Stones of the Diamonds

"A fire, no, that just isn’t right!" Carine exclaimed, horrified. "No, that's not possible!"

"I can’t believe it, this just can’t happen!" I shouted back, more worried than ever.

"What are we going to do now, then?" my best friend cried. "Come on, Dalki, we have to warn our parents and friends! Oh, we have to warn Kori and Aero as well; they may not have heard the news yet!"

Just then, in the distance appeared a humongous blob of gray smoke. All the villagers were now in chaos outside and the tiny babies and children were hopelessly getting lost, crying in despair. All animals were loose, trampling on top of each other and going wild, puzzled at everyone's alert actions.

"Okay, Carine," I said firmly, bracing myself. "You run back and go get your parents; I'll go warn my mom and maybe she'll pass on the news about the fire to Kori and Aero."

Carine nodded hurriedly before hurrying off to her parents' bedroom. Meanwhile, I stood there, in my best friend's room, wondering how this had all happened so fast...and all unpredictably. I looked around the room, hoping to find a sign, or even the smallest clue that could tell me this was all a dream, no, a nightmare. Would my village, the home I’ve known forever, survive through the sinister forest fire? What would happen if the wildfire destroyed all the villagers’ homes? Was there hope at all?

Suddenly, I noticed a small something Carine had shown me just a few minutes ago. It was sitting there, all alone, forgotten, but still waiting to be opened and read or written in. One part of me actually wanted to stay and read the diary a bit, just wanting to find out who it belonged to. But I shook that ridiculous thought out of my head, just grabbed the book at lightning speed, and sprinted out of Carine's room, ran down the creaking steps, and jumped into my own house through all the screams, smoke, and chaos.

"Mom, where are you?" I screamed, jogging into her room. "There's a fire, a wildfire! No time to explain, Mom, we have to warn Kori and Aero!"

"Oh, Dalki!" my mom cried, rushing out from her room. "There you are, I was so worried about you! What if the fire had gotten to you? Then -"

"Mom, we have to warn the rest of the clan – including Kori and Aero! We have to put off the fire, and quick, or else the entire village will be destroyed!" I yelled desperately. “The elder Roundel announced it only a few minutes ago while I was over at Carine’s place; the fire might spread, and what if our village – our home – doesn’t survive? What will –”

"Okay, sweetie," Mom nodded, rushing outside, her dark hair swinging behind in a ponytail.

"Be careful!" I said right before her head disappeared out of the door.

I swiftly ran upstairs to my room, grabbed my favorite backpack, and threw in all my important belongings in there. After some clothes and books toppled into the bag, my stuffed turtle, toothbrush, a notebook and pen, my lucky strawberry charm, and finally, the mystery owner's diary were pushed in. I analyzed my room and all the neatly placed furniture for what might be the very last time – my comfortable, warm bed, neatly stacked books placed in cream-colored bookshelves, a few drawers and cabinets, all my clothing items, and also some of my collections of stones, leaves, and flower petals. With one last glance, I hurriedly packed a pair of sneakers into my almost-overstuffed backpack and departed my room.

In about a minute, I was downstairs, filling two large glass jars with cold water from the sink, bag slung over my shoulder. I was planning on using them to help stop the fire. I promptly ran out, carrying the two jars of water filled up to the brim, and stood in front of my house, watching the scenery outside for a moment.

An extremely large crowd of villagers were running around now, bumping into each other and screaming with terror, hoping to avoid the fire as quickly as possible. The animals were growling at each other, some wandering around the waterfalls, without a clue what on Earth was going on. Parents hurriedly picked up their children and fled as fast as they could from the smoke, which was now surprisingly heavy – the fire must have spread and increased.

As I turned to take a last look at my house, I tried not to imagine my home, the immaculate and wonderful place with so many unforgettable memories being burnt into ashes. I knew that the fire wouldn't reach the homes too fast since they were placed near the middle of the village along with the lake and waterfalls, but I was still very worried and anxious. I wondered, as I stood there, why the fire was happening in the first place. I, being thirteen years old, have lived in the village since as long as I could remember, and nothing this hazardous has ever happened. But what was this frightening fire happening all of a sudden? Was Carine safe and unharmed, or had the fire already gotten her? What will happen to Kori and Aero, as well as all the other villagers whom I’ve known like a family? So many questions there were, locked and filled with mysterious secrets, but not so many answers lay ahead.

Suddenly, I noticed the wise elder near the pond, staring at the smoke and fire in the distance. I was about to approach him for my questions and advice when he spoke as clearly and loudly as he could, "The fire is just too large. The enemy cannot be stopped, unless people are willing to sacrifice themselves and take the valiant risk. However, I do not want my people to get injured or see them in pain. Stay away from the fire! I repeat, stay away from the fire! Villagers, pass on the message to our clan: We have to flee from this area immediately!"