“Ouch!” I screamed
when a small plank hit me hard on the head. I was confused and dizzy. I looked
up… and that ‘s when I saw the majestic Mount. Vesuvius erupting. Thick plumes
of smoke and sky-high fog was emitted from it’s core. I gaped in awe.
It fell like a
deja vu since just a few minutes ago, Mr. Montgomery and I were staring at the
painting down the school library hallway. It was surreal.
Here I was staring
at it in real life. Mr. Montgomery was lying face down by a giant boulder. I
ran to his side, calling out his name and I could not have been happier when I
saw his fingers moving weakly. I helped him to his feet and by that time, we
could see Vesuvius leaking tiny streams of lava. There was chaos all around;
some were running with their precious belongings, some with their pets and some
just looking delirious.
We started to dash
in the opposite direction, away from Vesuvius who was now raging with fury. The
air was densely laden with toxic fumes and we were choking and gasping for air
at the same time. Mr. Montgomery had difficulty catching up with me. He gave an
apologetic smile and mocked,” I shouldn’t have had that burrito for breakfast!”
When I looked
back, hope was slipping away as the lava gathered speed and engulfed us. I
prayed that it was just a bad dream and sealed shut my eyelids helplessly.
