Fire, creation and destruction: A short story

From prehistoric cavemen to the modern human, fire has been a part of human life since the dawn of civilisation

Sajid Khan
Published : 2 May 2023, 01:29 PM
Updated : 2 May 2023, 01:29 PM

The following is a work of fiction.

AFRICA, 1 MILLION YEARS AGO

Zugo sat on a rock, his muscles aching from the day’s unsuccessful hunt. His stomach growled, unsatisfied by the few berries his tribe had gathered. Most of them had retreated to the safety of the caves as the sky had darkened. But Zugo had stayed, though he did not know why. The truth is, he was curious, and there was a certain something in the air. He could feel it. 

Suddenly, the sky rumbled, and fear leapt in Zugo’s heart. The elders had told him it was a sign that the sky was angry. Soon, tentacles of light would pierce the air, and water would pour down. His instincts urged him to flee, but something kept him rooted to the spot. Perhaps it was the goosebumps on his arms or the slight tingle in his hair. 

And then, a massive crack shot through the air. A beam of light – brilliant, terrible – struck the top of a nearby tree. Zugo covered his eyes, sure his end had come. And then, nothing. 

No, not nothing. A glow. A glow that dispelled the dark. 

Zuko opened his eyes. Lying before him was a branch, broken off from the tree above. Both were wreathed in a sorcery he had never seen before. 

Fire.

Even as the dark closed around him, the glow did not die. It flickered and writhed. Cautiously, he reached out his hand towards it. It was warm. He reached further, a sudden pain shot up his arm, and he screamed aloud. 

A shadow peeled off from the darkness and pounced. It had been watching the careless Zugo for some time, waiting for an opening, and now sprang into action, fangs bared.

Even amid the blistering pain of his hand, Zugo sensed the beast. He flung himself down, and the claws raked across his back, but not deep enough to cause serious injury. The beast growled, angered by the miss and circled back.

Despair filled Zugo. It was a massive creature. Even with the rest of his tribe and their weapons, they would have had difficulty fending it off. He could not run. It was quicker and saw better in the dark. His death had come.

But then he remembered the glow. The pain in his hand. In a sudden burst of inspiration, he grabbed the branch and brandished it at the beast. The beast roared and edged nearer, only for the flames to singe its fur. Startled, it leapt back. Suddenly, in its glassy eyes, there was a hint of terror.

Emboldened, Zugo pressed his advantage, charging ahead. The creature was startled by his ferocity and drew back, watching the dancing light. Then, as quickly as it had come, it turned away and melded back into the darkness. 

For the first time in his life, Zugo felt strong. In his mind, there burned a new sense of power. He looked at the bewitching, crackling magic in his hands. But, as he watched, the rain splashed through the canopy overhead and doused the fire.

Now it was cold again. It was dark. But Zugo was no longer afraid. His life now had a purpose. A discovery that would shape the future. When he returned to his people, it was with this new knowledge. 

They waited, and during another storm, they found another fire. Eventually, they learned to make it themselves from stone, wood, and leaves.

It warded away the dark, frightened the animals, and transformed their food. 

It started a new era – one forged by flame.

DHAKA, FOUR WEEKS AGO

With a satisfied sigh, Abdullah closed his clothing store at Bangabazar. It had been a rough couple of years amid the pandemic. Several times, he thought he would have to sell to the greedy sharks that circled his respectable establishment. They had somehow made it through. The past few months had also been rough as he felt the pinch of inflation. But now, it was Ramadan, and sales were booming. Orders were pouring in, and he had just received an expensive shipment of designer clothes he would put on prominent display before Eid. 

For the first time in ages, business was good.

Abdullah and his workers stopped at the local tea stall, where the workers and owners of other businesses were happily chatting about their sales. 

Sitting with his tea and listening to the latest gossip, his mind drifted off to his childhood. He had grown up poor, the son of a hardworking blacksmith. He could recall coming home after school when he was eight and watching his father working with metal and fire. He was mesmerised by the flickering of the flames. Their unkempt power – a power to destroy things and remake them anew.

For some reason, he had dreamt of that searing forge every night for the past week.

As it grew late and the talk died down, Abdullah headed home. It was only 10 minutes by bus from his shop. After his sehri, he finished his prayers and took a quick nap ahead of another busy day.

His dreams were still wreathed in flame. 

Suddenly, at 6 am, his phone blares, jolting him awake. One of his clerks is on the other end.

“Abdullah Bhai! It’s all gone. Everything is burning. You need to come, quick!”

Dazed and confused, it takes Abdullah a few seconds to grasp the situation. As realisation dawns, he leaps to his feet and charges out the door.

There are no buses at this hour, but Abdullah would not wait for one anyway. His legs moved as fast as his mind. He had heard of other fires amid the intense summer heat but had never imagined he would face such a disaster himself.

He could see the dark smoke billowing into the sky long before he reached his destination. Out front was a massive swell of people, all sweating, shouting, and panicking amid the blaze. He can hardly see the building. Desperate, he pushes to the front. He has to see it with his own eyes.

Tearing free from the mass of bodies, he confronts the inferno himself. It is a horrifying vision. The entirety of Bangabazar is ablaze. Every store is burning, ravaged by an insatiable force.

Firefighters are battling the blaze, but their efforts seem futile. 

Around him are familiar faces distorted in anger, horror, fear, and despair as they see their lives burn to ash. The air is filled with the sound of the people and the blaze. Screams and cries, both human and unnatural.  

And, amid all of this, stood Abdullah, staring. What could a man do against the elements?

He stood, bewildered and mesmerised by the fire. The fire that once fed and kept him alive was now decimating all he had ever accomplished. 

Slowly, it too would burn out, leaving him in the darkness, at the mercy of the predators that had circled him for years.

He would be left with nothing. Just another ape in the concrete jungle. 

For a moment, he sighed and closed his eyes. Then he opened them again and looked back at the fire.

At least it was a beautiful tragedy, he thought. 

This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.