A Firefighter’s Son
What actually happened:
Australia is known to have bushfires every year around October however, the fires that took place in 2019 were unmatched in destruction. The reason the fires were so bad that year in particular is because 2019 also had the driest spring on record for the country (Britton et al.) Because of the dryness, the fires were able to spread at a pace that was hard to keep up with and hard to predict. The fires continued to escalate through December when smoke began to generate storms. The lightning from these storms only caused more fires to ignite. In December, the United States sent aid to Australia while the fires were at their peak. Thousands had to evacuate their homes and billions of animals were either killed or displaced as a result from the destruction, (“Australian Brushfires”). March of 2020 brought an end to the fires that destroyed millions of acres of land (Britton et al.).
A happy family of three all sit on the couch, squished closely together laughing at the television. A bowl of popcorn sits in a child’s lap with more salt than the entirety of the Pacific Ocean. Or at least that’s how Mandy feels, the boy’s mother. Mandy doesn’t complain though because she knows that’s how her husband and son prefer their popcorn. The boy’s father Ellis throws another handful of the salty popcorn into his mouth basking in the peaceful moment with his family, something he gets very few of due to his demanding employment. Ellis looks down at his son Marcus, love and pride swelling in his chest. The best day of Ellis’ life was the day Mandy told him she was pregnant, from then on everyday he has gotten to spend with the little boy has felt like a miracle. Ellis was lost in his thoughts when Marcus suddenly turned around and looked at him. Marcus asked, once again, if he could have a pet. Mandy and Ellis glance at each other dreading reminding Marcus that he is not ready for such a responsibility. Marcus swears he is ready, he knows he’d be an excellent pet owner. Ellis is about to explain all the reasons why Marcus is not ready, when his phone rings.
For a brief moment, everyone stares at the phone as the ringing echoes through the whole house. They sit there savoring the moment they know is about to come to an end. Ellis excuses himself as he picks the phone up from the stained coffee table. He chuckles slightly to himself when he sees the dent in the wood from the time Marcus hit the table a little too hard while showing off his dance moves. When Ellis enters his and Mandy’s bedroom, he answers his work phone and is told he is needed at once. Ellis scrambles to get ready as quickly as possible and when he steps out of the room in his firefighter uniform, Mandy already has a work bag ready for him. He peeks inside to see bottles of water, some beef jerky, and what he assumes to be a ham and cheese sandwich. Ellis looks up at Mandy’s sad and worried face. Even though they’ve been married going on eight years, she still gets anxious when he gets called in like this. After Mandy and Ellis say their goodbyes, Ellis goes to say goodbye to Marcus. Ellis picks his son up and holds him as close as he can breathing in the scent he knows by heart. Ellis sets Marcus down and as he’s walking out the door, Ellis turns around and says to Marcus one final time that he’s not ready to take care of an animal.
Ellis stands frozen, his eyes fixed on the towering bodies of flame that seem to extend for miles. Australia always has wildfires this time of year but nothing like this. He has been working for days nonstop attempting to tame the flames but as soon as one fire is put out, another takes its place. Ellis has never seen this kind of destruction throughout his career as a firefighter. He stands there in the decimated field feeling helpless and exhausted, the smell of smoke being the only thing he’s able to register. Earlier in the day as he helped evacuate an entire town, he watched crying children cling to their panicked parents. Now, as Ellis is staring at the fires, he wonders how anyone will be able to stop this destruction. Himself along with the other firefighters are stretched thin, there are simply not enough resources or men to stop this disaster. Hours later, Ellis finally gets to return home, the first time in over two days.
When Ellis walks through the front door, Marcus immediately runs up to greet him. Marcus squeezes his father as tight as he can, coughing at the intense smell of smoke that seems to be baked into Ellis’ skin. Ellis pulls back from the hug and looks at his son, tears filling his eyes. Mandy walks up to her husband and son and notices the tears welling up in Ellis’ eyes. Mandy asks what’s wrong, causing Ellis to finally break. For the past couple days, he’s had to hold it together to not worry the already panicked civilians, he’s had to mask his own terror and project a composed demeanor. Ellis tells his wife about the destruction and how there is nothing he or the other firefighters can do about it. Marcus, hearing all this, looks up at his father solemnly. Marcus tells Ellis with sincerity shining through his eyes, that he can do anything, that he’s a hero. Ellis stares at his son who is calm and collected, a stark contrast between himself and his own chaotic state.
The next day Ellis returns to work with a newly found conviction. Ellis must end these fires for his family and for Marcus. Marcus may think of his father as a hero, but Ellis’ hero has always been his son. Countries from all over the world have sent supplies and men to aid Australia against the largest wildfire epidemic the country has ever seen. The extra help has a substantial impact, the fires begin to dwindle down and become more controllable. After another week of fighting the fires, the last one has been extinguished. Ellis stands there fatigued from nearly constant work, but triumph surges through him. The firefighters begin celebrating the end of the fires when Ellis spots a lone baby koala. It must have been one of the many animals whose habitat was affected by the fires. An idea springs to Ellis’ mind, he quickly excuses himself from his coworkers and calls his wife Mandy.
About an hour later, Ellis arrives at his front door, a wide smile on his face. Before he even gets the chance to knock, Marcus swings the door open and jumps into his father’s arms. However, there is something on Ellis’ back that blocks Marcus from being able to wrap around him. Marcus looks up at his father confused, but Ellis’ smile just widens. Ellis walks through the front door making eye contact with Mandy. Mandy gets Marcus’ attention by saying her and Ellis have noticed how much Marcus matured and how well he handled the disaster that was the fires. Confused, Marcus looks to Ellis who turns around to reveal a baby koala hugging his backside. Marcus’ eyes go wide, and he begins to cry, eventually he musters out the question of if it is his to keep. Ellis turns back around and gets to Marcus’ eyelevel looking him straight on. Ellis tells his son that he is the strongest person he has ever met and that he deserves everything in the world, even a pet koala. The two embrace and shed tears, thankful to have the other. After a moment Ellis pulls back and tells Marcus that there is more. Marcus stands there anticipating what more there could possibly be as Ellis grabs Mandy’s hand. Ellis tells Marcus that a foundation has been created to rehabilitate the vast number of animals that were wounded or left homeless as a result of the fires. The two tell their son that the name of the foundation is Marcus’ Haven, named after the little boy, who inspired his father to save the country from fiery inferno.
Works Consulted
“Australian Brushfires: Emergency Response to the Australian Bushfires.” World Wildlife Fund, https://wwf.org.au/what-we-do/australian-bushfires/.
Britton, Thomas, et al. “Australian Bush Fires 2019-2020.” 29th May 2020,
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9eb91298bd5d4760b19ace5940481d60.
