SLAM!

Vesuvius


"The day Vesuvius erupted…" said the voice on the TV.

Father stared silently at the screen, arms folded, eyes empty.
Mother sniffed into a crumpled, tear-stained tissue.

"The Pompeiians hadn't heeded the signs."

She'd only done it once.
No one catches the first time, do they?.
You trust me, don't you? he'd said.
Of course I love you, he'd said.

"A dense black cloud of ash has blotted out the light."

Grandma said they were sent to live with imaginary aunts in her day.

"The eruption was unexpectedly violent."

Slut! Whore! It ain't mine!
She'd held onto his arm, pleading.
He'd slapped it away.
Mother said she had found a quiet little clinic.

"Those who fled at once, unburdened by possessions, had a chance of survival."

She threw a few belongings into a tote bag.

"While some stayed with their riches and perished."

Leaving most everything.

"It was around midnight…"

The clock struck twelve as she slipped unnoticed from the house.

"Ash and pumice rained down."

Salt tears poured down unkissed cheeks.

"While clouds of toxic gas blanketed the ground."

She choked them back.
Swallowing away the tightness in her throat.
Held her head high.

"The effects were irreversible."

She'd never be their little girl again.

"Pompaii had gone."

With one last backward glance, she disappeared into the shadows.



Floss

Humals - Part human/Part animal - A WIP

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