Open Throat

by Henry Hoke

I don’t want my story to end here I roll the young man on his face and then back onto his back trying to cover his fire leg in dirt something hits me the old man throws another rock and this one hits the young man but I see he’s aiming for my face the woman screams aguas and she grabs a large branch from the ground and steps forward and jabs at me and another rock from the old man clips my ear the man returns clutching his bucket and when he sees me he drops it and water sloshes out and tears fill his eyes the bucket is so small and the flames are almost done destroying our town the stick and more rocks come at me through the smoke and I feel one bounce hard off my spine the young man’s fire is out now but he’s crying in pain I step off him and turn and run away from my people away from their doom and toward the lights of a larger one the flames rise to the tops of the trees behind me and the hills in front of me reflect the glow and they might as well be burning too fire is the only future