LIZZIE
“I have a dragon.”
“I have a dragon too.”
“My dragon is bigger than yours.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Stop it,” shouted the father from the living-room.
“Mine can spit fire.”
“Spit? Haha. Mom says that’s rude.”
“No, it’s not, not in dragons.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it isn’t!”
“Stop it now.”
Two seconds of silence.
“Your dragon’s pooping fire.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Then… what’s that?”
“It’s… It’s… He had chili, so there.”
This time, silence lasted longer. One of the kids sulked while the other wondered if dragons really ate chili.
RICHARD
Fight fire with fire
Uncle Eddie always said ‘fight fire with fire’, and although I never really understood what he was on about, it seemed to make sense in a backwards sort of a way, so I adopted it into my own philosophy.
I figured that the same principle could be applied to most things.
It didn’t really work out.
I flooded the bathroom when I tried fixing a leak, fighting water with water.
My house fell down when I fought a termite infestation… With termites.
And, a word to the wise:
Never put out a burning barbecue with a blow torch…
And petrol!
SERENDIPIDY
“Burn the witch”, they chanted, whipped up into a killing frenzy by the inquisitors.
I was roughly dragged from the cart, then bound firmly to the stake at the centre of the pyre, the chanting of the crowd growing ever louder as the moment drew close.
A cheer went up as the torches were lit and touched to the pitch-soaked brushwood beneath my feet, igniting instantly.
As the flames climbed higher, I laughed in their faces, for you cannot fight fire with fire.
And the fire that burns within me, burns with greater ferocity than any puny funeral pyre!
TOM
What Could Go Possible Wrong 022
Ford found himself watching Parker’s ghost into frame. He knew exactly what was going on. 12 planes where aligning and he had to pick one pretty soon. Like jumping on a spinning round-about. But doing it wearing cement Wellies. And just like a pair of Wellies a lose fit a best. Ford judged plane number seven would be the least packed in this matrix. Would have work just fine if had been for Cervantes elbow. Ghostly blue a first, but coming in solid straight at his forehead. At least he was doing better than the Captain’s knee to the groin.
What Could Go Possible Wrong 023
Cervantes took a deep breath, felt the blue slide across his arm. He had to keep the pint glass at eye level. Not as ez as one would image. A quick glance to the ground a truck of man took form. Then an arm comes across this left eye. His brain was now slowing down, only broad strokes of thought came into view. “Fight fire with fire,” an internal synapse fired. No smoke here. It’s nice here. Let’s just roll with the punches. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown ear-wormed into his head. “I’m fighting fire, I am the fireman.”
TURA
Fight fire with fire
———
In the province of 火战火 Huǒzhànhuǒ, water is scarce, but natural petroleum seeps are common. If your house catches fire, there is no possibility of extinguishing it with water. A small fire can be smothered with sand, but when out of control, people encourage the blaze with buckets of petroleum. The building is razed in short order, instead of smouldering on for days.
This is their general attitude. Lagging students are expelled from school. All serious crimes are capital.
And when Covid swept through, they let it take whoever it took, and increased the size and frequency of their festivals.
NORVAL JOE
Billbert realized all the adults around the fire and all the teenagers in the two lines were staring at him. Uncomfortable with their attention, he quickly took the gaudiest ring in Sabrina’s outstretched hand and slipped it onto her finger.
“It is done,” crooned an old woman.
Each of the adults produced a ladle from beneath their cloaks and dipped a liquid from a central bucket. They extended their ladles into the flames and the liquid in each caught fire. As one they tipped the burning liquid into the fire. In a flash of golden embers, the campfire went out.
PLANET Z
The word ostracize means to cast out a person from society.
It comes from ostraka, which are oyster shells.
People would write the name of the person to cast out on the shells, and they’d be collected and counted.
The ostracized would be stripped and run out of town, never to return.
Now, when oyster society wants to cast one of their number, it’s a bit harder.
Because so few oysters have names, and even those with names can’t read or write.
But if they wait along enough, humans would collect them all to eat and use as ostracism ballots.