Lady Bird
The Fire
The roof of the house was ablaze, thick black smoke billowing from the eaves and windows as a crowd began to grow. The air was thick with the smoke, choking anyone who stood too close to the once beautiful home.
“Where are they?” One woman shouted hysterically, shoving her way through the crowd, tears streaming down her face, clothes rumpled and stained. “Thomas! Maggie! Ann!”
“Mama! We’re here!” a young boy cried from the far side of the crowd.
The woman rushed in the direction of the voice that had called her, in the direction of her children. Relief overwhelmed her as she fell to her knees and crushed Thomas and Maggie to her tightly, “Where is Ann?”
“We don't know,” Maggie cried burying her little face into her mother's shoulder. “We were playing and she wouldn't come out of her hiding spot! Mama, we couldn't find her.”
Dread overtook the young mother as she dislodged herself from her two eldest children, “ANN!” She screamed as she jumped to her feet and ran towards the burning house, fully intending to search it from top to bottom even if it meant dying in the process.
As she would have broken through the crowd arms surrounded her, restrained her, pulled her back into the crowd. She kicked her feet into the air, struggled against the people holding her back.
A loud crack resounded through the air as the roof caved it, the porch falling into a pile of burning wood, sending bright red embers and black smoke billowing higher. “My baby! I have to save my baby,” she sobbed hysterically, still trying to pull away from the group as grief overcame her.
“It's too late Ms. Bird... It's too late,” she was told over and over as wailed louder and the fire grew wilder.
“Where are they?” One woman shouted hysterically, shoving her way through the crowd, tears streaming down her face, clothes rumpled and stained. “Thomas! Maggie! Ann!”
“Mama! We’re here!” a young boy cried from the far side of the crowd.
The woman rushed in the direction of the voice that had called her, in the direction of her children. Relief overwhelmed her as she fell to her knees and crushed Thomas and Maggie to her tightly, “Where is Ann?”
“We don't know,” Maggie cried burying her little face into her mother's shoulder. “We were playing and she wouldn't come out of her hiding spot! Mama, we couldn't find her.”
Dread overtook the young mother as she dislodged herself from her two eldest children, “ANN!” She screamed as she jumped to her feet and ran towards the burning house, fully intending to search it from top to bottom even if it meant dying in the process.
As she would have broken through the crowd arms surrounded her, restrained her, pulled her back into the crowd. She kicked her feet into the air, struggled against the people holding her back.
A loud crack resounded through the air as the roof caved it, the porch falling into a pile of burning wood, sending bright red embers and black smoke billowing higher. “My baby! I have to save my baby,” she sobbed hysterically, still trying to pull away from the group as grief overcame her.
“It's too late Ms. Bird... It's too late,” she was told over and over as wailed louder and the fire grew wilder.