Melanie - Preface

Smoke. It was everywhere. It was getting hard for me to breathe now. My lungs were aching and I was sure I wasn’t going to make it. My dad rushed me forward, pushing open the front door and finally a rush of cold wind blew on my face.

By now I was coughing like mad. We were out in the front yard. Beside me, my father told me to take in deep breaths and to stay away from the house while he went inside to get my mother.

I mutely obeyed him and waited for both my parents to come out. But they never did.

Only seconds after my dad went in, there was a huge explosion and the whole house was aflamed.

I stood there. Just stood there. I didn’t cry, I didn’t move. I simply stood there looking at my house burning down with my parents inside.