Oblivion

A Story by ME Barstow

An accident rips apart a young girl's life forever

Oblivion
There was a flash and everything I lived for was gone. My mother, my father, my sisters… gone. I lay crumpled in the ruins of what was previously my house, my hands still clutched around the cold arm of little Amelia. I had been trying to drag her from the blaze, but she was scared and won’t move. And then the house exploded.

I don’t know why I survived. Me, the oldest, delinquent child. Why not Amalie? She had a golden future; she was the brain of the family. Why not Amelia; my beautiful, angelic sister. Even I loved Amelia, and I didn’t like anyone. I pushed myself to a sitting position, gently closing Amelia’s sky-blue eyes and smoothing the soot out of her golden hair. Tears gently coursed down my pale cheeks. Soot and ash blackened my golden-brown hair, finally making it the black I’d so longed for it to be. I knew I’d never want black hair again, not after tonight.

The full moon shown mockingly above me, bathing the wreckage with a warm light as if to say ‘they’re all gone, Alana. They’re all gone and they’re not coming back. You’re alone now.’

“I’m alone now,” I whispered into the night. I touched Amelia’s cold cheeks one last time and got unsteadily to my feet and picked my way over the charred wood to where I estimated my parent’s room to be. I was right. They were both crumpled at the foot of their blackened bed frame though, like my sister, neither of them was at all burnt. My mother’s arm was thrust at an awkward angle toward the far wall of their room. My eyes followed where she was pointing and widened slightly. Maybe I wasn’t alone.

I moved to the cradle and moved aside the drapes lightly. A fine dust of ash fell out of the hangings, but the green eyes of my youngest sister twinkled up at me, as alive as I was. Shocked, I gently pulled Abigail to my chest, cradling her warm body. Warm. I was warm too. Well, actually, I was shivering from shock and the cruel wind blowing off the sea. I picked up Abigail’s blanket and wrapped her in it, holding her close again.

I didn’t want to try to find Amalie. She looked almost exactly like I did at her age, her hair more blonde than brown and her too big eyes an amazing shade of teal. I didn’t want to think of the wasted life. She wasn’t even in high school yet.

Through all the shock, it somehow registered my nail polish was chipping. Clutching my baby sister to my chest, I stumbled away from the ruins. Maybe one of our cars had survived. I doubted it. The ejaculation radius stretched ten feet around the house, charring everything. The skeleton of what had once been a car stood out against the barren landscape.

I tried to think, but thoughts escaped me. All I could think was ‘They’re all gone. Mum, Dad, Amalie and Amelia… They’re gone and they’re not coming back. And now I have an 18 month old baby to take care of.’ I needed to find shelter and soon or Abigail would freeze. I would think about everything else in the morning. Resolutely, I moved into the thick forest backing the remains of my house and the life I’d always known.

© 2008 ME Barstow

Author's Note

Please tell me what you think-- First draft

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Sapphire Balasquez

=OOO it's very dramatic, good at getting inside her head. it did seem short-lived, though, like it was meant to be longer. more description about how things happened. somehow i got confused as to whether the baby was dead or not... where's the girl gonna go now? what kind of life did they live? so many questions >.O it could definitely be longer. you portrayed the main character well, though. good start!!!