आरंभ है प्रचंड .. पीयूष मिश्रा

 

It was a late night. Anjali was about to switch off the light and go to bed when she saw a light outside the window. On close observation, she found that it was a fire. A fire! The very idea was horrifying. The house was on fire. She was in the grip of an unknown fear. She rushed towards the bedroom of her parents. She barged in and cried, “Fire Ma, Fire! Papa — fire!” At once they were out of their beds. They shouted, “Fire? Where?” They are on the ground floor. They came to the window. Soon all the neighbours appeared on the scene. The ‘Fire Brigade’ was informed and they replied promptly that they were on their way. Now we were confronted with a problem. We decided to take to the stairs. My mother tried to collect some valuables and documents. All other things were left behind. The thick layer of smoke had spread all around. My parents took me and my younger brother and came down safe and sound. The firemen did a wonderful Job. They reached there within fifteen minutes. Most of the furniture, curtains and carpets were burnt to ashes on the ground floor. Thank God! There was no loss of human life. Later on, it was discovered that a short circuit was the cause of the fire.