Elsie put the head of cabbage in her basket. As she started to head up to the front counter she thought, I need to pick up some kerosene. She went to the store keep and asked for some kerosene.
“I heard from a friend that it would help start fires. I thought I would try it,” said Elsie to the tall, slender man.
Elsie grabbed her five kids and started the trek home. The trip was three miles long and very arduous.
“Bud, Mildred, Jim. Grab Sally and Annie and hurry along. We must be home before your father gets there so I can get supper started.”
The children hurried along, and they all soon ended up at home.
“Bud, go and fetch me some of that there wood. I need to get this fire going,” said Elsie.
“But momma, I got to go and finish my homework,” replied Bud.
“Don’t sass me. Get me the wood and then do yer homework.”
Bud unenthusiastically went to fetch the wood. On the way he reminisced about the big move into the barn.
It had been two years earlier that they had moved. They had lived in a log cabin a couple miles outside of town. It wasn’t the best of houses but it made do. Bud had been about seven at the time. All he could remember is the explosion, and the fire. By the time anything could be done it was too late. The house was burnt completely to the ground. Bud later found out that the fire was caused by embers landing on his schoolwork. He had felt so guilty.
They had moved into a barn three miles outside of town. The inside was insulated with paper, but they had never had time to cover it up. It was a nice little house with hay in the attic.
Bud got behind the house to start to get the wood, when all of a sudden he heard an enormous explosion. What in the world, he thought. All of a sudden he smelled smoke. He ran to the front of the house and it was ablaze.
“Mom, where are you?” shouted Bud.
“In here. Help me grab the kids,” replied Elsie.
Bud ran into the blazing barn, flaming boards and hay falling all around him.
“Bud! Get out and get to the bedroom from the outside. Break the window and take the kids.”
Bud ran to the window and tried to break it, but it wouldn’t break. Try and try as he might, it still wouldn’t break.
“Mom,” he shouted, “I can’t break it. Grab a chair and break it.”
He stood back and watched the window shatter towards him.
“Grab Sally and Annie and get away from the house. Mildred and James are already out.”
Elsie ran out narrowly escaping the collapsing roof. She ran into the burly arms of her husband, Robert.
“As soon as I saw the smoke, I came as quick as I could,” said Robert.
Robert had been plowing the field before the explosion and he had came as fast as he could plow and all.
“What happened?” asked Robert.
“I was adding some kerosene to the fire so I could start supper for you. All of a sudden the fire was all over the insulation and… I … I … I don’t know what happened. I just thought about getting the kids out of the house.”
During all of this Bud was tending to his two younger sisters. Mildred and Jim had made it out fine and were helping too.
Sally, Bud’s seven year old sister, was coughing and sputtering. She had been badly burned and had breathed a lot of smoke. Bud was patting her on the back to help her breathe, but to no avail, she eventually died of shock.
Annie, Bud’s infant sister, had breathed a lot of smoke and was coughing too. She also several hours later died of smoke inhalation.
The entire family was devastated. To add salt to an already painful wound, they found out later that the kerosene Elsie had picked up, was actually gasoline.
Bud eventually grew up and had five kids of his own. Though, the fear of fire still blazes within.
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