by Sara Wood
“Can anybody hear me? I’m here to help, but I need to know where you’re at. If you can say something or make some kind of sign.” I couldn’t get over the way that a complete stranger had decided to do something. I guess you don’t know what you’re made of, until you’re put into a position to find out for yourself. “Please, I need to know where you’re at.” I stopped and listened. The only thing I could hear was the sizzle of the fire stretching its wings and destroying everything in its sight.
There was this tapping sound. At first I had mistaken it for something that was happening to the house. It suddenly dawned on me that it was more uniform, like somebody was tapping to get my attention. It was working and I was making my way towards the door on my hands and knees. I could feel the heat on my palm. I was about to reach for the doorknob, when I thought better of it. I saw a tee shirt on the floor and I wrapped it around my hand, before pulling the door open. The hallway was full of smoke, but I did not see the fire, so that gave me hope that maybe the fire had been limited to the other floor below.
Holding my sleeve over my mouth, I crawled on my knees and one hand, until I came to a door that was open just a crack. I heard whimpering and I looked in to see that there was a dog. It was a black lab, no more than a puppy and it was shaking and terrified beyond words. Through the smoke, I could see a small pair of hands holding onto its fur. I was finally able to see the little boy and the man that was lying beside him.
I went to check the man, only to conclude that he had already expired. I didn’t know how long he had been dead, but I was chastising myself for not being quicker. I had to stop thinking like that. The little boy and the dog depended on me to find them a way out. I went to the window, opened it slowly, so to avoid feeding the fire. I had it open enough that I could get out, but the drop was not going to be easy by any means.
“Colby… Colby… Colby.” I called his name, hoping that he would hear me over the fire and the roar of the sirens that were getting closer by the second. I couldn’t wait for very much longer and the doorway had been consumed and was making its way into the room. I managed to lift the man and carried him to the window.
“I’m here…you’re not alone.” I looked down to see his face. He had carried the ladder all the way around to the back of the house. He placed it up against the window and then he climbed, until he was able to carry the man over his shoulder like that of a fireman. I knew that the man on his shoulder was not going to survive, but he still deserved the respect of not having to burn in the fire. Once he was lane clear of the flames, Colby came back up and retrieved the little boy. I was holding the dog against my frame, looking over my shoulder and seeing that the fire was near to my footsteps. I lifted my feet, in time, just as the flames started to dance in the exact same spot that I was.
Huddling on the edge, I tried to lift my legs over the rung of the ladder, but with a dog in hand, it was an effort. I finally had one hand holding the dog and the other holding the ladder. I stared in disbelief, not quite believing that this was happening, until the swish of the flame from inside threw me clear of the ladder.
It wasn’t the fall that killed you… It was the landing. I felt immobilized by the sheer shock of knowing that I was going to either die or get some kind of permanent injury. I was kind of hoping that this would be the time that the device would send me back, but it was not to be so.
I literally saw my life flash before my eyes and then I landed. It was not, as jarring of an impact, as I thought it would be. I had my eyes closed and then I felt like I was being cradled like a newborn baby. I opened them to see that my mystery man Colby had decided to render aid. His manly arms snatched me from the brink and were now holding me against him.
The fire department arrived and the house was pretty much gone. It was burning out of control and those that tried to get inside to put out the flames had to make a hasty exit in a hurry.
“I don’t know what you think that you were doing, but that was foolhardy. You saved the little boy and the mother. I just think that you could have died yourself.” The chief was trying to make it quite clear that civilians should not interfere.
I had a mask over my mouth and I was breathing deeply to try to mitigate the smoke inhalation. I stayed sitting, looking around at the disaster and then seeing Colby standing there with his arms crossed defiantly. “I’m glad that you’re feeling better, Kayla. If you were really serious about that drink, I think that we can think of something a little bit stronger than coffee. After everything that we’ve been through, I’m sure that we can use something to numb us.” I was thinking of something a little bit below his waist, but that could wait, until we got better acquainted. I didn’t want to just fall into bed, because of some insane idea that I wanted to live again.
The fire chief saw that we weren’t listening to him and decided to leave. He went to coordinate those of his men that were standing by. I held up my hand to indicate to Colby that I would need a few moments to compose myself. They were still taking my vitals. I heard that the little boy, his dog and his mother were going to be perfectly fine. The father had shielded the boy and it cost him his life. It just went to show what a parent would do for their child.
“I think that it would be a good idea that you come to the hospital for some evaluation. I don’t see anything wrong, but these things can sometimes take a nasty turn for the worse. I’m not trying to scare you, but I just want to make it perfectly clear that it’s against my wishes that you leave.” He was only covering his ass. I couldn’t blame him for doing his job. The paramedic had a duty to inform me that I was taking a risk. I waved him off and took off the firemen’s jacket that had been lane across my shoulders.
Reaching out my hand, I took Colby’s and he was able to lead me away from those that still had questions. I was in no mood to answer anything. I didn’t want my face to be plastered on television. It would look remarkably like I had a double.
“I remember how it felt to fall in love with my deceased girlfriend. I thought nothing would be able to mimic that feeling, until I saw you trying to be the hero. I saw your eyes and they made me think that life was about living.” He had an extra helmet and I climbed on behind him with my arms around his waist. “My place is not too far away from here.”
We stepped into his apartment and I felt this sense of vertigo. He excused himself to go and get us that drink and then I disappeared from his life.
I was standing with Caroline and she looked at me “You were gone less than 10 seconds. That’s the quickest that this thing…” She didn’t get a chance to say anything, as the device started to sizzle and spark with a life of its own. We tried to put out the flame, but it was all encompassing and the entire thing melted into nothing.
We told the others and there was a look of relief on everybody’s face, including my own. We had played god and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that again. It was decided that we would not rebuild the device and that the world was not ready for that kind of power in the palm of their hand. I didn’t like that we were destroying our life’s work, but it seemed that we had all come to a consensus. We’d never talked about it outside of our little group and that was the way that it was going to remain. They were worried about what the benefactor might think, but I had knowledge on that subject that I wasn’t going to say to anyone. I wasn’t sure that they would believe that I was approached by a time traveler from the future.
I left and I went in search of Colby, only to find that he had died trying to get an old woman out of a burning fire a few months earlier. Apparently, his family had told the press that one act of kindness had turned into many.
I found myself wandering, until I bumped into Gerald and his Greek cheekbones. I looked at him and he looked to me and suddenly we were kissing. This is what I really wanted. Was I sent back to save that woman and her child, or I was to give Colby a reason to go above and beyond? It was a hard pill to swallow. Colby had apparently found a god complex. He thought that he was invincible. For
two years, he played the hero, until time caught up with him. I had to believe that he was put on that path by god. He had used me, as a conduit to make this man realize that he didn’t have to go through the motions
“I have something for you.” We had come full circle. He presented the chocolate éclair. I had a feeling that tonight would be the night that I found out if sex and chocolate combined is better than I expected. “I have more where that came from, but you’re going to have to follow me to get them.” I would follow him anywhere. I was blind not to see the infatuation. I was finally opening up my eyes. To keep them closed any longer would permit my ex husband to get the upper hand. I wasn’t even concerned about any of that. I would give him anything he wanted. I still had a soft spot in my heart for him, but he was my past and Gerald was my future.
THE END
