FIRE (DE2020)

I was really in a bad situation and knew I was about to die by fire.

I hate fire as it is a pain that kills from the outside in and is in no hurry to snuff your life out. Even if you live through the flames, being scarred for life with no nose or ears and making little kids run away in fear of your face is not something I would wish upon anyone especially me !

I do not remember what I said other than something along the lines of “GOD please make it stop?”

As the flames drew closer and hotter I knew unless I could get free from the instrument panel that had collapsed during the crash and trapped my legs, I was but a few seconds from being a total crispy critter. I did everything I could think of the free myself all to no avail. I had pulled out my pistol and was just about ready to blow my own head off when it happened.

Out of the forest came a huge guy who reached through the broken windscreen and said, “For your Soul I will save you and give you one wish .”

The flames were so hot that my hair under the back of my helmet and above the collar of my Nomex flight suit was beginning to burn away. The pain and fear of dying this way was total so without hesitation and very little thought I said, “Get me out of here!”

His huge hand reached in and pulled the instrument panel away from my legs and I was out of the burning wreckage before the ammo started cooking off. I ran like the wind away from the certain death of being cooked alive and only stopped after what I considered a safe distance away from the crash sight.

As I sat upon the ground trying to catch my breath he reappeared. No he did not walk up and say hello he just reappeared before me. Started out fuzzy around the edges and then poof he was there.

“I have saved you and now your soul is mine; what is the wish I will grant you?”

Now that I kinda understood who/what I was dealing with I hesitated before I answered, “Since this is a big question and I may not be thinking to clearly after everything that has happened today come to me upon my death bed and I will tell you the wish you have promised to grant me.”

He actually laughed and said, “Silly human time means nothing to me and at your death bed I will come.”

Whew, right or wrong, at the time I figured at least I would be dying in a bed !

I sold my soul at the age of 24 and I have had a decent life of marriage, kids, and work. Here I lay which I assume is my death bed at the ripe old age of 86 years. The family has just been asked to leave my bedside as another specialist is coming to draw arterial blood and no telling what else.

A pretty nurse specialist comes in and says, ”The time has come for you to claim your last wish.”

“ Oh, good to see you and I have been wondering when you would come to see me ?”
She smiled and simply said, “ Do your wish now as your time is short.”

“My wish is simple, and since time means nothing to you this wish should not upset you at all. I wish to travel as a spirit or an angel to every solar system in all the universes that exist and stay as long as I want to.”

The pretty nurses face turned ugly for a brief moment and then I died.

I saw my old body laying upon the bed as I floated away from the pain of old age and the body that was quite frankly worn out from all the years of use.

It is true time means nothing once you are here; what I will call, the other side. I have watched my children's children grow and have kids of their own as people make an effort of living and surviving the world over.

I will go to my first new solar system soon but I am in no hurry as time means nothing here on this side.

The End

Whoever did the drive-by flagging and read the story thanks

a reply to: 727Sky

A nice twist!

Well done!

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: 727Sky

A nice twist!

Well done!

According to the stories it is not easy to beat the devil at his own game.. Maybe I did not beat him but I think I would be able to extend this scenario out long enough to at least piss him off....even though time means nothing "Over Here."

originally posted by: 727Sky
Whoever did the drive-by flagging and read the story thanks

That was me... was thinking about my reply though.

Always nice to read a Demon/Devil story where the human gets the upper hand!

Well done, as always.

a reply to: 727Sky

Great read. Sounds like a good afterlife to me.

originally posted by: Onlyyouknow
a reply to: 727Sky

Great read. Sounds like a good afterlife to me.

I can not think of a better afterlife. It even tops the 72 virgins some promise. The Chinese symbol for disharmony is two women under the same roof so I can not even begin to think of 72 as anyone who has raised a daughter might agree with. Mom is always mom and daughter, is well, the daughter.. Daddy is the arbitrator hahahah

I liked your story and did leave a comment and flag hope you do well.

It's rare a wish works out, well done.

originally posted by: SprocketUK
It's rare a wish works out, well done.

Your writing and story were top notch as usual...I hope you do well

I always had the feeling that genie the demon had one wish to spare, great story

originally posted by: 0bserver1
I always had the feeling that genie the demon had one wish to spare, great story

Thank you for the reply and the read. I figure the character would have said, "Get me out of here" even without the wish... So....Stupid devil !

Actually I had two friends who were on a low level sniffer mission back in 1970 Viet Nam. A sniffer mission was used to smell out an enemies location. The running joke was that if they farted the machine would print out what they had eaten for breakfast.... The engine failed over double or triple canopy (?) jungle. The bird settled into the top of the trees and then did a nose dive to the forest floor from over 100 feet up in the canopy.. They were pinned in the front of the aircraft as it smoked and smoldered for a solid minute before finally catching on fire. I was not on that mission and only have what the Snake high bird Pilots reported.
Both those guys did not deserve to die that way.

a reply to: 727Sky

I have never heard anybody specify the drawing of "arterial blood". Is that atypical, for a blood draw? Is "veinous blood" usually drawn? Nice work, S + F

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses
a reply to: 727Sky

I have never heard anybody specify the drawing of "arterial blood". Is that atypical, for a blood draw? Is "veinous blood" usually drawn? Nice work, S + F

Maybe different terminology in different countries ? Veinous blood can be drawn from any vein.... but arterial blood in drawn from an artery which resides deeper in the body.. Those are the arteries that squirt blood out (reasonably high pressure) at every pump of the heart and can lead to death if the flow is not stemmed.. An arterial blood draw can be PAINFUL as the nurse has to find the artery and get the needle inserted, which in some cases they are quite good at, while others will spend way to long stabbing and poking trying to find and get an entry to the artery. My simplified explanation right or wrong.. hahah

a reply to: 727Sky

Clever story! I like your writing style, and that was a really interesting first line.
Maybe by the time your protagonist finishes his journey, the devil will be stripped of its power.

Well done.