It's Time

I fixed my black bowtie as I took one last look into the mirror. My hair was sleek and combed back into a short ponytail, just the way she liked it. I had put on her favorite cologne, the one that smells like pine trees, and I had my suit looking pristine. I took a deep breath and I turned away from the mirror before I could point out any flaws. Today was not the day to look at the mistakes in myself or think about my failed election. Instead I chose to celebrate the one thing I did right: asking Leah to marry me. Today, we are getting married. I could already imagine her walking to me under the canopy of elm trees. It had taken a while for me to get the courage to ask her, but I did, and she said, "yes. " Truthfully it was easier running for governor.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out of my dressing room. The hallway looked dark and eerie. There was a staircase at the end of it, and I knew that all of my groomsmen would be waiting there to escort me. As I was walking towards the staircase, I smelled something strange. I didn't know what it was. Picking up my pace, I scrambled down the stairs. There was no one at the bottom. What was going on? I wondered. I ran to the door in front of the stairs. As soon as I grabbed the door knob I heard a scream coming from the backyard.

Frantically, I ran in the direction of the noise, down the narrow hallway that led to the back door, knocking over a table and a lamp in the process. I hurriedly yanked open the door and my heart stopped. Everything was a fiery red-orange. The decorations and seats were drowning in a sea of fire. It was spreading quickly, too quickly. Already the trees were aflame. How did this happen? I heard another panicked scream coming from the trees. That voice sounded all too familiar. I sprinted out of the house, across the fiery clearing, into the forest surrounding it.

This clearing had looked so beautiful once. It was in the middle of the forest where the sun always shined brightly, illuminating everything. Leah and I built our modest little summer cottage here. It was supposed to be a place for our children and grandchildren to get away from the harshness of life, and now it was gone.

As I burst through the trees, I tore off my jacket and bowtie, and flung them to the ground. The deeper into the forest I got, the more smoke infiltrated my lungs.

The screams sounded closer. Panting, feeling around in the smoke, I ran towards them. Tears were running down my face in black soot filled streaks. Ash was everywhere. I could barely breathe. Still listening for the voice, I ran with every ounce of adrenaline I could produce.

After what felt like forever, I saw a small figure in white, laying on the forest floor covered in soot. My heart skipped a beat seeing the love of my life like that. I ran over and bent down next to her. Her chest was heaving up and down trying to catch a breath, and her dress was torn everywhere, hanging in shreds off of her frail body. I picked her up bridal style with her dress billowing out behind us, and carried her towards the house. She was lighter than a feather. She buried her face in my shoulder, and I could feel the wetness of her tears. Jumping over fallen trees and burning sticks, I ran. I didn't stop until we were safely on the other side of the house, far away from the burning hell.

There was a crowd of people on the other side of the house. Parents were looking for there children, families were huddled together crying, some individuals just sat and stared into space, as if trying to figure out what happened. The paramedics and police were sifting through the people to identify who was hurt and who had an explanation. I caught sight of Leah's parent in the middle of all the chaos, huddled next to mine. Their bodies were draped over something. I started towards them. Nobody had noticed me or the bride in my arms. I walked past a paramedic. Sweat was shining off of her body, and she was doing CPR on a little child. A woman, probably the mother, was wrapped in a man's arms wailing, grabbing at the child's limp hand. I quickly turned away, not wanting to see anymore of it, and continued towards our parents. I bumped into a police officer who was questioning a man. It was one of my groomsmen, I realized. He didn't turn around, or even acknowledge my contact. I picked up my pace, pushing and shoving anyone in my way.

I was only a few feet away from our parents. Still cradling my bride I slowed down, panting. I wasn't sure I was ready to see what was lying on the ground. When I finally made my way over to them, my heart stopped. I didn't know what I was seeing. Was it just my imagination? No it wasn't; it couldn't be. There were two figures lying on the ground. Their faces were expressionless. They looked so peaceful, almost like they were asleep. One was dressed in a suit covered in ash, missing a jacket and bowtie, and the other was wearing a beautiful gown, torn to shreds and stained black with ash.