The Fire: Page 193 Of My Spiral Notebooks
10-4, it’s a structure.
Fully involved.
A real hot one too.
Send fire units to my location.
Standby.
Someone’s running toward me.
Please, you’ve got to help him.
Help who, ma’am?
The old man.
He’s in there.
I tried.
But it was too hot.
He’s trapped.
Screaming.
His bedroom.
Heat and flames
A fireplace
Times ten-thousand
Smoke
Thick
Heavy
Choking
Eyes
Burning
Get low!
Crawl
Glass
Flaming carpet
Hot embers
A doorway
So hot
Can’t breathe
A little further
Furniture
Ashes
The heat
Too intense
TV
Melted
Smoke boiling and billowing
Can’t see
Hands burning
Wheelchair
Caught on bed frame
A crutch
Out of reach
A foot
A leg
Trapped!
Pull and tug
Pull
Harder!
Fire
Crackling and popping
Something falls
Two hands
Back down hallway
Dragging
Straining
Pulling
Muscles screaming
Can’t see
Sweating
Burning
Heart pounding
No air
Pulling
Dizzy
Can’t breath
No strength
Can’t breath
Almost there
Can’t breath!
Moonlight
A touch
Strong hands
Gloved hands
Pulling
Dragging
Helping
Cool night air
Deep breaths
Firefighters
Oxygen
Yes, I’m okay
A few burns
Not too bad
Yes
The coroner’s on the way
I tried
I really did
But he was already gone.
Frightening, beautiful, sad.
Powerful.
My heart’s still pounding after reading that racing text!
Maggie
Heart pounding. Amazing writing. Thanks!
This was so touching. I hope these writings find their way to publication.
Just like being there with every word. Well done.
Holy cow. This is awesome. I love it. So painful and real. Great job, Lee!
This was as moving as anything I ever read. The heroism behind those simple words… I stand in awe. Thank you and your police/fire/rescue bretheren everywhere.
Always well written Lee
The power and emotions of single words, short phrases – the way we think. Feel. You have made the scene an emotional experience that will last past the page. Awesome.