Savior

Mom had left for her meeting at the church about an hour before dad had gone to his friend’s house for some football game. My sister, Tracy, had been in her room all night, even though she was supposed to be making me dinner.

I was hungry enough to start climbing on things in search of an easy meal. I’d never cooked before and I didn’t think it was time to start, but when I found a can of soup and discovered that the microwave wasn’t working – stupid me didn’t bother checking to see if it was unplugged, which it was - my only choice was to grab a pot and cook it.

So there I was, proud that I had turned the gas stove on, started my soup and was doing fine. But I was young and careless. Instead of turning the stove off when the soup was heated, I grabbed a pot holder and just pulled it off. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but then my hand touched the pan, which caused me to drop it on my feet, as they burned, I reached for something to stabilize myself, and with the potholder still attached to my tiny hand and an open flame, I was suddenly flinging a burning oven mitt at the kitchen table.

My instincts were wrong. Before, my foot was throbbing, but soon the pain was hidden as I watched the table cloth catch fire. I turned to the sink and turned it on, taking the hose and aiming it at the flames, I screamed for help, “Tracy! Tracy! The kitchen is on fire!” But no one came and the hose was too short. Soon the fire spread from the table to the chairs.

I had no idea what to do. I went to search for my sister. Her room was the first door to the right at the top of the stairs, so I ran. But when I got there, she was gone. My sister had left, I was home alone.

I looked down the stairs and saw nothing but orange, yellow and red. I had become trapped and there was no way I could make it out. I thought about my options. Run through the fire, jump out my window or hide in my room. I chose the last one.

At first, I wanted to hide under my covers. Like when I thought there was a monster in the room, under the covers was the safest place. But then I saw my closet and decided, if I was stuck in a house on fire, at least I’d have my clothes and some books to read. So I ran over and shut the door behind me.

I sat there for a while, breathing in smoke and crying. My mind went to thoughts of my mom and dad. I wished they were here; they would have put the fire out. Tracy probably would have too. She was seventeen, which was old enough to know what to do. At first, I was sad and scared, and then I got angry. How could she leave me all alone?

It had seemed like forever when I finally heard the sounds of the fire trucks. But I got scared again. They would be mad at me, everyone would be mad at me. I was burning our house down and doing nothing to stop it. It was entirely my fault.

I didn’t want the firemen to find me. I just wanted to sit in my closet until I was thirty and ready to move out. If they found me, they would yell at me and I would be in a lot of trouble with everyone.

Time seemed to slow down as I looked around the dark closet for something to hide under. I grabbed a bunch of clothes from the hangers above me and curled up under them, trying to hide myself.

For a few minutes, I heard nothing but the cracking of the fire. But then I heard my bedroom floor creak. “Jenna!” The voice called. I coward under my clothes and prayed they would go away. “Jenna!” The footsteps moved closer. “Jenna!” His hands met the doorknob and the door opened. He probably knew it was me because I was shaking so hard, that and for the last ten minutes I was coughing. He pulled the clothes off of me and looked at me.

I screamed first. He looked so scary. I couldn’t see his face and the red glow from behind him made me think it was Satan taking me to Hell for being a bad girl. But his hand lifted his mask and he looked at me with his kind brown eyes. “It’s okay. I’m Liam, I’m going to bring you to your sister.”

“No!” I screamed, crying really hard. “I’m not supposed to go with strangers.”

He smiled, his teeth shining brightly through the soot and smoke. “I bet your mom would be proud to hear you say that. But I’m a fireman; you’re supposed to come with me.” He reached in and wrapped his large arms around me.

I closed my eyes and buried my face against his rough uniform. My throat was burning and my head hurt, but for some reason, I was happy.

I was wrong about being yelled at. Tracy ran over and took me from the fireman. She cried more than I did. She kept saying how happy she was I was okay and asked me what happened. She apologized a million times, “I just went next door to get milk and Ms. Anderson wouldn’t stop talking. I would never leave you alone all night, Jenna!” EMT’s came over and started checking on me, giving me oxygen and asking me questions. As if I could keep up.

Soon, mom and dad were running up to us. They didn’t asked any questions, they just hugged us. Jenna had walked away not long later and looked for Liam to thank him. Somehow, the little thank you turned into a date.

Liam wasn’t just the man who saved my life. He was the man who loved my sister and my family, the man who became my brother and a father. He went from a stranger with a fascinatingly scary job to family. And through his entire life he saved more people than I could ever dream of. And if you ask Tracy, she will say he was the best man that ever lived.

He spent 15 years with us before he passed away, saving another little kid just like he did me. The kid managed to get out before the gas tank exploded, catching Liam and burying him in the basement. He lived a great life and will never be forgotten.

Posted By: Jenna Reeds