~*~
That same night, when his mother and sister arrived, they jumped out of the car in horror.
"Joe….!" His mother screamed.
His sister followed close behind her. "Joe…"
Panic and tears melted against their faces. "My God…how could this have happened."
Reaching for her cell phone she dialed 911 and reported her problem.
"We'll have someone up as soon as possible…" the operator said.
They moved about the room slowly, fearing they might find a body, and not the young boy who hated shopping so much.
Suddenly, his mother fell to her knees and cried. His sister held onto her, shaking, and crying with her.
"How could I have left him?" She cried aloud. "I wanted him to know I trusted him. But I should have known, things happen."
"We were out of food, we had to get groceries. If we hadn't we would have been home sooner…" His sister wailed.
It was two hours before the fire department chief and the police arrived.
"Have you searched the area for him?" The chief wanted to know.
"We've looked everywhere…I think…" she cried, as tears ran down her cheeks.
"We'll have a look…." The chief moved about the rubble. "Was he alone?"
The mother hung her head. "Yes…but we only went for groceries and a few essentials. He hated shopping and refused to go. Short of throwing him in the car, I couldn't do a thing. And there comes a time when you have to let go and hope you've taught your children correctly. I had to trust him."
The chief nodded slowly, his face a mask.
There was a sound from the back…The policeman came up to them. "I've found him. But we're going to need cutters to get him out, he's hurt pretty bad."
"Where….?" His mother gasp as she ran in the direction.
"He somehow pulled himself into the dryer. He left the door open so he could breathe, but he's wounded and there's no way to get him out but to cut him out." The policeman said. "We don't know the extent of his injuries. But he was smart, he knew he had to find some sort of shelter. But how he got in there I'll never know."
"In the dryer," his mother and sister cried aloud.
"Yes ma'am. He was probably cold. And numbness had more than likely set in when he got himself in there. His leg looks pretty bad…"
His mother ran to the washer and dryer and saw him curled into the dryer, he wasn't awake…
"Is he…"
"He's alive." The policeman said.
It took nearly five hours to get him cut out of the dryer, and onto a stretcher. He moaned but there was a look of pure joy on his face when he opened his eyes and saw his mother and sister. "I guess I made it". He closed his eyes for a minute. "Maybe next time I'll go shopping Mom."
They hugged him for a few minutes, and then the firemen hauled him into an ambulance and took him to the hospital.
His leg had been severely cut and burned, and he'd need skin transplants and sewing, but he was alive.
"The fire was started by an old antique heater." The chief had told them.
"Oh God…I should have thrown that out ages ago." His mother cried.
"Yeah, those old heaters are famous for starting fires. The newer ones are a lot safer."
Joe hadn't remembered the details of the fire, and he didn't want to. He must have purposely blanked that out.
Years later he'd remember this day and be thankful to be alive. Maybe computer games weren't the best entertainment for kids, but they had taught Joe Daniel how to think like a warrior. A warrior that wanted to survive.
About the Author
Some of her works:
Short Stories for Kids
Lie on a Yardstick
The Gimmick
Ben's Surprise
The Fair Trade
The Red Jacket
Grandma's Ghost Story
Find these and many more. Also in print at Createspace.com
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