Feeling Lucky

We stood sitting outside the house with our dog Opey by our side. My little brother and I lived with our Grandma and Grandpa because our Ma and Pa died when our house burned down. Jeremy my little brother keeps having flashbacks and just stares at the wall for half an hour. Even though it was three years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a pretty cold night. Me, Jeremy, Ma, and Pa were all asleep. I don't know what happened, but I felt the wet and warm lick of Opey's tongue on my cheek. When I woke up, I smelled smoke. Then I realized that our house was burning, and it wouldn't be long before we had no house.

I rushed to Jeremy's bed, startling him to wake up, but it wasn't working. I figured that he would have passed out from all of the fumes. I carried him to the door, rushing to get out of the burning house. But I worried. I worried about Ma and Pa and if they would make it. 

I wanted to go back in to save them, but it was too late. It was too late to smile. It was too late to be happy. Then, I looked up into the sky, and then I asked, "Why God, why?" I didn't know what to do, and I thought that there was no hope. We went to live at our grandparents' house because there was nowhere else to go. Jeremy was not the type of boy that would do nothing all day. He was very happy and active. But one thing that reminded him of that day, he'll go sit at the wall and stare there for thirty minutes straight.

It's not that bad living on our grandparents' farm. I just miss Ma and Pa. It isn't the same without them. The way they used to tuck us in bed, the way they kissed us goodnight and hollered at us to do chores in the morning, it just isn't the same. Ma always made the best breakfast and supper, while Pa was a hard-working man who always wanted their kids to be happy. Grandma and Grandpa keep telling me and Jeremy that you don't always get what you want in life, and you just have to deal with it. I understand what she's saying, but it just isn't helping us get over losing Ma and Pa.

When it was wintertime, it got cold around our parts. But, I did love Grandma's warm and delicious chicken soup. The way it warmed up your whole body, how it made you feel so cozy, it was just the best thing I had ever tasted. She worked hard on that soup for sure, but she loved seeing us smile when we took that first bite. Every day at Grandma and Grandpa's house, we would do our daily chores as we did with Ma and Pa. But this time of the year, it felt like it was too cold to even stand. We only did a few of our chores, because some of them made it life-threatening to do. The only chores we could do were milk the cow, collect eggs, and get water. Harvesting vegetables, corn, and wheat were very dangerous.

For what felt like a few days, spring was here in no time. Spring was my favorite time of the year. I loved the rain, the flowers, and how all of the hibernating critters came out this time of the year. At our schoolhouse, we got a new teacher, and her name was Ms. Wood. She was very young, and it looked like she had never taught in a schoolhouse before. She was more kind than our old teacher, Mr. Rodgers. She always helped us individually, while Mr. Rodgers told us to pay attention the first time he explains how to do the material. Ms. Wood thought that I was a very good writer, and I had some great stories. She made everyone feel special and made every single one of us have a specific talent.

This summer was one of the hottest summers that we have ever had. Everyone was very thirsty, and we were about to face a drought. All of the people in the town monopolized all of the water in town. We didn't have much water, but no one had enough common sense to realize that we would run out of water soon, especially if everyone kept taking it and monopolizing it. The heat was getting worse, and every day it kept getting closer to the drought. We barely had any water, which meant if this drought didn't end soon, it would be very bad for all of us. Grandma and Grandpa let us drink the cow's milk, which wasn't cold, but it was a drink, so at least we got a fluid down our throats. The drought didn't go as bad as we thought. It was only for a week, and it was okay only to drink milk.

The next day, I was sitting outside of the house with Opey right next to me. Jeremy was inside, practicing his writing. I was wondering about how lucky I was. That, even though Ma and Pa died in the fire, Me, Jeremy, and Opey all made it out alive. That we were lucky enough that we had Grandma and Grandpa to take care of us. I put my arms around Opey and hugged him. Grandma called me inside for supper, and so I kissed Opey on the head and went inside the house. Grandma saw me with tears in my eyes and thought something was wrong. She asked me why I was crying, but I didn't say a word. I wrapped my arms around her waist and gave her a nice and big hug. I let go and went into my and Jeremy's bedroom, sat on my bed, and me, Mary-Smith Jones, prayed, "Thank you, God. Thanks an awful lot."