Whisper

1

The young girl appeared at the top of the staircase.

She was wearing a simple white nightgown.

"MOMMY. I'M UP HERE."

The ceiling of the main floor, beneath her feet was covered in flames. As she stood there, the stairs collapsed.

"CHILD, GET BACK," the woman below, yelled at her.

She moved back from the edge, partly leaning against the one section of wall not in flame.

She could not see the flames crawling up on the other side of the wall.

"MOMMY. PLEASE COME AND GET ME, I'M SCARED."

"SWEETIE, GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM. OPEN YOUR WINDOW AND JUMP OUT INTO THE SNOW," the woman pleaded, watching with terror, as the fire continued to consume the wooden house.

"MOMMY, I'M SCARED."

The young girl stepped back from the landing, seconds before it fell.

She jumped in terror.

"MOMMY."

The woman knew she had to stay calm. She had to keep her daughter calm, despite all that was happening around her.

"I know you are scared, sweetie," the woman spoke as softly as she could, while still being heard above the fire's crackling.

Her throat was dry and burning. Flames now a few feet from her and over her head.

"I WANT TO BE WITH YOU AND DADDY," the young girl cried.

"Sweetie listen," her mother coughed.

"Daddy and I will meet you outside."

She stared at the flames, now devouring the opposite side of the wall, on which her daughter was leaning.

There was no time for calm, anymore.

"GO GIRL, GO. BACK TO YOUR ROOM. OPEN THE WINDOW AND JUMP OUTSIDE," her mother demanded.

"MOMMY I'M SCARED," the young girl repeated again, tears streaming down her face.

The woman coughed again and tried to breathe as best she could, but the flames were eating up all the oxygen around her. She summoned all her strength.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CHILD."

She gasped for breath.

"GO. NOW. PLEASE. I BEG OF YOU. GO TO YOUR ROOM."

"MOMMY."

The young girl screamed, as a section of wall near her fell away, flames now just a few feet from her.

He mother jumped quickly as a section of the ceiling above her gave way and fell into a ball of flame, not five feet from her.

She knew that her daughter's room would be next. If she was going to live, she had to go now.

She summoned every last ounce of strength she had.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. GO TO YOUR ROOM. GET OUT THE WINDOW. NOW GIRL."

The young girl whispered, "Mommy," and disappeared.

She ran back to her room. Flames were now pushing their way up through the floor and she could feel the heat, slightly burning her feet.

As she opened the door to her room, she was shocked to see that the wall where her bed lay was now engulfed in flames and even her blankets were on fire.

She hurried to the window and opened it.

The rush of oxygen fuelled the flames and they immediately engulfed the wall and ceiling. She screamed and swung her legs out the window, letting herself fall the 8 feet or so to the deep snow alongside the house.

Flames immediately roared out through the window, smashing the glass pane.

She got to her feet and began moving away from the house as fast as she could.

Seconds later the house fell into itself and flames roared high into the snowy night.

"MOMMY? DADDY?"

She stood there, oblivious to the cold and wind and heavy snow.

The burning house was but an orange, reddish glow surrounded by the white of the heavy, wind driven snow.

She continued to move away from the house, driven by fear and panic. She looked around, trying to get a bearing on where she was, but to no avail. The blinding snow veiled everything familiar.

She continued calling to her mother and father, but her voice was lost to the sound of the heavy wind blowing in off the cold North Atlantic Ocean.

She kept moving, her bare feet now tingling from the icy snow that covered them. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to get some idea of where she was. She thought she could hear the ocean but she was not sure as the sound of the wind and the burning house all seemed to combine into one.

She kept moving.

She thought she heard a voice. She stopped.

"Daddy, is that you Daddy?"

There was no answer.

She yelled. "DADDY?"

Again a voice, barely there. She turned, unsure as to where it was coming from.

"Mommy? Daddy?"

This time she did hear a voice. A slight smile came across her face.

She stepped forward. Her foot slipped and she suddenly felt herself falling.

She screamed as loudly as she could. She felt something hit her shoulder. She started to cry.

Then the sound of waves and she was surrounded in water.

She could not scream. The cold salt water splashed against her and continuously pulled her down. She struggled as best she could, but like most children, she was not much of a swimmer and the pounding waves were no match, even for an experienced swimmer.

She felt herself being lifted up, sucked back down and then....

darkness.