Short Story

I had to write the beginning of a novel in my Mass Media class. I wrote this in honor of my dad. Only those of you who know him will appreciate this...

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain pounded on the streets as Al Phamale ran toward the blazing fire. No one was going to get hurt tonight, not on his watch. Within ten minutes had carried everybody away from the building. He checked the vitals of all those who were in the fire. Everyone was alive, some badly injured, but all were alive. However, there seemed to be a faint buzzing sound coming from somewhere in the building, but he didn’t have time to think about that…

The ambulance arrived just as Al was bandaging a large burn-wound on the leg of a half-conscious victim. He stood and began to analyze the burning building. The new fire chief, Schven, ran up to Al seeking some counsel, “Well, Alpha, where did it start? Where did that fire start?” Just as he was about to answer, a screaming mother ran up him. He could not understand what she was saying through her deep sobs of anguish. However, because he was so in touch with his emotional side, he knew exactly what was causing so much pain and torment to the soul of this woman. Her children were still in the burning building.

Without a thought about his own safety, he ran into the flames. He called their names as he entered the hazardous inferno. Due to his hyper-sensitive hearing, he could hear children coughing from the third floor. How could he reach them? The stairs were too dangerous. It was just then that he noticed the pipe above the children. He pulled out his 75 foot rope—he was an Eagle Scout at age 14: Always Be Prepared!—and threw it up around the pipe. Naturally, it was a perfect throw. He climbed the rope without even breaking a sweat. He lovingly picked up both children and swung on the rope down three floors and out the door without even getting a scratch. Sensing the dehydration level of the children on the swing down, he grabbed a Gatorade to quench their thirst.

The crowd was shouting, “Al is amazing! Al is amazing!” As they were chanting their praise, Al once again heard the buzzing noise that he noticed earlier. The buzzing became louder and louder until it completely consumed him and then… he woke up.

Al looked at his alarm clock; it had been buzzing for a half an hour now. He slowly rolled out of bed. He reached for his thick coke-bottle glasses and didn’t even bother to comb his mullet.