A Crisis

"Coraline, remember to unplug the charging electric scooter," my mother nagged before leaving the house for work. I simply absent-mindedly nodded. When I heard the clang of the gate, my eyes glistened in mischief and my mouth turned upwards into an impish grin. Without hesitation, I sprinted to my room and instantly started my gaming spree.

After several hours of seemingly perpetual bliss, I finally decided to take a quick break. When I stood up and stretched my stiff body, I could not help but notice the room had become hotter. Glancing around, I gasped in shock as wisps of grey smoke curled in through the gap beneath the door. There was also an unbearable acrid stench assailing my nostrils. My heart palpitated painfully against my chest and cold sweat began trickling down my forehead. Something was burning!

Without a moment to spare, I twisted the doorknob and yanked the door open. I shrieked at the intensity of the powerful blast of heat that sent me reeling. Frantically, I retreated to my room. At that moment, I caught a glimpse of my electric scooter, fully engulfed by fire. It must be overcharged! Malicious flames seemed to feed on it, burning it till it was pitch black. The beasts licked the walls and released acrid smoke that devoured the whole house. Cold fear grasped me as I clasped my mouth in shock. I had to get out of here!

I crouched low and began searching for the front door, tracing the walls as I crawled. My lungs heaved as my chest began to tighten, and I started to gasp for oxygen. My eyes felt like they were burning and my vision started to blur. I reached my hands out to ward off the burning heat futilely and started crawling desperately to the door. Every fibre in my body was electrified with terror and I yearned to get out of here.

Finally, after an eternity, I stepped into the open. I greedily gulped in a gasp of fresh air as I realised I had escaped the terrifying ordeal. After stumbling for a few steps, I collapsed on the floor, shedding tears of relief that I had not been burnt to ashes.

Eooo! Eooo! Through my daze, I saw firemen with giant snake-like hoses rushing out of a fire engine. Quickly, they doused water on my house and the fiery beasts ceased to exist.

After that ordeal, I thanked my neighbour, Mrs Lim, who had called 995 when she saw smoke billowing out of my house. From that day onwards, I was never careless again and always paid heed to my mother's instructions. This crisis will always be imprinted in my mind.