Jim Meirose

Harry! A Blaze!

 

Harry; a blaze, Harry a blaze, Harry. A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry. 

 

What? What are you saying? A blaze? What blaze?

 

In the streetside, in the middle of crossing, out in full sun where got sent, this call came.

‘nd it sounded like, eh, but, at the same time, it didn’t. A crank call, but maybe. To hang up, but, ‘t might not be correct, because. Though back our house, he, living alone, left it empty ‘n gone down out to get an order of the needed goods on the list we compiled.

 

This list, what other list, darn it, what other list would he’d have been talking about, because this is the only list we have. List of goods, list of goods. List of goods what else what other list should we have?

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Shopping list. Gradually growing more panicky.

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Shopping list, wave shopping list. Gradually attracting more helpful attention from onlookers. Shopping list!

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Though it is mainly mighty mysterious, get this, getting to this that because our get this name is not to ever be Harry and we live all alone so what’s in their burning house, or maybe somebody else’s burning house dialing some Harry o’er ‘n o’er to probably do something on some troublesome blaze, real or imagined. Hic. Run off not looking all

Harry this and that b-b-b-b-ut; knocks over baby carriage. Run away. Slowing to seeking. Blocks out.

 

A cop. Help. 

 

Cop says, can’t help you now. Looking for a nut knocked over some baby carriage.

 

Out that, but; run out cross a road past some noise past further past then some larger noise and some larger behind all braky all screechy burnt smell run run. What?

 

A cop. Help.

 

Uh. Later can’t help you now, pal. Some ‘diot jumped to cause two carstabump some several or more blocks o’erere! 

 

But.

 

Can’t help you.

 

‘lready said! No time for you! ‘cause some big dope skated out cross the triply fastest passing lanes of the superfast freeway out spot ‘o d’ town and caused a magnificent multiply vehicularian style Hippomobile rearender—largest viral ever from d’ pirated superveilliance watchering n’ everwatching camera machines. 

 

No time for you!

 

Sorry not now son and s’mores later n’ s’mores as, some idiot drove a big trooperscouting boy and girl party of that old man o’ the mountain’s roman noseface by shouting somblazes ‘bout some firestorm at them, so perhaps and maybe you might be better oof goan’ to the actual law enforcement’s local headquarters’ converted shoe store style building which—as you know—they were moved to with great fanfare to be in the middle of any crime wave might descend on that scene. Go now there, please, it’s your best bet because, well—you don’t look so bad, son. And, I got another. That way there down past our middle lake of ponds. Where the most squirrels and foxes are at dawn.

Like the recent human-interest essay in Goldens Musclerag ‘z-z-z-zinery’s showcased.

Ush crime wave; all veritable, that is.

 

Crime wave? 

 

Yap ook, uck, big crime wave.

 

This is quite distracting when simply shopping for eggs.

 

The it was it was then; the phone for the hundredth time yelled Harry; a blaze, Harry a blaze, Harry. A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry—and the cars ahead stopped at a fiery red light. ‘e came up to the car. And to the car window, and, God! In the window’s all fire, my God, a disaster, here it was; there’s fire here; hey, here, ho, he got it, hey!

There’s lots of fire here, my God, here was the cause of it all; the car at the light’s whole inside was ablaze. And through the licking hot flames within, is, Harry; a blaze, Harry a blaze, Harry. A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry, get us out Harry, and we were praised to know the cause of it all, and no, God, the door did not open; thank God the handle’s still cool to the grip, but; the car door was locked. But, regardless, we pulled, and we pulled, and it opened, thank God; but, out came a large man, in an anger-spread face, unshaven all ‘round his lips, yelling yelled, What? Get back, get back, or; I will kill you and no, stay right there we have called the police, they are on their way, but get it; I do not fear you; I will stand right here until officers arrive, but; but, there was fire fire, eh, hah! No, no. The fire’s for you ‘fter they strap you in the chair, kiddo, and no; so. We turned ran no stay right here ran ‘cross curbs walks under th’ come back stay right here of some face, Harry; a stay right here blaze, here Harry a blaze, Harry stay right here, no. A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Yes, there was fire! Where the hell are you, Harry?

And who the hell are you, too.

 

Hours later emerging from the bushes, an officer.

 

Officer. Please. We need help. 

 

Up and down lookie look up and down look, but, I am sorry, bub, your minor mental health crisis is nothing. All officers are converging ‘round the site of an attempted carjacking in some big intersection, so. I am an officer, as you can see, so no no time this is your lucky day, here’s an official warning for whatever your crime’s about to be. I got to go got to got to go go got to. 

 

Here is all we got to go on detective. He lives alone and his name is not Harry.

 

My God, sweet scoops, by ole’ Mom’s jack-packery, that does narrow it down to nearly less than ten trillion, don’t it, cap? Hey. Get the hell out and get me a bigger clue rip saw banging hags by the sake of all those and more get the hell out on your beat and walk fast as you can from me. God Christ, I bet you’re some Percy!

 

Meantimes, and some a’while, we kept on walking wondering where we were, really, because the fact of the phone still yelling, Harry; a blaze, Harry a blaze, Harry. A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry—all over had driven us far from the normal track to the big store, we no more all’y get what we scribe on any shopping list we might scribe, and, amazing’gly here’s the list held crumpled in these fingers, all throughout these disastrous times, so, stand, still, as a great teacher had taught; when lost, stop moving.

When lost, stop, stand still, and, wait. The way will settle down over to guide. It may take a little or it may take a lot, so, but we obeyed but up front came a sudden law officer which said into us quite politely, Excuse me, sir. You look able to help and don’t seem as one who’d be annoyed by my asking, have you seen this man—and he waved a paper, but much too fast and around up down back and through. As though just having been scolded by, mayhaps most probably, by the chief of police saying to him, Get the hell out and get me a bigger clue rip saw yes he looks like he been told eh, banging hags by the sake of all those and more, Get the hell out on your beat, yes, yes, he’s been yelled at and told to walk fast as you can from me, the me being not me but the chief, so, thus and such like he failed to properly show me the mug shot, which, after having been frantically waved through sixty-four complete circularities up ‘round our multi-face, and then down crush-crushing into his pocket, but nonetheless demanded, Have you seen him?

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No. What are his crimes anyway?

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He abused a baby carriage a building collapsed a scout troop was lost and we think he may have actually taken an amateurish stab at hijacking a car! Have you seen him, I hope?

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No, I—the officer rushed off so we walked on, and then. Then, about a day later—a glow surrounded a three-am house ahead. Closer in, it was mortally, dreadfully, too-actually apparent that behind the several dozen windows up the tall structure, blazed the lick and the lash of a fire, and the no; wipe the eyes, yes, no; wipe again, no, wipe, focus. Yes, yes—this is it! This must be Harry’s house, since all windows are full of red yellow flames, dancing all perfectly synchronized, perfectly beautiful, but for that—that Harry.

Yes Harry. This must be the place, yes; Harry’s inside this house, dying. So; rush up. Go in. Grip the doorknob, which—mercifully, i’ not at all hot. So. Squeeze. Twist, and; the door flings away sidewise, b-but. Only dark inside. Only quiet inside but here’s who what why; What? Who—who the hell are you? Back off from my house! Trying to come in? Just like that, eh? Here to rob, eh? Here to rob? 

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Eh?

 

No, no, no—downstumble-back off down the steps, backward, as God, damn, wait right the hell there, hits hard from the door; then, Stand right there! pulled a phone, yelling, I’m punching for the cops! Stay right there, stay right there, stay! as, no, beyond his door stretched a dark cool quietly fire-free long hall, but, but. Stay right there, again; stay, stay, even as dozens of windows above and about the door hung up flaming, it’s; I’m punching for the cops, stay right there—stay—bu’ wow the window of flames over the door flung open, dark and cool; a she’s in it yelling, What? Who? What the hell’s up out here? What the hell? It’s three in the morning; stay right there stay—I’m punching for the cops stay right there—as another off right opens cool dark ‘round another she’s in that one now crying, What? Who? What the hell’s up out here? What the hell? It’s three in the morning—an’ ‘n perfect synch on the other both flowing over the man’s stay right there stay—I’m punching for the cops—back away ‘cross the sidewalk as window over window opens smothering its flames until it’s a choir a great hall in perfect resonation together all crying, What? Who? What the hell’s up out here? What the hell? It’s three in the morning; stay right there stay—I’m punching for the cops stay right there!

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All sing-songie! So.

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Stay!

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Turn. Run. No. Harry can’t be there. Harry would not be there. Not go there. Not stay there or be found there keep a’ keep all getawaying get’—run. Stop. Safe. Pant. Listen. 

Harry; a blaze, Harry a blaze, Harry. A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry.

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Push.

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Harry; a blaze, Harry a blaze, Harry. A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry.

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Push.

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Harry; a blaze, Harry a blaze, Harry. A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry.

Crap. S’ WanderSlow off’n down over ‘round’n through the neighborhoods. The shopping list here. Scan down it here for needing something more to do ‘xcept walk. There. Far enough now. Sick. Down. Bad. An officer car. The dawn’s soft spread ‘ver the officer car so approach. 

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Officer. Please.

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What? Oh—no, wait—in the starting of his motor he says, I am sorry bub but a call just came in, get this; a crook tried to just walk in a house around three, three thirty, just like that. To rob. Damnit, rob. How brazen they are now. And how desperate. Got to go—call 911 they’ll handle your problem. Got to go now. Shit-dingle, they peeled out, fast ‘n gone. But God where’s this Harry? Where. W’ere. W’r’e.

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Keep right. Into. All the way on the way passing sirencars bright red engines slowing and warning, Go! Go get inside we’ve a one-person crime wave or if not, it’s an Army.

Get inside! 

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So so ock san-w’ go an’ makin’ it back to our own ole’ King Kong where long low got learned ‘f ye’ just lie one space spot a’ dark, then wait, ‘ut it will come. So, go and get in it get go get inside! Inside back far off that streetside back from when the first call came with eh, Harry; a blaze, Harry a blaze, Harry.

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My God, where were you? Where’s the goods? 

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A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry. Ye’ just lie one space spot a’ dark, then wait, ‘ut it will come. Harry a blaze, Harry. 

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The list you were sent out with—the things from the store?

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A blaze, Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry. 

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But that was the whole thing of why you went out, Harry!

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One space spot a’ dark, then wait, ‘ut it will come. 

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That was the whole thing of why to got out! 

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Harry Harry, a blaze. Harry. 

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Harry! Harry can’t you hear me? Where you going now, Harry?

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‘ut it will come. 

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Where you going, Harry? 

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Where you going?

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Harry. 

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‘ome. Stay. You poor thing. Relax. I’ll get you a sandwich.

 

Jim Meirose's work has appeared in numerous venues. His novels include "Sunday Dinner with Father Dwyer" (Optional Books), "Understanding Franklin Thompson"(JEF), "Le Overgivers au Club de la Résurrection"(Mannequin Haus), and "No and Maybe - Maybe and No"(Pski's Porch). Info: www.jimmeirose.com @jwmeirose

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