I awoke abruptly. How long had I been sleeping? I could tell it wasn’t long because I could still feel the ground shaking. Now that I had a clear mind, I had to find a way out of the house. I didn’t know if it could stand much more damage. I clutched the leg of the desk closet to my right hand and held my sister in the other arm. The desk scuffed across the floor as I made my way for the door. Suddenly the shaking became more fierce and every window in my house shattered. Glass rained down around me and bounced off the top of the desk. After the glass stopped I looked around. I found how I would get out.

A window at the far end of the room had shattered completely. I could easily make my way over and maneuver my sister and I out safely. At first I got up slowly, but when I saw that the coast was clear, I bolted for the window. I set my sister down outside first. Then I carefully climbed over the windowsill and stepped outside. I picked up my sister and ran as fast as I could. I escaped just in time. The smell that I picked up on earlier was gas. My house exploded just as I got away. Other houses suffered the same fate as mine. They stood in piles of rubble. Glass from windows above me hammered down on my head. I kept my sister as close to my chest as I could.

The streets were darkened with smoke and sirens blared. People ran past me screaming, some with serious injuries. Blood and tears covered their faces. I screamed for help but no one could hear me. My voice blended with the others. My baby sister began to cry. I tried to calm her but it was no use. I had to find another place to keep safe. I looked around but there was so much smoke, I had to rely on my memories of the town. I scanned the town in my head, trying to think of a safe place. I read that you should stay away from windows and telephone poles and lines.

Fields were the safest places to be because they were away from everything. The closest field was the park across town. I debated on whether I should go or not because I didn’t know how long the quake would last. I didn’t want to take my chances so I took off toward the park. I ran past so many people in the streets – they all looked alike. The path I had to take to the park went under an overpass. The closest I got to it was about 50 feet. It collapsed, blocking the road and sent cars screeching down. My only other option was to climb the hill by the over pass and get to the other side.

As I raced to the top, people flew past me and began pouring into the streets I had just come from. cars were stopped everywhere and others tried to back away but didn’t get far. They were in such a rush to back up that they crashed into each other. I slipped between the packed cars and raced for the other side. By this time my sister had quieted down. I tried not to do anything that would upset her, because our town was small and everything was close together. The corner store was by the drug store and the drug store was by the library. I headed down the road the Library was on and kept going until I could see the heavy iron gates of the park. The huge field behind it seemed vacant. I thought about all the people who were still in the town. It distracted me but only for a brief minute.

The gates squeaked open as I entered. As I got closer to the end of the field I could make out figures sitting and laying in the tall grass. I didn’t want to sit too close to anyone so I took the middle away from trees also. The tall grass swished across my legs, the noise making people look up and my heart beat rapidly.

I sat down on a small patch of low grass where someone had been before. My sister had fallen asleep so I decided to set her down in a soft patch of grass. We sat there and watched the town fall apart. The library collapsed making the iron bars rattle. The store was broken into. I couldn’t understand why someone would break into a store in the middle of an earthquake. About half an hour later the earthquake came to a stop.

It hit me then how bad of an earthquake it was. The people rose and walked slowly to the gate. They had empty looks on their faces. I walked past the rubble from the library and continued down the street toward the collapsed overpass. People flooded the streets, some just standing, others being picked up in ambulances. A thought flooded my head making me incapable of thinking of anything else: What would my parents think if they arrived at my house to find it bown to pieces. I didn’t want them to be scared for us so I went faster. I bumped into so many people it was ridiculous. They flooded the streets looking for the people they loved. Like myself, they were all scared for each other and their loved ones.

I made my way through the people and the smoke. I could see a mound of rubble where my house had been. Small flames still flickered on our belongings that weren’t destroyed. I could make out the figure of two people standing by my house, holding each other, crying. My heart skipped a beat when I heard my mother’s voice. My father’s voice was the next one I heard. I raced as fast as I could, almost tripping over debris in the road. I shifted my sister to one arm and wrapped the other around my father. They both seemed surprised to find us both alive.Tears of joy and sadness filled our eyes and we stood there crying together for a long time. I was safe now that they were home.