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Can You Stay Calm in Time of Chaos?

I proved to myself once a long time ago that I could stay calm during a t catastrophic event. I heard a scratching sound in the attic of the old farm house and thinking it was a mouse up there, I was surprised when I saw smoke and debris flying past the living room window. "Maybe it's a fire crackling instead of a mouse gnawing, "I said. A strong April wind blew in South Dakota that day and I ran outdoors to check the roof.

A fierce blaze was fiercely eating up the dry shingles on the roof of the old house on the prairie. Only my invalid mother-in-law and my four-month old baby and I were at home. We didn't have a telephone, so I knew if anything would be saved from the house, everything was up to me.

I ran back in, warned Grandma who was on crutches, then carried my baby girl in her basket out and put her in the car. Back into the house to help Grandma get out, she managed quite well with the use of her crutches. She joined the baby in the car.

Now I could save some things. By that time, though, the fire had already started coming through the ceiling. My reasoning wasn't very rational but I expected I could save everything in the house, so went to the farthest bedroom to start systematically to carry out furniture. First I grabbed a chest of drawers and bodily carried it outside to set it on the grass away from the house. Back in to face the fire which was too far advanced by This time to save anything else. The burning embers fell on the davenport and other furniture and all around me. I told myself, "It's too late. I have to get out of here."

I retreated out the back door; my plans to save everything failed. When I got to the car, Grandma was sobbing but my baby was still soundly asleep in her basket, oblivious to everything. Then I fell apart, but not until II had done all I could and I had stayed calm until then. I believe that moment of finding the roof ablaze gave me super human strength. Any other time I couldn't have carried that big chest of drawers out of the house by myself.

The End

Learn more about this author, Emma Willey.
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