My house was disappearing. I ran out through the front door and stared at what was left of
the cozy two-story house I grew up in. In clusters, the red bricks faded, until I was only staring
at a black door with a brass doorknob. Slowly, that too faded. My house was gone. “It’s okay,
honey, we’re right here.” My mom’s voice. I wheeled around. My mom was looking down at
me, relieved.
“I knew you’d wake up. I knew you’d find your way back to us.” My dad leaned over me and
I saw relief there too.
As my mind cleared, my eyes darted around me. White room. White curtains. White
machines. White tubes.
“You’re in the hospital, honey, but you’re okay,” my mom said, as she brushed my hair.
“Wha… hap…?”
“The fire, it burned everything,” my dad answered. “The house, it’s gone, but we got you
out, and that’s all that matters.”
I stared up at the ceiling. No glow-in-the-dark stars.
20
The Ghouls’ Review