the fireplace was the only means of heat in our house. we often found ourselves clustered around it, watching the orange flames lapping at its chimney hungrily. my mother was quick with the wood, even before the coals were glowing lonesome without the company of their fiery protectors. the origin of the fireplace was curious, mother had picked it up in some curiosity shop almost absent-mindedly she told us. it was also a strange structure, the stone was metallic-looking, almost like a wood oven but larger, and it was light to carry, otherwise how would mother have delivered it home by herself. since the day she brought it into the house, it gave me a peculiar feeling, a feeling i could not easily explain, and i tried to explain to the other family members what it was; but either they could not comisserate with the feeling, or i failed to put into words the uneasiness it gave me to them. being the only source of heat in the coming winter, it did not, however, deter me from warming my chilled bones with the rest of the family. within weeks of its arrival, my uneasiness increased. my eyes started playing tricks on me it seemed, those flaming tongues which blackened the stone now more alive, twisting and turning like no other flames i had seen. mother looked different as well. the grey streaks of age in her hair were disappearing, her face also seemed less lined than i ever remembered it being. she smiled with whiter teeth, watching those dancing fires with sparkling eyes. she soon retired to her room early and took up knitting like she had decades before. strangely, no one else seemed to notice. sister and brother... were they shrinking? their clothes seemed bigger, baggier. sister was miraculously losing pounds in days, though i noticed no change in her behaviour or eating habits. the fire never ceased, mother continued to pile logs onto those eerie flames. why can't you see what i see? i asked them. they thought me crazy. i was beginning to doubt myself as well, until the day came. our cat, which had passed away but a year before, sauntered into the room. he was fat, not the skinny thing he had been. he walked to the fireplace. everyone looked surprised, at last! see? i said. there's something strange going on. it has something to do with the fireplace. as i said it, the flames suddenly leapt higher, twisting and crackling. mother entered holding her knitting, distracting me. the corner of the fireplace dislodged from the wall and swung about forty-five degrees into me. i reached out and my hand touched the metallic-stone which was hot. my hand was seared but i managed to get myself out the way before being knocked over. it stopped. i looked wide-eyed at my siblings, grateful at last for their own shock and terror. smoothly the cat got up and walked towards those flailing flames. sister screamed for him, but he ignored her. he walked over those red coals, into those flames, soon disappearing within them. terror had gripped me, rooting me to the spot. i glanced around slowly. my family had gone, there was no sign of them at all. i swung my eyes back towards the fire. the flames were dying down rapidly, like someone had hit fast-forward. when they were barely visible, i stepped closer, noticing something out of place within those cooling coals. i rubbed my eyes, yes it was, a melted knitting needle.