Fire Drill

"Fire Drill "
By
W. P. Gerace
          After four long years in college and endless studying and hard work a year of student teaching at St. Mary's Catholic School, Eddie finally earned a position teaching first grade here. He was so excited and full of energy and ideas. Standing in front of his class of thirty first graders, their eager little eyes beaming up at him as if he were some idol they had never seen before, he was happy for the first time in many years. Years of a lousy childhood raised by an abusive mother who took every chance she had to inflict pain on him were suddenly over. Those chains of sadness, depression, and torture had finally ended.
          Equally uplifting was the gorgeous weather out on this early May morning. Glowing from outside were the warming rays of the late spring sun. Trees blossomed full of life, their green foliage guarding his first-grade classroom in its protective shade. In the distance, the chirps of birds and the cluck of the maroon hen down the road at the local farm could be heard calling in her babies to take them for a walk. It was terrific how mothering even animals were, yet his mother could never figure this trait out.
         Just as he was about to ask the class to open page thirty-five so they could do their morning phonics lesson, he could hear the shrilling sound of the fire alarm piercing through his eardrums seconds before the kids could. That was part of his secret gift that he was told to always keep private, but then again, those words were from his mother. He could still hear her speak in that thick broken German accent, saying their family gift must never be revealed. Dismissing her foolishness, he vowed to show the kids some tricks later this afternoon.
         "Boys and girls, let's line up. We have a fire drill. You know the rules. No talking, stand quietly in line, and we must move fast. Ms. Hart, our Principal, will be watching." Just as he finished his sentence, the blast of the alarms bellowed through the halls.
          Not even thinking, the class immediately gathered at the front door. Grabbing the black roll book and putting fingers to Eddie's lips, he quietly guided his class down the narrow hallway. Ms. Hart dressed in her man-like outfit, wearing a tie and grey suit as if she belonged in the corporate world, not education. Rumor was that she was a lesbian, but he was a gay man himself to question anyone's personal preference. Though he respected her, he also feared her dark jet-black eyes and demeanor. There was something extremely sketchy about her, like she was up to no good.
         Walking across the grey concrete surface of the schoolyard, keeping an eye on his class, he noticed one of his students Abigail Jones a frail child who had numerous health issues become pretty pale. Her sea-green eyes became lifeless, as if she were not even here at this moment. Gasping for breath, she began to wheeze. Her terrible asthma was acting up. He could hear her lungs closing up inside. Grabbing her chest, she was about to collapse. The witch in him had to take action. It was a risk, but he had to do it. Flying up in the air to avoid wasting time to get to the end of the line, he places his hands on her chest. A bright red light radiated in her chest. Within seconds she was breathing normally again.
         Above, the sky became quite dark, and a rumble of thunder roared about. The winds spiraled down, whisking everyone about. A steady shower pelted the ground. Across the street, two cars smashed into each other from the rain-slicked streets. Eddie raised his hands and twisted them to the right and left as if conducting an orchestra. The clouds dissipated, and the glows of the warm sun reappeared. The two crushed cars reversed themselves back to where they were in the lane before the accident.
          Several staff members saw all this and could not believe what they saw. Eddie could hear their rambling thoughts, his gift allowing him to connect with their subconscious. He could see their wide eyes looking at him, wondering what in the world was going on.
          "Mr. Powers, may I ask what we just saw here?" Ms. Hart stood with her arms crossed, her masculine body squinting at him as if he were some demonic spirit.
         "Ms. Hart, to be honest, I am a witch. My mother always told me to keep it a secret for our family would not be understood. I don't see the reason for this. Besides, I just saved three lives this morning. I hope you know. "Eddie replied, not one to lie ever, something he learned early.
          "So you thinking working in a Catholic School and you being a witch is acceptable, Mr. Powers? That is something you should have kept to yourself, young man. We obviously can not have that here at St. Mary's. You are terminated. "She responded callously.
          Crushed, he could not believe that he was hired and fired within a week in a short time. He had always been an honest person ever since he could remember being instilled by his mother one of the few things she did right by him, only this time it cost him. Quietly, he said goodbye and disappeared into a cloud of red smoke. He could still hear their judgemental thoughts calling him a demon. The following job he got if he did get one, he for sure would not be so honest.