Thank you very much for the comments. :) I often get fleeting ideas for short stories in my head and free write - that's pretty much what that is: me trying to keep that moment going. The ending was just one of those happy accidents. Glad you enjoyed. :)
And really, that's writing in a nutshell: you get that spark that starts the grass-fire of a story, and you just have to try to either fan the flames or direct the wind until it's done.
I'm glad you liked Strange Color -- I was pretty pleased with the twist at the end, myself. The salamanders that Cenzio makes actually exist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-spotted_Salamander, though they're far smaller than Julian.
Speaking of whom... Cenzio and Julian are actually pretty shy, until they get to know someone, so they're both kind of wallflowers.
