Green Fire

The sky was a mess of faded colours that blended so seamlessly it became a flowing blanket of shades and textures which formed a beautiful backdrop for the light fluffy clouds floating gently from left to right across the twinkling ocean. Katie's cheek soaked up the soft warmth that rippled across the dunes towards her from the setting sun. For a moment, her dog Barney stopped bounding about and everything trickled into a tranquil, melodic silence. Barney's ears flapped in the cool easterly breeze as he paused to sniff the summer air.

If dogs could talk, and I assure you they cannot, Barney would of said, with clear and aristocratic tones, “Something does not smell right madam.” He always called Katie madam. He was quite a respectful dog really. At that moment he was consumed in a torrent of red hot green fire. “Liquidised instantaneously” the coroner’s report would state a few days later. Katie stared open mouthed, eyes wide, arms outstretched. From a distance one would assume she was beginning a series of star jumps or performing the YMCA in slow motion, so slow in fact that she was no longer moving. A passing gnome grinned and rolled his eyes. He’d seen it all before.

The flame wavered a little from left to right then appeared to be slurped back into the ground like that last piece of flailing pasta that hangs embarrassingly from your lips. As if her gob had been smacked, Katie stood gob-smacked, with her gob open and leaning to the side, as if smacked.

"My...my dog!" She managed to splutter before she too was consumed by green fire.