Fire

Fireeeee!!

I heard it. The alarm. It was piercing and urgent, “Fireeeee!!”

Fire ke? In my own country, the Lord is always our shepherd. He never leaves his children behind in emergencies!

Quickly, I grabbed my laptop. My documents. Anything in sight that looked important. And ran. Out the door. Into the 7°C cold. In a thin piece of clothing. Because apparently, panic has no dress code.

I didn’t understand the language in the alarm. I just knew: this is fire, this is danger, life is over if I don’t escape.

I ran like my life depended on it. My neighbors watched from their windows… laughing. Loudly. I had no idea why. Was it my dramatic exit? My thin outfit? My laptop flapping in the cold wind?

By the time I got out, gasping, shivering, clutching my documents, I saw… nothing. No fire. No smoke. Just the calm, orderly line of people standing outside.

Fire drill. 

I survived… only to discover it was a rehearsal.