It was an unusual autumn night. The wind was howling, knocking at my window and the moon was hidden by the cruel darkness of the clouds. I sat in my bed trying to sleep but the noise just would not allow me to. I turned on the radio, and trying to find some kind of peaceful, calming music to help me rest my sleepy eyes. When I could not find anything on the radio, I thought a CD would be better. It started by playing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, the great Hawaiian singer. What a marvelous voice he has, so smooth and pure. My mind began to drift away with thoughts of Waikiki beach. I can hear the waves crashing against the sandy shore in a rhythmic pattern in a peaceful harmony. My eyes slowly close as I dreamed of the heat of the sun’s powerful rays bushing up against my body.

It was getting hotter and hotter and the heat scorches my body. I could not breathe. Something was suffocating me, stopping me from getting the precious air I needed. I opened my eyes and turned on my light only to see smoke had filled the air. It was a thick, dark, black smoke that was pouring into my room from the door. I jumped out of bed, threw my blanket around me, and dashed to the door. I reached for the door knob but burned my hand, and retrieved it immediately in pain. I then used my blanket to pry the door open and it worked. As I opened my door, a rush of heat swarmed through the door, heating up every part of me. The other side of the door knob had completely melted and I finally saw why. A fire had erupted from the lower level of the house and was now climbing its way up the stairs closer to me and my sister’s rooms. “Oh no! Ashley!” Her door was closed and her door knob was also melted from the immense heat. I knocked on the door as hard as I could but I heard no response. I tried again, nothing. I began to run into the door, putting all my weight into door several times. At last the door flew opened. I woke her by pouring a glass of water upon her face that I found on her nightstand. She was about to start yelling at me when she too realized what was going on. I could see the fear growing in her eyes and I knew I had to get her out of the house no matter what would happen.

I grabbed her arm and dragged her into the room on the right, the bathroom. I told her to turn on the water in the shower and to get in, wetting herself as much as possible. While she was doing that I grabbed all the towels I could, stuffing some in the crack at the bottom of the door to stop the smoke from coming in, and some in the sink with the water running. I could hear the structure of the house crying and wailing. It was going to give way any second now. I had to get her out. I needed to save her. At that point, I too jumped into the shower, drenching myself then I grabbed Ashley, wrapped her into the towels from the sink, and pushed her through the door. The smoke swirled around us, filling our lungs and suffocating us both. I could her coughing and screaming, trying to get air. We ran down what was left of the stairs, trying not to fall. I pushed Ashley in front of me, hoping we would get to safety. “Don’t stop running,” I yelled to her. Suddenly the last step gave way and my foot fell through. She kept running just like I told her to. “She will make it to safety. She never gives up,” I tried to pull my leg out, giving it all the effort I could, but with every pull, I became weaker. The smoke was clogging my lungs; the immense fire was burning my body. It hurt to open my eyes because of the heat and brightness of the flames that were swirling around me. “I’m sorry God,” I faced up towards heaven hoping for a miracle, “Please forgive me.” My heart beats were slowing, my eyes were closing, and the life I had left was vanishing into nothing. I could hear them coming for me. They were coming to save me. My ears were all I had left of me. Their boots and voices was the last thing I would hear. My mind began to drift. They were too late.

I sat up in my bed, gasping for air. “It was only a dream, just a dream,” but I still could not breathe. I opened my eyes knowing something was wrong, something was different. My dreams had become reality as I turned on my lamp and looked around to see smoke surrounding me in my room. I got up from bed throwing my blanket around me and ran to the door. I was about to reach for the door knob when I remembered my dream. It was just like my dream except I knew what was to happen and I knew what I had to do. It was déjà vu.