Ellie & The Fire Demon

Ellie and the Fire Demon

It all began one beautiful summer’s day.

At five years of age, Ellie was a bright child with blonde curly hair and blue eyes. Her parents were very proud of her and loved her dearly. Anyone who met Ellie was instantly enchanted, by her lovable and caring nature. She was always well behaved and never bad-tempered.

Her parents chartered a light aircraft to go on a business trip. They considered leaving Ellie with her grandparents, but she wanted to go with them. So they relented and made arrangements for Ellie to travel with them. It was Ellie’s first time away from home and her first time flying. She was very excited about it. Her parents fretted about how Ellie would react to air travel, but as usual, Ellie took it all in her stride.

Her father took Ellie to the pilot, who explained all about the different instruments and dials. He even let her take control of the aeroplane for a moment or two. However, it was all a little too technical for Ellie to grasp. Ellie looked out of the cockpit window at the dark clouds looming ahead. Something about the clouds made her suddenly go cold and very frightened.

Ellie tried to tell the pilot that they ought to go, around the clouds, that something terrible would happen if they didn’t. The pilot told her not to worry it was the just bad weather. They would be out of it in no time and told everyone to sit and fasten their seatbelts. Ellie became frantic. She asked her parents to make the pilot turn back.
Ellie’s parent’s tried to reassure her that it would be fine. They would be out of the clouds soon and be landing shortly.

All the time, the clouds grew nearer and darker, flashes of lightning could be, seen within. Turbulence buffeted the plane, making it rise and fall and tilt left and right erratically. Then they were in the dark clouds. Even Ellie’s parents became a little worried but tried not to show their anxieties lest they upset Ellie more than she already was. Ellie bit her lip terror-stricken she had exhausted her herself shouting and begging the pilot to turn back. She could do no more but wait for what she believed would be inevitable.

Lightning struck the plane!

Everything seemed to happen at once. The plane was falling, and one of the engines caught fire. Miraculously Ellie survived the crash with just minor injuries. The newspapers called Ellie the miracle child. But the once bright girl became melancholy and withdrawn. Ellie kept insisting a fire demon had taken her parents and the pilot. Everyone spoke kindly to her. Telling her not to worry there were no such things as fire demons and spoke sympathetically to her grandparents; whom Ellie went to live with after recovering from her injuries in hospital. The doctors whom Ellie’s grandparents had taken her to see all said the same thing. The fire demon was just Ellie’s way of dealing with the trauma of the crash and the loss of her parents.

Years pass and Ellie once more became a bright and happy child. Though there remained a touch of sadness about her that made everyone think she hadn’t quite gotten over the plane crash. Ellie’s grandmother took her to school in her car every weekday, where Ellie had made many friends. At the weekends her grandparents would often take Ellie for a drive in the countryside; or even to the seaside. Ellie loved the water and could swim like a fish, according to her grandfather. Ellie’s favourite place when at the beach was an island a short distance from the mainland. Where seabirds liked to nest, to Ellie, it was so peaceful. She felt safe and secure there away from the troubles and cares of ordinary life.

Late one warm summer’s night Ellie awoke from a deep sleep. She lay wondering what had awakened her. The air was still and stifling; then she heard a sound that terrified her. It brought back vague and disturbing memories from years past. Somehow Ellie knew she must get out of the house. Quickly putting on her dressing gown, she went to her grandparent’s room. Ellie couldn’t explain why she just knew they had to get out of the house. So she just shook them awake, telling them the house was on fire.

Her grandparents woke confused. They had no reason to doubt Ellie even though there seemed no sign of any fire. They hurriedly dressed, and her grandfather phoned the fire brigade before they all rushed into the street. But everything seemed normal, no fire or smoke was coming from the house. Ellie’s grandfather was about to protest with Ellie about raising a false alarm when, suddenly, a bolt of lightning hit the home. Flames quickly spread by the time the fire brigade arrived the house was well ablaze. Ellie stood, watching the flames. She could hear the hateful crackling of the fire, almost like laughter, but she had escaped once more.

After the fire, Ellie’s grandparents decided to move nearer the sea. So with the help of the insurance money, they collected on their old house they moved to the seaside where they often visited. Ellie was thrilled, for it meant she could visit her favourite place, the island she called her own. And even go swimming every day although she had to start over again at a different school and found making new friends not as easy.

Ellie made one friend though Susan. Susan’s parents moved into the area shortly after Ellie had, and the two quickly became friends. On Ellie’s eleventh birthday, her grandparents invited Susan to her birthday party. It was a grand party with jelly ice-cream sandwiches and all sorts of fancy cakes. Ellie never felt happier since the loss of her parents. As she sat looking at the faces of her grandparents, and her friend, she felt a dark shadow was hanging over them.

One day shortly after her birthday, Ellie and Susan were walking home from school when Ellie heard that sound again, that filled her with terror. She shouted to Susan to run as fast as she could, but Susan stood wondering what was wrong. For only Ellie could hear the sound, that horrible crackling laughter of the fire demon. Everything seemed usual; it was a bright sunny day; there was no cause for any concern. So Ellie grabbed Susan by the hand and started running, dragging the other girl along.

“You have to try and run faster than me,” Ellie said, making it sound as if it was to be a race. Susan nodded understanding at last. Both girls ran as fast as they could, by the time they reached Susan’s house Ellie no longer could hear the dreadful sound. Susan waved goodbye, saying the race had been good fun and they should do it again sometime. Ellie hoped as she walked the rest of the way home, if they were to race again, it wouldn’t be in quite the same circumstances.

The next day the newspapers reported some strange events — lightning striking several trees in one area, and a peculiar fire where someone was seriously injured. Ellie told her grandparents the fire demon had come again and was trying to get her although they didn’t believe her about the fire demon since the incident when lightning struck the house. They had a healthy respect for what they thought as Ellie’s premonitions. So they told her to let them know if she had any more warnings. Ellie assured her grandparents she would.

“I won’t let anything bad happen to you and grandpa or Susan,” Ellie assured her grandmother so fiercely. Her grandmother hugged Ellie and kissed her on the forehead, letting go she brushed an unshed tear from her eye

“I know, dear; I know you won’t,” her grandmother replied, her voice husky with emotion.

Ellie’s grandparents became very watchful of Ellie. They would take her to school each day even though the school was only a short distance away. One of them would be there early to pick her up when school ended. Ellie still played with Susan and confided in her about the fire demon. Susan didn’t believe Ellie and thought she was making it up. Ellie was not put off by the fact Susan nor her grandparents believed her and knew one day the fire demon would return.

All returned to normal until just before Ellie’s thirteenth birthday. Ellie realised that the fire demon always came around at a particular time of year. If it were to come again now would be the time. It was a sunny, warm day, the sky a deep azure blue. Broken only by a few fluffy white clouds, a slight breeze came from the sea. Ellie and her grandparents were at the beech. People sat on deck chairs or lying on the sands sunbathing. Children played with bucket and spade making sandcastles, while others paddled or swam in the sea; a few played beach ball or catch.

Ellie sat on the sand, watching the sea while her grandparents sat nearby on deck chairs. Her grandmother was knitting, and her grandfather read the daily newspaper. From where she sat, Ellie could see her favourite place it had been some time since she had been there. Ellie was lost in thought when she heard that sound again, though she felt dread it no longer frightened her as much as it used too. Ellie stood and walked bare-footed to her grandparents

‘It’s coming for me, but I won’t let it get you as well,’ Ellie said with such a sad expression that it nearly broke the hearts of her grandparents.

They looked at each other, then at Ellie and asked her what she meant. It was then that a commotion broke out further up the beach like someone starting several fires at once. As Ellie’s grandparents stood to see what was happening; Ellie started running towards the sea. Ellie’s grandparents watched in dismay as Ellie ran followed by what looked like jets of flame spouting from the sand. Ellie reached the sea and began swimming as hard as she could towards her favourite place. She had never swum the distance before but believed she could make it. Behind her, the water steamed and boiled. As she got nearer the island, the boiling water began to subside, and the sea was at last calm again. Too far to turn back now, Ellie swam on her arms ached and she could hardly breathe. She turned to take one last look back to see her grandparents frantically calling for help, before swimming on.

Home now she thought, thrusting her arms out one last time as the island drew near. She could see her parents standing on the sandy shore waving and calling to her. She heard the seabirds that nestled amongst the craggy rocks and the splash of waves upon the shore. No more she feared the fire demon; no more would the demon chase her. She was home and safe at last.

So if you ever go to the seaside and there is a little island just off the shore where seabirds nest. If you ever visit that island, maybe you will see Ellie playing on the beach or running between the rocks.


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The End