The candle and the match

The candle and the match

There was a candle in the drawer of a large old cupboard. It was a very beautiful candle - white and twisted, with a gold thread that nestled gracefully in the coils from bottom to top. Also, the candle came in a clear sleeve to keep it from getting dirty - with a little pink bow at the top. Now there were many other candles in the drawer: bulk packs of dinner candles in various colors, pillar candles of all sizes, and a plethora of tea lights. But the candle whose story is to be told here was the most beautiful of all - and she knew it too! That's why she always acted a little haughty towards the other candles. One day the candle was taken out of the drawer, the wrapper removed and it found itself in a glass candlestick on a festively set table. The candle really liked that. In such a posh environment she fit much better than being locked in the dark with all those ordinary candles! She looked around in amazement, admired the sparkling glasses, the bouquet of white roses, the shiny crockery which, like her, was adorned with a gold thread... But before the candle had had enough of looking at everything, a matchbox appeared, a match was taken out, and the candle was suddenly overtaken by a terrible foreboding. "Oh no!" she yelled, and then, as loud as she could, "Stop!!" And indeed - time stopped and the match floated irresolutely a few centimeters in front of the matchbox. The match now had the opportunity to look at the candle in peace. "You're beautiful!" she said to the candle, "how lucky that I can burn for you!" The candle was flattered, but then asked suspiciously, "What do you mean by igniting?" ' replied the match. 'But I don't want that!' cried the candle in fear, 'then the wax would melt, my beauty would perish and NOTHING would be left of me!' The match was confused: "But that's your destiny, that's what you were made for." But the candle replied: "You just said yourself that I'm beautiful, how can you want to make it so?" is over?!" The match took a deep breath and, very lovingly and with a wisdom it didn't even know it possessed, gave the candle the following answer: "I understand that you're afraid. But you can't let that fear stop you from following your purpose. Because that's the only way you really live and that's the only way your life gets meaning. It's true, you're really beautiful, but do you know how much more beautiful you are when you let your light shine brightly! Don't weep for the wax that's going away, but enjoy the light you're sending out into the world! I would be very happy to help you with that. This is my destiny. My existence will be brief, but incredibly intense." After that, it was very quiet for a while. The candle's thoughts swirled, but deep down she felt something slowly dissolving, like fear and doubt a new feeling Make way - Confidence. And then she was ready. Time went on, the match ignited violently for its beauty and passed this fire on to the candle. Its flame was large and jerked restlessly to and fro, then it became whole again small, as if there were doubts again... but no- the flame straightened up and burned calmly and evenly.The candle surrendered completely to the fire with which it had touched the match and to the glow that it was now radiating. She bathed the table and the people sitting at it in her soft light, made eyes shine, skin and hair shimmered.She enjoyed everything she saw and heard.Later, the table was cleared, the candle on the window When the match had been set and people had long since gone to bed, she thought again of the match, what it had said to her and done for her. The candle was filled with gratitude, a bit of melancholy and a vague longing. It burned on, calm and still- a small light in the window of a house in a big world. And it became smaller and smaller and in the early morning hours all the wax was used up and with a small sigh the flame went out and a thread of smoke rose up from the wick.