Read Online The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom - Free Book Online
Authors: Mitch Albom
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flames. They might be rescued. He might be going home! He turned to the burning barn and . .
.
What was that?
He blinked.
What was that?
48
Something darted across the door opening. Eddie tried to focus. The heat was intense, and he shielded his eyes with his free hand. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he'd just seen a small figure running inside the fire.
"Hey!" Eddie yelled, stepping forward, lowering his weapon. "HEY!"
The roof of the barn began to crumble, splashing sparks and flame.
Eddie jumped back. His eyes watered. Maybe it was a shadow.
"EDDIE! NOW!"
Morton was up the path, waving for Eddie to come. Eddie's eyes were stinging. He was breathing hard. He pointed and yelled, "I think there's someone in there!"
Morton put a hand to his ear. "What?"
"Someone . . . in . . . there!"
Morton shook his head. He couldn't hear. Eddie turned and was almost certain he saw it again, there, crawling inside the burning barn, a child-size figure. It had been more than two years since Eddie had seen anything besides grown men, and the shadowy shape made him think suddenly of his small cousins back at the pier and the Li'l Folks Miniature Railway he used to run and the roller coasters and the kids on the beach and Marguerite and her picture and all that he'd shut from his mind for so many months.
H EY! COME OUT!" he yelled, dropping the flamethrower, moving even closer. "I WON'T SHOO—"
A hand grabbed his shoulder, yanking him backward. Eddie spun, his fist clenched. It was Morton, yelling, "EDDIE! We gotta go NOW!"
Eddie shook his head. "No—no—wait—wait—wait, I think there's someone in th—"
"There's nobody in there! NOW!"
Eddie was desperate. He turned back to the barn. Morton grabbed him again. This time Eddie spun around and swung wildly, hitting him in the chest. Morton fell to his knees. Eddie's head was pounding. His face twisted in anger. He turned again to the flames, his eyes nearly shut. There. Was that it? Rolling behind a wall? There ?
He stepped forward, convinced something innocent was being burned to death in front of him. Then the rest of the roof collapsed with a roar, casting sparks like electric dust that rained down on his head.
49
In that instant, the whole of the war came surging out of him like bile.
He was sickened by the captivity and sickened by the murders, sickened by the blood and goo drying on his temples, sickened by the bombing and the burning and the futility of it all. At that moment he just wanted to salvage something, a piece of Rabozzo, a piece of himself, something, and he staggered into the flaming wreckage, madly convinced that there was a soul inside every black shadow. Planes roared overhead and shots from their guns rang out in drumbeats.
Eddie moved as if in a trance. He stepped past a burning puddle of oil, and his clothes caught fire from behind. A yellow flame moved up his calf and thigh. He raised his arms and hollered.
I 'LL HELP YOU! COME OUT! I WON'T SHOO—"
A piercing pain ripped through Eddie's leg. He screamed a long, hard curse then crumbled to the ground. Blood was spewing below his knee.
Plane engines roared. The skies lit in bluish flashes.
He lay there, bleeding and burning, his eyes shut against the searing heat, and for the first time in his life, he felt ready to die. Then someone yanked him backward, rolling him in the dirt, extinguishing the flames, and he was too stunned and weak to resist, he rolled like a sack of beans.
Soon he was inside a transport vehicle and the others were around him, telling him to hang on, hang on. His back was burned and his knee had gone numb and he was getting dizzy and tired, so very tired.
T HE CAPTAIN NODDED slowly, as he recalled those last moments.
"You remember anything about how you got out of there?" he asked.
"Not really," Eddie said.
"It took two days. You were in and out of consciousness. You lost a lot of blood."
"We made it though," Eddie said.
"Yeaaah." The Captain drew the
.
What was that?
He blinked.
What was that?
48
Something darted across the door opening. Eddie tried to focus. The heat was intense, and he shielded his eyes with his free hand. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he'd just seen a small figure running inside the fire.
"Hey!" Eddie yelled, stepping forward, lowering his weapon. "HEY!"
The roof of the barn began to crumble, splashing sparks and flame.
Eddie jumped back. His eyes watered. Maybe it was a shadow.
"EDDIE! NOW!"
Morton was up the path, waving for Eddie to come. Eddie's eyes were stinging. He was breathing hard. He pointed and yelled, "I think there's someone in there!"
Morton put a hand to his ear. "What?"
"Someone . . . in . . . there!"
Morton shook his head. He couldn't hear. Eddie turned and was almost certain he saw it again, there, crawling inside the burning barn, a child-size figure. It had been more than two years since Eddie had seen anything besides grown men, and the shadowy shape made him think suddenly of his small cousins back at the pier and the Li'l Folks Miniature Railway he used to run and the roller coasters and the kids on the beach and Marguerite and her picture and all that he'd shut from his mind for so many months.
H EY! COME OUT!" he yelled, dropping the flamethrower, moving even closer. "I WON'T SHOO—"
A hand grabbed his shoulder, yanking him backward. Eddie spun, his fist clenched. It was Morton, yelling, "EDDIE! We gotta go NOW!"
Eddie shook his head. "No—no—wait—wait—wait, I think there's someone in th—"
"There's nobody in there! NOW!"
Eddie was desperate. He turned back to the barn. Morton grabbed him again. This time Eddie spun around and swung wildly, hitting him in the chest. Morton fell to his knees. Eddie's head was pounding. His face twisted in anger. He turned again to the flames, his eyes nearly shut. There. Was that it? Rolling behind a wall? There ?
He stepped forward, convinced something innocent was being burned to death in front of him. Then the rest of the roof collapsed with a roar, casting sparks like electric dust that rained down on his head.
49
In that instant, the whole of the war came surging out of him like bile.
He was sickened by the captivity and sickened by the murders, sickened by the blood and goo drying on his temples, sickened by the bombing and the burning and the futility of it all. At that moment he just wanted to salvage something, a piece of Rabozzo, a piece of himself, something, and he staggered into the flaming wreckage, madly convinced that there was a soul inside every black shadow. Planes roared overhead and shots from their guns rang out in drumbeats.
Eddie moved as if in a trance. He stepped past a burning puddle of oil, and his clothes caught fire from behind. A yellow flame moved up his calf and thigh. He raised his arms and hollered.
I 'LL HELP YOU! COME OUT! I WON'T SHOO—"
A piercing pain ripped through Eddie's leg. He screamed a long, hard curse then crumbled to the ground. Blood was spewing below his knee.
Plane engines roared. The skies lit in bluish flashes.
He lay there, bleeding and burning, his eyes shut against the searing heat, and for the first time in his life, he felt ready to die. Then someone yanked him backward, rolling him in the dirt, extinguishing the flames, and he was too stunned and weak to resist, he rolled like a sack of beans.
Soon he was inside a transport vehicle and the others were around him, telling him to hang on, hang on. His back was burned and his knee had gone numb and he was getting dizzy and tired, so very tired.
T HE CAPTAIN NODDED slowly, as he recalled those last moments.
"You remember anything about how you got out of there?" he asked.
"Not really," Eddie said.
"It took two days. You were in and out of consciousness. You lost a lot of blood."
"We made it though," Eddie said.
"Yeaaah." The Captain drew the
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