Page 2 of Ashes

The smell was so strong, I could almost taste it.

Why is it so warm inmy room?

I quickly pushed my blanket off my body and jumped down my bed. I walked to my door and reached for the knob, but when my palm made contact, I jumped back.

Ouch.

It burned me.

“Jamal!” This time it was Mom calling my name.

That’s weird. It’s Dad’s turn to take me to school this week. She should already have left for work.

I reached for the door again, but this time, I decided to use the sleeve of my pajama shirt to open it.

I opened the door fast, a loud thud resonating from it hitting the wall.

All at once, a large cloud of smoke poured into my room and the smell from before was now even stronger. My eyes started burning and I rubbed them forcefully, hoping it would help get rid of the burning sensation.

It didn’t, only made them sting more.

“Mama? Baba?” I shouted, confused.

I was barely able to see, but I tried looking toward where I heard my parents’ voices, only to see them running around the corner where their room was.

But they weren’t alone.

Bright waves of red flames were following closely behind them, closing in on them. Before I knew it, Baba reached for me and rolled me into the small blanket he was holding, then scooped me up into his arms. He held me tightly with one arm while his other hand reached behind for Mama’s hand.

I coughed, the smoke filling up my lungs and making it hard to breathe.

“It’s going to be okay,” Baba reassured me.

He bolted for the stairs at the other end of the hallway, but they seemed so far away.

The heat of the fire was so close.

I looked up into my father’s eyes, the harsh flames illuminating his deep brown skin. When our gazes locked, I noticed an expression I’d never seen there before.

Fear.

No, it couldn’t be. Baba wasn’t supposed to be scared of anything.

“I-I can’t breathe,” I cried through the fabric covering my mouth.

“It’s okay, baby. I’m getting us out, I promise,” my father choked out as we reached the top of the stairs.

He only made it down one step when a loud boom exploded behind us.

Then, suddenly, the ground below us was gone and all I could feel was the air being sucked out of my lungs as my body hit a hard surface.

My head was hurting. I couldn’t see anything through all the darkness surrounding me, couldn’t feel Baba’s tight grip around me anymore.

Where am I?

I tried to move, but I was tangled and wrapped up too tight into the blanket that I couldn’t get out.

“Mama? Baba?Finkoum?” My heart was beating fasterand I could feel hot tears rolling down my cheek. I wiggled around again, but there was something heavy on top of me.