The Micro-Fiction Challenge Entries

At 451 Degrees (Prompt 7)

Flames curled up the sides of the furniture, catching pages in their grip, crushing them to ash. Every fiber of her being begged her to run, to abandon what was already lost, but she didn't move. She couldn't move. Her entire life was evaporating, burning before her eyes. Gone with the smell of kerosene matches.

There was a man watching her burn. A Fireman, standing apart from the rest, his eyes trained on hers. Amidst the inferno around her, she saw them spark. Understanding, perhaps, or fear. But, as everyone knows, it only takes a spark to start a fire.

Author's Note ▼

Not included in word count...this drabble is pretty heavily based on the concepts set forth in Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury. One such concept is the event in which a woman stayed in her house as it was burning because the escape of knowledge is a fate worse than death. The novel turned out to be one of my favorites (though I still have a lot to read) and definitely tops my dystopian list (and we all know how much I love a good dystopian story). So all credit to Mr. Bradbury for the concept, this drabble could likely be classified as fan fiction. Happy Reading :)