Fires long to consume. They rage and ravage, burning whatever encounters their path, transforming it into ash and embers and only stopping when there is nothing left to raze. But it can be leashed and harnessed, caged and forced to illuminate and warm rather than incinerate. But any caged being hungers for freedom, searching for an avenue of escape. A pale candle, slowly burning. An open awning window. A sea breeze from the south. The delicate flame is caught and carried by invisible, malicious hands to a delicate coat hanging on the blue wall.
The house is asleep. Two lovers lie peacefully together. But the flames flicker below. How easy it is to call a fire merry when it is safely behind a grate. No one recognizes the hatred in the inferno. And when it is free, people are reminded of just how terrible our dependence upon fire can be.
Thomas was yelling wildly, desperately. “Wake up! Jessica! There’s a fire!” She slowly opens her eyes, reluctant to focus. Words can take time to penetrate our minds. Sometimes they struggle against us, delving into our heads until the word registers in a dark, hidden place, stirring some ancient reflex. “Fire!” Jessica sat bolt upright and stared around, wild-eyed. There were no red tongues of fury to be witnessed, but its not the fire that kills. It’s the thick, acrid, irritating smoke.
The room was a hazy grey, and two sets of eyes stung from the fumes, while two sets of lungs forced the corrupted air out of them in an urgent cough. Thomas grabbed her hand, pulling Jessica to her feet and they staggered towards the door. Cautiously he opened it, protecting his hand from the metal with a cloth, and both were welcomed by their fiery house with a rush of smog and unbearably hot air. They could see the cruel shards of heat now, crazily performing a war dance as they jumped and writhed. They fervently guarded the stairs and laughed as the couple realized their situation. Too high to jump. Too dangerous to go down two flights to reach an exit. And too little time. The Devil had opened a window, and he didn’t think a door was needed too.
Jessica wondered despairingly on what she could do, and then heard a thump from behind her. Thomas had fallen, his weak lungs failing to support him after years of smoking. Jessica cried out in hopelessness. Already her head was unclear and confused. Her throat was burning, tears were streaming from her eyes and the noxious gas was overpowering her. She slowly sank to the floor.
Humans are clever. They know that some things can never be tamed. They may appear to have lost their bite, but we know, and we safeguard against them. A boy noticed the beautiful blaze from afar, but saw through its deceitful appearance. He called those inverted to the Devil, those who are always prepared to help.
Sirens blared as the firemen worked. They charged the house, smashing down whatever opposed them with their axes and rams, speeding upstairs, wanting to see a sign of people still alive. They found the two, one lying next to the other, lifted them up and returned them to the cool, breathable air outside. A monstrous force had been defeated and denied its yearning for death. The house continued to burn. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
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