Jumping into Hell

There was a huge pile of leaves and small branches next to the logs from the cut down trees and other garden refuse in the veldt next the gate. It is a potential security risk for the neighbour’s house that was broken in and since it was forecasted to storm late this afternoon, I thought it was good to burn it. What slipped my mind was the fact that water in the valley would be cut at 7pm for repairs. This was my safety net taken away.

About noon we set the pile alight with water hoses in standby and soon it became a smoky inferno. At 5 it was just a smouldering pile. Safe enough for me to go shower and get ready for a meeting at 7. So off I went. Just after 6 Lynda came home, I was clean and fresh, ready for the meeting. The storm was still rumbling but a long way off. The wind had picked up and I went out to check on what was left of the fire.

It was like walking into hell. The gusty wind had picked up the few cinders and it was a roaring fire once again, this time with sparks flying into the air. HELP!

No time to run and call for help. I rushed for the hose, and cried out to the heavens "Oh God help me", as I jumped into hell armed with a garden hose. After an hour, the fire was out once again but I stayed saturating the entire area, moving around debris to get water everywhere. Thankfully there was still pressure in the hose by the time I put it down. It was 7:30, too late for that meeting plus I need to clean up but I wasn’t sure how much water would there be.

It was starting to drop rain, as the lightning got closer, "Lord, I need that rain now more than ever, if I am to sleep peacefully tonight". And God answered by opening up the heavens as I looked up with my soot covered face and whispered "Thank you".