The Fire Storm

• Jade Manuel, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2019

My name is Ash, this morning I woke up to a terrible fright…
CRASH! BANG! I jumped out of my bed as if a dog had just had its tail stepped on, I rushed into my parent’s room and went under their covers and huddled into a ball. “It’s ok” assured my Mum placing her hand on my back, “it’s just thunder.” Mum’s voice calmed my insides, like hot soup on a cold day. Within seconds another CRASH of thunder rumbled the sky like an earthquake, my dog Ross started barking as if he had just seen a flock of birds. “Ash, back to bed!” Yelled my grumpy Dad. I stumbled back to bed sleepily, as it was 2am. I fell asleep as fast as a baby.
“Ash, Ash!” I woke up again but this time Mum was shaking me. “What, is it?” I mumbled. “RUN TO THE CAR” yelled Mum panicking. “WHAT, WHY!?” My heart started racing, ‘thump, thump, thump’, what was going on? “The lightning has started a fire a kilometre away from us” my Mum said nearly crying. I ran out the door as fast as my feet could go without falling off. I could feel the fire on the tip of my fingers, it was getting closer, my heart was racing…
I woke up, I could hardly see, I was dizzy, I felt like I had just been on a round-a-bout for 24 hours straight. “Ash!?” Called a soft voice. I could only just speak, “Mum?” Mum put her hand on my forehead, my vision cleared up, then I sat up as slow as a turtle. We were in the car, driving away from the fire, my soul cooled down when I realised, I was safe, “What happened to me?” I asked. “You collapsed when the fire came within 30 meters, then Ross, your dog carried you out of the fire by your shirt!” Replied Mum. I love my dog. Suddenly my heart dropped, it started beating faster and faster, “WE LEFT THE DOG AT THE HOUSE! IS THE FIRE STILL GOING?!” I screamed, Dad turned the car around, the tires screeched, it sounded worse than fingernails down a chalk board. “YES, THE FIRE IS STILL GOING!” Dad yelled.
Within 15 minutes we were back home, I jumped out of the car, the fire was still blazing with rage, our house was starting to burn down, a piece of timber dropped onto the ground with a bang, I looked everywhere for my dog calling his name, “Ross, Ross”, when suddenly I heard yelping coming from a timber pile. I saw his head poke out from the pile, I jumped over the fire. “ASH NO!” Called Mum concerned, but I would do anything for my dog, another piece of timber dropped, but I managed to free him from the pile, I put him in my arms and escaped from the fire, “I love my dog Ross.”