Sometimes You Can’t Help but Feel Like He Does These Things on Purpose
Materialized by Carter Lappin on Thursday, July 17th 2025.
When you come home you find him burning, standing in a bucket of water in your living room so as not to singe the carpet.
“I’m sorry,” he says, “I just can’t put it out.” Flames lick his arms and legs like an over- enthusiastic puppy. He’s broken the fire alarm with a broom— he hadn’t liked the noise.
You help him get to the bathroom, and turn on the shower before you’ll let him stand in the porcelain tub. The water makes the flames die for only moments at a time. His skin smokes and flickers, but it makes him cool enough that you can touch him and your fingers only come away a little red, not burned beyond repair.
“Sorry,” he says again, as ash goes down the drain.
“It’s alright,” you say. You sit on the closed lid of the toilet, still fully clothed and dripping, and hold his hand until you can’t anymore.
Carter Lappin (she/her) is an author from California. Her works of fiction have appeared in publications such as Brigids Gate Press, Air and Nothingness Press, and Manawaker Studio. You can find her on Twitter/X at @CarterLappin.
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