Set ablaze

Set Ablaze

In her dream, Sadie was running through a never ending field of dandelions that
had gone to seed. White puff’s of them flew up into the breeze in her wake. The hot sun
poured down it’s glorious warmth and summer light, making Sadie thirsty. She was
suddenly so thirsty!
Wait, she listened- she listened hard enough she could faintly hear the rush of water close
by. She could almost smell the dampness of the water in the cool summer breeze. She
bounded on towards the splashing river sounds, until the brook that ran through two
willow trees, came into view. She stepped cautiously onto the slimy rocks and stepped
into the rushing water for a refreshing drink. The water felt glorious as it slipped down
her neck cooling her off and satisfying her thirst. Feeling tired she found a bridge of
stepping stones that led her across to the great willow on the other side. Laying down in
the cool shade she gave a contented yawn and started to drift off.... but there was
something bothering her. The sound of the river had changed, it wasn’t the mellow and
comforting splashing of the river water against the river banks anymore. It sounded more
like the crackling of paper as it burnt. Burnt. Yes, that was right, that was the smell. No
longer did she smell the moisture of the river, or the freshness of summer, but the smell of
paper burning. There was still something else burning that made a terrible smell that she
couldn’t distinguish because she’d never smelt it before.
Oh well, Sadie thought as her mind began to cloud over with grayness. I’m to tired to
think now. She’d never felt tired in a dream before, but then again what did she know
about dreams. As she began to drift off again under the willow tree, she shifted
uncomfortably. It was getting hotter even though she was covered from the suns rays by
the willow tree. Sadie was becoming anxious.
Tommy!
The sudden thought brought her out of her deep uneasy sleep with a start. She sat up and
looked around the living room where she had fallen asleep. There was a glowing light
coming from the kitchen. Mom must have left the cellar light on, she thought, as she
climbed off the couch and stumbled towards the kitchen in the dark. As she got closer to
the kitchen she realized the light wasn’t coming from the cellar bulb. The heat she was
beginning to feel on her face wasn’t from the furnace below. It was summer, the furnace
had been shut off months ago. She nudged open the cellar door and fiery hot flames leapt
out scorching her nose causing her to cry out in pain. She backed her way out of the
kitchen as the flames began to dance up the door engulfing it, turning the door to a
crumbling black form. In seconds the kitchen curtains were aflame and the whole kitchen
raged with the bright angry flames. As the black smoke that hung in the air curled around
her nose making her sneeze, she was slammed back to reality. She remembered now why
she woke up: Tommy! Why wasn’t he here helping her, and where was their mom? She
was supposed to protect them!
As the smoke got thicker and the fire began to spread outside of the kitchen Sadie began
to whimper and pace in terror.
Where were they?!
Were they still asleep? without further delay Sadie dashed for the stairs that led to the
second floor. When she reached the top she was startled to see more of the thick churning
smoke that began to bother her lungs. It wasn’t as hot up here, the fire hadn’t made it
this far- yet. She crept as close as she could to the ground where the smoke didn’t quite
reach yet.
She reached Tommy’s room first. She pushed his door open, and headed strait for his
bed. He was lying with his back to her and he looked as if he were still asleep. But
something was wrong with his breathing. He wasn’t breathing normal. His breaths were
shallow and far apart. She tried to wake him but he would not rouse. She pulled him off
the bed and to the floor. With tremendous effort she pulled the little boy out of his room,
as far as the stairs before she needed to break. She realized she’d have to pull him down
the stairs, there was no other way. Mom; where was she? Sadie crawled back down the
hallway towards the master bedroom. Once inside she jumped carelessly onto the bed in
an effort to wake up their mother. She was hardly breathing at all, the black smoke was
collecting in her room from the vent that led form the cellar up through the rest of the
house. She pushed and strained every muscle to push their mom out of bed and onto the
floor where the air was slightly less polluted. Sadie didn’t know what else she could do,
so she bolted back down the hall to where Tommy lay by the stairs. She grabbed him by
the shirt and began to gentle but urgently pull him down the stairs.
Once on the landing, she stopped pulling him and looked around for an exit from the
blazing house. The kitchen wasn’t an option it was a smoldering mass of heat and flames.
The front door was locked, barring their exit. There was a window open that looked big
enough for her and Tommy to fit through- but it was up to high, she’d never be able to
reach it and push Tommy through. The side door in the laundry room! The fire had not
spread there yet. She quickly grabbed hold of Tommy and continued her struggle, this
time towards the laundry room. She carefully pulled Tommy through the door, thankful
that he was only a little seven year old boy and could fit through. She dragged him as far
as the flower bed before she stopped and took a deep breath of clean summer night air.
She could hear sirens in the distance wailing loudly as the Fire Department approached.
She heard screen doors open and gasps of horror as the neighbors took note of the blazing
fire that was her home. As a neighbor ran over to where she sat with Tommy, she took
one last lung full of fresh air and plunged back through the door into the melting house.
The smoke billowed up the stairwell and visibility was close to nonexsitance. Somehow
she found her way to the bedroom where their mother lay still on the floor. She was still
breathing, to Sadie’s delight. Mustering up the rest of her strength she grabbed hold of
their mother the same as she had Tommy and pulled with all her might. She made it to the
stairwell and tried to pull their mother down the stairs, but she toppled down ahead of
Sadie. When she reached the bottom she was worried that the fall had hurt her, but she’d
have to wait and see outside whether or not mom was all right. She could hear the
piercing sirens of the Fire truck and an Ambulance come to a stop outside.
The fire had almost reached the laundry room!
If they were going to make it out of the house she had to go now or it would be to late.
She pulled as hard as she could, and fought back the darkness that threatened to over
come her as it had their mom. With one last grunting effort, she bumped her backside into
the washing machine and collapsed on the floor. She opened her eyes in time to see the
flames flicker up the frame of the door way that led into the laundry room. She closed her
eyes in despair. She thought they’d be all right but she didn’t have the strength to try and
push mom through the small opening.
She started to drift for a moment in a sea of gray, then she heard something different from
the crackle of flames she had become accustom to since waking. A ripping sound. Before
she could pinpoint the noise or it’s origin, the door burst open with a rush of sweet fresh
air. Men with a big hose that dripped with water, boots and jackets that looked like the
ones Tommy wore when he went out to play in the rain, broke in and stopped dead when
they saw the two of them lying on the floor. Without hesitation they rushed forward and
scooped mom and Sadie off the floor and carried them out onto the front lawn.
“ Sadie!” cried a familiar voice. Sadie’s head perked up as she saw Tommy sitting with a
neighbor and the Paramedics on the tailgate of the Ambulance. She tried to talk but still
suffered from the fumes of the smoke.
Sadie was checked out and they told Tommy she’d be all right. They told the neighbor
that was holding Tommy that their mom would be all right as well. They were just going
to take her to he Hospital for observation. The neighbors agreed that Tommy would stay
with them. The Fireman said that would be all right, their mom would most likely be
released the next morning.
“ She was lucky. She wasn’t burned, she was only suffering from smoke inhalation.” the
Paramedic said, over his shoulder as he shut the back of the Ambulance.
“ It’s a miracle they’re both all right. If it weren’t for Sadie here, they both would have
perished with the house.” The neighbor said as she turned back to watch the last of the
flames being doused with water. The house was in ruins. All that was left was a black
empty shell. ‘ ‘They could have been in there still, charred black by the fire’ she thought
silently, shuddering at such a thought.
She looked down at Sadie, laying at her feet. How many times had she scolded Sadie for
digging up her flowers?
‘If it weren’t for Sadie they would have died.’ She bent down gently with Tommy still in
her arms. She set him down on the curb, and reached for Sadie.
“ Good girl Sadie. You saved Tommy and his Mother. Your a hero now you know
that.”


The Paramedic stood by the window in the room where Tommy’s mother lay
finally asleep. He had promised her he’d come and tell her the whole story after his shift.
They’d already determined that what set the house ablaze was a faulty wiring in the dryer
that had been left on. The dryer was old and it’s brand were becoming known for setting
house fires. Virtually nothing was left of the house, just a smoldering shell. It was going
to have to be condemned, it was to unstable even for them to go and rummage for what
might be saved. It broke his heart to tell her this, she had started to cry and didn’t stop for
some time. When she did, she asked how Tommy had gotten her to the laundry room
door. This took him by surprise. He assumed she knew how Tommy and her lives had
been spared. Obvious in the commotion the tale had been neglected.
He told her that the Firemen had broke down the door to find her lying face down and
hardly breathing. Beside her was their Black Lab, Sadie. In the meantime he was working
on Tommy outside in the Ambulance.
“ Is he O.K.?!” she cried in alarm, and sat up in her hospital bed.
“ Yep, better than new. He was just suffering the same as you, from the smoke.
Actually a little better than you because he got out first. And he didn’t end up fracturing
his arm.” The medic said reassuring her.
Tommy had regain consciousness when they had arrived and only need the ventilator for a
short time to help his breathing. After that he told him of how he woke up once when he
was in the house, because he had bumped his head on something. when he opened his
eyes he saw Sadie was dragging him down the stairs. He went right back out of it because
he knew she was going to save him. The Firemen on the scene said the dog must have
pulled Tommy through the doggy-door and out onto the grass. Then went back in for
her. After dragging her to the stairs, she had tumbled down them and fractured her arm.
The dog had still managed to drag her the rest of the way to the door but stopped there
from exhaustion.
“ Is Sadie all right?” She asked when he had finished.
“ Yep, she’s fine too. The two of them are staying with your neighbors for the night.
Don’t you worry about your son.” he said with an amused smile. Thinking about how
happy the dog had seemed to be with the boy. He could almost hear the little boy
squealing with delight when the dog licked his face.
“ Oh, I’m not worried about Tommy. I know he’s safe. Sadie’s with him” she had said
with a smile, then drifted off to sleep.
That was one courageous dog, the paramedic thought to himself as he left the hospital
room. She was defiantly a hero.