Trapped By Fire

James woke in his bed to the sound of banging. It was fast, vigorous banging working towards frantic. Rolling over, James rubbed his eyes. They hurt. Sore from the thickness of the air around. The air was dense, hard to breathe. It was barely air, it was smoke.

Coming around, James remembered the words repeated to him since childhood. 'Get down low!' He rolled off his bed onto the carpeted floor below, knocking his knee hard against his size 12 sneakers. His knee, scarcely a distraction as smoke was stuffing the room like liquid filling upside down.

Despite the moonless night outside, James had little trouble navigating the floor. A baleful flickering cast shadows beneath the bedroom door. Crabbing over, James reached out to the door with the back of his hand. It was hot. James was despondent. A hot door meant he needed another way out, fast! James was running out of options.

He was quickly reminded how much his eyes hurt. Tempestuously blinking, James made his was back slowly across to room to where he started. Thinking about his window, James wondered how hard it would be to smash it. Would his desk chair do? He had to try. Finding a strength in urgency, James stood up. The air wasn't there. His breathing became coughing, quickly turning to gasping. Finally James couldn't lift the chair, much less smash anything with it. Dejected, James fell to his bed.

James relaxed as he forgot about his pain. He couldn't feel any aching in his knee. His lungs stopped crushing him. All he could think about was how weary he had become. Focused on the dancing lights under the door, James could no longer fight his drowsy eyes. Slowly they fell till finally, like a helpless toddler, James was asleep.

Circus

Craig followed his fathers dirty grey shoes through the crowd. His gaze fixed on the shoes like an umbilical cord, nervous one distraction could separate him from his family. The grass underneath was dry and worn. If it had a smell it was undetectable beneath a hot stench of drying animal droppings.

Craig bounced off the back of his fathers leg. Looking up two stone washed tree trunks, Craig could not see his fathers face or the reason for the delay. Only a reassuring rub on the head as father reached into his pocket suggested all was alright.

Craig let himself be distracted.

On the grass next to him was a small handbag, bulging with temptation. Half open at the top, Craig peered into it. Treasure of unmistakable worth adorned the inside. Firstly, every art supply imaginable. Lipstick, mascara, foundation. It was all there! Beautiful tubes, willing to help his imagination flow on to any canvas. Only pausing a moment to consider the possibilities, Craig saw the next big prize, a smartphone. If the art didn't satisfy Craig's attention, he was sure a few Angry Birds would.

Reaching in, Craig pulled the phone from between two torn and used tissues. As he held it, Craig let his joy wash over his face, down his body and to his, now dancing, feet. Unable to contain his emotions, Craig struggled to unlock the phone. He didn't realise it but he had been foiled by the phones password lock.

Losing interest in the overpriced brick, Craig dropped the phone and looked back to his father. Scanning the crowd for his father's stone washed tree trunks, Craig quickly realised he was alone. Hundreds of tree trunks but no stone wash anywhere!

Craig's search brought him to a completely different set of tree trunks. These ones were baggy and splashed with all sorts of colours, much like some of the art Craig had done for his mother. Pink, green, purple, yellow. Craig pointed out all the colours he recognised, and even some of the ones he didn't. At the base of the tree trunks, two giant red shoes. Much bigger than any normal foot could be!

Peering up, Craig was met by the strangest face he had ever seen peering back down at him. It was a man, but not like any man Craig had seen before. He had bright red hair, a pale face covered in colourful shapes and a stuffed, bulbous nose!

Instinctively they both stretched out their hands and walked together. Craig appreciated the extra attention walking with the strange man attracted. People pointed, smiled, laughed and one even cried!

Walking into a humid room Craig saw the one thing he yearned for most, his father's stone washed tree trunks! Reaching out, Craig was lifted up and kissed by his father.

Being carried into the open air Craig couldn't help but wonder..... 'The last five minutes were a great adventure, how awesome will the next five minutes be?!'

Every Afternoon At 4

John looked down lovingly at his scratched and bruised iPhone. The afternoon light, glairing up off the reflection from the screen, smudged from years of oily fingers manipulating the apps. It’s a beautifully mild day, not a cloud in sight. It would be relaxing if John wasn’t stuck wearing the brunt of the sun focused by the window like a magnifying glass. Cooking him like the rice he had made in the microwave earlier.

John’s whole day was about waiting for 4 in the afternoon. His work was clearly suffering while he drifted through thoughts of seeing Sarah, the girl of his dreams. The way the afternoon light lit her soft brown hair from behind, glowing like an angel fallen from heaven. Her almost cheeky curl of the lip as she smiled like she knew him, like she understood him and loved him as much as he did her. Those curves that helped him sleep at night. John wasn’t happy with his job and any chance to make his day that much more bearable was fondly accepted.

It had just gone 4 and just like every day before it, Sarah entered the train and sat down, the same seat as always. Just after the kids had head home from school but before the 9 to 5 crowd, the 4pm train always had a seat. Sarah, out of habit or comfort, loved her seat as much as she loved her routine. Bag under the seat, adjust the skirt, brush her hair with her hand and fumble for her phone. Everyday, like a diary, Sarah took a picture of herself in the train, sitting in her seat, back towards the window.

“On the way home again. What a day, having a drink or five when I get home!” Sarah said to no one in particular.

“You look beautiful today. I love those pictures you take.” John would talk with Sarah everyday while she travelled home. It had become his only reason for being. Without his half hour every afternoon with his secret love he would surely fall into a pit of depression.

“Thankyou gorgeous.” Sarah always entertained John. Stuck on a train, she always made the best of her trip home. “How are you today? Was work any better?”

“I think Michael has it in for me. Ever since I forgot to type up the minutes of that last meeting he has been coming down.” John paused before emphasising, “Hard!”

Sarah was always empathetic and was also having a rough time at work. Retail took it out of her. Feet always aching, shoulders drooping slightly from hours of helping people she liked to call ‘wage slaves’ try on shoes. Never seeing the irony in what she said.

“I’m sure it will get better.” Sarah offered her support. “Plus, if you really hate it you can always try for another job. That’s what I’m going to do!”

“Really?” John was genuinely surprised. “I thought you loved it at your work!”

“I hate it! I wish I could just run away to a beach somewhere!”

John paused, wondering if she was serious and if she was, was she asking for help?

“A beach somewhere? You like the beach?” John probed for more information.

“Who doesn’t love the beach? I totally want to live on a beach in one of those shacks!” Sarah was talking about a news story she had read earlier about squatters being evicted from a shantytown along the beach.

“Really? That’s cool! I would love that too!” John was more than excited.

“Yeah?” Sarah joked, “We should run away together and live on the beach. No more work!”

Sarah enjoyed playing with John. Playing out a fantasy with an almost stranger gave her a thrill. Made her feel special, even if just for a short train trip. Harmless fun she would think to herself. Besides, John wasn’t the only guy she liked to flirt with during the day, just the guy she would chat with every afternoon. She saved the morning trip for Kyle. Another guy that loved to heap joking affection on.

“If we lived on the beach,” Sarah continued, “how would you look after me? I like a man who can take care of me!”

John had already though about this scenario, he had thought about nothing but! “I would treat you like a queen!” He said. “You wouldn’t need to do anything, I would take care of your every need, every desire!”

“Every desire?” Sarah played along. “That sounds nice. Would you cook for me?”

“Of course I would. You could stay in bed all day and never leave the house!” John’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in excitement.

“Stay in bed all day?” Sarah laughed. “That sounds like a plan! I would hope you could keep me company sometimes.”

“All the time! I would bring you food and we could lay in bed….” John paused and thought if he should push it further? “Naked!”

Sarah was laughing now. Attracting attention from the sleepy passengers along the train car. “Oooh you perve! Well, what’s the point of being in bed if we aren’t naked?”

John was smitten. The girl of his dreams, his girl, was taking it to the next level. All the time he had spent chatting every afternoon had paid off. He had a girlfriend. “So when will we go and live in this shack on the beach?”

“What’s wrong with today? I’m only spending my evening with a couple of drinks anyway.” Sarah noticed her stop had arrived and jumped out of her seat, rushing for the door. She slid her phone back into her bag and bruised herself against the door as it tried to shut.

“I love you!” John offered his undying love but it wasn’t returned. She was gone.

Sarah made the walk home from the train by herself everyday. She loved the smell of the trees and enjoyed the cooler evening air as it made its way up from the coast. Though she could hear the sounds of cars in the distance, the constant clack of her heals on the pavement echoed through the streets. The sun dimly lit the suburb, hidden behind the lush growth of the trees lining the road.

Sarah pushed up the hill that led to her house. Her stride becoming longer as she compensated for the incline, short breaths became puffing as the hill and her long day took their toll. Pretty soon all she could hear was the sound of her lungs wheezing and her heals on the cracked path. Sarah was so hypnotised by her hill climb, she didn’t notice the man standing near his van until she was next to him. His stare drew her in with a startling fear.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you had seen me.” The man offered support.

“Umm, that’s fine. “ Sarah exchanged pleasantries but was eager to keep moving.

“I knew you would come this way!” The man was eager to stop her from walking away.

“Sorry?” Confused, Sarah entered the conversation. Still frightened from the man’s sudden appearance.

“I knew you would come this way.” The man reiterated, “You usually log in at the station on Foursquare and again at home but Foursquare says your home is here. You didn’t do it today though.”

Sarah was swept along into the conversation. She didn’t know or understand what was happening. She knew she used Foursquare. It’s just a bit of fun where you can log in your location using your phone. She didn’t understand whom she was talking to or why he even knew her.

“Are you ready?” The man asked eagerly. “Do you need to get some stuff from home first?”

“Ready? Stuff?” Sarah was losing patience.

“Now you are going to hurt my feelings Sarah. You don’t recognise me? We were just talking!”

“Talking?” Sarah thought back on her day. All the feet she had seen. She rarely remembered faces. Her day was mostly feet.

“It’s John silly! We are going away today! Remember the beach, staying in bed all day?” John didn’t understand why she was playing.

“John?” Sarah quizzed. “From Twitter?”

“Yeah Twitter! We just talked for ages!” John was losing patience. He thought the time to play hard to get had passed. He had put months into this relationship and now she was brushing him off.

“Look, I’m sorry if you got the wrong idea but we we’re just chatting online. It’s just fun! You know, not real! Now I really…” Sarah started backing away but was stopped short when John grabbed her arms and held her tight.

“No! No!” John yelled at her. He now stood inches away, squeezing her arms as they turned an extra bright pink. “We are in love! I love you and you love me! We are going to the beach and living happily ever after!”

“You’re hurting me!” Sarah yelped.

“Hurting you?” John panicked. “You’re hurting me with your lies! Why did you say all those things! What kind of bitch are you?!”

“John! John, you’re frightening me! Let me go and we can chat, just like before.” Tears streamed from Sarah’s face as John’s grip on her tightened.

“NO!” John was furious. “Someone has obviously told you lies about me! You can’t believe what they say about me you know! I’m a nice guy! What’s so wrong with me?”

John flipped Sarah into a chokehold and held her tight from behind. Sarah kicked, stomped and flailed to break John’s hold but to no avail. Trying to push out a scream, Sarah’s eyes rolled back and she fell limp. The chokehold had stopped the blood from reaching her head. She had passed out.

Making sure he wasn’t being watched, John dragged Sarah into his van and drove away calmly into the evening.