Nothing could prepare Shana for the surprise she got as she stepped off the bus. A tall, blackened building stood before her, totally devoid of life. It was a forgotten old thing withering away with all its memories. Vines crept along te walls, curled and twined through the doorway, snaked their way in and out of the window frames and up to the roof. There was no door, window or ceiling rafters.
"What happened here?" Shana sobbed. She stepped over the fallen gate and made her way up to the monument of stone. Passing their old swing, Shana remembered hot summer days when rich or poor didnt exist, the days when she didn't have to worry about Shane and his addiction or Shana's promiscuity.
She passed through the antiquated kitchen and the smell of ham baking in the oven assaulted her nostrils. She could hear Janet and Cook chopping apples for the pie. Her memories were all too vivid. She stumbled out of the kitchen and lingered in the corridor. She peeked into one of the classrooms.
"Shana, may I see you a while?"
"Yes, Ms.Lynn. What is it?"
Shana, you are ....." the voices were drowned out by Hilary's cry.
"Help!"
Before she could do anything to stop it, that awful day came rushing back. The day that changed her life and more so, Hilary's life forever. The day that put Hilary in a wheel chair and the ophanage deep in debt. Shana rushed out of the classroom and into the room she had once shared with the girls so long ago. She could still feel Hilary next to her. The other girl's rythmic breathing lulling her to sleep.
"Oh Hilary! What has become of you, of this place?"
Shana gazed at the town. There was a billboard next to Mr. Ted's Grocery Store; one that she didn't remember. The pavewalk seemed somewhat smaller and she could smell the sludge in the gutter almost as pungent as the smell of the baking ham she could remember so clearly all those years ago.
"Shana?" she heard a timid voice behind her. She swerved around to see a plain little face, as timid as the voice she had heard.
"Mr.Ted!" she said. Wow! Where have you been all these years?"
"Here, of course. Where have you been?"
"Well..."
"No need," he broke her off, "no need for explanations. Its damn well you got out before this happened," he said, pointing to her old home.
"What happened here?" she found herself repeating, almost to herself.
"There was a fire."
"Huh?"
"There was a fire," he said a little louder, "and everyone died."