Post by Jonathan "Jonno" on May 27, 2005 23:35:21 GMT -5
TITLE: Ashes
AUTHOR: Jonathan Ruskin
CHARACTERS: Karl, Susan, Izzy, and Libby, Mal, Billy (sort of)
CONTACT: PM or Email
SPOILERS: No
TIMEFRAME: late 2004
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask.
COMMENTS: Please!
NOTES: Won "Best Standalone Fic" on Erinsborough.com.
DISCLAIMER: These characters owned by Grundy, I just borrowed them for a bit.
Karl Kennedy was frantic. The flames that were engulfing the lounge room had reached the curtains, and the sweat that was beading on Karl's brow was beginning to burn in his eyes. His search was becoming desperate, and as he upset the sofa and threw books off of their shelves, Karl struggled to remember just what it was he was looking for. All he knew was that he needed to find it soon, before the entire house succumbed to the inferno.
"Karl!" A woman's voice, pained and pleading, reached his ears.
"Susan?" Surely it was Susan.
Karl turned and found his estranged wife standing before him, not ten feet way, her long brown hair billowing as if carried by an otherworldly breeze. The smoke had soiled her white nightgown, and she stood, arms outstretched, calling out to her husband.
"Karl, where are you?" the woman wailed.
Her eyes, wild with terror, looked straight through Karl, not seeing him. Karl started to move towards Susan but found his feet wouldn't move, they were fixed by some unknown force. He reached out desperately for his wife.
"Susan, I'm here!" cried Karl.
He looked up in horror as the ceiling began to rupture above him. Karl tried to move his feet, but only succeeded in losing his balance. As he fell towards the floor, ash flew into his eyes, blinding him. On the floor, he rubbed the soot from his eyes, and saw that Susan too had fallen to her knees, still reaching out in vain for a husband she couldn't see.
Karl's heart stopped as he saw Susan was now flanked by three small children. A young boy, nearly a teen, stood behind his mother. His set expression made it painfully obvious how hard he was trying to be brave for his mother. A young girl of barely school age, her features illuminated by the dancing flames, struggled to hold back the tears as she clung to her mother's gown. The third child, a small blonde boy, whimpered into his mother's bosom as Susan gripped him tightly to her.
Karl reached out desperately to his family as the flames closed in around them.
"Susan," Karl cried, "darling, I'm here!"
All of Susan's resources failed her at last and pieces of the ceiling fell about her.
"Karl, where are you?"
Her sobs were as daggers to Karl's heart.
As the flaming ceiling collapsed around his trembling family, the young girl's screams filled the room, and Karl reached desperately out one last time. The house suddenly came tumbling down, burying his family as Karl watched in terror.
"Susan!"
***
Karl sat up in bed with a start. His breathing was laboured and his chest was drenched in sweat. Karl's mind raced, and he didn't notice the woman who stirred beside him in the bed. A woman of lovely determined features and golden hair sat up.
"Karl," Isabelle was concerned, "what's the matter?"
"The children," Karl struggled to string his words together, "a fire...trapped...I couldn't move!"
Isabelle put her arms around her fiance and kissed his cheek.
"Was it a bad dream?" Isabelle gently pulled Karl towards her.
Isabelle held Karl's head against her chest, and ran her fingers through his sweat-dampened hair.
"It's ok, Karl, it was only a dream."
Karl wasn't comforted. He felt an uncontrollable urge to do something...anything. He pulled away from Isabelle and got out of the bed, grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head.
"Where are you going?" Isabelle asked, more annoyed than concerned.
"I have to...I've got to go check something." Karl responded without really realizing who he was talking to.
Before Isabelle could protest, Karl had grabbed his car keys and left the flat.
***
Karl drove, as if in a daze, towards Ramsay Street, paying no attention to his speed. As the car madly headed towards his former home, he didn't consciously see the road, his eyes burned with the vision of the fire, and his ears stung with the cries of his family.
As Karl turned into the familiar cul-de-sac, his disturbance of mind distracted him and he smashed the car into the letterbox of Number 22. Without stopping to contemplate the accident, Karl jumped from the car and ran wildly towards Number 28. He barely noticed the chill of the pavement or the pebbles digging into the soles of his feet.
As he reached Number 28, he bounded up to the door and began pounding. After what seemed like an eternity, the lights came on inside and the door slowly opened. Susan stood before him, clutching her dressing gown and squinting in the light she had not yet become accustomed to. It was the woman from Karl's dream, but as she stood before him, her flowing hair was cut short, and the pleading look she wore in the dream was replaced by a look of annoyance.
"Karl," Susan said drearily, "what do you want, it's nearly three o'clock?"
Karl took Susan quickly into his arms. Taken off guard, Susan didn't return the embrace.
"Susan, thank God," Karl's eyes filled with tears, "you're alright?"
"Of course," Susan was confused, "why shouldn't I be? What's this all about Karl?"
"A fire. You and the kids were trapped. The dream..."
"A dream?" Susan interrupted, hardly in the mood for dramatics.
"Karl, I don't have time for this, I have an early morning. Go home, and if you want to talk later, you know where to find me."
Karl backed out the door as Susan closed it. He stood for a long time on the porch, dumbstruck. He began to feel the frigid pavement under his feet as he trudged back to his car, and after a feeble attempt to repair the letterbox of Number 22, he gave up and slowly drove back to the flat he and Isabelle shared.
***
Karl climbed into bed next to Isabelle, and she drowsily put her arm across his chest.
"Everything alright?"
Karl considered for a moment.
"Just needed some air...bad dream," Karl sighed.
Isabelle leaned towards Karl and kissed him. Resting her head on his chest she squeezed him warmly. Karl wasn't much comforted by her embrace. Every time he closed his eyes he could see the flames, feel the heat, and hear the terrified screams of the family he had walked away from.
AUTHOR: Jonathan Ruskin
CHARACTERS: Karl, Susan, Izzy, and Libby, Mal, Billy (sort of)
CONTACT: PM or Email
SPOILERS: No
TIMEFRAME: late 2004
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask.
COMMENTS: Please!
NOTES: Won "Best Standalone Fic" on Erinsborough.com.
DISCLAIMER: These characters owned by Grundy, I just borrowed them for a bit.
Karl Kennedy was frantic. The flames that were engulfing the lounge room had reached the curtains, and the sweat that was beading on Karl's brow was beginning to burn in his eyes. His search was becoming desperate, and as he upset the sofa and threw books off of their shelves, Karl struggled to remember just what it was he was looking for. All he knew was that he needed to find it soon, before the entire house succumbed to the inferno.
"Karl!" A woman's voice, pained and pleading, reached his ears.
"Susan?" Surely it was Susan.
Karl turned and found his estranged wife standing before him, not ten feet way, her long brown hair billowing as if carried by an otherworldly breeze. The smoke had soiled her white nightgown, and she stood, arms outstretched, calling out to her husband.
"Karl, where are you?" the woman wailed.
Her eyes, wild with terror, looked straight through Karl, not seeing him. Karl started to move towards Susan but found his feet wouldn't move, they were fixed by some unknown force. He reached out desperately for his wife.
"Susan, I'm here!" cried Karl.
He looked up in horror as the ceiling began to rupture above him. Karl tried to move his feet, but only succeeded in losing his balance. As he fell towards the floor, ash flew into his eyes, blinding him. On the floor, he rubbed the soot from his eyes, and saw that Susan too had fallen to her knees, still reaching out in vain for a husband she couldn't see.
Karl's heart stopped as he saw Susan was now flanked by three small children. A young boy, nearly a teen, stood behind his mother. His set expression made it painfully obvious how hard he was trying to be brave for his mother. A young girl of barely school age, her features illuminated by the dancing flames, struggled to hold back the tears as she clung to her mother's gown. The third child, a small blonde boy, whimpered into his mother's bosom as Susan gripped him tightly to her.
Karl reached out desperately to his family as the flames closed in around them.
"Susan," Karl cried, "darling, I'm here!"
All of Susan's resources failed her at last and pieces of the ceiling fell about her.
"Karl, where are you?"
Her sobs were as daggers to Karl's heart.
As the flaming ceiling collapsed around his trembling family, the young girl's screams filled the room, and Karl reached desperately out one last time. The house suddenly came tumbling down, burying his family as Karl watched in terror.
"Susan!"
***
Karl sat up in bed with a start. His breathing was laboured and his chest was drenched in sweat. Karl's mind raced, and he didn't notice the woman who stirred beside him in the bed. A woman of lovely determined features and golden hair sat up.
"Karl," Isabelle was concerned, "what's the matter?"
"The children," Karl struggled to string his words together, "a fire...trapped...I couldn't move!"
Isabelle put her arms around her fiance and kissed his cheek.
"Was it a bad dream?" Isabelle gently pulled Karl towards her.
Isabelle held Karl's head against her chest, and ran her fingers through his sweat-dampened hair.
"It's ok, Karl, it was only a dream."
Karl wasn't comforted. He felt an uncontrollable urge to do something...anything. He pulled away from Isabelle and got out of the bed, grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head.
"Where are you going?" Isabelle asked, more annoyed than concerned.
"I have to...I've got to go check something." Karl responded without really realizing who he was talking to.
Before Isabelle could protest, Karl had grabbed his car keys and left the flat.
***
Karl drove, as if in a daze, towards Ramsay Street, paying no attention to his speed. As the car madly headed towards his former home, he didn't consciously see the road, his eyes burned with the vision of the fire, and his ears stung with the cries of his family.
As Karl turned into the familiar cul-de-sac, his disturbance of mind distracted him and he smashed the car into the letterbox of Number 22. Without stopping to contemplate the accident, Karl jumped from the car and ran wildly towards Number 28. He barely noticed the chill of the pavement or the pebbles digging into the soles of his feet.
As he reached Number 28, he bounded up to the door and began pounding. After what seemed like an eternity, the lights came on inside and the door slowly opened. Susan stood before him, clutching her dressing gown and squinting in the light she had not yet become accustomed to. It was the woman from Karl's dream, but as she stood before him, her flowing hair was cut short, and the pleading look she wore in the dream was replaced by a look of annoyance.
"Karl," Susan said drearily, "what do you want, it's nearly three o'clock?"
Karl took Susan quickly into his arms. Taken off guard, Susan didn't return the embrace.
"Susan, thank God," Karl's eyes filled with tears, "you're alright?"
"Of course," Susan was confused, "why shouldn't I be? What's this all about Karl?"
"A fire. You and the kids were trapped. The dream..."
"A dream?" Susan interrupted, hardly in the mood for dramatics.
"Karl, I don't have time for this, I have an early morning. Go home, and if you want to talk later, you know where to find me."
Karl backed out the door as Susan closed it. He stood for a long time on the porch, dumbstruck. He began to feel the frigid pavement under his feet as he trudged back to his car, and after a feeble attempt to repair the letterbox of Number 22, he gave up and slowly drove back to the flat he and Isabelle shared.
***
Karl climbed into bed next to Isabelle, and she drowsily put her arm across his chest.
"Everything alright?"
Karl considered for a moment.
"Just needed some air...bad dream," Karl sighed.
Isabelle leaned towards Karl and kissed him. Resting her head on his chest she squeezed him warmly. Karl wasn't much comforted by her embrace. Every time he closed his eyes he could see the flames, feel the heat, and hear the terrified screams of the family he had walked away from.