The Barn Burning
It was a sunny September day. I was enjoying a lunch with my father-in-law. The older kids were in school, and my baby was down for a nap. It was quiet in the house except for the sound of our conversation. And yet, every once in a while, I heard a crackling sound. It was weird. I wondered if wasps were trying to get through the roof again. I looked around but saw nothing. And then I heard it again. I asked him what that sound was and he said he wasn’t sure. We resumed eating. But the sound became so insistent that we had to look for the source. We looked out the window and found our answer. The barn, which he had been painstakingly taking apart and burning in the burn pile, had caught on fire. The flames were crackling,sizzling and hissing. The sky was ablaze. It was impressive . We ran outside and pondered what to do. I asked him if he wanted me to get the hose. ...