Her name was Lila. She was 9 years old. She was walking home from school when she saw the smoke. It billowed out from around the garage door, black and deathly. She knew immdiately what it was. She'd seen it before.
Car smoke. Someone was trying to commit suicide. With a fit of coughing, she pried the door open. All she could see were masses of the awful, billowing smoke, everywhere. She felt panic whelling up inside her.
She backed away from the garage, trying to set her thoughts staight. She called 9-1-1 on a nearby pay-phone.
"Hello?" a lady answered.
"I'm at 1332, West 3rd street. I need an ambulence."
"What happened, dear?"
"Someone's in the garage...car's on...I don't know who," she said as she tried to make sense of her scattered thoughts.
She breathed in a stray wisp of smoke and burst into coughs.
"Hunny, are you a safe distance away?"
"No-yes, well right now I am. But I-I'm going to go in there...try to get whoever it is out."
"Deary, that could be dangerous-"
"I know, I'll use my ingaler before. But could you please send an ambulance?"
"Yes dear, help is on the way but-"
"Good, thanks. Bye." She hung up before the lady could say anything else.She took a moment to steal herself and took a deep breath. She ran into the dark smoke. She hit her knee hard on the rear right tire. She gasped.
One hand on the car, the other in front of her, she made her way to the driver's side. She opened the door, the man inside's arm slid out, his feet on the dashboard.
She turned the car off. As she pulled him out, his foot got caught on the seat belt, but she couldn't see in the darkness. She pulled as hard as possible. It was loosed and she fell over backwards, losing her grip on his shoulders. She worked her way back to him, but not seeing where he was in the darkness, stepped on his ankle with a sickening crunch. By now, Lila was seeing dots, or at least she thought she was, everything was black. He seemed to get heavier by the second, and he was already at least twice her size.
Just a few feet from the exit, her asthma finally got the better of her. She fainted.
Four minutes later, the ambulance pulledinto the driveway.
Her name was Lila. She was 9 years old. She was walking home from school when she saw the smoke. It billowed out from around the garage door, black and deathly. She knew immdiately what it was. She'd seen it before.
Elinor Brynn talked about this a little bit too in her review. She called 9-1-1 on a nearby payphone.
"Hello?" a lady answered.
"I know, I'll use my ingaler before. But could you please send an ambulance?"
She took a moment to steal herself and took a deep breath.
She ran into the dark smoke.
It was loosed and she fell over backwards, losing her grip on his shoulders.
Four minutes later, the ambulance pulledinto the driveway.
"Hello?" a lady answered.
"I'm at 1332, West 3rd street. I need an ambulence."
"What happened, dear?"
"Someone's in the garage...car's on...I don't know who," she said as she tried to make sense of her scattered thoughts.
She breathed in a stray wisp of smoke and burst into coughs.
"Hunny, are you a safe distance away?"
"No-yes, well right now I am. But I-I'm going to go in there...try to get whoever it is out."
"Deary, that could be dangerous-"
"I know, I'll use my ingaler before. But could you please send an ambulance?"
"Yes dear, help is on the way but-"
Her name was Lila. She was 9 years old. She was walking home from school when she saw the smoke. It billowed out from around the garage door, black and deathly. She knew immediately what it was. She'd seen it before.
Car smoke. Someone was trying to commit suicide. With a fit of coughing, she pried the door open. All she could see were masses of the awful, billowing smoke, everywhere. She felt panic swelling up inside her.
She backed away from the garage, trying to set her thoughts straight. She called 9-1-1 on a nearby payphone.
"Hello?" a lady answered.
"I'm at 1332, West 3rd street. I need an ambulance."
"What happened, dear?"
"Someone's in the garage...car's on...I don't know who," she said as she tried to make sense of her scattered thoughts.
She breathed in a stray wisp of smoke and burst into coughs.
"Honey, are you a safe distance away?"
"No-yes, well right now I am. But I-I'm going to go in there...try to get whoever it is out."
"Deary, that could be dangerous-"
"I know, I'll use my inhaler before. But could you please send an ambulance?"
"Yes dear, help is on the way but-"
"Good, thanks. Bye." She hung up before the lady could say anything else.She took a moment to steal herself and took a deep breath. She ran into the dark smoke. She hit her knee hard on the rear right tire. She gasped.
One hand on the car, the other in front of her, she made her way to the driver's side. She opened the door, the man inside's arm slid out, his feet on the dashboard.
She turned the car off. As she pulled him out, his foot got caught on the seat belt, but she couldn't see in the darkness. She pulled as hard as possible. It was loosed and she fell over backwards, losing her grip on his shoulders. She worked her way back to him, but not seeing where he was in the darkness, stepped on his ankle with a sickening crunch. By now, Lila was seeing dots, or at least she thought she was, everything was black. He seemed to get heavier by the second, and he was already at least twice her size.
Just a few feet from the exit, her asthma finally got the better of her. She fainted.
Four minutes later, the ambulance pulled into the driveway.
125,008 Literary Works • 672,829 Reviews
