Watch the World Burn

Floating in the ice cold water of the river, I watched the town burning. Smoke rose into the sky, black as the soot that washed downstream. I don’t know how late it was, but I shouldn’t have been able to see the horrified expression on my little sister’s face as she bobbed next to me. The flames devouring every building in Hadenville really illuminated the scenery. 

A crack boomed over the land as the spire of the church broke apart and fell to the ground. The other citizens in the river screamed, their attention turned away from searching for family in the chaos. 

Beside me, Hessie grabbed onto my arm, trying desperately to stay afloat as she sobbed and asked where Mama and Papa were. I scanned the river, realizing that I hadn’t seen them since the wedding in the church, and that must have been hours ago. 

That’s when it dawned on me that I may have made a little mistake. 

Now, before you jump to any conclusions about me, just know that I did not intend to set the town ablaze, October eighth started out like all the rest of the days of my fourteen years of life. 

I awoke when the sun came up, gathered the eggs from the chickens, and began breakfast. Mama was feeding the chickens and milking Hennepin, the large goat we had, and Papa had gone to work at the flour mill. It was Sunday, but Mr. Hobbs never closed the mill, though Papa had managed to get the afternoon off. 

When breakfast was ready, I awoke my siblings. August and his wife Lottie had spent the night, in preparation for the wedding, so the house was extra full. Dorothy was marrying Benjamin Rake. At seventeen, she was ready to start a life of her own with her love, but she never talked about him. When I checked her bed, I found it empty. 

In the bed opposite hers I awoke Hessie and Octavia, the youngest two, then got Beatrix from the bed we shared and Seb and Theodore from their room across the hall. I served them all breakfast and took a few bites myself before I slipped on my shoes to find Dorothy. 

I knew exactly where to look, and promptly found her sitting on a rock along the river. 

“Hello, Euphemia,” she said without turning around. Her voice was monotonous and her expression blank. 

“Hello, Dorothy. What are you doing out here?” I walked up beside her and looked her up and down before sitting in the sand and grabbing her shaking hand. 

“I have to marry Benjamin later, there’s no avoiding it.”

“You could run away.”

Dorothy sighed. “And do what? Benjamin’s father doesn’t work in the mill and neither does Benjamin. They have money. There’s a group over in Macklin preparing to go to California next year, but I have to pay my way in.” Dorothy turned over the rock she held in her other hand and tossed it into the river. 

“What’s wrong with Benjamin Rake? I thought his family was very nice.”

Dorothy laughed, about to explain before she sighed and said, “you wouldn’t understand.” She picked up another rock and tossed it in. “It’s a good thing you like the Rakes, Papa wants you to marry Joseph when you’re older.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t aware that Papa had plans for me, and Joseph Rake would be no husband of mine. I stood up and turned to leave. “Breakfast is ready. There’s a lot to do today. I better make sure Beatrix and Hessie aren’t fighting again.”

I walked back home, leaving my older sister wallowing on the shore of the river. The whole way home I couldn’t stop thinking about what she told me. The Rakes were better off than us, but neither Dorothy or I would be better off with them. 

The whole morning, and into the afternoon, was spent preparing for Dorothy’s wedding and finishing up the chores. Mama made me wear the lilac dress she sewed for Dorothy a few years ago, since it no longer fit her, and I helped the little ones get ready. 

The wedding would start at four, but we arrived an hour early. Everybody in town knew Dorothy, and we expected most of them to show up. 

I won’t bore you with the details of the wedding, but that church was more crowded than an Easter Sunday. I stood up near the altar beside Dorothy, her bridesmaid along with our friends. Behind us and overhead, candles dimly lit the long room. 

As the ceremony came to a close, a moment before the pronouncement, I saw Dorothy’s hands shaking in her white gloves. I leaned forward just a tad, and I saw a tear drip from her chin. Something overcame me at that moment. I wanted to take Dorothy and run. We couldn’t make it to California before the winter, but we could make it to Macklin by sundown. I took a step forward. A hand grabbed my arm, pulling me back into place. My longtime friend Cora stared me dead in the eyes and shook her head with a stern countenance. She was always one step ahead of me, ever since we met. Throwing my arm backwards, I twisted out of her grip, knocking over a candelabra behind me. Cora’s jaw dropped as her head turned to assess the damage to the tablecloth. 

While her head was turned I shrieked “Fire!” at the top of my lungs, even though the candles had gone out. 

In an instant, the church broke into chaos. Everyone stood up and ran for the front doors, surging against the heavy wood. Those of us at the altar sprinted towards the back exit. The doors opened inward. Dorothy lifted her white veil and dashed out the back door with the priest and the wedding party. 

I moved to follow them, but noticed that there was no fire. Everyone was panicking for no reason, so I gave them a reason. I knocked over more candles, setting the tablecloth alight. I held one up to the curtain and the fire rapidly climbed to the ceiling. I looked back once more as the people pressing against the door started to break the windows.

Hessie stood frozen, a single flower in her hands. I picked her up and ran out the back exit. Dorothy was gone, Beatrix was nowhere in sight, the boys were still trapped inside, as were Mama, Papa, and Octavia. With Hessie over my shoulder, I ran home. 

People began running through the streets, calling for buckets of water, but the church fire spread faster than anyone could have expected, and by the time I reached home, the blaze had engulfed the entire church and spread to the schoolhouse. I knew that everyone inside was dead or would be soon. 

“Effie! Where are we going?” Hessie yelled. I told her that I didn’t know, but we ran for the hill beside the river, the highest point around. 

The fire spread below us with frightening speed. Hessie and I sat down, watching for Dorothy in her pure white dress or anyone else in the family. 

The villagers ran aimlessly like lost ants, searching desperately for buckets, running to the river when they found one. They worked fast but the fire was no match for a small town with a dozen buckets. The fall of 1871 had been dry, with little rain showering upon us. The trees were dry, the grass was dead, and the wooden buildings were so close together that the flames jumped between them with ease.  

All it took was one candle in the dry season to destroy the entirety of Hadenville. Soon enough, the trees were alight and so was Ms. Scarlett’s cottage at the top of the hill. Hessie was still crying — our family nowhere in sight — so I picked her up and carried her down to the river, where the villagers were taking cover from the harsh heat. 

The water was freezing at first touch, but now, watching the steeple burn in the road, I can no longer feel my legs or fingers. The rest of the family is nowhere in sight. Orange flames reflect off of the dark water and dance before my eyes, reaching like fingers towards the sky. Faint screams surround us as people and animals run amok between the flames, searching desperately for safety. The corners of my mouth lift into a grin as another building collapses into timber. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.