A couple of nights ago, the smoke detector in our bedroom went off – for about 10 seconds. There was no fire, no smoke -- maybe something had wafted in through the open window? We’ll never know. But at about 3:00 am I was torn out of a sound sleep by the most terrifying shriek (something like a nuclear-powered steam whistle) and every nerve in my body leapt to super-adrenalized-flee-for-your-life status instantly.
Once we had peeled ourselves off the ceiling and sniffed the entire house for whiffs of smoldering (there were none), we decided it was just some flukey thing and that if there was any danger the other smoke detectors would go off. And we settled back down and tried to sleep.
Needless to say, it takes a little time (an hour or so) to work down from super-adrenalized to nodding off. So, I lay there thinking “what if there really had been a fire?” And I knew that if I had woken to that blood-curdling alarm and found the room filled with smoke, I would have no thought beyond getting myself, the family, and every living creature out of the house as fast as possible: the husband, the college kids – who happened to be home (note to self: take inventory of family members before retiring for the night), the 4 cats, the fish in the 50-gallon aquarium? (someone later suggested that the punchbowl might be kept handy), the hermit crab I could carry out in a pocket (note to self: sew pocket in nightie).
Me, them out of the house – that was it. Nothing else even registered.
Not my writings. Not the photo albums. No computer, no jewelry, no family heirlooms. No yarn. Not my knitted pieces – not my irreplaceable one-of-a-kind knitted pieces! Nothing – i.e. no thing – was going to make it out of my burning house. Just me, the family, the pets (hopefully the fish included).
Kind of eye-opening – how it can all go up in smoke quite literally. Note to self: use the good china, thumb through the photo albums, read your poems, wear the handknits.
Very scary event - and the other sentiments are all too true. Nothing matters as much as the creatures (and children) whom we love so dearly.
Posted by: Joyce | May 28, 2009 at 08:00 PM
Warm fuzzies all around! I will make you an apron with ziploc pockets for the fishies in case of emergency :)
Posted by: Sonja | May 31, 2009 at 10:45 PM