eternal flame (1) . ratmas day one

Every year, on the shortest night known as the Winter Solstice, the student body of District Five is to organize an event. Each of the districts has its own festivities, some government-run, and others run from prominent people in the district, yet Five elects to have their students run the occasion. This year, Kaius volunteered to direct everything from the itinerary to performances, food, lights, the whole thing. The budget might be small, but fun in Five can be scarce; if there's a chance that Kaius can lift some spirits with the event, he'll take that shot.

The centerpiece of District Five's event comes from a large gauntlet. The Eternal Flame. It gets rather cold in Five, and despite being the district of oil and electricity, much of the produce goes through the Capitol for further trade. The Eternal Flame stays lit throughout the winter season as a promise to the necessity of warmth across the district.

Kaius refused to slouch for the night's production. It was a small group that managed the Winter Solstice Committee and whipped everything he could into shape. Paper snowflakes of foggy blue and crisp white draped from streetlamp to streetlamp, gradually shifting to warmer tones toward the center stage, where the set of the Eternal Flame was to take its place. The music, provided by District Five's high school band, provided warmth and life to an otherwise chilled environment. Clouds spread evenly across the sky with the occasional star poking through the night.

He stood at the podium on the stage as people traveled in and out of the town hall. His navy suit is tailored to fit nicely. His mother and father watched on, proud of their son for carrying on a tradition they deemed ever-so valuable. The Winter Solstice holds a special place in their heart because that's where they met, on this very committee! For Kaius, though, it was a much more relaxed affair. He didn't want romance or a fling, he simply wanted to impress enough people to become Class President in next year's election. It'd look good on his resume when the time comes to run for a future mayoral election.

A stack of index cards breaking down his speech lay upright on the podium. He reads them over one final time before tapping the microphone and clearing his throat a few times to gather everyone's attention. Here it goes..

"Good evening, and welcome to this year's Winter Solstice event. My name is Kaius, and I headed the committee organizing tonight's festivities." Thank the band, check, thank the school and government for funding tonight's event, check.

"Tonight, the tradition of lighting the Eternal Flame persists. It's no secret that District Five grows cold this time of year but through the hard work and dedication of our residents, these effects are minimized. The Eternal Flame acts as a promise here, that no person in our district will go cold or be left in darkness. We are the district of warmth and light."

Kaius pauses for a minute, reading his next card over carefully. Does he read it? Will the mayor be pissed off? The Capitol? The silence goes on for a few more seconds, but he presses on. There's more significance to the flame than just its warmth.

"It also symbolizes hope. Everyone on the committee who put together tonight's event has recognized that we're getting older and closer to adulthood. Soon, we will no longer be kids. As adults, albeit young, we know the objective of leaving our home on better footing than when we found it for future generations. As the last century has shown, too many children of 'future generations' have been ripped away from us. This Eternal Flame remembers them, along with that promise we made to those generations. We cannot continue to fail them."

He's too scared to look up and witness the reaction. There are Peacekeepers about, and surely each of the districts' events is being monitored closely by the Capitol. Kaius wasn't told to get his speech approved, and so he spoke his mind. The Hunger Games are an archaic tradition. Sentiment toward that is high but rarely publicized.

Kaius continues on after a moments' pause, detailing the rest of tonight's festivities.