Cutting

It was cold dark and silent, not a stir of the air could be noticed.

Slowly a humming made itself heard on the far side of that metal bulkhead. It started lowly in the background and seamlessly crept into the immediate foreground. The darkness gave way to the slightest of red glows, and it was perfect placidity. The hum and the glow were almost soothing and hardly congruent with my surroundings. 

As time passed the glow turned bright and seemed to emanate a powerful heat; the hum took on a higher pitch. Maybe it was a little more in-your-face, but it was still relatively pleasant. It would've made for an easy day, sitting in front of a glowing bulkhead. The heat was even an improvement from the dismally cold outdoors. 

Eventually the red glow had progressed through its stages and the faintest whisper of smoke could be seen trailing up towards the overhead from the center of the now bright red circle. It almost smells like a fireplace, I thought, as I watched the whisper of smoke climb into the air. The heat was getting pretty dramatic and I moved myself back from the surface a bit, so as not to get burned.

It's interesting that some seemingly smooth transition, which could've lasted for decades, gave way so quickly. 

As the humming continued to sharpen I noticed a bowing near the center of the now bright red spot. It was at this moment that the hum turned into a deafening hiss, and the bright red spot erupted into a fountain of burning metal. Within a flicker of the smoke trail, the space around me was engulfed in the most unpleasant burning smell and the shrill scream of the torch was unbearable.  

I watched in awe as this wholly miserable spectacle turned intricate and the violent flames began to dance and draw a bigger circle. Shortly the finely tuned torch flame marched straight across the bulkhead, drawing a red line as it went along. The flame was bright, but tightly grouped. It was not the quaint glow of earlier, however, it moved with determination as it sliced a distinguished path. 

Soon the path had come full circle -- the once glowing red spot ceased to be as the light from outside flooded the space and the bright cutting flame pulled away. 

The dismally diffused light penetrated the once-sanctuary compartment and brought with it the clamor from the yard. 

It's not even ten yet, that didn't last nearly long enough, I thought.