PSLE: Sudden fire at home

“Good night, Roshel,” Raeann whispered to her toddler sister who was asleep beside her. It was ten at night. She jumped under her covers but did not pull them up for it was unusually hot.

 

Something wet suddenly slopped along her rosy cheek. It was Tiny, her miniature Border Collie. His tail thumped alongside her bed as she rubbed his glossy fur. Raeann's nose twitched at the smoky odour in the humid air. It was probably just the neighbours burning incense paper on the Lunar Seventh Month. Fumes travelled up continually.

 

Then her ten-year-old brother, Rael,  startled her as he burst through the doorway.  His face was flushed red.

 

"What happens?" Raeann jumped up. The ceramic floor felt very warm as she dropped her bare feet onto the floor. The smoky smell was stronger than ever as she stood up. She rubbed her tingling (stinging sensation) cheeks and ran out.

 

As she opened the bedroom door to the living room, smoke sucked up in swirls. Orange flames crackled and leapt towards her like snatching fingers. She covered her hot face and screamed. She turned and yelled for Rael. Although the bedroom light was on, she could not even see him through the ballooning smoke.

 

Raeann fought through the grey haze and stumbled into Rael. By now, Roshel was wailing too.  She had to think fast now for she was the eldest at home and her parents were out for a dinner function. A brainwave hit her hard.  "The window!" Raeann cried. Together, they ran to the window.  Rael began struggling with the stubborn latch which refused to budge. The curtain was already melting down the sides of the window.

 

"Move!" Raeann ordered and immediately mustered all her strength and crashed the glass panes with her table lamp.  The shards fell to the floor like sparkled diamonds. Raeann took a rug and laid over the broken glass. Next, the two children climbed out gingerly onto the roof of the covered walkway with Roshel in Raeann's arm as their home was on the second floor.

 

Suddenly, Raeann looked at Rael. "Where's Tiny?" she asked. Without pausing for a breath, she stuffed Roshel into his arms and turned around back towards the window.

 

"Come back now!  Are you stupid?" Rael shrieked but it was too late. The adamant Raeann had climbed back over the hot window ledge and disappeared behind the smoke. Groping with her hands for Tiny , she crawled low on the hot carpet and yelled, "Tiny! Tiny!" No Tiny. She coughed in spasms  and her heart was disheartened for she feared the worst. 

 

All of a sudden, she heard a faint whimper. She scrambled across the floor and reached under her bed, bumping into fur. Tiny licked her hands. She pulled the dog from under her bed. It clung onto her like a baby koala as she crawled once again back towards the window. She climbed over the window ledge, gasping mouthfuls of air. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and Raeann screamed and lost her balance, falling downwards.

 

Luckily for her, the fire brigade had already arrived and she landed safely on the soft safety platform, emerging unscathed. Watching the blazing fire as the firefighters fought to douse the flames, dew-drop tears fell from her soiled cheeks.   Raeann pulled her siblings into her arms, overwhelmed with relief that they had just escaped from the clutches of death.