I can hear the world burning.

I can hear the world burning. I don’t know why I can hear it either. I don’t have any superhuman powers. I’m just a man, with a man’s ears, and no ears can physically hear the sound of the earth burning. I know this because my father was my high school physics teacher. He loved to teach everyone, no matter the age, the way the world worked. He was all about the science. So I’m sure everyone will agree with me that I should not be able to hear the world burning. Yet, no one disputes that I can hear it. I’ve been hearing it since I was nine. <br><br>The first time I heard it was from the oven at school. I was in the fourth grade and our class had to bake the traditional sugar cookies for everyone at Christmas. My teacher assigned me to the electric oven and my friend Jake was assigned to the gas oven. He could smell the gas and we both agreed it would be funny if he just blew the whole school. We had both seen Zombieland and thought it would be hilarious to watch the world burn. So Jake turned on the gas and lit it. That was when I heard the sound for the first time. It was like the flame was whispering to me, trying to make its way inside my brain. It started as a soft hum, but quickly turned into a growl. That was when Jake noticed the flame, and quickly turned off the gas. When he did the growl stopped, and I could only hear the hum again. I started to laugh because of how funny I thought the situation was. But what followed would prove to be the most pivotal moment of my life.<br><br>Jake noticed I was laughing and asked why. I told him I liked watching the world burn. I told him he made the stove flame growl at me like it was mad. Jake corrected me and told me it was the gas and not the flame. That’s when I realized I was actually hearing the flame. I told Jake that the flame was growling and that’s why I was laughing. Jake thought I was joking and I realized why he did. I had always thought the way I heard sounds was the way everyone else did. Jake’s confusion told me otherwise. Jake didn’t hear the sounds I heard. No one else heard the sounds I heard. Jake didn’t laugh at my joke, he instead looked at me with confusion. <br><br>Jake, “What do you mean it was growling?”<br><br>Me, “It was growling like an animal. But it was whispering to me, trying to get inside my head.”<br><br>Jake, “So the stove was talking to you?”<br><br>Me, “I guess, but not with words, just sounds. You know how sometimes zoo animals let out a weird screech? It sounded like that but it wasn’t so loud.”<br><br>Jake, “Then why did you laugh?”<br><br>Me, “Because I thought it was funny. I thought it would be funny to watch the school burn.”<br><br>Jake, “Yeah well, I guess that’s true.”<br><br>Jake didn’t seem to care about my new revelation. I didn’t press the issue, but I did think about it for the rest of the day. I had always thought I heard things the way everyone else did until Jake told me I didn’t. I started to think about all the times I had heard sounds throughout my life that seemed strange to me. I had to relearn what the world actually sounded like, so I started to listen. <br><br>I listened to everything. I listened to my friends, enemies, teachers, and family. But most importantly, I listened to Jake. Jake was my best friend. It was him and me against the world. We were brothers from another mother. Jake thought like I did, so he should hear like I do, right? I had to test my hypothesis. The next time we were at Jake’s house I made my move. I turned on Jake’s stove in the kitchen, hoping to hear the sound again. I did. It was the same thing, a whispering screech that I couldn’t ignore. I had to hear if Jake could hear it too. So I asked. <br><br>Me, “Jake, do you hear that?”<br><br>Jake, “Hear what?”<br><br>It was then that I realized Jake didn’t hear the sounds I did. Jake looked at me like I was insane when I asked him. Jake didn’t hear like I did. I could sit here for hours recounting all the times I asked Jake if he could hear something, only to be disappointed. I asked Jake later in life to teach me how to hear like he did. He laughed and told me I couldn’t. I could only hear like me. Jake never judged me. Jake never thought I was an outcast. Jake never loved me any less. Jake was there for me no matter what. Jake was my best friend in the world.<br><br>As I grew older it became more apparent I had to be careful with who I told I could hear the flame. Kids would tease me, strangers would avoid me, and even my own family would stare at me. I had to keep my gift a secret. So I told no one but Jake. Jake would sit with me when kids wouldn’t let me sit at their lunch table. Jake would answer for me when kids asked me questions I couldn’t answer. Jake would sit next to me when we went on a bus and kids wouldn’t let me sit near them. Jake even fought for me when a kid asked me why I was acting so weird. Jake didn’t care that I heard sounds no one else could. Jake loved me like a brother. Jake was my brother. I guess I should say Jake is my brother now, because he’s still around, but Jake isn’t the same. <br><br>Jake used to be charming. Jake was always the best looking kid in the room. Jake was the kid every parent wanted to marry their daughter. Jake was the golden boy. Jake never had anything go wrong. Jake was perfect. Jake wasn’t even allowed to get a haircut that wasn’t perfect. Jake was so charming he could make the devil himself do his bidding. Jake wasn’t charming anymore. Jake was lucky if he got a haircut once a year. Jake was the opposite of the golden boy. Jake would be lucky if the devil even noticed him. Jake would be lucky if anyone even noticed him at all. Jake is nothing but a shell now. <br><br>Jake wasn’t always this way. Jake used to be the person everyone noticed. Jake used to be so charming every girl wanted him. Jake used to be the person I looked up to. Jake used to be perfect. You can probably guess what changed everything. If you can’t, it was the fire. The fire changed everything. When the fire happened Jake was still perfect. Jake was the boy every parent wanted their daughter to marry. Jake was the golden boy. Jake was at my house. That’s when it happened. Jake saw it. Jake saw the inferno. Jake saw the flame. It was too much for Jake to handle. When Jake looked into the flame Jake changed. Jake saw something inside the flame. Jake saw something that no one should see. <br><br>Jake says he can hear it now. Jake says the flame is whispering to him, trying to get inside his brain. Jake says he likes to listen. Jake says he likes watching the world burn. Jake isn’t Jake anymore. Jake is gone. Jake has been gone for eleven years now. Eleven years ago we were still in high school. I was 14 and Jake was 15. Jake was waiting for me to finish my homework so we could drive to the beach. Jake used to love the beach. Jake used to love anything that had an open flame. Jake used to love everyone. Jake used to love me. Jake had to wait for me to finish my homework first because I couldn’t drive yet. Jake had just gotten his license so Jake had to drive us. Jake had to drive us because Jake was the only one who could. Jake was the only one who could drive. <br><br>Jake was waiting for me to finish my homework so we could go to the beach. Jake was waiting in the living room when he saw it. Jake saw it thru the window. Jake saw it thru the window and Jake looked into its eyes. Jake looked into the eyes of the flame. Jake looked into the eyes of the inferno. Jake wasn’t Jake anymore. Jake never looked at me anymore. Jake never looked at anyone anymore. Jake looked at the flame. Jake looked at the flame thru his window. The flame was across the street. The flame was burning a house down. The flame was burning a house down and Jake could see it. Jake could see it thru his window. Jake could hear it thru his window. Jake could hear it whispering to him, trying to get inside his brain. Jake can still hear it to this day.<br><br>I should have stopped it. I should have stopped the fire. But I didn’t. I sat there frozen watching as the house engulfed itself in flames. I was frozen. I was scared. I didn’t want Jake to see. I knew what would happen if Jake saw. I knew what would happen if Jake heard. I knew what would happen to Jake if he saw it. Jake can’t handle burning buildings. Jake can’t handle big fires. Jake can’t handle the flame. So I tried to block Jake’s view. But Jake was too big. Jake was too strong. Jake was too charming. Jake could do whatever Jake wanted to do. So Jake looked thru the window, at the flame. Jake looked at the flame, as it engulfed the house in fire. Jake looked into the flame, as the house burned. Jake looked into the flame, at the inferno. I knew it was over. Jake wasn’t Jake anymore.<br><br>Jake isn’t Jake anymore. Jake can’t be Jake anymore. Jake looked into the flame