Ashes and Daydreams

Chapter 1: Daydreaming

I thought back to the way life was before. When we could see the sun. When we could breathe. I lived with my sister, Anna, my mom, my dad, and my cat, Pounce.

Our life was normal. We lived in an apartment in Milwaukee, by Lake Michigan. Every morning we'd wake up and see the great lake from our window. We'd watch sailboats and motorboats sculpt the waves on the horizon.

We'd watch the extravagant white wings of the art museum unfold when the weather was nice. Sometimes, we'd rent a sailboat and go out on the lake, Mom, Dad, Anna, and I. My sister and I went to a public school in a suburb. Dad would drive us to school every morning, and pick us up every afternoon.

One day, we recieved a call. It disrupted our normal life. And maybe, if we'd never have gotten that call, out life would still be normal.

I remember my mom, who answered the phone. She sat down on the couch next to Anna and I, her eyes glistening with tears. "It's your grandmother," she said softly. "Nanna, the one who lives out in Wyoming. She had a heart attack. Your father and I need to go visit her for a while. Aunt Lindsey will watch you while we're away. We're not quite sure how long we'll be gone yet, but we're leaving tomorrow morning. Aunt Lindsey will drive us to the airport, and then she'll come here."

I had so many questions. Why did they both have to leave? Why wasn't Aunt Lindsey leaving instead; she didn't have any kids. Was Nanna going to be okay? Was she going to die?

I spent that night thinking about Nanna. I only saw her once a year, and that was every Christmas. We made the trip out to Wyoming every year to meet up with the rest of the family. We used to live out there, too. Dad, being a freshwater ecologist, studied the deep lakes and intriguing geysers of Yellowstone National Park. We moved out here so Dad could study what he always dreamed of studying--Lake Michigan. He was always fascinated by the Great Lakes, and in the summer, we'd travel to the other ones, too.

I had a feeling that Dad wasn't just leaving to take care of Nanna, he was leaving as part of his job, as well.

That morning, Mom and Dad left. Anna and I entertained ourselves by watching cartoons and gazing out the window at the lake. We watched the boats slowly move through it and the airplanes fly over it, and I imagined Mom and Dad on one of those airplanes.

And then, there was an emergency news broadcast, and the cartoons stopped.

"What's happening?" Anna asked, fear and confusion rising in her voice.

"I don't know," I replied, trying to pay attention, but my mind was racing. I couldn't think straight.

All I heard was "Yellowstone Supervolcano."

I tuned off the TV, almost not wanting to hear anymore. And then there was a fast, desperate kncok on the door. I bolted to the door and let Aunt Lindsey in.

"Close your windows," she demanded. "Here, put these on."

"What are they?" Anna asked.

"They're oxygen masks. They'll protect you."

"From what?" i asked.

"Can't talk now. Explain later!" Aunt Lindsey shouted, gasping for breath.

The ground started to shake. Distant sirens shrieked and wailed. I glanced out the window and saw huge whitecaps breaking on the surface of Lake Michigan. And on the horizon, I could see what appeared to be a tall plume of black smoke.

The smoke came closer and closer. And then it filled the apartment, blocking out vision. And even with the oxygen masks, we all struggled to breathe.

I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to watch everything burn to the ground around me. So I closed my eyes.

But sometimes I couldn't tell if my eyes were closed or if the ash and smoke was blocking out the world. Either way, after a while, all I could see were dreams.