Free A Slow Burning Fire by J.F. Jenkins

a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but this was taking happy to a whole new level.
    She walked over to the pond and waved for him to come join her. “We're going to serve the residents of the pond.”
    “Oh,” he said, carrying the bucket of food pellets over with him.
    “Go ahead and pick up a handful,” she instructed. Arial grabbed as many pellets as could fit in her fist and then tossed them into the pond, making sure the food spread evenly over the water. Within seconds, monster-sized catfish flopped to the surface in a frenzy. Each greedily gobbled whatever they managed to grab.
    Bryce stepped back, nearly dropping the bucket. “Are those things real?”
    Arial nodded and reached for more pellets. “They're just fish. They can't hurt you. Go ahead and give it a try.”
    Hesitantly, he threw his fistful into the water and laughed as he watched the fish rush over to the new splay of food. “Those are some big fish. I'd say they're about twenty or thirty pounds in size at least. What do your parents do with them?”
    “Beats me.” She shrugged. “They've been here ever since I can remember. A few of the neighbors used to fish out of the pond, but everyone knows my mom has a certain softness for them. If too many of them went missing, she'd be awfully sad. She's always had a thing for water life. I think they're her favorite of all the animals.”
    He tossed more food into the pond. “Speaking of sad, you're not looking too happy at the moment.”
    “Half tired and half worried. I was a little worried you wouldn't like it here and that it wouldn't live up to your expectations,” she said honestly. “When most people think of farms, they imagine large flowing fields and huge barns full of animals. That used to be home for me. Growing up, we had a lot more animals and more buildings. There was a chicken coop and everything. The memories are kind of vague, but I can tell my family was happier when there was more to take care of.”
    “What happened?” he asked.
    Arial sat down on the grass and watched him continue to feed the fish. Hugging her knees to her chest, she rested her head on them with a heavy sigh. “I got offered a part on the short-lived sitcom Like That. There were open auditions being held in Columbus, and I really wanted to give them a try. I performed in some school plays and thought I was good enough to get a part.”
    “Cocky for being a little tyke,” he teased.
    “I was nine. That's not a little tyke.” She scowled. Would he always think of her as nothing more than a child? She shook her head. “I actually didn't get the part. Not at first. The original girl they'd chosen backed out, and so had the one after that. I was about four girls down on their list. Finances were hard, and this was a huge opportunity for me. At the same time, I don't think my parents ever expected me to get a call back. You know what I mean? Like, they wanted to support my career, but never thought it would ever seriously take off. At least, not so young.” She picked up a nearby stick and tossed it into the pond. “It more or less created an overhaul for our lives. Mom came with me to L.A., my dad stayed home to take care of the land. We got an agent and all that good stuff.”
    He nodded. “And the rest is history, right?”
    “Basically,” she mumbled.
    “And because your parents had to divide time to be with you, the farm started going under?”
    “I think so.”
    “Didn't your parents have anyone else to help? A staff? That kind of thing?”
    She sighed and hid deeper in her knees. “At first they did. We were never a big successful operation. There were only a handful of other guys who helped out. Daddy has always been more interested in pursuing other avenues of business.”
    “But he also loves the farm, right?”
    “Right, and it's hard to let go of. This place represents a dream he once had that shattered long before I was born, but Daddy made an investment and loves it all the same. There is