The mountain demon has awoken.
It stalks our small village
Like a tiger after its prey
Scarlet lights the midnight sky
Crimson bubbles form
And pop
In the deadly river.
With one touches,
The old maple
Our symbol
Falls to the furious blaze.
Flames taller than buildings
Leap and flash
With blinding light.
I grab my sister’s hand
And run
The valley channels our fate
We have no time
The tiger gains with every step.
Heat sears my hair.
At four even she knows the danger.
Gold curls on her head
Flash red.
Stones land all around us.
The air is poisonous;
We choke on ash.
Soon her short legs give out
I grab her behind
No stopping.
Ahead the rim shows with dark light
The others
All those left
Beckon furiously
And the hot stream breaths on me.
With all my strength
I leap over the edge
Leaving the valley behind
We are safe to watch.
Pillars of smoke
A thatched roof floats past
On the rising river
Soon we wonder in it will overflow
Never has the mountain hates us so
Never has the demon been so angry
And determined to destroy us.
But the river is slowly
The flow has reached to sea
And the intense crimson heat
Becomes black with chill.
Dawn is breaking.
The fire in the sky
Is a sad comparison
To the blaze
That consumed our hearts.
As I watch the pink air
Shimmers and dances.
The scarlet flow cools more.
High noon is soon but
We have not moved from the edge.
Too many were lost below
Too many lay sleeping
Under the river.
My sister kneels by the black snake
That consumed our valley.
She reaches out a hand
And pulls a blue flower from the ruin.
It rests
Like a diamond in her hand
The first tears spill over
And I know
That all will be well.