The Long Lit Candle

Arthur Wright was born in 1749 and survived for decades. He made it through wars and revolutions, all because of a candle. He was trained to keep the perpetual flame lit, so it might refuel his soul.

It was 1769 and he was twenty. He was young, handsome, full of life and potential when he first received the candle. He went to town during market, and as he walked around carelessly, a man grabbed him. He pulled him into an alley and whispered "How would you like to live forever?” The question was so absurd Arthur became entranced in his story. The man explained how the candle he held could give life to the person who cared for it. The candle was not to burn thin or empty. He explained how the candle needed to burn frequently and only when he worked the wick, the wax, and slept should the flame be allowed to be extinguished. Arthur worked laboriously with the candle his entire life. 

He was in most mentions an old man by now, although young in appearance you could see his experience. His face showed age, dishevelment, and deep loss, but it was oddly hidden in the depths of his newly cracking skin. He looked dead, but full of life. He did not notice the deception in his young face, maybe because it looked so familiar.

He occurred a swarm of property and wealth in his lifetime, but he felt he had little to show for it. Many people who knew him called him a hermit. He sat in his darkened study, which was shelved with books, some as old as him, watching and working the candle. There were times he stayed up late and watched the candle’s flickering flame. He slept very little and ate even less.

Arthur thought many times of putting the candle out and leaving it behind. He could never bring himself to do it. He told himself it was due to the candles beauty, but he knew that was a lie. He lived too long, learning how to run from death. He distanced the rapidly changing world and its society. He knew he didn't belong, but he questioned if he belonged in the other world to come. That though, was another issue he tried to avoid.

He stood and walked to the flame. He didn't know if it was early or late, but it didn't matter. He sat at the round Victorian table he carved, the candle rested in the center.

He pulled out his tools, blew the flame out gently to let the wax settle. He needed the wax cool so he could work it. He began to braid thin pieces of clothe together and intertwined foreign materials as he went. He mastered the art of wick making and wax molding, to the point where he could make the candle burn slowly and as strong as possible.

The candle’s wax settled and the wick lay ashen. He took a thin metal carving tool and meticulously trimmed the wax back, exposing the wick. He cut the singed end off before weaving the new wick onto the old. He used wax to help hold the knotted and intertwined pieces together. He reworked the fading wax, adding more and more until he was satisfied. His days repeated for far too many years.

Arthur did not leave his house for months at a time. Living slightly in the country was his only reassurance in this world. He began to wonder, like he often did, what it would be like to have done something great in life. He wanted to travel the world, and see the great monuments, but he was too old for that now. Too much of his time was spent caring for the candle, worrying about the fuel that filled his soul. He knew he didn't need to spend as much time working the candle. It took care of itself, burning strongly without him. It would last a long time before he needed to rework it, but it comforted him to watch the flame flicker and play out the story of his life. 

Today he planned to put the candle out and walk away, but like always he remained seated. The sun rose and he knew it was morning. He strained mentally, trying to force his body to move. He needed to at least try to put the candle out and let it go, but his mind wouldn’t let him.

 He remembered the day he received the candle, and part of him wished he never had, but then he said to himself, “It gave me so much potential in life.” That was the moment his body worked for him. He stood grabbed the newly worked candle and blew it gently out. He walked to town and stood back in an alley watching the crowd. He saw many young people, but no one stood out, then he saw him. A young handsome man, who walked around casually and upright. He knew the young man had the world at his feet. Arthur grabbed the ardent boy and whispered “How would you like to live forever?”

He explained the significance of the candle and how to care for it, and as he was about to leave he called back “don’t forget to live your life well!”