Sunfire | Teen Ink

Sunfire MAG

By Anonymous

     The postman came early the morning Jack Cromley found out the sun was on fire. He was dropping off a Sports Illustrated and a phone bill when Jack came running out the door, leaving the postman with a bagful of letters and a mind full of confusion. He watched Jack’s frenzied run with an open mouth and the forgotten mail dropped to the pavement.

Jack had woken up that morning with a headache. It wasn’t until he was reaching into his medicine cabinet for painkillers that he remembered what was wrong. My God - somebody had better put the fire out! He dropped the aspirin back into the cabinet and ran downstairs, grunting as his bare feet hit the floor. Then he ran out the door wearing nothing but his boxers. His wife didn’t wake up for another 35 minutes. By then it was too late.

French toast had been a staple of Jack’s breakfast for 12 years. On any normal morning, he would have stopped to make himself some, but there was no time for that - not this morning. Fire wasn’t likely to put itself out. That was Jack’s job, and there was no time to waste.

The grass was cool and damp beneath Jack’s feet. He bounded across streets and over fences, almost unnoticed as hardly anyone was up yet. The rolls of fat jiggled on his husky frame, but Jack didn’t mind. He was busy making up for years of work, sleep, and eat - the old rhythm. His eyes looked toward the sky; he didn’t notice the landscape he was catapulting past.

He ran east, always east. The bright morning sun sat idle in the cloudless sky, patiently awaiting his arrival. It beckoned, and Jack’s legs eagerly answered its call. He galloped through and finally out of his suburban neighborhood, arriving in a forest that would be developed soon, but at that point, it was still a reminder of an earlier time.

Leaves and sticks cracked under his feet. He was panting now, but he was sure he could last long enough. There were trees all around, large and dark. If Jack had been given time to reflect, he might have felt that the wood was enchanted. This morning, he was in too much of a hurry.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Jack made it out of the forest. He was in a glade now, a large one with rocks strewn about. It was one of these rocks that Jack stumbled over. His toes hurt like fire; his ankle dug in and twisted. His knees hit the ground and sank, planting him in the dirt. He turned as he fell, landing on his side. The right side of his head hit another, smaller rock. His blood spilled onto the ground, greeting the spring morning.

The sky was an open book to Jack’s glazed eyes. His sweat-drenched body was caked in mud; scars lined his chest. Somewhere along the way, he had lost his boxers. None of that mattered. Jack looked up and the sun was there. It was on fire all right - but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He reached up to the sun, and call me a liar if he didn’t touch it. Call me a liar if Jack Cromley didn’t hold the sun in the palm of his hand. Naked and scarred, Jack had never been so like a god.



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This article has 25 comments.


WOW. Amazing. Great job!!!!!!!!! I loved it.

Leela21 GOLD said...
on Feb. 15 2016 at 12:06 am
Leela21 GOLD, Novato, California
14 articles 1 photo 11 comments
Jesus Christ, man. Jesus Christ. This is crazy good

on Nov. 19 2015 at 6:38 am
ThisIsPuGGy SILVER, Yokohama, Other
9 articles 0 photos 7 comments
Amazing! Can you help me with my writing?

on Jul. 23 2014 at 11:27 pm
Rosehawk BRONZE, Fife Lake, Michigan
4 articles 5 photos 8 comments
This is fantastic! Kept me on the edge of my chair the whole time.

Bella13 SILVER said...
on Jun. 29 2014 at 12:36 pm
Bella13 SILVER, Los Angeles, California
5 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Wit is educated insolence"

Wow! I thought this story was unique and really good! Keep writing!

on Aug. 5 2013 at 9:31 am
RelativetoWriting GOLD, Brecksville, Ohio
13 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.&quot; <br /> -Walt Whitman

I love your descriptions! I haven't read anything like this before; this is so freshly original. The world needs more stories like this one! Spectacular work!

on Mar. 5 2013 at 5:05 pm
CurlyGirl17 SILVER, Corydon, Indiana
6 articles 0 photos 95 comments
That was great! It made me go, "Whaaaaat....?' but in a good way. :)

on Jan. 20 2013 at 2:49 pm
In_Love_with_Writing GOLD, Easton, Pennsylvania
12 articles 0 photos 389 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.&quot; Phillipians 4:13

Well, this was a story unlike any that I've read before. I loved it and I feel sooo happy inside! Nice job! Can you comment and rate some of my work? I would really appreciate it :)

bluhs said...
on Dec. 29 2012 at 11:51 am
bluhs, E, Alabama
0 articles 0 photos 111 comments
Was Jack crazy? I loved the story, but was on something? Was this some kind of epiphany? Did he die? Five stars!!

on Nov. 15 2012 at 8:54 pm
comfortablynumb7, Charlotte, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 27 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot; You want too much. you expect too much then when your hero disappoints you, your poor little heart gets crushed&quot; &lt;another quote&gt;&quot;If you don&#039;t earn respect when you&#039;re alive, you don&#039;t deserve it when you&#039;re dead.&quot;

I...LOVE..IT.

Dynamo DIAMOND said...
on Mar. 18 2012 at 2:24 am
Dynamo DIAMOND, Lahore, Other
54 articles 0 photos 64 comments

Favorite Quote:
I used to think falling in love would be personal. But it&#039;s all a big public show.

WIERD but absorbing

 


on Feb. 3 2012 at 10:30 pm
TheSorcerersStone GOLD, Wayne, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If you want to know what a man&#039;s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.&quot; <br /> <br /> --Sirius Black

Awesome story!

on Nov. 30 2011 at 8:36 am
I didn't really understand this story. Did he die in the end or what? And he was freaking out about the fire needing to be put out at first, but then it said he wouldn't have it any other way, so did he change his mind or what? I'm just confused.

on Nov. 30 2011 at 8:35 am
This was a very odd story...it was okay, wasn't my favorite.

on Jan. 3 2011 at 7:37 am
CrazyKid56 BRONZE, Fredericksburg, Virginia
3 articles 0 photos 20 comments
This story is well written and I like the choice of words you picked. It was wierd in a way but, that doesn't matter, it was still good, keep writing!

on Jan. 2 2011 at 12:19 am
PerfectMGymnast DIAMOND, Parker, Colorado
57 articles 25 photos 633 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If you don&#039;t leap you&#039;lll never know what it&#039;s like to fly&quot;

I love this !! It's really good! Especially the ending! it ends the story well!!! :) I also like the whole idea of the story. And your word choice is amazing you must have worked so hard on this!! :) Also can you please take a look at my writing- The cul-de-sac and The watering hole (That are published on this website) And please rate and comment on them?? It would be greatly appreciated!! THANKS!!! :) :)

animelover said...
on Jun. 19 2010 at 6:36 pm
animelover, Rio Linda, California
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Sorry, I no really understand much of this country language! Bye Bye!&quot; -- Ling Yao (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood anime)

Besides that in the end he was naked, I really liked it!! Good job =3

on Mar. 23 2010 at 8:30 pm
genrejunkie BRONZE, Anderson, California
3 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Happiness is the journey there not the destination.

i didn't really understand it but it was very well written

evie428 BRONZE said...
on Dec. 3 2009 at 10:05 pm
evie428 BRONZE, Ontario, Other
4 articles 1 photo 88 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Writing a novel is not merely going on a shopping expedition across the border to an unreal land: it is hours and years spent in the factories, the streets, the cathedrals of the imagination.&quot;

Really unique! I like!

Rockstar said...
on Dec. 3 2009 at 4:04 pm
This Story is very ODD But I liked it :-) Bell 12 years old