Haunted by Susan L.

  Why is it sometimes the most seemingly mundane things stick in our memories? Or maybe they aren't so mundane, that's why they stick. One particular event has been haunting me the last several days, enough so that it is drowning out my morning song. Hopefully writing about it will erase its strength. This isn't the first time I've had this come to mind. Like I said in my title: haunted.
  When I was in Brownies, somewhere between six and eight, we had the fire department give a talk on fire safety. As we all sat cross legged on the floor, the fireman showed a movie about what to do and what not to do in a fire. He assured us the movie wasn't real but I remember three particular parts that have stayed with me through the years.
 One was a little boy sleeping on the top of a set of bunk beds. He sat up and collapsed because of the smoke that was filling the room. I remember the fireman said that usually the person on the top bunk doesn't even wake up at all. Most of the time they simply die. Needless to say, when we had the opportunity for my boys to have bunk beds, I wouldn't allow it. Zero floor space was better than the alternative.
  The next scene was in the master bedroom. The mother stood up. As she reached for her pink satin housecoat she collapsed to the floor. Smoke had filled the room.
  The last was a little boy in little boy flannel pajamas cuddling a teddy bear. He was trying to get to the front door. He was waving his hand, trying to see through the smoke that filled the hall but like his brother and mother, he collapsed. His teddy bear rolled away from him. He was only steps from the exit. The fireman commented that this was where they often found people.
  The adult me knows that the boys and their mother would have started coughing and choking long before becoming unconscious. The adult me knows it was all special effects. The adult me knows they were actors performing a role. The kid in me believed every moment. This was a day and age when violence and drama were the sole domain of Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner and maybe Walt Disney. Definitely not real.
  I don't think there were home smoke detectors on the market at that time so this was a terrifying thought to fill a child's head with. This was all done with the best of intentions of course and I will always remember to keep low should a fire break out. My smoke detector always has good batteries.
   I just wonder if anyone else was so deeply impacted or if anyone else remembers.
  Now, isn't this an interesting thought: sensitivity is not a weakness.
   On a more pleasant note, there's a large Pileated woodpecker scouring the dead tree in my yard for breakfast. There are chunks of wood and bark flying all over the place. A rare sight. Thank You Lord for this gift. It is greatly appreciated this morning.
  "And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!" 2 Ti 4:18