A Beautiful Disaster

PRESENT, 2023

I can still remember how that happened; it's already been 3 years, but my heart still aches.

I lost him, I lost my love, I lost my life, My everything.

I look at the Volcano who's now erupting in front of me.

"You're a beautiful disaster. Yet, It hurts to see you."

PAST, 2020

"By the power vested in me by the state of Filipino Catholic Ministries. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the~" The priest got interrupted when the ground starts shaking.

People starts to panic, and every kid starts to cry. "The Volcano is erupting, look out!" I look at the volcano that's now flowing its lava.

People starts to run and I tumbled with their stampede. Shouting, Crying, That's all what I hear. People don't even care if they are stepping on other people. They just want to save themselves.

I look at my muddy wedding gown. It's beautiful, but it looks a mess now. Shoeprints are everywhere. I look at volcano, which's aggressively putting out its lava.

'I gotta move. I need to look for my husband.

I strip my gown and I start to run. "Ernest, Where are you?" I shout. "Ernest!"

There are so many unconscious people around me. I think some of them are dead.

"Mom, Dad, Ernest, Where are you!?" I start to panic when I saw the lava getting closer to us.

I hear my dad shouting. "Isabelle, We're here."I saw him holding my mom while she's sipping her inhaler.

"Are you both okay?" I worriedly ask. They just nodded at me and starts to look around. "Where is your husband?" I start to panic when I realize.

"I don't, I don't know." I start running when I heard a man groaning. "Isabelle, get back here!" Dad shouted. But I didn't listen.

I start to run near the foot of the volcano and there I saw my man unconscious while a huge tree is above him.

"Ernest, love, What happened to you?" I hysterically ask. I saw him trying to put away the tree but it's too heavy. His feet is underneath.

"Isabelle, get away from here." I start to help him but the tree is really heavy.

"No, I can't leave you here. I don't want to." I cried. I tried my best to lift it but it's really too huge for me.

"Anybody help! Help us!" I start to panic when I saw the lava getting closer to us.

"Ernest, Let's get out of here." I saw him struggling but I really can't do anything.

"Isabelle, just leave me here. always remember that I love you and our child, okay?" He cried.

I shook my head and start to lift the tree again. "No, No, I can't leave you here. Baby please." I saw him smiling while his tears are flowing.

"Isabelle save yourself and our baby for me, I love you so much, Mi amor." He push me and I saw him getting swallowed by the huge flow of lava.

"No!" I tried to go to him but my dad already hold me and run. "No dad, We need to save Ernest. Let's go back, please!" I plead but he didn't answer. He just hold me so tight and tried to run away to the lava who's now getting closer to us.

"Ernest, I love you more." I whisper in the wind.

PRESENT, 2023

"Mom, The lava is getting closer. Let's evacuate." Say by my child, I saw him holding our GO bag and our dog, Kofi.

I help him hold our things and I carry him. We tried to help other people and we go to the nearest evacuation center.

There, I saw a lot of people crying and feeling hopeless. Worrying to their love ones who got left in the foot of the Volcano.

I look at my child who's now looking at his father's picture. "I miss daddy, mommy. I hope he survived the last volcanic eruption." He cried. I hug him and look at the people around us.

"Daddy is so proud of you baby, You survive and help other people. He's probably smiling in the heaven now."

What happened three years ago made me grieve so bad. I lost the love of my life, I lost my everything. But when our child is born, I start to feel alive again. It made me stronger. thinking that whatever happens in the future, our child is there. Ernest may be dead, but my love for him is always here.

I look at our baby who's now sleeping soundly in my chest. "Mommy and Daddy, loves you so much." I whisper.

THE END.