Yesterday

Yesterday I sat at my kitchen table, writing my blog and listening to my daughter in the background. She was doing her own book of cartoons, titled "Stick Man Do" (it's pretty darn funny.)


For no reason, I glanced out of the window. And froze. A wall of fire, long hungry flames, carpeted my neighbor's woods. I could see them through the chain link fence.


"OhmygoshFIRE!" I yelled. I ran for the phone. Thank goodness I had actually replaced it in the cradle this time. 

It's really weird to see this out of your kitchen window

As I dialed 911, my daughter began to freak out. I tried to calm her and talk to the man on the other end at the same time. He already knew my address, so with one push of a button (I suppose) he called the local fire fighters.


By the time I finished with the call, the flames were already in our back yard. They found our wood pile, handily stacked by the fence, as well as all of my kid's plastic outside toys. Goodbye, Wendy House, picnic table, rocking horse, and sand pit! It was a windy day, and I couldn't believe how quickly the fire spread through our woods, engulfing small trees and sending out billows of smoke.


I grabbed my kid's hand, pulled two coats from the closet, and dashed out of the house. The neighbor on the other side of us was there already, and she took my daughter as I went to deal with police, fire fighters, and ambulances.


Once those guys got into action, the fire knew it was beaten. Twenty minutes later the woods were a charred, dripping mess, but the fire was out.


There were several things I think about after all this:


A man, a stranger, pulled into our driveway before the firefighters got there. He grabbed my garden hose and started dousing our woods. I don't even know his name, and I don't think I ever got to thank him.


My neighbor took my kid into her house without a thought; I didn't even have to ask.


911 is amazing. 

Hurray for these guys! 

So are first responders. Those trucks were coming up our street within two minutes, and our town is a far flung, woodsy community. It must be a bear to patrol.


My kid is safe, and our house is fine. But, the most important part of that - MY KID IS SAFE.

Wild Fire - Lisa Zhang Wharton and Romance

Lisa Zhang Wharton

I write with Lisa Zhang Wharton at Fantasy Island Book Publishing. Take a careful note of her name, because such a talented writer won't stay unknown for long. She is the author of Last Kiss in Tiananman Square, a story of doomed love before a tragic, historical event in China.

She is also the author of many short stories (You can see more here and here) and this one captures the fire of romance, just in time for Valentine's Day.

Last Kiss in Tiananmen Square

Wild Fire

The fire starts shortly after the dawn.  The black smoke is blowing over the Mississippi from the boathouse, hovering over the river.  Red flames are shooting up like vicious devils to declare their power as the precious wooden boats burn into ashes.

Riding my bicycle along the river, the view of the boathouse burning rekindles the flame in my heart.  The rowing season is over.  So is my little interlude with Ray.  Now the boathouse is engulfed in flames.  The place that was filled with my beautiful moments with Ray is about to become just debris and cinders.  Looking at the black smoke in the distance, I could not ignore the lingering heat in my heart.  Is that what I am seeing in the distance, the still-smoldering fire in my heart?  Those long-ignored smoldering embers, nearly forgotten, have enkindled a renewed fiery passion..  Through the smoke, past the blackened wooden A frame, I can still feel Ray and I having our wild kisses. In a dark corner of that boathouse, when everyone else was out rowing on the river, we had our very private time together..  As I watch the smoke and the flames licking the sky, I can feel him rubbing my hair. …The excitement has returned, but only for a brief second, as our special place burned in the distance.

                                   *************************

“The river is beautiful,” said Ray, woke me up from my deep thinking.

“I thought you lived on the water.”

“Yes.  I do.  But lakes and rivers are very different.  I never really appreciated that until now. OK!  It’s different, too, in a motorboat.  You’re usually just watching for traffic.  On the river you see the bank, the trees, the houses and all the reflections..  Gee, I’m even starting to appreciate nature.”

“So write a poem for me,” I was challenging him, which was always fun for me.

“Hey, don’t push the envelope.  Keep trying.  Maybe after ten years, you will be able to get a few lines out of me.”

Then he turned around.  “By the way, I will be on a business trip next week.  I wouldn’t be able to take lessons for a week.”

Looking at his eyes, his two small eyes were glowing like a river flowing through them.

I stepped over and hugged him.

“I will miss you.”  Words slipped out of my mouth.

He was silent for a long time.  Then he started kissing me.

With the stars as witnesses, the Milky Way and all the rest of world, his passionate kisses made me feel otherworldly.  When was the last time I had such experience?  I did not remember. 

He held my face with his big, slightly rough hands.  His face was glowing under the stars and the reflections of the streetlamps..

“Meihua, you know.  What we have just done could damage both of our reputations and could be potentially dangerous.” 

Silence.  A cold breeze made me shiver.

“But it is worth it with you”, as he showered more kisses on me.  I felt so tiny and cozy between his muscular arms.

The Beauty of Rare Things

Some things don't appear that  often, and when they do they are lovely. Here are a few that make my heart bound when I see them:

1. A package covered with brown paper, string, and loads of stamps.

2. That orange light you see on a late afternoon of a sunny day in the summer.

3. The taste of chocolate in advent calendars.

4. The first book of a really good series.

5. A cat that is all grey and has those really big paws. It's even better if it is in the "baked bread" position.

6. The sound of a kid's belly laugh.

7. That moment when you catch a perfect wave with your boogie board and sail in to the beach.

8. Skiing down a hill in perfect powder on a sunny day.

9. The smell of old fashioned, home made potpourri...

10. And home made wine, especially Elderflower champagne.

11. Opening the door to your cozy hotel room, where you will be spending the weekend with a really great friend.

12. The crackle of an outside fire and the trail the sparks leave in the dark.

13. The smell of an old map.