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He walked over the sand, his feet slipping away into the grains. The ocean pounded against the ground, causing a beautiful rhythm of waves. He smiled at the crescent moon that seemed to mock his intentions. In his oversized jacket pocket he held a wad of slick paper... pictures. He approached a fire ring, one of the many in a long line leading down to the pier.

He pulled out a lighter and a cigarette. Lighting up, he dropped his backpack onto the ground. The boy pulled out a large bottle of lighter fluid with a Cheshire cat grin, and set it on the ground. Then he pulled the pictures out and fell back onto the sand. Her face looked up at him with a sinister smile. His thoughts flying back in time…

"You stupid ********," he heard her say all over again, "I've been cheating on you since the beginning."

He winced and threw it into the pit. The next one was of her and him at the summer block party. He remembered that night clear as the sky was now. That was the night he caught her with the other one. That was the night his life came crashing down into his beer glass.

The boy threw that one in the fire pit too.

Next was a small strip of photos from the booth at the amusement park. He remembered the way her hair fell across her shoulders after riding the coaster one-to-many times. But most of all he remembered the shirt she had been wearing. He remembered the way he ripped it off of her when they got back home. How it fell to the ground...

That one he placed back in his pocket.

And the last was of them- her, him, and the other guy. His best friend in fact. They were holding each other up; her eyes locked on the others face. The boy looked up at the sky, shaking his head.

Then he tossed it in the ring, and grabbed the lighter fluid. He poured it over the pictures with a smile. Then, turning away, he tossed his cigarette into the ring. The fire exploded instantly, burning through the memories, burning through the lies, burning through his heart.

"Let it burn," he quoted, "and from the ashes we will create a new world in which to light our fires."

And then, finally, he let go of her.