Flames

Chapter 2

 

The hospital waiting room was even worse than I had imagined.  People’s arms and legs were severed from blasts made two days ago and some people’s burns were so bad, you couldn’t recognize their face.  Some people were still lying unconscious in a kind of coma. I looked around and I realized how lucky Mom had been to getting through the doors quickly, although it does help that she is the mayor’s daughter.  Sometimes I wondered why that is so important, because we’re just like the rest of the people. We’ve never been wealthy and sometimes we’ve even had nights where we only had a piece of bread.  But if it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t be back there right now and I don’t know what would have happened to her then.  Grace looked around at all the gruesome injuries, then at me. “I wish I could help them, I wish the doctors could work faster, and I wish that this wasn’t necessary,” tears started to roll down her cheeks. 

 

I wiped them away, “Everybody wishes for that, Grace.”

 

“Well then, why is the war still going on?” Some more tears dropped onto her lap and I tried to wipe those away as well.

 

“I don’t know. No one does,” that question enters my mind more times than I can count, “Hey, do you want to write the letter to Dad with me? It’ll keep us busy for a little while.”

 

“Okay, I guess so.”

 

“So how do you want to start?” I unfolded the paper and uncovered the pen.

 

“How about, ‘Dear Dad,’?”

 

“Sounds good,” I wrote it down. Through all of our thoughts about what should be written a letter was formed.

 

               

 

Dear Dad,

 

It has been hard here, but we can’t imagine how it must be there. We wish you the best of luck and hope you return safely.  Our news is grave and we hope it won’t grieve you too much.  Today the house burnt down, but not of Ellie’s doing.  Ellie raced home from school and while in the burning house she grabbed the papers, our picture, her diary, and Lolo. When she got to your room, she found Mom on the floor unconscious holding a piece of paper and one of your shirts.  Ellie has both with her now.  We are sitting in the waiting room waiting for Mom and it is so sad to see the people here.  The doctors need to work quicker. 

 

We got a room at the High School today after Ellie picked Grace up from school. Hopefully we can go back to our house soon so we can get the remains of the house if there are any.  We’ll need to go to the charity shop to get some clothes and shoes.

 

We hope that things are at least somewhat okay there and we hope that this will be all over soon so we can see you soon.   We love you times a million and one and miss you even more.

 

                                                                                Love,

 

                                                                                                Your daughters, Ellie and Grace