The Fire Man
Sizzler or Saviour?
They say you can see him through the embers, beneath the starlight.
They say he’s made of flame.
Some say he’s made of nightmares.
I say he’s my saviour.
My saviour, in a world overtaken by fire.
Click.
Click
Click.
The lighter I was using wouldn’t light the cigarette in my hand. So I lit the cigarette on the burning telegraph pole next to me.
I inhaled, then let out the smoke.
“Mummy, why have we stopped? We need to get out of this place.”
Inhale. Exhale.
“Sweetheart, just taking a break. We will be on our way soon.” I said to my daughter, who held her teddy bear tight.
“Do you think we’ll see him? The fireman?”
I let out smoke. I then stubbed my cigarette on the ground. “I hope not. You don’t want to get burnt do you? or eaten?” I tickled her under her arms, and she giggled. I then grabbed her hand and we marched on, flames of the city surrounding us.
I knew we should have never come this way.
“Mummy, is that our old house?”
“I…”
“It is!” She then let go of me and ran towards the house that was in between the trees. “Daddy, daddy will be there!”
“No, don’t, don’t!”
But she ran in. Just as a tree fell in a burst of flame in front of me.
“No!” I screamed, falling to the floor in anguish and tears.
I held my head, sobbing. “Damn this world, burn it to hell!”
And that was when I looked up. I hadn’t even heard him approach. He was as they said. A man made of flame. And everything else.
“Go on then, do it. End my misery.”
But he just stared at me. Yes stared. For you see, he had had these blue eyes.
He walked past me into the house.
“You get away from her!” I cried out, but the flame caused me to hold back.
A short time passed, and he came back.
He was holding my daughter in his arms. For some reason, she was not alight in flame.
He placed her by my feet.
“Mummy?” my daughter said weakly.
“Oh, darling!” I cried out, smothering her in a hug.
“Daddy wasn’t there.”
“It’s ok.” I said, “It’s ok.”
I looked up at the Fire Man. “Thank you.”
He nodded. He then wandered away, into the flames. I never saw him again, but the hope that I would, never stop burning.
