Fire

• Sanne Greenhalgh, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2022

Fire.

That was the first thing Ace registered as he stared long and hard at his house from across their yard. It burned brightly, a dance of red and yellow and orange strechting and reaching to the sky, almost as if it was trying to conquer it.

It was beautiful, really. Ace could not help thinking that; his best memories involved fire. Playing with a family friend near a fire; falling asleep by a campfire; Ace sitting comfortably on his dad's lap as he slowly watched a marshmallow roast. It could not be helped that he loved it, almost too much.

Yet as he admired it, he could not help but have a sinking feeling, twisting in his gut, acting like a black hole that sucked everything else out.

How come it was so close by his house? It couldn't be his house. His parents were in there, and they were always so careful with fire, especially since they lived so close to dry bushland. It couldn't be his house. It must just be a tree. Right?

"Found it!!" Ari called out in a sing-song voice, snapping Ace out of his trance. He turned to her, staring at the worn soccer ball she held in her hands, her small little face quite proud of her find. Her brown eyes turned and met Ace's similar brown eyes, before looking around Ace to see the fire. Her small brows furrowed, as she stared long and hard. Finally she turned back to Ace, confusion and a hint of worry on her face.

"Why is the house on fire?"

Suddenly Ace's sinking feeling dropped like a stone to his stomach.
Fire.
House.
House on fire.
Mom.
Dad.
Inside?
If the house is on fire, and mom and dad are inside, wouldn't they die?
Oh no.
Ace's breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened. Panic seeped into every crevice of his body.
Oh no Oh no Oh no no no no no.
He grabbed Ari and bolted, his legs flying out in front of him. Grass crinkled under the weight of his body. Sweat stuck to his skin, only worsening because of the humidity. Ari's small yells of protest as she dropped the ball were drowned out by Ace's heart thumping in his ears, loud and deafening.
They stopped metres away from their home, and now it was obvious. Heat from the fire blasted in his face, as the loud crackling of the fire kept Ace in his place out of fear. He coughed loudly, as dark, thick smoke plummed out of the house. His body trembled, hand covered in sweat, the sound of crackling fire and Ari's cries filled the air.
"Mom? Dad?" He yelled. No response.
Ace ached to open the door, but his legs stayed put. His mind was trapped, stuck in it's own house of buring panic and fear as he stared and stared at the house, unable to move.
And now he wouldn't have to. With one loud bang, a pillar fell. With it, the house.

And his parents too.