Photo by cristian castillo on Unsplash

We Never Heard Them Coming

“I told you this was a bad idea!” he shouted.

She choked on her dismissive laugh and tossed the nearly empty bottle of lighter fluid onto the statue. We all wondered if that confederate general felt conquered by the heat of our determination as the flames licked his visage. Distracted by our strange fruit, we didn’t notice the troops until they surrounded us.

The smoke was blue and grey and smelled like a promise.