face when he asked this. She looked more sad and scared than he thought was possible.

“Fire,” she answered.

Finre frose, his heart pounding. _Fire_? He had heard of fire. He knew some people thought it could be used for good things. But mostly, he had heard of the destruction it caused, the people it killed, and the towns it wiped out.

“Is the Golden Light coming for us?” Finre asked.

“Yes,” Mother replied, “so we must move.”

“Where will we go?”

“We’re going to the Land of Winter.”

Father entered the kitchen and began helping them.

“Will we be safe there?” Finre asked.

Father answered, “Yes, we’ll be safe there. Fire is very weak in the Land of Winter. Now try not to talk,” Father commanded. “We can answer your questions after we leave.”

***

Finre and his parents finished packing and awoke his sister. The family loaded into their wagon. Finre and his sister wanted to ask many questions, but Father told them to try to sleep. It was still night and they had a long journey ahead of them. Finre lay in the wagon as they drove away from his house, farther than he had ever been. He watched the Golden Light until it disappeared into the distance. Then, he fell asleep.