Short Stories

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Fire

The signs of the times were getting worse. As the years go by it's harder and harder to worship God. We were having a discussion on recent events. The community we lived in was sponsoring a tribute to the new alcohol factory set up in the neighborhood. It had given jobs to many local residents and increased the population, bringing more money to local businesses so a large party was being planned to honor the CEO'S and owners of the company. The whole town was required to attend because the city managers wanted a unprecedented attendance. All political shenanigans. Bill boards were erected all over town glorifying the almighty beer bottle. Obviously we as a church had to decide to not attend. We were against the effects of alcohol: increased car accidents, deaths, alcoholism, family violence, teenage pregnancies,etc etc.

Well, since our intentions of non attendance were presented to the mayor, we had been under a magnifying glass. People came throughout the days to warn us that our decision was not making us popular with the locals. Members of our church were being harassed on the streets; crosses were being torched on their lawns; and their children were bullied at school by other kids being coached by their parents at home. We lost quite a few adherents to the other side. It was just a party after all. They didn't have to buy any liqueur and they could be left in peace after wards. Basically, they succumbed to the pressure and ignored God's prompting.

So here, three of the church officers sat in the business office in the late hours trying to find a solution that would be acceptable to all without compromising our beliefs. And praying. Praying is always tops on the list to be sure we're doing things God's way.

Some of us started squirming in our seats. Something seemed off. It was getting warm, so Abe got up and adjusted the air conditioner: this is when he noticed it. Steam was slipping slowly under the closed door. We jumped to our feet while Mark reached for the door knob. His hand jerked pack instantly, red and blistered. We were trapped! The fire was right outside the door and there was no exit. We poured drinks (lemonade, cokes, etc.-this wasn't a closed door liquor party) onto a jacket and stuffed it under the door.

I pulled a table over to the wall under the windows. We were in the basement of the annex so the windows were up high, very small and just above the ground. I could see feet milling around. Great! Help was on the way. On further inspection, I realized the feet belonged to the fire committee. Those in charge barbecuing the meat...us. We, the hard core members of the church, were being executed. Some of those outside were wearing white sheets with holes for eyes to disguise themselves. Like we'd be able to identify them in a few minutes!

Abe broke some windows but it wouldn't do any good. None of us would be able to squeeze through the tiny openings. The door was starting to smolder, and the roof was starting to cave in on us. Would the fire alarm or sprinklers go off? No. The cowards in white had taken care of that. I could see the mayor in the crowd. He bent down and peered in.

"We warned you guys. Hope we send a strong message to the rest of your group with this little happy hour." He stared at us really hard. "Hey, who is that fourth guy with you?"

We looked around. Who was he talking about? There were only the three of us. Odd, even though flames were entering our space and fumes were replacing the oxygen, we felt no discomfort, no labored breathing, no sweat poured from us. We felt no adrenalin rush, no panic, no fight or flight response. Mark's hand had healed of its red blisters. Those outside were experiencing considerable discomfort, though. The sparks were bouncing off them and igniting their sheets. Fools, they could step back but they wanted to watch us suffer. One or two actually passed out from the heat.

The Mayor started shifting from foot to foot. Agitated, he stared real hard at something behind us. " Hey, guys, get some axes. This has gone far enough, let's get these guys out!" He ordered. His helpers seemed genuinely confused.

"It's gone to far, Ned. They'll press charges and I'm not going to jail for this." One of his comrades announced.

"No, way," others proclaimed.

Ned grabbed an ax and started swinging it at the window enclosures. His allies couldn't get near enough to stop him, so intense was the blaze. Those that tried keeled over dead from the intensity of their own fiery creation. We stepped backwards into the inferno to avoid being struck by the ax or flying wood fragments. Someone pushed me forward, away from a section of blazing roof that dropped to the floor,
"Thanks" I said.

"For what." I heard from two sources in unison, no where near me or visible through the smoke.

"Who pushed me?"

"I don't know, someone just splashed water on me." Abe declared.

Eventually we were able to crawl out, with the help Ned offered, pulling on us. I was the last to exit and was the heaviest and widest. It took some effort to yank me through the enlarged opening, but I received an added push from someone behind me. Who? Everyone else was out. As the last foot touched ground and we raced to safety the building collapsed. Perfect timing. Those that chanced a backwards glance spotted a man slipping away from the rubble, smiling and whistling. Totally unharmed. Totally transparent. Totally awesome.

"Where's the other guy?" Ned asked, looking around. We shrugged, not attempting to explain what we suspected. Ned smelled horrible. Smoke, sweat and fear all emanated from his body. His clothes were ripped, smudged and frayed. We smelled like Old Spice and Dial soap, and still looked presentable. Not bad for near victims of a raging bonfire. Those that had intended to kill us had been ensnared in their own plot, lying scattered about on the ground. Fire engines wailed down the street.

"You guys tell your church they don't have to come to the welcoming party. It's not that important anymore. In fact, I think you might see me on Sunday mornings, if I get out of jail in this lifetime." Ned announced. Sometimes you just can't believe what your ears hear. This was one of those times. Ned was a hard core drinker, non-believer. I wish I knew what or who it was that changed his mind.

The next day the fourth member of our committee came by my house. He'd been out of town on business and had not yet heard about the church annex burning down.

"Any thing new happen while I was gone?" Daniel queried.


Proverbs 1:10-19
Daniel 3: 1-30

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