It was late afternoon. Late afternoon under my kitchen table. I had one arm wrapped around my sister, and the other cradling her head. She was so small at the time, we both were. Each time his voice rose, we cringed. We couldn't help it. It sounded like a roar erupting from deep inside a dragon's belly. Through the chair legs, I could see him standing there, and just past him, stood my mom. She was screaming back at him, and I swear I saw wings begin to blossom from her back, as though the caged bird she once was, could be set free.
In that instant, I saw his hand rush up and clench her throat. The fire in her eyes began to descend as his grew. I shielded my sister's eyes and closed my own. There wasn't anymore I wanted, or needed to see. He continued to yell until he was left with the last word. He stormed out leaving my mom, the look of defeat seeping from every pore. That's when I knew this would be the beginning of a forest fire, the ones that take heaven and earth to stop.
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