A Day of Earthquakes

At 11:52 PM 10/29/607, the earth writhed with agony. I could hear people scream while I was in my bed. Suddenly I could feel the ground open beneath me. “Bye cruel world.” I calmly said. Then I fell. “Woah. Aaaah!” Those were my last words in the house. I could see my family getting helped out before I fell.

Wait! I need to introduce myself before I might meet my doom. My name is Aditya, i’m 14 years old, and my birthday is on the 30th of October. I live in the great, big, thriving, but dangerous city of Los Angeles.

So,I would have died in the California soil if I hadn’t braced myself. While I was going down the chasm I could manage three curses because of my anger that my family didn’t get me.

Anyway, they adopted me. They didn’t want to adopt me either. My caring, nice, loving uncle told me his neighbor gave it to my parents from a New York adoption center for their anniversary.

But I was stuck in the chasm. I needed to get out. I knew that I needed to call out or I would die. I knew it was hopeless, but I gave it a try anyway.

“Help!” I called desperately through the deep, dark, cold, hole. My voice rippled through the chasm walls, but it seemed as hopeless as I thought it would be.

Slowly and steadily,a tall ladder came down. At the top, there were firefighters.

“Where is my family?” I questioned feebly.

“Gone, people,” said a tall, gruff, muscular looking firefighter. His sea-green eyes swept through the landscape like children playing in grass. “My name is Owenerall Pall, person. Your parents were smashed by a building, person.”

I knew everyone could see the tears swell up in my eyes, but I didn’t care at all. I also knew that my family hated me, but I didn’t hate them. Even though my older brother smashed a rhino’s skull on my head once, which gave me a concussion, I didn’t give him one. And even when my older sister , I didn’t do anything close to that to her ever.

We drove for only about a eight miles in the firefighters’ truck, when the ground shook again. This was a humongous aftershock that shook The truck toppled over, killing three of the firefighters. There were 2 more people alive in the truck including me. The other survivor was Owenerall.

While we were in the truck, Owenerall was babbling away. “ Hey people, the earthquake was too large to be recorded on a regular scale, people. Okay people? Then people, the news said people, that it was a shuddering 13.8, people! Good thing that was the only one earthquake people.

“You can stop talking Oregano or something!” I screeched.

Geez, people. My name’s Owenee people, no wait, people, how do you pronounce my name people?”

“Owenerall,” replied a fellow firefighter. “And quit sayin’ people, okay? This is so gettin’ on my nerves. I already have a short fuse from the time in the mornin’ when my hair was gettin’ messed up, the time…”

“What, person?” whined Owenerall. “It’s kind of, um, a habit, person.” snapped Owenerall quickly, satisfied, and beaming with his dumb answer. “The whole of California, people, New Mexico, people, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and Washington, people, got hit, people, by the strong, short, and very, very, very, destructive earthquacky, people. I mean earthquake people.”

“ Okay, Owenerano, or, um… Oh yeah! Owenerall. Stop talking!

Then, the gigantic aftershock shook right at that precise time. That’s the one that killed the three firefighters.

The rest of the time Owenerall just drove silently. He didn’t even look out other than looking front. I could tell he was super depressed.

Then he quietly sniffed “ Um, person… did you, person….”

Then he broke down completely. I thought he was sad because of the firefighters that passed away, but then he said

“ I’ll lose my job, person, my reputation, and everything, person! Who cares about those firefighters though, person?

We drove in complete, depressed, sad silence. I was thinking furiously and repeating only this: why does owenee, owenerall. Yes. Owenerall. Why does that dumb firefighter care about about his job and reputation!!?? Or: I wish that firefighter could have some sense.

Once I reached reached my new home which was a run-down apartment, I slunk in the bed and looked at the stars, hoping that some day, my life would change and become better.