The wailing of sirens sliced through the night's ringing silence. A silence that could have been peaceful, but for the house on flames.


I had stared, numb, as a couple of paramedics checked my body for injuries.


The blast of water from the firetruck had done zilch to quench the fire at first. It just kept on burning and burning. Something crashed inside, and the fire glowed brighter.


Sure, my stuff was burning in there. It would be hard to start a new collection of DC figurines, but that wasn't what froze me by the feet when I stepped into the front yard, minutes after a neighbor had called the fire department.


While I'd just helplessly stared at the burning house.


My parents were in there, and they hadn't been found.


A hesitant 'yet' came into mind.


A suited fireman had put on a gasmask and gone in, and, might I just input that he's a really good hope-crusher.


But my mind had pretty much resolved to that ending already. ...