The Rose

Then, unexpectedly, Dean is shaking me. I rolled over, found I couldn’t breathe and coughed uncontrollably. I asked him what was wrong, but he didn’t answer, only motioned furiously for me to hurry. His eyes were stern and his square features taunt, and then I felt it. The incredible sting in my eyes, the inability to breathe, the excruciating heat, the fear that was shot through Dean’s eyes, and I knew. I jumped out of bed with Dean telling me to stay calm; I left the towel too close to the stove last night didn’t I and I must have accidentally left the stove on too and why did I have to insist on boiling those eggs anyways; fear pumping itself through my veins; redness and orangeness licking the walls clean; dropped to the floor where breathing was fine; rushed on my back downstairs for my guitar; felt around for my baptism cross and found it already on my neck; the air pocket tight now; Dean is gone; GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT; Ahhh! The wetness and blueness of water bursts through the broken glass of the window and hits my face; sputtering; the flames being licked and licking me; I venture into the kitchen; I see it illuminating my face; the glow; the heat so immense; it’s everywhere; the door; ferociously grabbing for the knob; more hacking; a hand on my shoulder; Dean; turning frantically; it won’t move; holding breath; lock fiddling; more hacking; need to breathe; turning, turning, turning; air! We gulp in the precious gas, but only stop to pant for a mere moment. I stare back at my home burning into red ashes and the blue water that might soothe the fire and save what’s left of my possessions.  Carbon monoxide streams from it as my fire breathes, consumes, steams and lives on everything we own. I look down at my hands, arms and legs. Patches of shriveled skin and black, burnt clothing has marked itself on my body where flames had leaped out at me and lashed me with my own cruelty. Those spots stung so much that the rush of pain was like a flood. The paramedics swarm me like bees attending to their queen. I was questioned, attended to and finally told that I was going to be ok. Except for a few bandages, my body was fine, but as for my heart, it felt abandoned, afraid, and like someone had just turned that to ashes too.

Copyright 2005 of Jessica Anne McLean. All rights reserved.