Letter from WILDFIRE the DRAGON. By Liz Spowart
During the year, there were a few contests on St Francis Today, and the article below was the winner of the writing contest. Part of the prize was that it would be published in Wildside TIMES.
T
o the people of Cape St Francis, St Francis Bay and the Greater St Francis area. My name is Wildfire the Dragon… I was born on the 23rd of January 2016 in Sea Vista. I remember my mother was wearing red and yellow, and we were at a rally in the township. Eish, but me, I was not planned. I was an unwanted baby, born on the grass at the side of the road; my mother left me there and ran away. I was all alone, and a few of you already tried to kill me. You thought I was dead. But while I was scared and small, I was still warm and dry, and that is when you underestimated my power… Some of you looked at me as you drove past, but you did not stop to kill me. Your apathy let me live. So that night, I grew, and I grew fast. I still had no name; I was still just a fire. But I had a game… already I could be seen from far and wide. I glowed in that Saturday night sky, getting bigger and stronger by the hour, and still, you did not recognise me. Still, you did not want to know about me. On Sunday, when I had grown big and strong, I went through the farms and back to your village. Only then did some of you see me for who I was; only then did you begin to challenge me. But it wasn’t enough for me. So that night, I crossed the road to Cape St Francis. By then, I was enormous, ubiquitous, big enough to fight you from every direction. Like a ninja, I attacked you at night. I was everywhere. I tried to break into your houses and scare your children; I blew fire in your gardens and roofs; I filled your lungs with smoke and your eyes with ashes. I wanted your full attention. I took it out on Rebelsrus; I didn’t mean to do so much damage. I was a raging inferno, and things got out of hand. I was wild with anger, hungry and looking for attention. I did send smoke signals to warn the animals; I’m sorry tortoises don’t run fast (it seems to be a design fault), and everyone knows snakes don’t listen well. But most of the animals were clever enough and fast enough. They have instincts. They saw me coming, and they did not hesitate, they did not take pictures, they did not pack… They just left. But you… You did not leave. So, on those days and nights, you felt my anger, witnessed my hunger, and heeded my need for attention. I got lots of attention after that! I felt like I was on the red carpet. You were all in awe of me, your faces glowing in the heat of my radiance. You were screaming and shouting, climbing on roofs to get a look at me. You were taking pictures of me and filming me from every angle, like the paparazzi. You were all talking about me, and that really built my confidence. I was on the TV, in the newspapers, and all over social media. I was in a firing
The big fire that raged through St Francis Bay in 2012 took out 77 houses. It was thought to be started from a braai that jumped onto thatch. The howling westerly saw the flames engulf the village, but it eventually blew itself out when it reached the sea.
frenzy; you made me feel like the rocky coast star. But I definitely had you scared; I scared you so much that you named me…. I was Wildfire the Dragon…. I was a wicked, firebreathing monster of staggering proportions. I grew bigger and bigger. The more I braaied, the more I ate; it was like hell kitchen out there. I got fat and greedy and fast. You’ve got to admit I gave you a good fight, a taste of war, and made you stand up together and be counted. I tested you hard, over and over. Grovesnor CSF regiment. Hats off to you; you boys are a credit to the CSF force; it was like special ops down there, undercover tactics, spies and secret communications. The camaraderie was outstanding; you boys are tight! You had allies, old friends and local knowledge; you had ex-military, airforce, anonymous arms suppliers and vigilante troops. You had it all! Everyone was representing CSF; one night, your secret agents tried to lure me in with my twin flame. What was her name again? Miss Backburn… Oh wow, she was big, beautiful and smoking hot. I almost fell for her when you sent her after me. Night after night, you tried to beat me into the ground; you even drove me underground. But I kept escaping your clutches and jumping up again. I threw shots from the east and west; I loved catching you by surprise. You never knew where I was coming from. For 8 long days, I pushed you hard. Night after night, under darkness, I tested your patience, boundaries, and airfield; hey, I even melted your boatyard. But you didn’t back down; you stood firm against me, shoulder to shoulder, and defended your
