Promise to Return by Elizabeth Byler Younts

Author:Elizabeth Byler Younts [Younts, Elizabeth Byler]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Howard Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

JUNE 1944

When Miriam arrived home, she was instantly faced with chaos. Black smoke floated through the open front door of her house. Several of her nieces were running into the house holding small buckets with water splashing out the sides. She charged toward the scene and reached the house only a few paces behind the girls.

“What’s going on?” she yelled, then coughed from the smoke that filled the small house. The floor was wet and a heavy dark cloud poured out of the oven.

Fannie was already inside helping her mother out of the house. Miriam’s nieces flanked her father, bracing him at his elbows. Miriam followed them again as they headed outside. Her heart raced, and her mind could not keep up with what was happening. Her nephews nearly ran over her as they doused more water over the oven.

“Where were you?” Fannie spoke harshly to Miriam when they got outside.

Miriam couldn’t answer her as she watched her mother sit on a small wooden bench in front of the house and wince as she held her badly burned hand and arm. Her face looked blistered as well. Their father sat next to her. He seemed frightened but otherwise fine.

Miriam’s hands shook and her purse landed on her feet when she dropped it. Her tongue was dry in her mouth, and she couldn’t utter a word. Fannie, on the other hand, acted quickly. After her cutting remark to Miriam, she returned to action. One of her daughters ran from their house and handed her a clean white cloth and water in a bowl. With her jaw clenched, she applied the cool cloth to their mother’s hand, arm, and face. Miriam felt her own tears burn her face as she watched her mother grimace at the pain.

“Go see if Nancy can take us to Dr. Sherman’s. We need to take her in and get her burns treated,” Fannie said to one of her daughters, then looked back at Miriam, her eyes sharp and narrow. “Where were you?” she repeated through clenched teeth.

“I, I, I—” she stuttered, “Kathryn was going to come.”

“Kathryn, of course, Kathryn.” Fannie tried to clear away any debris and fabric from their mother’s burn. “Well, neither of you were with them, and now look at what happened.”

“Mem, vas hoat kapent?” Miriam knelt in front of her mother and asked her what happened.

Her mother’s lips quivered as she tried to speak. Her eyes reminded Miriam of a child who had just been told a story about the bogeyman for the first time.

“I just wanted to make some tea. Dat wanted some, and when I went to heat the fire I squirted the kerosene into the oven. And all of a sudden a huge flame just poured out. I don’t know what happened.” She whimpered and touched her red cheek with her good hand, then recoiled.

“I’m so sorry, I should’ve stayed. Kathryn said she’d be over.”

Just then, Miriam heard the sound of a car engine and turned, expecting to see Nancy’s familiar vehicle, but was surprised to see Kathryn barreling out of the driver’s seat.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.