Josie's Journey

Josie Started The Fire

Elaine ran into the room the second she heard the fire alarm turn on. As the loud blare of the smoke alarm continued, so loud it was dizzying, her ears started to ring. She glanced from the flaming television to the curtains, the bookshelves, her family photos.

Josie's eyes were burning from the acidic smoke. The fire spread onto the cheap and flammable carpet; it leaped to the walls and curtains. Overcoming her fear, Josie aimed the fire extinguisher at the heart of the flames and let the foam fly. The flames rose around her, despite her efforts. The extinguisher ran out; she threw it to the ground in frustration. As she fled the burning room, Josie grabbed her bag and dialed emergency services. While she spoke with the operator, trying to contain her sobs of terror, she saw her mother Elaine trying in vain to extinguish the fire while collected her treasured items in her oversized purse.

Elaine was a perfectionist, yet impulsive in trying times. She was the type of woman who took pride in her home and family, but above all valued perfection, or at least the illusion of it. The house was always clean and perfect - the type of home where a visitor would think nothing could ever be wrong. The floors were always vacuumed or mopped, the glass in the windows was always crystal clear. Elaine had to keep these memories alive, she had to maintain the perfection of her family. Even though the logical part of her brain was screaming at her to flee, she frantically gathered treasured mementos and family photo albums in her bag. She had to keep the perfection alive in this chaos.

Josie watched from across as her mother finally left the house, carrying the overflowing bag into the family car. She stood with her uncle Adam and her cousin, silently trembling as the fire (the one that she started!) engulfed her home.

As the fire truck approached, the sirens grew louder, burning her ears. The blue and red lights strobed around her, turning the scenery into neon colors. She tried to cover her ears and eyes both at once; the sensory input was so overwhelming she felt like her head would burst. The firefighters assembled around the house, aiming the hoses into the heart of the flames. A team of paramedics approached Josie and her family, checking for injury from the fire.

They tried to examine her, but Josie could not look away from the horror before her. Although the fire brigade was trying to calm the flames, it had only spread. Smoke poured into the sky from what used to be her bedroom and her mother's room.

She was horrified. "I didn't check the cord..." she whispered to herself as a sudden wave of guilt came over her. "It's all gone because of me."

The smoke and flames were still climbing. Josie and her mother Elaine watched the scene in shock. They had lost their new home, the only place they had for themselves. Josie had lost her sanctuary. Elaine had lost her perfection.

It felt like hours had passed, but eventually, the firefighters extinguished their burning home. Adam and Jacob had left by then, ready to prepare a guest room for Josie and her mother to stay in.

-----

August 21st: the day after the fire.

Mother and daughter returned to collect anything they could find that wasn't affected by the fire. Elaine had enough in her emergency fund (she's a perfectionist and a planner) that they were able to rent a moving truck. Although it was a struggle, Josie helped her mother load up some of the non-ruined items into the truck. Together, they left for a family cabin by the lake where they could stay.

Josie was nervous about having to go to the family cabin. She always had bad feelings about the place... It made her nervous, she always had nightmares when she slept there, and she was convinced that she saw ghosts in the empty hallways.

On the ride there, she tried to reassure herself. "I'm just anxious and paranoid because of the fire," Josie repeated in her mind. Even though she napped for most of the ride, it felt like it dragged on forever. The truck hit a bump in the gravel road, literally jolting her awake. Her anxious thoughts and images of the fire spun inside her head. She sat up slowly to avoid passing out and looked up at the cabin while they parked in the driveway. It felt like another world, but in reality, the family and their cabin lived only less than two hours away.

Elaine rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Are you ready?" she asked softly, worried that something would upset her daughter.

Josie nodded and grabbed her bag. "I'll help you with the bags and check out the house," she replied.

"No, Jo, don't worry about the bags, okay? You just rest," Elaine replied, then sighed and continued speaking. "We just went through something traumatic, we deserve to relax. Your uncle will be here soon to help us move in."

"What about Jacob?"

Elaine shook her head. "Not this time. He's at preschool."

Josie just stared at her and nodded. Even though her mother said not to worry about bringing things in, she grabbed a box of belongings and her bag that thankfully contained all her medical supplies. She cautiously walked into the room that she would be staying in. Most of the room was empty, but there was a cozy crib set up in there and toys scattered across the floor. She saw where she'd be sleeping now, a small twin-size bed nestled in a rustic wooden frame.

Josie blinked, glimpsing the room one more time before she blacked out.