I smile at the sprout breaking its way through the soil. It represents everything I wish I could be but can’t. It pushed through the fire that brought forth all this carnage and destruction. It’s the first sign of life I’ve seen since the death of my parents and the raging inferno that destroyed everything I’ve ever known. 

The blackened corpses of trees and their ashes lie everywhere in every direction, criss crossing each other and making it impossible to escape. The earth is still warm from the flames and my shoes have gained holes both on top and on the sole. 

But this small sprout gives me hope. Hope that I can pick myself back up and  find my way out of this labyrinth of death. An empty hole fills my chest where my heart used to sit. I’ve not felt as much as I should considering that my parents are… you know. But I can’t help but almost be relieved at the same time. Sure, I loved them, but I don’t think they ever gave me much of a thought except for when I forced them to bring me on this trip. 

I’m glad I came. I was with them in their last moments; their dying breaths were spent together with me off to the side where they liked me: out of the way. 

I sat on the stump of a log that hadn’t been burned as much as others. I stare at the small sprout wondering how it got there. How far did it travel from seed pod to earth to grow into this beautiful thing of greenery? 

I see the green as a new thing. It reminds me of my sister back home. How I was there as she was born just like I am here to watch this plant survive into something better. I realize then that I may never see her again.

I truly mourn them. I mourn all the things I’ve lost and all the things I’m sure will go wrong. My feet sink into the ashy dirt and I wiggle my toes to get a feel of the wonderful things our planet has given us. These things have been given and taken away.

Mother loved plants and I will always remember that. She never valued modern-day electronics or any of the other distractions of the current decade. I always thought it annoying but I wonder if she had a point. Why should we spend all our time on a screen? There’s a large world outside that we’ve barely started to explore. All it takes is a small idea to spread the start of a new era of excitement.