Women In The Night

St Catharines, Ontario July, 2000 The day was bright and sunny, and the park was filled with children of all ages, parents watching from the sidelines. Two girls were on the swings, pushing themselves impossibly higher. “You ready?” One called, a spattering of freckles adding character to a smile filled with mischief, green eyes sparking with adventure. “You bet!” The other called, somehow softer than the other, her curly black hair bouncing as she swung back and forth. “One! Two! Three!” At the height of the swing, the two girls jumped off. The mischievous one lived in the thrill of the fall, challenging the ground. The soft one both adored and feared the fall, nervous of what would happen when she landed. The soft one landed on her feet, but stumbled and fell with a laugh. The mischievous one however, fell roughly, the soft pebbles bracing her fall. “Dean!” The soft one called, rushing over to her friend. But Dean only laughed as she sat up, her knees and hands bruised and torn. “That was awesome!” She said with a grin, “Let’s do it again! C’mon Opal, I bet we can go even higher!” “Seraphina! Celeste! Time to go!” They both turned at the call of their first names. They quickly scrambled to their feet and ran across the playground, where the girl’s mothers waited. Dean’s mother, Daisy, gasped when she saw Dean’s bloody knees and dirtied shorts. “Celeste Deanna Whitlock!” She scolded, “What did you do?” “I jumped off the swing!” Dean informed her with a grin, “I went so high, you should’a seen it!” “You girls need to be more careful,” Tonya – Opal’s mother – agreed, beginning to lead them back home. “I’m fine!” Dean insisted. “Well, I’ll need to get you cleaned up before dinner,” Daisy sighed as she took her daughter’s hand and began to lead her across the road to their street. The group made their way to the house that sat in the very centre of the crescent-shaped street, and the girls could smell barbeque wafting from the backyard. They suddenly realized just how hungry they were, and happily washed up. Well, Dean wasn’t too happy that she had to wait while Daisy cleaned her knees and hands to make sure they wouldn’t get infected, but her frustration quickly disappeared when Opal brought her a hot dog. While the girls shovelled down their food, their mothers chatted about school and the other parents, while their fathers talked about how Opal’s house was getting a new porch, and the best way to build it. After dinner, the girls ran around the backyard, doing cartwheels and jumping on the trampoline, pop music playing from the speaker placed on the table. Once the sun set, the girls became tired, laying in the grass together as they watched the stars come to life. “One day, I’m gonna be an astronaut,” Dean said matter-of-factly, “I’m gonna live on the moon.” “I’ll come with you,” Opal promised, “We can live on the moon together and eat all the cheese we want.” “We can have aliens as neighbours.” “There are no aliens on the moon!” “Sure there are!” Dean insisted, “Big, scary, green ones with huge bug eyes!” Both girls fell into a fit of giggles, interrupted as Tonya appeared with a smile. “Okay Seraphina, time to go home.” “Aw,” Dean complained as they sat up, “Can’t she stay over? Please?” “Not tonight,” Daisy said, “She can come over some other time. Besides, it’s time for you to go to bed too.” Dean frowned, but she was more tired than she’d like to admit, so she allowed her mother to lead her to the back gate, where Tonya held Opal. “We’ll see you tomorrow,” Daisy said with a smile. “Of course. Good night!” “Good night Opal!” Suddenly, Opal squirmed in her mother’s arms. Confused, she let her down, and Opal stood in front of Dean. “I have a bad feeling. You should stay with us tonight.” “No, sweetie,” her mother said, “Maybe on the weekend, but not tonight.” “But something bad is gonna happen!” Opal insisted. “We’ll be fine,” Daisy assured as Opal’s mother grabbed her hand, “We’ll see you all on the street.” “I’ll see you later!” Dean said with a grin, and Opal allowed herself to be dragged away as the parents bid each other good night.  Once they were gone, walking across the street to their house two doors down, Daisy turned to her young daughter. “Okay little miss, it’s time for bed.” “But I’m not tired!” Dean insisted, then yawned. Curse her tired little body. Dean’s father, David, just laughed and scooped her up, “Oh, you’re exhausted, Dean. You can hardly walk!” Dean just laughed and let her father carry her inside and up to her room. It wasn’t long before the rest of the street began to turn in as well, the front lights of the houses going off one by one. “CELESTE!” Dean’s eyes snapped open at the screaming of her name and she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes as Daisy flung open her daughter’s bedroom door. Bright light flickered behind her, and smoke billowed into the room, causing Dean to cough. Daisy wasted no time in pressing a damp washcloth to Dean’s face. “Put this to your face, sweetie,” she said, trying to keep her voice even, “and close your eyes. C’mon, let’s go.” Dean obeyed her mother and snatched up a small, white stuffed puppy before Daisy scooped her up in her arms.  Daisy ran out of the room, pressing Dean’s face into her shoulder, blinking the smoke from her eyes. When they make their way downstairs, it becomes clear that the fire started in the livingroom, still raging on. As they passed it, Dean cracked her eyes open, shocked to see it completely ablaze. But there, in the centre of the room, was a pile of burnt...something, collapsed on the floor. By the time Daisy ran out of the house and into the street, there were already about a dozen of their neighbours in their pyjamas and house robes, watching in horror as the flames climbed higher. Opal’s father, Brad, was already there, ready to catch Daisy as she fell to her knees, still holding Dean. “Daisy!” He cried as he grabbed her arms, trying to steady her, “What happened? Are you alright?!” “I’m okay,” she managed, coughing from the smoke inhalation, “I got Celeste.” “We’ve already called 911 – where’s David?” One of Daisy’s coughs must have gotten caught in her throat, because it turned into a sob as she cried out. “He’s inside – oh god! He’s already – he was on fire!” She broke down crying, Brad quickly moving to embrace her. A couple of neighbours approached to console Daisy from a distance, and Dean was taken by a neighbour to allow Daisy to cry. Soon, the sound of approaching sirens filled the air, mixed with the crackle of flames and Daisy’s sobs.