The Fire

My dog Rexy woke me up in the night. The house was on fire. Rexy guided me through the flames. At one point a burning beam fell from the ceiling and narrowly missed us.

We got outside and watched the fire. The flames were gleefully devouring our homestead. With each bite, the inferno got brighter.

We both turned at the same time and began walking away. We walked along dark streets. Pretty soon there were no more homes, only trees.

We walked off the road and into the forest. It got so dark that we couldn’t see the trees and the space between. We had to feel our way through.

Eventually we got to the water. I got down on my knees and Rexy and I both drank from the lake.

We lay down and looked up at the bright night stared sky.

Rexy said, “It’s like everything’s on fire.”

I said, “If it’s not on fire, it’s only waiting for the spark.”