I should have listened to my mother.

The twenty fourth day of September 2008 was a special day for many but for my family and I, it was a day that crumbled our dreams and made us become paupers.

My mother had warned me not to leave the house that day so I would be able to do my chores and also for security reasons. She said this before traveling to our hometown with my elder sister for a wedding. I was the left alone in the house. They were supposed to be back later on the same day because our hometown wasn't so far from the city we lived in .

My mother had prepared my favorite meal; Fried Rice and Chicken, and instructed me not to use the gas cooker to cook anything at all except to warm my food whenever I wanted to eat. I was told not to leave the house for any reason.

I later felt hungry and as I had just put the pot of rice on the cooker to warm my food, there was a knock on the door. It was Charlotte, my classmate who lives two houses away from us. I opened the door for her to come in and as we got chatting, I forgot I had put something on the fire. She took the book she had come for and asked me to see her off. I remembered mum's instruction not to leave the house but I brushed it off with the thought of coming back as soon as possible.

We got downstairs and there was a fight between two naughty boys in the neighborhood that caught our attention. Some elders tried to separate them but they refused and continued to fight .

When the fight was overly, I wished my friend goodbye and rushed back to the house. The stench of smoke that greeted me was enough for me to know what happened.

I tried to get to the kitchen but it was not possible. Inside the kitchen, there was fire,wild and threatening.I could not risk my life. I thought of my mother and her warning and I felt devastated. I ran out in confusion shouting for help.

Passersby, neighbours, everyone rushed in the direction of our house. Some were carrying buckets of water, some had sand but the fire had grown too wild for them to handle. I screamed and roll myself on the ground and refuse to be consoled. Hefty men battled to save our house and property but to no avail. Some good Samaritans called the fire service men, as usual, it took them once hour to arrive at our house. By then the house was in ruins. It was a sorry sight to behold. Nothing was saved. I had only the dress I was wearing.

Late in the evening, my mother came back with my elder sister. Looking at what used to be our house made her faint. She was rushed to the hospital. The doctors battled hard to save her life but in the end they succeeded.

I hated myself for bringing doom to my family. How I wish I had listened to my mother.

This is fiction. Thanks for reading.