The Volcano

By: Elvina Lau

Another rumble of the earth. With a thunderous roar, the monstrous beast woke. The creases on his skin lessened as his morning breath soared across the sky. His awakening had captured the people’s attention. All stood slack-jawed at the majestic beast, who lay on the far side. How does one so ancient be so youthful?

From his skin now burst a mixture of red and yellow — bright orange lava, which spread outwards to the sea, who embraced them like an old friend. The moment the lava and the sea reunited, however, was explosive. Wisps of smoke flew up to join the snowball above, gradually increasing in size.

The snowball cloud had started as a puff, but the more the creature breathed, the more rejuvenated he became, the more smoke formed. It grew to cover the sky — conquered is a better word. With a resounding cry, it reached the city where all those people were.

It was a signal for the people, and the city turned into a battlefield. The sudden uproar of screams and shouts filled the whole area. Cries from mothers, asking “my child, where is my child?”, and men yelled, “get out of my way”, pushing each other.

It brought along the acrid smell of ash. The overwhelming scent strangled many people, causing them to choke and stagger. Accompanying the bitter smell was a flurry of shattered glass: minuscule, dry and hard. The people clutched their hands filled with scratches and sprinted to find shelter from the storm. The uproar of the crowd had died, reduced to coughing and wheezing, as their lungs attempted to engulf air.