Burning
My hands cupped these devastated ears. I wished not to know, not to hear, not to be. The screams… No! I will not hear them. I hear only the patter of their small feet as they dashed through the hall, the oaken floors sounding their playful joy as they rushed to be the first to the finish. Time and again, I had asked them to mind their jostling. The gaslight at the top of the stairwell far too close to the draperies, yet they would not heed my warning; what small boy would – let alone two. Beautiful, cherubic faces framed in locks of golden curls. These were my children, my angels. All who saw them commented upon their beauty, their grace and their charm. Well mannered to a fault in public, how could I deny my darlings the simple love to race the second floor corridor of our home. The narrow confines, the striped paper upon the walls, the red velvet terminus all but beckoned them: ‘Come, play, be children of joy, race my length to see who would win first place.’
I believe this house to be evil; I believe it wished to steal the souls of my beautiful children. I believe it encouraged them to the joy they found only to trap them within the hell in which they perished.
Yes, perished; my dear, sweet ones. Taken in a fit of outlandish foolery, foolery that rang through the house in peels of gleeful laughter. Foolery that this house sought to use to turn the devil’s eye upon itself.
Seeing to the summer linens, I was storing them in the hope chest at the foot of my husband’s bed while I listened to their giggles drift from the hall. By the time the sound of their screams reached my ears, the velvet was fully engulfed in licking flames. My fear realized at last, the drapery had been set alight. I called to them, but Samuel, the older by just shy of half the hour, used his jacket in an attempt to extinguish the blaze. His younger sibling, Matthew, tugged upon the coverings in an attempt to dislodge them from their hangings. Before my foot could leave the floor, I watched as the heaviness of the fabric tore free and descended upon him.
My knees near buckled. Samuel — I could at least save Samuel from this fate. Then yet again, my eyes betrayed me as his arm tangled within the drape. In his panic to dislodge it, the poor child only spun the roaring fabric tighter about himself. One final look he offered me. A look of fear beyond my imagining as he toppled forward; the two tumbled down the wooden stairs tangled together in the burning shroud.
My heart stolen from my chest, the breath I was holding released in a fevered shriek as my impotent arm shot forward. I stood there, watching, waiting, hoping beyond all sanity that what I had just bore witness to had not transpired; though my destroyed mind assured me it had. I retreated backwards into the bedroom. I sought not refuge from the inferno raging at the end of the hall, but refuge from what my mind’s eye would show me over and over again. Finally, finding my back to the corner, I sunk to my skirts, as I prayed to God Almighty to return my darling sons to me.
As the coolness of the wall upon my back began to warm, and the plaster ran with cracks, my tears finally found their way to the flickering light. Again, I did not mourn for myself, I asked only to be granted the peace to no longer hear the screaming of angels.
© Copyright 2013 Nina D’Arcangela. All Rights Reserved.
Coffin Hop Goodies!
How do you get them? Comment on my Coffin Hop 2013 posts on this blog – I’m posting something new each day, so keep coming back for more chances to win. When will they be announced? When the hop ends (after October 31st). What are they going to be? A surprise! I like surprises, don’t you? ;}
Don’t forget to visit my other two blogs that are participating:
Spreading the Writer’s Word
The Road to Nowhere…
and the Sirens Call Publications blog:
The Sirens Song
plus the blog for the writing group I belong to:
Pen of the Damned
and all the other amazing hoppers on the Coffin Hop list!
Nina D'Arcangela
Sotet Angyal 
October 26th, 2013 at 9:14 am
A poignant, tragic story. Beautifully written.
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October 27th, 2013 at 1:56 pm
Thank you, A.F. – I try to avoid tragic stories about children, but they always seem to come out of me. And thank you for the compliment on the writing, its not a ‘usual’ style for me, though I will say it wrote itself very quickly. 🙂
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October 26th, 2013 at 10:17 am
Thank you for another horrific Coffin Hop post!
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October 27th, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Thank you, Lori, for stopping by to read, and the compliment! Both are much appreciated. 🙂
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October 26th, 2013 at 11:41 am
Very Poe-esque. Love it!
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October 27th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Hi Michelle! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Poe-esque, hmmm… I didn’t draw a correlation until you mentioned it. I was just exercising my brain with a style I don’t usually write in. 🙂
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October 26th, 2013 at 2:31 pm
It goes without saying that this is a beautiful write. And visually perfect. But I had the feeling it went on when it could have conveyed the same emotions sooner.
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October 27th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
Hi Sue, thank you for the kind words, as always. I intended to loosen this piece up and let it flow much longer, and more descriptive than I usually write. Could it have been shorter/tighter? Yes, but I think it would have lost a bit of its Gothic-ish drama. Gotta try new things! 🙂
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October 26th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Wow! I have missed reading your stories. You, my friend, are a master. Please tell me that your writing takes no editing at all – that the words just flow and are perfect where they land. Don’t tell me it takes weeks and months to craft such tales. I shan’t believe it.
Seriously, well done. Happy Coffin Hopping.
-Jimmy
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October 27th, 2013 at 2:08 pm
Hi Jimmy! Great to ‘see’ you!! And thank you for the very kind words! This story, Echoes, and one other piece that posts on the 30th just flew out of me. I expected this to be a hard write, but it told itself like a kid with a box of crayons. I’d say maybe 45 minutes (not months) to put this one down, and another 25 to edit it (mostly tense fixes – I’m a tense offender!). Oh, and there was one other one, too, but that one will/should make most who read it very uncomfortable – it’s called ‘Love’ (and you know better than to expect a love story from me!) lol 🙂
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October 26th, 2013 at 5:00 pm
A great coffin hop story, really enjoyed this.
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October 27th, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Hi Paul! Thank you very much! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying my dementia!! 🙂
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October 28th, 2013 at 11:37 am
Great story, getting us all excited for Halloween!
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October 28th, 2013 at 10:22 pm
The BIG day approaches! (I love Halloween – how can you not?)
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October 29th, 2013 at 5:19 am
So do I, Halloween is great, always like to enjoy watching a couple of scary films on Halloween!
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October 31st, 2013 at 9:35 pm
I usually do something big for Halloween – this year my younger brother got married! I guess that counts. (But we all still hung out and watched the original ‘Halloween’ together before the ceremony) lol
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November 1st, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Wow, that’s great. Don’t think I know anyone who has ever got married on Halloween, that sounds awesome. Yeah, we watched The Thing and The Haunting, had a great time. Happy Halloween!
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November 1st, 2013 at 4:15 pm
The originals, or the remakes???
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November 1st, 2013 at 5:44 pm
I watched the originals, those are the best, two of my favorite horror films
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November 1st, 2013 at 6:40 pm
Good man!!! There are no substitutes for the originals! 😉
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November 2nd, 2013 at 8:08 pm
Yeah, I love the original version of The Thing and The Haunting, the remake and prequel they made of these two were just awful. Nothing can beat the effects in The Thing or the creeping horror of The Haunting, brilliant!
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October 26th, 2013 at 10:01 pm
Wow! What a sad story! And beautifully written. Good job!
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October 27th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Hi Georgina! Thank you for the very kind words, and for stopping by to read! 🙂
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October 26th, 2013 at 11:26 pm
Nice to see that good short story writing is not dead yet.
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October 27th, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Hi Jeanette! Thank you very kindly for the compliment! I thought this one would fight me, but it flowed so quickly and fluidly I was shocked on my first read through that I enjoyed it as much as I did! 🙂
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October 28th, 2013 at 1:25 pm
I loved this story, Nina…so wicked & disturbing…tragic…you always have a great feel as to where & how to direct your prose…kudo’s! :}
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October 28th, 2013 at 10:21 pm
Thank you, Joe! This one just rushed right out of me – there was no stopping it… :}
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October 28th, 2013 at 2:28 pm
Are we going to have to talk again?? Lovely in its disturbance!
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October 28th, 2013 at 10:12 pm
Someone, somewhere is ALWAYS going to have to have THAT talk with me… My mom dropped me on the head as an infant – it’s where my genius comes from. ;p
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October 29th, 2013 at 10:35 am
Nice one, Nina. This would make a great movie. I love your descriptive details and word choice. Beautiful…
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October 31st, 2013 at 9:29 pm
Thank you, Jaimie! I don’t usually ‘try’ for a style, I just write the way I write, but I thought this deserved more stricture than I’m used to. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!! 🙂
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