The fire

Untitled Part

You always hear people tell you not to go towards the light, but what they dont tell you is at the end of that light is all the people you have lost in your life beckoning you toward them. I smile when I notice my mum among those people, it felt like an age since I had seen her beautiful flowing mid back length red hair, her slender frame and her porcelain white skin with a dash of freckles across her nose. I feel a smile spread across my face as I find myself walking toward her. Behind her I can see my grandmother and grandfather. As I get closer I hear a different voice calling my name. I cant see where it came from but I can still see my mum so I continue on. I cant remember the last time I see my mother so happy. Her smile is bright and I watch as she opens her mouth to speak but Im still to far away to hear her. I hear that random voice again this time screaming my name from behind me. I falter and come to a halt and turn around to see where the voice came from. I see nothing but blackness but the voice is insistent on calling my name I almost turn back. Instead I turn to my mother and I start to run toward them. I can feel the warm glow start to fill my body as I draw closer to them. At last can hear my mothers voice.

No Willow, go back. It isnt your time. Shes still smiling at me but I now realise it is a sad smile, like she is sad to see me.

I again stop not far from my mum and grandparents my smile slightly slipping from my face. I feel like she doesnt want to see me.

Then my grandmother is right in front of me. I didnt even see her move.

She looks hard at me like she is trying to gauge if it is really me. Something must have made her believe it was me because a warm smile breaks out across her face.

Willow my sweet, sweet Willow I feel her gently stroke my cheek with the back of her hand but it is so soft Im not sure if my imagination made it up or not.

I can still faintly hear the voice behind me calling but I feel it getting fainter the longer I am here.

Grandmamma oh my god it is so good to see you, Ive missed you so much I tell her drinking in her features from her curly shoulder length grey hair to her slender body so much like my mothers.

I realised how much my words hit home. In that moment I realised I had missed my grandmother so much. She had passed away recently from a house fire along with my mother and grandfather. Nobody knew how the fire had started late that winter night. Police still had no suspects not that they seemed to be doing much to look.

I find myself reflecting back on that night like it were yesterday.

I had been at party with my best friend Chloe. I remember not wanting to go feeling like something horrible was going to happen but not quiet understanding what it was. Chloe had told me I was being silly when I had expressed my concern to her.

Come on Willow, it is the biggest party of the year, I cant not be there! she tried very hard to reason with me, like I was a naughty child who was just being difficult.

Chloe Drewvine was head cheerleader at Saint Graves School where we both attended year 10. Chloe was stunning with her slim build and blonde hair that went to her bottom, she had the green eyes that made many boys swoon like school girls not that she had ever really given them the chance.

I on the other hand am 57 with dark midnight black hair that stopped just below my shoulders. I had the boobs that would make many girls jealous not to big but in no way small. A flat stomach and the perfect amount of curves, the tannish skin and big bright blue eyes very much like the sky during the heat of summer that set me apart from the other girls in my school. Because of that many of the girls in our small town decided I was either a snob or to difficult to befriend whereas the boys seen me as a challenge. I could not win so gave up trying. Chloe on the other hand was different we had been inseparable since our first day of kindergarten when I punched Daniel Johns in the mouth for calling her a spoilt brat, because she didnt want to share her chocolate brownie with him.

Every time I think back to that night three months ago I cant shake the memory of coming home to find police and fire brigade swarming all over the yard and out front blocking my house from people trying to catch a glimpse of what had happened. When I had tried to get through a police officer had stopped me. By then I was hysterical and screaming at them to let me thorough.

I live there I am shouting by now as I try to tear myself away from the male officer holding me back his arms wrapped around my waist. Now do not think that I couldnt have broken free if I had been thinking clearly, because I could have. I am the top of my class in martial arts, kick boxing and free style boxing. But I wasnt thinking right then all I was thinking was I need to get to my mother and grandparents. The officer must have gotten a signal because his arms set me free and I was running up the drive way towards the house. I could see the house was completely gutted from a fire, I stopped and looked around trying to find their faces in the crowd but I saw no one I recognised. I watched as Charlie Long an older officer with greying hair and a bit of a pudgy belly slowly come toward me. Hes haunted eyes let me know everything before he had even reached me.

I dropped to the ground as he came close the tears rolling down my face.

All I kept hoping was he would tell me differently even when he knelt down beside me and put a comforting hand on shoulder.

Can we talk? he asked me, not bothering to wait for a response he continued on. Im so sorry darling, no one survived

After hearing this I felt my body start to shake, I heard nothing more. After a while of him rattling on he must have realised this because he squeezed my shoulder, stood up and left me to cry alone not far from my front door or rather what was left of my front door.

I dont know how long I sat there with my knees drawn against my chest and my face buried in them. I tuned out the world around me, nothing else mattered so I was startled when a young lady officer I didnt recognise came over and touched my hand lightly.

I lifted my head up from my knees and looked at her blankly. I knew I must have looked like a mess I was sure my mascara was all over my face and my lipstick smudged all over my lips but right at that moment I couldnt have cared all I wanted was see my mother and have her hold me. But I knew that wouldnt be happening. It was a blur after that. All I remember is ending up on Chloes front step. By the time the door had opened Chloe had been upon me which made me think Charlie had rang ahead to Chloes parents.