"Yes," Tora said, "it was mine to give. I'm pleased that you enjoyed my gift as I enjoyed yours."

Times were tough. Another world war had been started: one group of psychopaths claiming another group of psychopaths had to have a comeuppance, and the best way to do that was to murder many innocent humans, who were dispensable. They were only rats, after all.

Everything was now hard to come by. Lulu had given Tora a toenail clipper, one secreted in the hem of her skirt when she fled her home. Lulu was in Poland now, taking refuge on the back forty of Tora's farm. In thanks, Lulu parted with her treasure. It was something Tora didn't need, as she had several other toenail clippers, but she knew the gesture was enormous, and so Tora responded by giving Lulu a sleeping bag designed for these frigid temperatures. Lulu would survive the winter in the hollow she had hidden herself in, with food from Tora and water from a nearby spring.

"She will die." the commander said as he watched Lulu cross the border. "There is no chance of her surviving in this cold." so he told his troops let her go.

She walked regally away from the allied troops that had burnt her home to the ground, knowing full well that her own government would be blamed for the carnage. She walked, and waited for the bullets to pierce her back. She walked, unfaltering. Her certainty in herself baffled the troops who had just murdered the rest of her family, their livestock, and ruined their home. The murderers were being very well paid for their actions, they would go home to their own families in a safe western country a few days from now, and be replaced by a fresh group of mercenaries who faced not danger at all while they raped and plundered innocent beings who had the misfortune of living in a country that was regularly used by the world's elite to launder money, to traffic humans and drugs, and to indulge their perverted addictions and personal quirks.

She had no fear of dying. She knew she had lived her truth.

Lulu began to glow.

Years hence, Lulu and Tora can be found sitting at a large kitchen table with a dozen or more friends. They are toasting each other. One of the others at the table, who were all also refugees from the last of the Earth's world wars, began to sing a wordless tune. A simple tune. Another of them began a light drumming on the table, a third joined in with harmony. Not long after, they were all singing a tune of joy and love.

The table rose a few inches off the floor and began to slowly rotate. Again, Lulu began to glow, infusing them all with her blaze.

It is time for the moral of my story, because my timer is at 30 seconds left. Here it is:

Live according to your own truth. Trust no other's. If we would all do this, we would all live in a blaze of glory.

This is my entry to @mariannewest's daily freewrite challenge. On Saturdays we have a second option of the fabulous Three Part Freewrite: we write for one prompt for five minutes, then move onto the second and third prompts, no peeking ahead. It's always a trip! The prompts are in bold italics in my entry today.

Notice for Newbies on Hive

Real people read your posts in this community! There are no rules!!! A post doesn't suck up your entire day!!!! You can safely let your imagination take flight! You will feel the love!

Try to remember to leave a link under @mariannewest's . That will help us find you. The easiest way to find the daily prompt is to go directly to @mariannewest's blog.

To maximize readership, you might also post in the Freewriters Community (or @hive-161155), use a first tag of #freewrite or #freewritepoetry, go leave comments on others' freewrites, or any combination of those.

We are good people, it's a no judgment zone, and #freewriters is an excellent community to get your feet wet on Hive.

This image is mine, all mine.