"Want to see a new trick I learned?" Amou suddenly asked.

"Sure, I should be finished by now," I finished writing the last word and sat down the quill.

He stood up a good distance away from the table and stood there.

I leaned back to relax and enjoy whatever it was he was trying to show me.

He held his hands near his face and after a while, his face turned red but nothing had happened yet.

"Take your time. I'll be here all day," I told him.

There was a slight rumble.

He opened his mouth and spew forth fire as a dragon would in a large cone in front of him.

The sight would have been impressive and sure it was the first second but then I was much too focused on the fire his little 'trick' ignited on the table with all my papers and some books, a second later I realized that my coat had caught the fire off from the papers and was burning too.

I threw it on the ground and tried stamping out the fire but after several stomps, I realized that the effort was futile.

The fire was much too big to try to extinguish it like that.

Another idea I had was pouring some water on it.

There still was lukewarm water in an almost full kettle hanging over the fireplace.

I emptied it all over the fire.

It was still burning.

"This isn't normal fire," I thought.

"Amou, do something!" I said frantically.

I looked over at him. He had fallen over onto the ground and was breathing very heavily.

"Sorry... I... can't... stand up...," he said in between short breaths.

I had to do something before the fire spread to the whole house, by this time it had already lit the whole table and seats on fire.

If it was created by magic then it can be doused by magic too.

I wasn't too confident in my abilities with fire but I was sure that Amou could do it and since a month ago or so I thought that I was almost as good as he was.

If he could then so can I.

"If he could then so can I," I whispered to myself, "If he can then so can I."

I stood in front of the fire with hands stretched out.

It was hot.

The fire reminded me of something unpleasant.

I felt sick, knots were building in my stomach.

I hesitated, I thought that I can't do it.

But I had to if I didn't the whole house would start burning.

It's been over a year and I still had not gotten over it, over the memories, over the fire.

Just concentrate.

The fire was roaring but I could clearly see that it soothed over time and soon it was completely out. It was much, much easier than I thought.

It should be, after months of learning that's the way it should have been.

Why was I so anxious?

I looked at the burned parchments, books, table, and seats. Turning around Amou was now on his back completely lying on the ground.

I tapped him with my foot in his side, crumbled up a burned piece of paper, and threw it at him. "you're cleaning up this disaster," I yelled at him, angry.