observation

A small candle will burn itself down to nothing. The last bit of flame will linger just a moment longer than you think possible, then it will wink out. In that moment, a wisp of smoke will emerge from the still glowing tip of the wick like a soul leaving a body. Only in a small candle, the wisp rises maybe a foot, and then there is a definite end. Another wink, the smoke is gone. The candle has given up the ghost.