Fire

I walked quickly toward our home after making a sketch of Mona Lisa. I had a feeling that something was wrong since morning. I walked cautiously toward our gate, grabbed the padlock, and slipped my key in to open it. I went into our creaky house and looked around.

Nothing was amiss. The house was still a mess and my sister was wiping the counters. Well, that was amiss, but that’s not the point. I took out a pitcher of juice and took out a glass. “ Hey. Take out the trash,” my sister said. I was not in the mood to argue so I left my juice and did as she asked.

As I walked out with a trash bag in hand, I heard people screaming and running. At first I thought there was a riot. Then I saw a large cloud of smoke. “ What’s that pretty red cloud doing there?” I asked myself. Then I realized that that was a cloud of smoke from a fire nearby.

My body went stiff. I was unable to look away from the smoke cloud approaching our home. I swallowed and in a deadpan voice said, “ Look, a fire.” Immediately, my sister went out and looked at the sky. We immediately knelt down and said a prayer, asking for protection and guidance on what to do.

As I opened my eyes, I immediately felt relieved. I felt no fear. We calmly called our parents in case that would be our last moments alive and then packed up a few necessities in case we needed to evacuate. The fire was soon put out and life went on as usual.

Bummer

The day was a bummer. Nothing seemed to be going my way. The internet had gone haywire and I had a bunch of projects due. I needed to get a bunch of stuff but I was broke. I almost got run over by a car and I had forgotten my phone and wallet at home.

I felt like screaming my head off. I needed to walk in the sizzling heat to get home and beg my mom for money. I had about an hour to get home to type an essay and print out our research paper. I sighed knowing that fretting over things would just make everything worse. I picked up my bag and began to walk.

It was so bright outside that I had to squint. Sweat was dripping from off my skin and my shoe kept falling off my foot. I cursed the loose shoe as it fell into the small hole in the road. I didn’t have time to do all this. Quickly, I snatched my shoe from the hole and continued my walk.

I crossed the street slowly. Suddenly, I heard the screeching of tires and a chorus of horns honking all around me. A large bus stood beside me. A guy on a motorcycle screamed obscenities at me as he passed. I screamed obscenities back at him as I walked on.

Finally arriving at our shop, I walked through the doors only to be met by the horrifying sight of the attendant accidentally slicing his finger and splattering his blood all over the floor. I sat in front of the spare computer, still recovering from the shock. I quickly printed out the research papers and the essay. After getting some money from my mother, I quickly got on jeep and headed to school.

Everybody was screaming when I arrived. They were picking up their bags and leaving in a hurry. Papers were scattered all over the hallways. I began to panic, thinking that there were terrorists in our school. I thought that the terrorist threats had finally come.

I stood there, speechless. Suddenly, a classmate grabbed me by the shoulders, screeching into my face as she shook me. I stared on in confusion. Then I realized what she was saying. “ Classes are canceled!”

Jeepney Ride

It was almost noon when I decided to go to school. My sister had already gone ahead since her class started at nine in the morning. I put my keys in my pocket and left. The sun was hot and I began to sweat as I walked toward the main road. The main road was wide, wider than the streets in my hometown. Large trucks, jeepneys, cars and motorcycles whizzed past me as I stared, trembling.

The road seemed clear enough for me to cross and so I began walking slowly toward the other side. Suddenly, every car, jeepney and motorcycle began to honk their horns at me. The sound irritated my ears and terrified me beyond comprehension. I wanted to run quickly to the other side but I knew that if I did I would be run over by a truck. I held in my breath and continued to walk forward.

I reached the other side of the road and got into a jeepney that would pass by the school. The inside was packed with various people and I wondered if I would be able to sit down. The jeepney began to move as I walked toward the only available space for me. I was grateful to be able to sit although I was gradually slipping off the seat.

The inside of the jeepney was like an oven and everyone inside was sweating like pigs. The woman beside me looked as if a bucket of water and oil had been poured all over her sleeveless shirt. The fabric was sticking on her fat rolls. Suddenly, the jeepney stopped to let another passenger on. Everyone moved to accommodate the passenger and I was squished between the sweaty fat lady and a man who kept sneezing.

I could feel the woman’s sweaty armpits rub on my shoulder, coating it with a layer of yuck. My eyes widened in disgust.  I tried to move away but I was stuck. Suddenly the man beside me sneezed and I saw something fly out of his nose. I turned toward him slightly and flinched.

Hanging on his nose was a string of snot. He made no effort to wipe it off. Instead he held his handkerchief close to his nose and waited for the snot to fall. The jeep began to move faster and I could see the snot moving toward me. I tried to move away and felt the lady’s sweaty armpit against my shoulder once again.

There was no escape. I sat in the jeepney, sobbing inwardly for my misfortune. When I finally arrived at my destination I quickly got off the jeep and rubbed some hand sanitizer on my shoulder. I was shivering as I crossed the road toward the school. I vowed to myself to never ride a jeepney alone. EVER.