Fiery Regret

The crackling of wood, the smell of its burning fervor, and the maddening sensation of ash and smoke incase her lungs as she grabbed the last two infants, boy twins who both had chubby cheeks and were wrapped in a blanket, fear settling in the pit of her stomach.

***

In an old town near lakes and rivers, where poverty flourished, an orphanage filled to the brim with regret was run by an elderly woman named Lumine. At first glance she appears frail, but in reality she is still physically strong; stronger than most elderly women. She ran the orphanage with a regret-filled heart. She started the orphanage because she herself was unable to carry a child. Seeing women give up their children in heartless ways infuriated her. They would be left in garbage cans or left to float on a river. Lumine wanted to save the children from deaths so gruesome it would make a grown man cry.

Lumine took in the children and ran the orphanage off of funds from the government. When a couple or a single person came to view the children, she became overjoyed at the thought; these children have a chance to find a home.

***

Time ticked away in the whole town, leaving only unfortunate events to occur. War had bloomed and oozed its way in the surrounding towns, barely avoiding Lumine's. The government had directed the last of the money used for the orphanage to the military.

The military were sent to one of the surrounding towns to help push the opposing side back. No one in the now impoverished town could argue since their safety was on the line.

Lumine had to continue caring for the children left in her currently run-down house. The house was relatively large in size, and was big enough for all the children to live in. It hadn't been painted in years, and broken floorboards were always a problem. It was a meager lifestyle, but still livable.

With every week, the children began to starve. As every month passed by, at least one new infant was given into her care.

If only the world weren't so bleak and cruel, if only tyranny hadn't infected the souls of the so called 'evil,' these children would have gotten a home already. Lumine would have been the one adopting a child and living out the rest of her life with a loving husband.

But no.

Her reality will forever be there to slap her out of her dreams; to bind her to her biggest regret for eternity: starting the orphanage.

Remorse seeped into her soul, creating a bitter, yet nurturing creature. Her mentality was still intact; still sane through all of the torture it's endured.

Lumine released the children who were old enough to fend on their own out into the outside world which wasn't the beauty it seemed, praying they would at least last for half a year.

Now, Lumine only diligently looked after the infants. She watched out the window; at the world she lived in. Outside the boundaries of the town were a combination of hearty bright leafed trees and brittle, dry, dead trees. It was like a painting come to life. Absolutely, picturesque to the point it doesn't seem real. It was a rainbow of green stretching out and over the land to embrace it.

The inside of town was a different story. The poor littered the streets, begging for whatever they could get from the richer ones among them in the town. The rich, at least, were caring enough to some extent. They donated their money to the ones who needed it the most, including Lumine and the children.

She did what she could with the money even though she couldn't repair the heavy feeling of guilt and regret every mother left behind when giving up their child.

Day in and day out the house would be filled with sorrow, pressing down on its inhabitants.

Until the day of the fire.

Outside of the burning orphanage, women with terrified faces rush past. Men with stern and frightened expressions run past as well; helping some of those in need by carrying children. The children who were being brought to safety cried in their parents' arms while passing the orphanage; some, turning into orphans themselves.

High-pitched screams filled the air, ringing in the ears of those who pass the orphanage with their life being their highest priority. Lumine cried whilst holding three babies in her arms. Her face is damp with tears, her vision too blurred to see who she was handing the children to through the unscorched window. Yelling at the top of her lungs like a screeching magpie protecting its nest, she says to take them; to save their lives.

Lumine is left with two more infants who are now in her arms. The window is burned down by now and she begins to quickly weave through the slowly burning floor panels; yelping at the hot pains that shoots into her toes. She proceeds to hop across the floor; the ceiling that is now on fire continues to fall apart. One almost hits them. She wants to huddle on the floor knowing there is no chance of survival. But seeing the infants in her hold reminds her, her life is not the only one at stake.

She keeps going, coughing from the ash. Smoke stings her eyes, making her eyes water. She makes it to the last hallway, smiling at the children in her arms who are crying. One passes out when she gets to the middle. Lumine shakes her head, tensing and pacing side to side a bit. Panic sets into her head and she can't shake it off. The child has to survive. She's made it this far. She has to make it. The other baby laughs when they walk up the hallway to the crumbling exit. The baby stops laughing and faints.

Lumine stops for a minute. She checks the pulse of each of them. Still alive. Thank goodness. Just as she sighs, she hears a snapping sound above her. She looks up to see a fiery plank of wood coming closer.

The flaming plank meets her face, crushing all three lives. Lumine and the children are forgotten, left to die under the fiery embers of regret.