STORY STARTER
Submitted by an anonymous user
The world will burn.
Opening with this line, write a poem or story that also ends with this line having a completely different meaning.
Firefighter Dreams
“The world will burn, Nicholas Schneider! I tell you! This world will burn! Just see! That’s why I will become a firefighter! And save the world!”
Annabeth Kidman ran around the playground, wearing her father’s firefighter hat. The hat was far too big and fell on her eyes. It didn’t phase her.
Nicholas watched as she often scared the kids. She jumped up to them and asked if they were in any need of saving.
“DO YOU NEED ANY SAVING? I’M A FIREFIGHTER!” she more or less screamed to the scared boy.
But Nicholas watched in amazement as the brown haired girl went around asking if people were in need of saving.
She was amazing to him. She was the girl who stood up to his bullies. The girl who gave him a cookie that her dad bought. She was the girl who pushed him in the swings.
She was the girl Nicholas Schneider could say he loved, at 8 years of age.
And he could at he loved her too, at 13, when she asked him if he would be her partner for the science project. At 15, when they went out for a date. At 18, when she was his prom date.
At 21, Nicholas Schneider could say he loved Annabeth Kidman, as he was at her funeral.
ANNABETH KIDMAN
1980-2001
BELOVED WIFE, DAUGHTER, FRIEND
AN AMERICAN FIREFIGHTER
Rain and tears dropped down his face. The girl’s parents were quietly sobbing in a corner.
Close friends and family, all dressed in white.
He watched as they closed the casket, as her body went underground. Cold fury burned in his veins.
The girl he loved. She was now beneath his feet.
Soon Nicholas was the only one left in the cemetery. He stayed there for some time.
His head was empty, and he wasn’t thinking of much.
He took put a match. He took out a lighter.
He lit the match. He covered the match from the rain with his free hand. He watched as the flames ate the piece of wood.
He watched the yellow fire.
It was yellow. Yellow like the day she got murdered. She was wearing a yellow dress.
He hated yellow.
The fire ate the wooden match. The fire left it charred, it left it broken. The fire eventually burned his fingers. And with his free hand, he turned off the small flame.
“This world shall know pain,” whispered Nicholas Schneider.
“This world will burn.”
This was SO good. It kept my interest the entire time, and your style of writing is beautiful.
And as soon as it said, “he loved Annabeth Kidman, as he was at her funeral,” I was immediately shocked, which helped a lot to show the tone change, and how much darker things became.
The ending was the slightest bit confusing. After-all, Annabeth had spent her whole life trying to be a firefighter. Nicholas could just be acting in grief when he wants to burn the world, but Annabeth was murdered. It would make more sense if he tried to hunt down whoever killed her, or something like that.
Just a suggestion, though. The story is amazing as it is. I love your writing. 👏👏
Awwww this is so sad and sweet and leaves me wanting so much more to the story. This would be such a cool starter to a story!
Oh... this is so good! The ending leaves a lot for the imagination about what happens later and I would love to read more of this! You have such a great voice and writing style!
