For the November Writing Challenge
Burn
That night, in a tired daze
He'd mounted the creaky old stairs
Seeking shelter, sleep
A place to lay his head
Resting for the journey the next day
His paws were sore, his eyes heavy
And he fell asleep quickly,
Soft snores
And dreamless sleep.
He was awakened in the blackest part of night
By a touch of warmth to his pelt
And a faint crackling
Almost like the crunch of leaves.
Heat rose from between the cracks in the floorboards
Warming the bottom of his paws
He thought it was nothing
So he tried to go back to sleep
Until he smelled smoke.
Thick black smoke that filled his nose
Made his head pound
And eyes sting
Choking black smoke that blinded
Confused
And killed.
Many creatures feared the flame
And he was no exception
Woods had fallen prey to this force
Cozy homes and dens
Mere skeletons
Of what they had been.
He had to get out
But he couldn't leave the way he came
For he knew
That the fire was climbing the stairs
Hungrily consuming wood
Like an army of termites
Eyes darted around like birds
Searching for an escape
Each breath could be his last
As his lungs grew tight and black
Then finally, through the flame's eerie glow
He saw an open window,
Smelling the cool air rushing in
Scrambling over, he poked his head out
Staring at the ground far below
It was jump or be scorched, no in between
Fur seared off, or broken legs
Such a difficult choice.
Here goes nothing, he thought, going onto the sill
Roaring flames behind him, the cool night air ahead.
Like a bird taking flight, the tom leapt
Gliding down
A hawk swooping down upon its prey
Plummeting
Surely with a loud crack-
But he fell instead with a crash
Into a thick bush with dark glossy leaves
Softening his fall
Cradling his form.
He wrestled himself from the bush,
For he knew it would soon be consumed as well
And tumbled out onto the lawn
Standing among tall uncut grasses.
His paws called for him to run,
His heart pounded go,
But something compelled him
To turn once before his flight
To behold the engulfed house.
Seeing the fire,
He thought about his old life
His slow, unassuming ways
His cowardice
Failures
And flaws.
He felt the guilt of having deaf ears
Blind eyes
To the pain of his kin
Ignoring her cries for help
Betraying her when she needed him most.
Now she was gone,
Fleeing not only abuse
But abandonment
Ridicule,
Harsh words
And disbelief.
He thought of old names
Old friends
Old actions.
He watched the ashes fall like winter's first snow
Dusting his nose with gray.
Then, right there, he decided
His old life could burn
He could bury it deep within the burning house
Watch it slowly become charred ash.
He'd change
Like a fire's renewing flame
Consuming the past.
He did die in that fire
He was erased
He'd greet the sunrise
With a brand new face.
The flames cleared his deaf eyes
Seared and cured his sight
Blackened his tongue
So only the truth could be spoken.
And as the embers died, the tom padded away
Whiskers singed black
His paws leaving prints in the ash
Bearing a new name.