The couch is white, I thought. Actually, I was wrong. Everything was white in my room.

The
curtains, the flower filled vases, and the television.
There was an exception: The remote control. The remote control was a bright crimson shade,
burning brightly against the plain whiteness of the room. Shrugging, I sat down on the sofa and picked
up the remote control.
I pressed the on button and watched the white television buzz to life. Scenes and colors spun
on the screen, and came to life. Figures materialized on the screen, standing in the midst of a large
green yard, under the pulsing sun.
The heat had been tangible that day, whirling around us in sticky stings, whipping our hair as
we ran. I should have realized it was an omen of some sort, some kind of black cat mocking us of our
inevitable future. Foolish, foolish, humans, he said.
The day the giant IT industry of San Diego collapsed, I had been outside, playing all day in the
green grass, below the ashy blue sky.
Joan, I want nother popsicle, the small child begged. Its too hot to play for much longer.
Interrupted from my thoughts, I sighed and turned back to Adrian, Adrian, please wait. You
ask me that every day, even though you already know what my answer is going to be.
Adrian pouted a little, his little dimples making indents in his cheeks. His three year old body
stumbled to keep up with me.
Joan? Adrian whispered after a while.
What is it? Do you need something? I responded quietly, looking at my parents standing in
the yard.
Why is mommy and daddy so mad today?, Adrian asked after hesitation. They never fight.

I didnt say anything. Even though I was only eight years old, I knew that the IT industry in
San Diego had been shaky for a long time. It had started from the Chip Developing Failure of 2015
continued until today. Today had been the death blow: Thousands upon thousands of people had been
fired. The IT industry was no more in San Diego, the technology capital in the world. Dreams
evaporated into the air, whispering into nonexistence. Families were plagued by shock. Futures were
extinguished, blinking out.
Finally, I responded. Adrian, a lot of people lost their jobs today. We have nowhere to go now.
Everyone was fired.
I blinked at the television screen. This scene seemed vaguely familiar to me. When have I seen
this before? I wondered to myself. I fast forwarded the television until the scene shifted.
I drifted in between sleep and reality. When I flipped over to check the time, I realized that
something was off. There was a layer of heat added to the humid warmth that had spread over southern
San Diego.
A shadow slipped around the corner of my window, crawling towards the base of our house. I
saw a flicker of red flame, and the unknown man poured a large amount of clear liquid on the small
light.
The man laughed loudly, cackling at the flame that had engulfed the base of our house. All of
the houses to the left of me were ablaze with red fire, while the inhabitants within slept peacefully,
unaware about the danger around them. Glancing upward, the man caught my eye. He smiled crazily, a
wide smile stretching on his face, while shadows flickered across his entire body. He gave me a
mocking salute, and ran away into the darkness of the night.
Thats when the screams began.

I could hear the pleas for mercy from my place at the windowsill, where I stood frozen. As I
focused on the night, I could see many people scuttling about, setting fires to every single house in the
area.
Men and women screamed in pain, as the children wailed for their parents. Dogs barked,
inhaling the toxic fumes, while cats yowled, jumping out into the cooler night.
Jolting myself out of my daze, I ran out of my room and sprinted for my parents room, which
was right across the hallway. I opened the door, expecting to see my parents sleeping in their beds.
The bed was empty. The blankets and sheets were perfectly folded at the base of the bed, and
there wasnt any sign of them in the room.
I wanted to tear my hair out in frustration. I could feel the smoky breath of fire approaching me,
and my voice was caught in my throat due to the fear.
The fire was climbing up the second floor of my house. The flickering of the lights on the
banister was too unnatural to be dismissed as mere moonlight, and the hot air around me started to
burn my lungs. Making a decision, I began to run down the staircase, attempting to dodge small flames
that scorched the wooden staircase. I could hear the fire truck's loud wail in front of my house. I could
sense the cooler air that would surely be waiting for me outside. I could feel hope, and ran faster,
seeing the door come into clear view.
Then, I heard a wail from the second floor. Adrian.
I debated with myself for a moment. I could run out of the door and alert the firefighters so that
they could get him. I nodded to myself. Yes, I could do that.
Suddenly, I screeched to a halt. There were tens of people who needed rescuing. A small baby
would not be as important to them as saving a whole family with children. I wanted to cry, as I knew

that leaving Adrian alone up there would mean certain death for him. Could I condemn my own three
year old brother to death? The answer was clear. No, I could not.
I ran back up the staircase, fearfully noting how hot the ground felt under my feet. I rounded
the corner to meet the hallway, and stopped. Fire had climbed its way up to the hallway. Red and
yellow sparks spit at me menacingly, and the heat in the hallway was unbearable. The smoke stung my
eyes, and I realized I could not go in the hallway. I simply could not do it. I was too scared. I was a
coward.
However, I knew I had to go in the hallway. Leaving a small three year old who was scared
alone in his fiery jail to die alone was a crime. Ignoring the fire licking at my body, I ran through the
hallway recklessly, and pushed open the door to his room.
Adrian was alone, with thick tears running down his face. He had a red burn on his leg, and he
cried of relief when he saw me. He tried to get up, but fell, due to the harsh burn on his calf.
I gently picked Adrian up and petted his head. We could get through this. We really could.
Wrapping a blanket around his entire body, I braced myself for the flame outside.
The fire burned. There wasnt any other word to describe the sensation of the fire as I ran
through the bright hallway. The smoke continuously burned my lungs, and the flicker of the bright
flame seared my eyes. I finally reached the base of the staircase, with my eyes watering and legs
wobbling. The blackened staircase shook in front of my eyes, weakened by the fire.
Taking in a deep breath, I hurdled down the staircase, with Adrian in my arms. I tried to dodge
the hot pieces of plaster falling around me. Everything was so searing red, and all I could hear was the
hungry fire tearing apart everything.

Finally, I could see the doorway, surprisingly still intact. Firefighters were right outside our
door, trying to break the door open.
When I glanced at Adrian in my arms, I saw that he was pale and shaking in my arms. I
attempted to bundle him up tighter to shield him from the falling pieces of debris.
With a bang, the firefighters splintered the wooden door into pieces, and ran over to us. I could
not see their faces, but I felt immense relief as I handed Adrian over to them. It was all going to be
over. As I jogged after the firefighters, I heard a loud crack. The cracking sound vibrated throughout
the burning house, and I saw a large wooden beam in the house fall directly in my direction.
Chance. Its an interesting thing, I thought to myself. I felt distinctive pity towards the child on
the screen. She was so young. Eight is too young to die, I mused to myself.
I saw the burning beam shake, and fall rapidly in my direction. I attempted to move away from
the beam, but my fear paralyzed me until I could not move. The beam fell directly on my leg, and I
screamed loudly as my leg was pinned under the beam. I screamed for the firefighters, but they didnt
hear me. They did not even look back.
So, this is how I die. I thought to myself. I wasnt sure how long I was pinned under the
beam. Time moved differently in terms of heat and pain. Einstein theorized that large masses could
change spacetime. He was wrong. Fire bent time and area to such an extent that I wasnt sure where I
was anymore.
Red. Fire. All I could hear was the burning cackle of the fire, and all I could see was the
crimson blaze burning into my retinas. Red. Red. Red.

Slowly, change began to take place. The malicious red of the fire weakened and started to fade
in favor of the beautiful white glowing that was taking over my vision. White. White. White. White
was a beautiful color, I thought to myself.
I thought that if I strained my ears enough, I could hear soft songs of peace and beauty over the
violent cackle of the fire. I finally closed my eyes. Everything was white.
I frowned a little, staring at the screen. The girl seemed vaguely familiar; perhaps she was a
friend or relative of mine? The screen of the television buzzed again, and displayed a piece of paper.

Joan Adams
On the dawning of August 15th, Joan Adams passed away in a tragic accident, among one of the many
casualties of the Burning of 2039. We will all remember Joan for her love of books, animals, and her
family. Joan passed away happily, having heroically saved her brother Adrian. Joan will always be
remembered by her mother, father, and brother. Although she had been too young to leave this world,
she touched the hearts of many and will never be forgotten. Though fire may have taken her from us,
we wish for her to be passionate and burn brightly like fire in the afterlife. You will never be forgotten.
Were sorry.
Love, your parents and Adrian.