Inspiration in a flame

There was one time, back in the late eighties or early nineties, that I went to a dinner event with my parents. I think the occasion was around the Ukrainian Christmas season. I sat at a table with my parents and with various people, and there was a candle on the table - I just became so mesmerized by it. I stared into the little flame and watched it flicker around and just totally tuned out everything that was going on around me. I didn't realize in the moment that I was totally tuned out, but I suddenly became aware when my mom tried to get my attention because someone had asked me a question and I had completely ignored them.

My memory of this experience of being mesmerized by a candle was part of my inspiration for the Mission: Dawn scene I wrote called Heart in the Fire. In this scene, Dreamer is mesmerized by the flames of a bonfire. Writing this scene has given me a chance to get into Dreamer's head and explore the inner workings of his mind.