Leaping the Fire

A Story for All Ages by Aaron McEmrys

Sean raced across the hard crumble of the vacant lot. His lungs bursting from running. He scrambled over the rusty chain-link fence at the edge of the lot and sprinted for his apartment building.

One of his pursuers had got his shirt caught on the fence, and Sean was home free.

“That’s right, run away home, runt. We’ll see you again soon enough!”

Sean took a deep breath, straightened his clothes and tucked in the corner of his shirt. Just another day, like all the others. Chased home by bullies, every day a race.

But at least now he’d get a break. Summer break had finally started, and Sean’s mother was sending him back to the village to visit his Uncles while she got in some extra shifts at the hospital.

Sean loved the village. He loved the windy lanes, playing in the old churchyard and the sheep and goats that begged for apples whenever he walked by.

Most of all, he loved his Uncles. There seemed to be a million of them in his mother’s big family, Uncles everywhere. Whenever he stayed with them he was allowed to stay up late, and nobody ever yelled at him for climbing trees.

On Midsummer morning, his Uncles got him out of bed much earlier than usual. And after devouring a whole pot of oatmeal and three racks of toast, they set off into the forest, where they gathered a TON of firewood. Some of the pieces were so big and heavy that they took two Uncles to lift them, and the back of their old pickup truck scraped the road all the way home so heavy was its load.

Back at the farm they built an enormous bonfire in the pasture, a sculpture of wood and kindling taller than Sean. When all was ready, Uncle Steve gave Sean a match and the honor of lighting the Midsummer Fire.

The dry wood went up with a roar and the heat of it rocked them all back on their heels. It was so hot that nobody could get within twenty feet of it.

It was getting late now, almost 9 o’clock, and it was still light out! The sun was just sitting there inches above the horizon, apparently without any intention of setting.

But set it did, very, very slowly, and as it set the bonfire seemed to burn even brighter. The fire had burned down quite a lot since it was first lit, but it was still big, and very hot, an island of burning wood on a lake of bright red coals.

The party was getting quieter now, and a group of Uncles sat around the fire telling stories and singing songs in a language Sean recognized only because his mother spoke it on the phone sometimes.

“Sit down with us” called Uncle Steve.

Sean sat down, suddenly aware that everyone’s eyes were on him.

“How much do you remember about you dad?”

“Not much, I guess, he died when I was pretty little.”

“Yes, well, let me tell you something about your dad. He was a good man. A kind man. He was good with sheep and dogs, and always ready to lend a hand. And he loved you more than anything.”

Sean sat very still as Uncle Steve drew on his pipe. Mother almost never talked about his dad. It still made her cry.

“And you know what else? He was brave, your father was, bravest man in the whole village. He was a real fire jumper.”

“A what?”

“A fire jumper. We all leap over the Midsummer fire, it’s tradition, but most of us wait until it’s good and low and pretty much burned down, but your dad – he used to jump right through flames ten feet high!”

The Uncles laughed and nodded with memory, seeing in the fire before them the shadows of bonfires past and summers long ago. Sean stared at the fire for a long time.

“I want to do it.”

“What?’

“I want to jump through the fire.”

“I don’t know…are you grown enough? It’s only men who leap through the fire.”

“I’m old enough. Please let me do it.”

Uncle Steve looked deep into Sean’s eyes.

“Allright then, but we’ll jump through together – and if you get hurt your mother’ll skin me alive – so hold on tight, okay?”

Sean stood up, feeling both more courageous and more terrified than he ever had before. He took his Uncle’s hands as firmly as he could, and then they ran toward the great fire, heat washing over their faces like a hot dry bath.

“Jump!” Steve yelled, and Sean jumped with all his might. He saw the flames dancing below his feet as if in slow motion, he felt the fierce heat enveloping him like a cloud – and then, after an eternity, they landed on the other side, clean and neat as can be.

The air suddenly felt clear and fresh as it never had before, and Sean dimly heard his Uncles cheering as Uncle Steve hugged him close.

“Oh you’re brave allright just like your Dad. I know he’s watching you from somewhere, and he is proud of his son.”

Sean smiled, and felt a tear in the corner of his eye. “Next year, I’m going to jump through all on my own.”

“Yes you will.” Uncle Steve said, giving his hand a little squeeze.

Summer vacation ended, as they always do, but things were different now. Sean was different now.

After school the bullies surrounded Sean as always, waiting for him to run away, as was their ritual.

But this time Sean just looked at them. He took a deep breath and just looked at them, one by one, right in the eye. And he didn’t even feel like he might throw up! He felt just fine, in fact.

“Don’t chase me anymore. We’re done with that now.” He said, before turning and slowly walking toward home, as three newly-retired bullies looked after him with nothing but confusion, and perhaps a hint of envy on their faces.