"The Absolution of Abe the Flame"
Abe was a boy who set a raging blaze with a single touch of his finger
Up to the current day, Abe was always considered a walking pariah
For Abe, a casual walk down the town streets would easily leave one blanched in horror
An unfortunate turnout for a boy who had the heart of an angel
One winter, he went as far as to use his own body as a means of heat
For a family of ogres who were in desperate need of warmth in order to survive
For a boy with a heart as big as the town itself he had a rather strange job
His body was used for cremating the bodies of those who passed in the town
As they didn't believe in the earthly tradition of proper burial
He was unlike any other boy or girl that lived in the murky town of Eastville
It is said that this town is where every dark fairy tale ever concocted resides
On occasion you could spot Bob the Leper at the local market
You could find him stocking up for his annual town barbeque
Bob was the town's self proclaimed mayor and not to mention, a great cook
He could cook up anything your watering taste buds would desire
A total master of his art, but unfortunately the same couldn't be said about his personality
He was a total scrooge when it came to anything that didn't involve personal gain
One winter he was responsible for kicking out hundreds of families out of their own shelter
To use the lumber of their cabins as a burning source of heat for himself
You also could catch little old Wanda the Werewolf at the local Tumble N' Toss Laundromat
Aside from running a homeless shelter for those who were forsaken by Bob the Leper
Wanda ran the Laundromat on a daily basis and was practically the only soul
To always notice Abe during one of his daily walks and say hello
Abe was the only boy in town who was entirely engulfed in flames
From head to toe, it made it hard for him to make friends at all
For Wanda to even acknowledge his existence was enough for Abe
One night while taking a stroll down the street he noticed something
It was something that played like a tune from the heavens to his ears
It was a girl's voice that streamed through the air like a silk ribbon riding the wind
It was the voice of Gail the Grizzly Bear that struck a chord in his heart
He suddenly found himself captivated by the beauty of her chant
Gail was the kind of girl grizzly that was timid, but had a hell of a temper
The fact that she was abused as a young cub sideshow for the town circus
Didn't help her temper any as she grew older
That night Gail lay awake indulging in a thought, a wish
The wish that someday she might meet her other half
Like in the land of beautiful fairy tales where prince charming
Rides through the night fighting off evil, to take his princess away from its' clutch
Before careful for what you wish for
He followed the girl's voice to the window of her room
Through the blinds of her window she notices his burning glow
She screams in terror but to no avail as her parents lie fast asleep
Abe is stricken by immediate panic and signals her to quite down
The simple wave of his arms causes a small fire to the side of the house
In an instant, the fire spreads to the rest of the house causing uproar in town
Wanda the Werewolf takes notice from her home and paces to the scene
In a bitter attempt to save Gail and her family, Abe breaks into their home
Not realizing that the situation would only worsen, he scurries along
Wanda makes her way through the crowd of onlookers and takes a deep breath
She blows out the hardest gust of air from her aged lungs and attempts to put the fire out
In her attempt, Abe is blown out of a window and into a tree
Gail makes it out alive but unfortunately her parents perish in the fire
Reality hits Gail like a hammer to the face when she realizes the consequences
In a rage of denial she brutally attacks anyone in her path
Wanda tries to pacify the angry grizzly but is mauled and eaten in the process
Gail runs off to a cliff that leads down to a river near by, as Abe follows in a dash
The locals looking to avenge Wanda's death cut both Abe and Gail off at the cliff
With no where else to turn Abe expresses that it was accidental and he meant no harm
He exclaims that all he ever wanted was to be loved and jumps off to his death
The locals move in towards Gail, she lets out a loud roar and tries to fight them off
They proved to be too much for her and beat her with sticks and stones
The next morning Gail awakes in a pit of charcoal and finds herself drenched in lighter fluid
"Good morning sunshine, you didn't think you'd get away now did you?" Said Bob
"I've got to thank your pal Abe for making it possible for you to join us!"
"Oh and welcome to Bob the Leper's Annual BBQ, we're glad you made it for breakfast!"
:: Lights a match and throws it in the pit. ::
[Scene]
© Erik Duarte 2006
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