Where There's Smoke

Two friends were driving in opposite directions on a wide two-way road. They each recognized the other, waved and pulled over to the side of the road to talk for a moment. As they were chatting they saw smoke ascending in the distance. Friend A started freaking out, saying they needed to do something. He was pointing at the smoke passionately and telling passerbys to check it out.

Friend B remained calm. He said that he saw smoke from that direction many times before. He said it was only a backyard barbeque. He tried to revert back to the previous conversation, but Friend A wasn’t having it. Friend B got upset that Friend A was all jazzed about nothing. Friend A was upset that Friend B wasn’t interested in what he thought may be a genuine house fire. The two eventually turned to walk away in opposite directions, exasperated.

Friend C saw the interaction from the narrow median. He grabbed each by the shirt and said, “Hey guys, I noticed you were discussing the smoke rising in the distance. Friend B might be right, that block has cook-outs all the time. It might just be smoke from a grill. But Friend A has a point, too; it would not be wise to automatically rule out a house fire. How about we not scream “fire” at the top of our lungs but indeed investigate it and see what we find?”

Friend A and Friend B were skeptical of the levelheadedness of Friend C, but consented to the journey. Together they walked toward the smoke. As they drew closer they detected scents of burning wood and, possibly, hamburgers. They heard people being loud, but couldn’t discern if it was frantic yelling or the sounds of music and people playing. They picked up the pace. As they turned the corner, they saw big red fire trucks driving down the street. They stopped and watched.

Friend A said, “See, I told you. A house is on fire!”

Friend B retorted, “Where? C’mon now. There’s a fire station two blocks down there. It’s no surprise to see their trucks on this street.”

“Are you sure there’s a fire station down this road?” Friend A asked.

“Of course. My childhood home is right next door to the station. See that big old sycamore tree over there, leaning over the street, still standing tall after all these years. Still lifting up the asphalt. I used to climb that as a boy.”

Friend C chimed in, “Let’s just walk a little closer. We need more information.”

“Not me, I’ll wait here,” Friend B said, taking a seat on the curb.

“Why do I suspect that you knew about this fire already?” queried Friend A.

Friend B, feeling pressed, finally replied, “I can’t lie. I was informed this morning that the fire station was doing a controlled burn of my childhood house. I’ve been trying to put it out of my mind. The last tenets, good people, were forced out years ago, when it seemed the foundation was shifting and cracking. Squatters have been living there on and off, furthering the damage. The folks in charge of this neighborhood decided it was time to burn down and rebuild.”

“Wow. I’m sorry, man,” Friend A said, putting a hand on Friend B’s shoulder. “I wonder whose voices we heard earlier?”

“Most likely my brother and sister, mourning aloud the loss of our old home,” Friend B said, fairly confidently.

“Well, it would be wise to check it out regardless,” Friend C replied, authoritatively.

The three friends finally arrived at the scene only to find firemen grilling out at the station.

“Oh, hey fellas. If you’ve come to see us burn the house down, you’re early. Cat’s stuck in a tree on 12th Ave. We’re having some lunch while a couple guys check that out. Sorry about the smoke. Want a burger?” asked the Fire Chief.

Friend A raised his eyebrows, “I’ve been hearing about cats getting stuck in trees a lot lately. Something is up for sure. There are some theories I’ve heard.”

“Not again. Please don’t–” Friend B scoffed.

Friend C held up his hand, “Let’s hear him out. It is a curious thing, no doubt.”

“It’s the coyotes. They’ve been coming around,” the Fire Chief replied plainly.

“Oh, not you, too!” Friend B said, exasperated.

The Fire Chief held up his phone. He showed a series of videos of coyotes chasing cats up trees.

“Those are AI-generated videos,” Friends A and B said in unison.

Friend C noticed the large charcoal bag near the grill had caught on fire and was blowing swiftly through the parking lot toward the old home. He put a lid on the grill and ran over to the bag. He violently stomped out the fire before it could spread to the home. He then dusted off his boots and walked home.