Cough, cough.
Mom, my throat hurts.
The air smells bad, full of ash.
I look out the window
red skies, dark clouds, everything is fading.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Mom says softly,
but my hands won’t stop shaking.
My chest feels heavy, my eyes are wet
Why does it feel like the world is falling apart?
“The fire’s close. We need to go.”
But I can’t move. My feet won’t listen.
I don’t want to leave my room
my books, my bed, my drawings.
Tears fall fast, my voice breaks.
“Why us, Mom? Why our town?”
Last summer, it was the neighbors.
The year before, the hills burned.
She hugs me tight, but I still feel cold.
“If we leave, will we come back?
Or will our home disappear?”
She opens her mouth but says nothing.
No answers, just sadness.
I see it in her eyes. She’s scared too.
She holds me closer. “We’ll be okay.”
But as the flames grow near,
as sirens scream and embers fly
I wonder how long it will be
before there’s no safe place left.
Written By:
Inaam Chattha
