52stories

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John pushed the broom back and forth across the floor of the firehouse, taking great care to expend as little actual energy as possible while appearing to be working. He could hear Casey’s voice drone on and on as she gave her standard spiel to the last tour group of the afternoon.

“And so fifty years ago, the city fathers acquired the very latest in fire fighting technology..”

Blah blah blah. He had heard the same speech 2 times a day, 3 on the weekends, for the entire summer. Actually it had only been the past 6 weeks as he had worked off the terms of his community service. John was sure those bastards thought the sentence was great irony, making the juvenile firebug work it off in the firehouse.

He stopped sweeping and leaned on his broom to rest, his eyes following Casey across the room as she lead the tour group out of the building. Casey had arrived in town at the beginning of the summer, and had taken the job to save money for college. And in a few weeks, she would be heading back east. Tall, blonde, and leggy, she had attracted lots of attention from John and his friends, but so far none of the senior class studs had gotten anywhere with this “older” woman all summer. Not that John has been able to work up his nerve to actually try anything. Still, they had become friends of sorts, and tonight she had invited him to go “look at the stars”. That had to mean she wanted something else, after all, what kind of girl invites a boy to go “look at the stars”?

The thought of it made him nervous, and his hand reached into his pocket for the lighter. His fingers closed around the cool metal shell, relaxing and exciting him at the same time. Fire had always fascinated him, but he had always been able to hide it well. That is until that last little one got away from him and burned down old Mr. Baker’s shed. It really wasn’t a big deal, no one got hurt, and it wasn’t his fault anyway, John fumed to himself. They would have never caught him either, except for that rat Tommy. Still, community service with Casey hadn’t been a bad deal after all.

From the other room, John could hear Casey finishing with the tour group. He swept up the last pile and put away the broom just as she walked back in the room, her purse on her shoulder.

“See you tonight, right?” she asked

“You bet” John replied brightly.

Casey smiled at him. “Great ! It should be a perfect night for stargazing. I can’t wait to show you the telescope. Don’t be late.”

“Ok, I won’t.” he replied. Telescope? She really was carrying the charade all the way.
At the appointed hour John drove his truck to the small house Casey rented at the edge of town. His nervous fingers caressed the lighter as he walked up the front porch steps and knocked on the door. No answer. After a second knock, he walked around to the back, and there was Casey. And a real telescope.

“Oh good – you are here! What a great night for stargazing!” she exclaimed, looking up and pointing. Just look at all those stars.

“ Did you know that there are more stars in the universe than grains of sand in all the beaches on earth? The smaller ones – called Red Dwarfs – can burn up to a trillion years? That all the heavy elements, carbon, oxygen, all the way to iron, were formed in the core of super massive stars that exploded eons ago? That really and truly, we are all made of stardust?”

“Ah no, not really” he replied. So what was with the science lesson?

Pulling him by the arm, she drew him to the telescope. “Here – I want to show you something.” Casey fiddled with the telescope. “We should just be able to see it now.” Frowning, she continued to adjust the scope. “It should be here, I don’t understand.” Her voice trailed off.

Figuring it was now or never, John took a deep breath and moved closed to Casey’s side where he could just brush the hair off the back of her neck. He bent to kiss the back of her neck and tried to slide his arm around her waist.

“Um. John, what are you doing? “She intercepted his hand and straightened up to face him.

“ Nothing you don’t want me to.” He replied in what he hoped was his coolest voice.

“Look John – stop kidding around this is serious” Casey turned back to the telescope. “I can’t find it.”

John felt a hot flush rush to his face. “What are you talking about?” he asked angrily.

“Proxima Centauir. It is the closed red dwarf to your sun. It should be right here. But I can’t find it.”

“Ok, well good luck with that.” John picked up the six-pack and began to stalk back to his truck. She called after him, but he ignored her as he climbed in the cab, gunned the engine and tore down the road in a cloud of dust.

It was still early, and he didn’t feel like going home just yet. So when he found himself driving past the firehouse, he turned in and pulled around back. John grabbed the six-pack and sat down in the old lawn chair by the back door. He popped the top and leaned the chair against the wall and took a long swig. He pulled the lighter from his pocket and began to flick it. One flick, one drink. One flick, one drink.

How could she do that to him? She had been playing with him all along. Making him think she wanted him. One flick, one drink.

In the bushes he could hear something moving. Probably just that old cat. The bushes rattled again. Or was is a snake? John decided he’d better make sure. He tried to stand up, but the chair collapsed under him and the beer and lighter flew from his hand. Both landed in a pile of pine needles, which immediately began to smolder. John watched, mesmerized, as a small flame flickered in to existence, and then grew bigger. He watched, transfixed, as the flames traveled to the outside wall of the firehouse. Time was suspended. All that existed was the flames. He could see the red antique engine through the window, powerless to stop the red flames that had now reached the roof. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be a total waste after all.

As he stood watching the building, he could hear the crunch of gravel in the lot and a car door slam. Someone was calling his name from a very far distance; still he stood watching the flames. The inside was filling with smoke now. How long would it take before it filled completely he wondered? Next to the fire truck, something moved. A flash of blonde hair. Casey?

Shocked from his revelry, he could hear coughing. It was Casey. She was inside! He ran to the back door, calling her name. Pulled on the door, but the bolt held fast. He pulled with all his strength, and the hinge gave way, toppling him over backwards with the door on top of him. His head swam. He could hear someone call his name, and then she was there. Casey.

“John, John, Are you alright?

“Yeah, I think so. He spluttered and coughed.

“Get up. We have to go. We have to go NOW” Casey ordered as she pulled him to his feet and back towards the burning building.

He pulled back. “Are you crazy, we can’t go in there? Look I am sorry about the fire truck, but you can’t go back in there.

She jerked harder. “Look. You don’t understand. That’s not a fire truck. It is a fire ship and I am going. She dropped his hand and ran back inside.

Shocked, John stood for a minute. True, she has rejected him, but still couldn’t stand by and let her do something totally stupid. He took a deep breath and plunged into the smoke after her. Feeling his way around the engine, he found the door handle and climbed inside the cab. Surprisingly, there was no smoke here, but Casey was there, giving him one of her looks.

“Are you sure you are ready for this?” she asked.

Vaguely he wondered if maybe he was going to get lucky tonight.

“Baby, I was born ready?” he drawled, in what he hoped was his most charming accent.

Smiling, she turned in her seat, pressed several buttons on the dash, and the engine roared to life.

“Then welcome to Fireship 9761. Proxima Centauri is missing and we are going to find it.” And with a wink the Fireship broke through the roof of the burning building, blazing into the night sky.