Gabriel Smargot was sitting quietly on the bus on the way to school. The book that his eyes were scanning was old and worn, for he had read and reread it many a time in all his fifteen years. Two older boys were yelling at each other at the back of the bus, using bad language. Upon hearing it, Gabriel’s brain was wrenched from the nineteenth century into the present year. His jaw tight and his teeth clenched, he repeated over and over a prayer he had made up for the many occasions in which God was offended.

“Dear Lord, for their sins, let me take the punishment. Save their souls and I will gladly die now, in whatever pain or anguish Thou wish to give me. Like Thy Blessed mother, make me love Thee, and make me feel sorrow for the sins committed against Thee. Like Thy martyrs, make me strong. Like Saint Sebastian, pierce me with arrows, arrows that shall build my treasure house in Heaven. Like Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, make me pure, and let me do Thy will.” Now he felt better. For some reason the two boys, so noisy before, were now silent.

Gabriel sat back in his seat and continued reading his favourite book. He was a quiet boy; moreover with no friends in school he kept to himself most of the time. He worked hard at his schoolwork and got by with fair grades.

Gabriel's parents had perished in a fire four years ago, and now an old friend of the family, Gemma Morten, was their guardian.

The eldest of the Smargots was John, a tall, young man of twenty-one, with black hair and dark eyes. He was the breadwinner for the Smargots. Next came Mary; nineteen-year-old Mary who was like a mother to them all. She helped Gemma manage the womenly affairs of the household and also brought in some money by working part time at a dairy farm.

The youngest of the pack was Suzanne, the "baby" of the family. She was fourteen. She and Gabriel were close companions and they had always done many things together throughout their childhood.

Gabriel, the second youngest of the family, closely resembled his brother in looks; however, where John was outgoing and had a sanguine temperament, Gabriel was shy and more melancholic. At fifteen he was embarking on the road to manhood. His first taste of real suffering was when his parents died. It was a hard blow on Gabriel, as it was for them all, but it also had an effect on him that the others didn't experience.

The fire occured when the Smargots lived in a house near the city. A tree that was on the Smargots' property had some branches that grew over the fence and almost touched the balcony on the house next-door. One day, after the summer holidays, when everything was quite dry and all the children were at school, the neighbors were on the balcony smoking cigarettes. Somehow the dry leaves of the tree were soon ablaze and the frightened neighbors called the fire brigade.

The tree conveyed the flames to the Smargots' house and soon the structure had caught. Mister Edward Smargot was cleaning out the basement and, absorbed in his work, didn't notice anything until the siren of the firetruck outside caught his ear. He was concerned at the alarm and ran up the steps. After opening the door, a wall of smoke and heat hit him.

He managed to get out the front door and, with his watering eyes, he made out a few firetrucks and firemen beginning their work. There was an ambulance too, in case it was needed. Also on the scene was a crowd gathering on the footpath at the other side of the road. Edward scanned the area for his wife and, after doing so, ignored the warnings of the firemen to dash back into the flaming house.

Inside, the smoke was getting thicker and hotter. Fumes of burning insulation and plastic choked the man as he stumbled through the house, calling his wife's name when he could.

Mrs. Anne Smargot was feeling a little sick that day so she was sleeping in her bed. She woke up hearing her name being called. Smoke and fumes immediately swept into the room as she opened the door. She called to her husband and began making her way to where she heard his voice coming from.

Finally they met in the living room. Edward grasped his wife's arms tightly and managed to say, "We have to get to out!"

The two of them had breathed in a lot of smoke and their throats were burning. Anne was now quite weak. "I'm not sure if I can make it." She whispered.

* * *

It was recess at school and the three youngest Smargots were eating their lunch together while John was with his friends. Suzanne saw a teacher approaching them. "Look, it's Mister Banks!"

Mister Banks said to Suzanne, "Run and tell John to come here; and you come back too." The urgency in his words scared the girl and she sped off. The teacher turned to Mary and Gabriel. "Your friend Gemma Morten, called and said you must come home immediately. I'm very sorry but there's a fire and I think it's destroyed your house. Mrs. Morten will be there to take you and your parents to her home until something can be worked out. I am terribly sorry, children. I'll drive you home myself."

John rushed up with Suzanne and as the children piled into Mister Banks' car they were told the crushing news.

As the car rolled up the Smargots' street, they were surprised to see the fire was still raging in the house. There were firemen and their equipment everywhere and a crowd of people gathered at the other side of the road. Just as Gabriel stepped out of the car, Gemma caught his hand. "Oh, children! They are trying to get your parents out. James is in there too!" The woman's face was full of fear.

Mary comforted her and said that the firemen would most likely get the Smargots out of the house and James Morten, Gemma's husband would be safe and sound. John, Gabriel, and Suzanne stood staring at their house as the flames enveloped it. The roaring of the fire and the crashing of axes; the yelling of the firemen and the spraying of hoses; it all compiled to make a deafening din and little Suzanne, being ten at the time, held John's hand fearfully.

When they saw Edward run back into the burning structure, the firefighters began to find a way into the house . Two of them, one of who was James Morten, had got in through the front door but burning debris was falling from the roof and they called back to the others not to come this way.

The Mortens were good friends with the Smargots and James knew the house well. The smoke made visibilty extremely low and he took the lead, fire extinguisher in hand. Not a minute had passed before they heard the crashing of axes as their fellow firefighters broke the glass in a window and made the window space larger. James came to the hallway; the roof had caved in at the other end and he prayed that his friends weren't in the room beyond. He turned to the door on his left. They weren't there. The room, seemed unharmed by the fire as yet.

They made their way down the corridor, eliminating the rooms they passed as empty, the condition of the rooms deteriorating as they came closer to the caved in area. There was only one more room before the end of the hall.

The wooden door frame on the side closest to the pile of now flaming debris was burning and red hot. James called out.

Nothing.

He shouted again. "Ed! Anne! Are you there?"

Still nothing.

James looked at the burning mass barely five metres away and then at the smoke filled room. He knew that he didn't have long to get out before the whole house collapsed. He prayed silently for some moments.

Mister Morten's companion, who had been spraying the burning areas with his fire extinguisher, jumped as the other end of the hall, from which they had come, fell into itself, blocking their path of retreat.

"Morten, we've got to find another way out! We can't stay much longer, she's going to cave in on us!"

The room in front of them was in a bad way and the firefighters didn't want to enter it unless necessary. James thrust his head in and called one last time. He was sweating from the heat, the pressure of knowing that he could be buried in burning debris in a few moments, and the worry for his friends.

James stood still for a few seconds and then, sadly, turned to find another way out. Suddenly his ears caught a strange sound. The two firemen rushed into the room where it came from; the one they had just given up on.

The smoke rendered their sight useless and they felt about with their arms as they made their way through the room, calling out continuously. Edward was lying beside the piano. The smoke had made his throat too swollen and dry for him to talk and he was too weak to walk out to the firemen, so, when he heard them calling, he struck the keys on the piano.

James found Anne close beside her husband and half carrying her, he helped her to her feet. The other fireman did the same with Mister Smargot and they slowly made their way out of the room.

Soon they had got into one of the bedrooms. The burning fumes and smoke weren't so bad in here. The two firemen grasped their small axes and set about chopping through the wall.

Meanwhile the Smargot children and Gemma stood outside. They were as close to the burning house as the police allowed. The other firemen had entered the house and found that it was slowly burning down. Some were outside and they set about containing and extinguishing the blaze at the side of the house where it had started.

Soon a splintering noise was heard as James and his companion finally broke through the wall with their axes. It was a desperate move as the whole structure was weakened already by the fire, but they had no other way of escape. Presently, they had produced a large enough hole in the wall for the firemen to carry out the Smargots.

Bits of ash and ember began to fall down on them and Mister Morten told his companion to carry out the unconscious Anne Smargot. Suddenly a booming crash was heard as part of the burning house fell into itself.

The Smargot children had made their way to the side of the house where Morten had cut through the wall. Firemen outside were trying to stop the fire from winning that side but it had already claimed it as its own. Finally, after some time of breathless anxiety, Gabriel let out a cry. Through the smoke his sharp eyes, watching closely, had caught a glimpse of someone inside.

The doorway had blocked up and the room felt like an oven. Morten looked grim. The roof was about to fall in and he knew it. "Alright Smith, it's now or never. We've got to make a dash for it! I want you to take the lead. Now listen to me, just run through and keep going until you've got her into an ambulance, you understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

Morten picked up Edward with a firemen's lift and carry. Smith did the same with Anne and they were ready to go. Morten counted down. "Three, two, one, GO!"

Smith ran like a man possessed and narrowly missed a burning beam as it fell from the ceiling. He wondered if it had blocked Morten's path or if he got through, but he kept on charging.

The beam had produced a barrier between Morten and the gateway to safety. He stared first at the flaming wood in front of him and the hole in the wall ahead.

A cheer went up from the onlookers as Smith emerged from the burning house and the Smargot children were rapt to see their mother out, but where were Misters Smargot and Morten?

Morten, stuck inside the collapsing room, called out. "Hey, we can't get out!" The other firemen came as close as they dared and continued to fight the fire, but it steadily blazed on.

"Morten, we can't get through, and the fire's not about to give up. You need to get through; you haven't got long!"

The Smargot children were close enough to hear James yelling and they pushed as close as they could. Morten's voice was heard again, hoarse and croaking. "I can't! I've got Smargot, but there's a burning beam. I can't get out!"

The firemen outside, hearing this, fought the fire all the harder. Others, among which was Smith, made desperate runs toward the hole, but flames now surrounded it. They wouldn't be able to get through without being badly burnt. There was a lot of yelling as the firemen encouraged Morten to try and get through. The people watching were making a commotion too and the Smargot children were shouting to James and their father.

Suddenly there was a loud creaking noise, like the sound a tree makes just as it begins to fall. One of the firemen screamed, "Morten!" And then, with a roar and hissing of flames, the whole thing toppled over.

In one voice the firemen let forth a mournful cry. John stared at the flaming mass where Morten and his father had just been. Mary, next to him began to sob and little Suzanne joined her. Gabriel was in shock. Ever since that moment, Gabriel developed a terrible fear of fire.

The Smargots' mother was rushed to the hospital and Gemma Morten called a priest who came to her that night. She had been badly burned and her lungs severely damaged. Anne passed away the next day.

Gemma, even after having lost her husband in the fire, became the guardian of the Smargot children and they had lived in a none too large house in the country up to the present time.

* * *

It was a Friday night when John drove up to the house and appeared in the doorway. "Okay, everyone, gather 'round. I've got something to tell all of you."

Soon his three younger siblings and Gemma were sitting at the dining table. John was pacing up and down. "I think that this may come as a bit of a shock to some of you, but I've already talked it over with Gemma."

The woman nodded her head, betraying no emotion through her face.

"Today was my last day at 'Gerry's Garage,' I no longer work there."

There was a gasp and a couple of puzzled faces. "You do have another job in line, don't you?"

John smiled. "Yes, you don't need to worry, Mary. You all know that I'm not bringing in enough at the moment, but now that I've got a new job we should be able to get along more comforatbly than we have been since the fire."

They were very curious now.

“The thing is, I have to be in Canada. I've got a job as Chief Executive Officer of Uncle Jerome’s company, J. Barthurg Cars.”

“He promised that he’d give you that job, didn’t he?” Said Suzanne.

“Indeed, he did, and he faithfully kept his promise and furthermore; now that I’ll be earning more money, we shall be able to send you, Gabriel, to the Catholic school in Louisiana!"

Gabriel’s face brightened, “A Catholic school?”

“Yes, I’ve already met the principal, a very nice priest. I’m sure you’ll like it there.”

“What about Mary, Suzanne, and Gemma?”

“I’m afraid that you won’t be able to see the girls and Gemma until the holidays when you can come back home. Of course, when I get time off work I'll come down from Canada.”

Gabriel and the girls hid their sad feelings from their beloved brother. They knew it was a big sacrifice for him to leave just as they, too, would miss him.

“I would love to go to a Catholic school!” Said Gabriel brightly.

“Thanks, Gabe, I know it’s hard.”

Gabriel nodded.

Suzanne couldn't help but be a little scared at the prospect of going to school alone. "So I'll have to keep going to school here...without Gabriel?"

"Well," said Gemma, "I've been thinking over it and, I've still got a lot of my old books. Mary and I are going to see if we can homeschool you. You know I think it will be better for you. Gabriel will get a better education if he goes to the school, though."

John's face held a questioning smile. Suzanne answered with a delighted look. "Hah!" John was beaming now, "Well that's all settled then. Let's celebrate tonight; I swung into town and bought some stuff. Suzanne, put the kettle on; we'll have hot chocolates! Gabe, go outside and in my ute you'll find a bag of goodies. Bring it in."

That night was a happy yet sad one. They put on happy faces and made a good show of it, but all of them knew that soon the little family would be seperated.

They retired for the night after they had eaten and prayed the Rosary. Gabriel sat down on his bed and sighed. He was excited to think that he would be going to a Catholic school, but sad at the fact that he had to leave his home and family. His eyes scanned the room until they rested upon one of his picture hangings. “Our Lady of Sorrows, help me bear mine!”

* * *

Apart from missing his family, Gabriel enjoyed his time at " Saint Ambrose Catholic School" immensly. One of the friends he had made, Anthony Mackintosh, was just leaving Gabriel's room. “Well thanks for card games, Gabe, it was good fun."

“Thanks, Anthony, goodnight, and God bless.”

“You too!” And the other boy walked down the hall and into his own room.

Gabriel cleared the small table in his room, said "goodnight" to his roommate, and got ready for bed.

The next day he awoke to the morning bell. Time to get up for school. He jumped out of bed, said his prayers, and got dressed, ready for the day ahead. Suddenly his heart skipped a beat. He smelt smoke. He told himself that it was just the wood heater downstairs being lit. The odour grew stronger, however, as did his anxiety. At length he decided to investigate and put his mind at rest.

That old fear kept coming over him and he prayed, trying to keep it at bay. After reaching the bottom of the stairs, the boy sniffed the air, wondering what to make of it. Once again, he was frightened, but this time by the fire alarm. So it wasn't just the heater.

For a moment, Gabriel stood poised with one foot on the last step and the other on the floor. His mind was in a whirl. On one hand his fear and his mind were urging him to immediately run outside. On the other, there were some belongings in his room he didn't want to lose, especially the family photo with his parents and also his holy pictures. He was still in conflict with himself when three boys rushed down the stairs and outdoors. Gabriel abruptly made up his mind and ran as fast as he could back up the stairs.

Outside, there were already two of the priest teachers and a couple of boys. Bit by bit the building was slowly being evacuated. One of the priests dropped to his knees and began praying aloud; he was soon joined by the rest of the company. Every now and then one of the men or boys invoked a Saint or Our Lady under different titles and soon it sounded like a litany.

"St. Lawrence,"

"Pray for us!"

"St. Joan of Arc,"

"Pray for us!"

"Our Lady of Guadalupe," said the Mexican student.

"Pray for us!"

"St. Dominic Savio,"

"Pray for us!"

"St. Patrick," A redhaired boy added.

"Pray for us!"

"St. Thomas Aquinas,"

"Pray for us!"

"Our Lady of Pepetual Succor,"

"Pray for us!"

"St. Gabriel of Sorrows," Anthony Mackintosh murmured, knowing his friend's devotion.

"Pray for us!"

Anthony began searching through the pack of men and boys, looking for his friend. The prayer continued and the voices increased in quantity as time passed. Now flames could be seen at the other side of the building.

Presently the principal, Father Bartello came hurrying through the door, pushing two boys ahead of him.

"I think everyone's out. Anyone call the fire brigade yet?"

One of the teachers nodded. "Yes, Father Davidson just left to go to the phone box down the road."

"Very good. Now I'm going to do a roll call. Please listen out for your name, everyone."

The crowd of about a dozen men and boys gathered around him.

"Father Zallar?"

"Yes."

The prinicpal ran through a number of names, and each was answered.

"Anthony Mackintosh?"

"I'm here, but, Father, I can't find Gabriel Smargot!"

"Gabriel Smargot?"

Nobody answered

"Gabriel!" Yelled Father Bartello. The boys looked around at each other, but he was no where to be found. "Oh no." Groaned one of the boys. Father Zallar, a young priest from Australia who was the boys' History teacher, set off at run towards the burning building. Anthony began to follow him but was caught by Father Dalton. "You're not going in there, Father Zallar will get him out fine. You can help by praying."

Father Bartello continued calling out names.

* * *

Gabriel had run back up to his bedroom and quickly grabbed his rucksack, throwing in his family photo and a couple of his favourite holy pictures. He glanced across at his roommate's bed and was glad to see it empty. Then, slinging the bag onto his back he hurried out through the corridor.

He almost bumped into one of the boys, Louis Clifford, or Cliff, as everyone called him. Cliff had just opened the bathroom door. "Morning, Gabriel." He said cheerfully. Gabriel, very nervous at being in a building where there was an unchecked fire was surprised at how casual and calm Louis was. "Cliff, did you hear the alarm?"

Louis stopped combing his wet hair in front of the mirror, and turned to the other boy. "What?"

Gabriel nodded. "Come on, we have to go. The fire alarm went off; can't you smell the smoke?" Cliff sniffed the air. "Goodness! We better get out of here, then."

The two boys hastened down the hall and soon came to the flight of stairs. Gabriel, in feverish hurry began running down at an unreasonable speed, accidently giving Cliff a hard nudge on the way. Cliff, caught off balance at the head of the stairway, fell forward, smashing his right knee hard on the fifth step down. He cried out in pain and Gabriel turned about and took in the situation in horror. "Cliff, what's wrong?"

Cliff held the sides of his leg and rocked side to side. "Wouch, I think it's broken."

"Oh, Saint Gabriel, help us!" Gabriel knelt down on the step below and, with a grimace, he began to pull the leg of Cliff's pants up. Louis started with pain and put his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Thanks, Gabe, but neither of us know what to do. You better get out of here; the fire's coming."

Heat was coming from the other side of the building and the smoke was able to been seen now. Gabriel wiped the sweat from his forehead. His heart was thumping and he wanted to leave the building as soon as possible, but he knew he couldn't leave Cliff inside alone.

"I'm going to help you out." Gabriel muttered, half to himself. Before anything could be done, like music to their ears, the boys heard Father Zallar's voice. "Gabriel Smargot!"

"Father! Thank the Lord you're here. Cliff's hurt his knee. We're up the stairs." Replied Gabriel.

The boys waited as they heard the tapping of the priest's shoes while he hurried up the stairway. Once upon the scene, the priest showed Gabriel what he wanted to him to do. "So what we're going to do is called the human crutch, okay. You right to do this, Gabriel?"

Gabriel was all but trembling now. Whenever he thought of the fire he was absolutely terrified. His breathing was faster now but he nodded to his teacher. "I'll do my best, Father."

The priest stood in thought for some moments. "Okay then, boys, let's do this!" A quick prayer and they began descending the stairs, Cliff with one arm leaning on the other two.

As they came to the doorway Gabriel stopped. "Father, can you take Cliff the rest of the way? I just realized, I left my bag on the stairs."

A frown furrowed Father Zallar's brow. "We'll be fine, but hurry Gabriel!"

The boy turned and ran, post haste, to retrieve his pictures and the priest helped Cliff outside and into the welcome hands of the other boys and priests.

"Where's Gabriel?" Asked Father Bartello, a worried look on his face.

"Not far behind me. He should be out within the minute, but I'll go back and make sure, just in case." Father Zallar replied as he turned to the fast burning building once again.

Gabriel grabbed his rucksack and was soon back at the door. He breathed a sigh of relief as he grasped the knob. He pulled, but the door wouldn't budge. He tried a few more times then stood a few feet back to see if anything was obstructing it from opening. He saw the knob go up and down and heard Father Zallar's voice. "Gabriel! Are you in there?"

"Yes, Father. The door's jammed, I can't open it!"

"Hang on, step back for a bit."

Gabriel stood still and heard the door crash when Father Zallar's shoulder hit it, but it still held shut. The History teacher gave up after a few more attempts. He instructed Gabriel to go out through another door and then went around the outside of the building.

To his horror, Gabriel found that the back door too had jammed shut. After tugging and pushing for some time, the boy heard Father Zallar's calm voice once again.

"Gabriel, everyone's out here except you and Taylor. You're not bound to do this under obedience, but none of us can get inside and no one knows when firefighters will arrive. You're the only one who can look for him and help him out if he's hurt. You understand me, Smargot?"

Gabriel gulped and took a deep breath. "Saint Gabriel, please help me conquer my fear of fire. If only so I can keep Henry from harm." He looked up, determination triumphing over the fear in his eyes. "I understand, Father. Please pray for me, and God willing, I shall see you soon."

"God speed you, boy!"

Gabriel searched all through the downstairs rooms of the building but couldn't find the boy. Father Zallar had said that the fire was on the roof. It took all of his courage for Gabriel to smother his fear and go back upstairs. "Taylor! Where are you Henry?"

It was hotter in the higher storey and the crackling of fire could be heard. It reminded Gabriel of the fire he had seen destroy his old home along with his parents. His hands were shaking as he opened door after door. "Henry, come on!"

At last an answer reached Gabriel's ears. It came from not far ahead. The shadow of flames danced on the wall at the end of the corridor and the smoke was much thicker here. Gabriel called out once again as he turned the corner and, to his surprise, saw Henry on the floor in the middle of the hall. "What are you doing here?"

Henry Taylor, a boy of thirteen, looked glad to see him. "I fell off my bunk and hurt my leg. The others had already left. This is as far as I got."

Gabriel scratched his head, wondering what to do. They couldn't wait until the firemen came and rescued them; then it might be too late. Henry was rather weak from inhaling the smoke so when they tried the human crutch as Father Zallar had showed Gabriel, it wasn't good enough. Gabriel thought hard. Then he remembered something.

He had watched closely the fire that had killed his parents. He could see the fireman pick up his mother and hold her on his back. So vivid were Gabriel's memories of the whole thing that he could recall every motion of the fireman as he had rescued his mother. He went through the movements, picking Henry Taylor up and within a few seconds stood up with the boy laid across his shoulders.

Gabriel then walked back the way he had come and turned into his own room. There he opened the window the whole way. It was a very large area and, thankfully, with an effort he could get through with Henry on his back. Gabriel wanted to get out as fast as possible, but he knew he needed to take his time otherwise he or Henry might get hurt.

Soon he was out the window and stood on the fire escape. He walked down a flight of steps and stopped at the landing. After a quick breather, Gabriel set of slowly down the next flight of steps. Finally they were at the bottom.

Gabriel looked up and saw the flames roaring two storeys high. He was scared but not terrified. He felt gladdened by this. "You right, Henry?"

Taylor's leg was hurting him but he tried to ignore the pain. "All good, Smargot."

"Good, now let's take you to the Fathers and they'll call an ambulance."

Before long the two boys were picked up by the firefighters, who had just arrived. Henry gave Gabriel a grateful smile as the paramedic taped an ice pack to his strained calf muscle. Fathers Zallar and Bartello came up to the boy. "Gabriel, we understand that you have a great fear of fire and that was a very couraguous thing you did in rescuing Henry. We just want to let you know that we are very impressed and hope that you may show the same spirit in fighting any temptations that come your way in the future."

Gabriel thanked them for their praise. "Actually, you know something? The fear is gone now. I can think about fire without it coming back. I realize now that God is protecting us and, as long as we are in the state of grace, unless He wills it, nothing can truly harm us."

Father Zallar smiled. "Thanks be to God. Now, I reckon we should think about booking some rooms in a hotel for these boys, right, Father?"

"Of course. Please excuse me."

And Father Bartello left the two alone.

Gabriel turned to his History teacher. "Father, I prayed to my patron, Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, before and I think he cured me of my fear."

"That is likely, Gabriel, perhaps one day you might give your life to God as he did, hey?"

Gabriel smiled. The priests were always urging the boys to consider the priesthood as their path in life.

"Well, I never really thought seriously about it, to tell you the truth."

"There's a great need for priests, Gabriel. Many Catholics today go without the Sacraments for long periods of time because our numbers are lacking." Said the priest, gravely.

Gabriel nodded slowly. "Father, I shall pray about it."

After Father Zallar left, Gabriel found himself praying his prayer.

"Dear Lord, for the sins of the world, let me take the punishment. Save their souls and I will gladly die now, in whatever pain or anguish Thou wish to give me. Like Thy Blessed mother, make me love Thee, and make me feel sorrow for the sins committed against Thee. Like Thy martyrs, make me strong. Like Saint Sebastian, pierce me with arrows, arrows that shall build my treasure house in Heaven. Like Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, make me pure, and let me do Thy will.”