What Fire Left

What Fire Left (155 Words)

It was gone. A lifetime of memories was in the space of one day nothing more than burned and discolored bareness. It was hard, looking at what was left of the building, to believe that it had ever been a home at all.

This was the last time Jaci would see this place. They couldn’t afford to repair the house and had taken a new apartment across the island. She had promised her family that she wouldn’t be long.

Through the ashes and debris every room seem changed. Jaci didn’t dare use the stairs, knowing they wouldn’t support her weight. She was about to leave when she saw the glitter of something by what was left of the dining table.

It was a broken picture frame. Jaci smoothed the sooty glass with her hand. Somehow the picture had survived. It was a miracle. Looking at the photograph of the small family gathered so close together, Jaci’s smile was trembling but real.

Nothing was really lost after all.

***

Written in response to Sunday Photo Fiction’s prompt. Check it out!

Photo (c) C.E. Ayr.