at around 9 o'clock last night, i was quietly reading in my room when i was startled by the shouts of my older brother in a panic. i quickly put down my book and went out to see what was happening. what greeted me was the sight of my younger sister, frantically running across the living room. when she saw me, she cried, "Ate! May sunog! May sunog!"

i ran outside and saw a blaze roar from the back lot, a stone's throw away from where i was. the only thing keeping our apartment from being swallowed by the flames was a precarious brick wall, and the whole neighborhood - man, woman and child - was already rushing their belongings to the side streets. i went back to the house and tried to save whatever i could.

on impulse, i took one blanket and spread it on the floor. i opened my drawer and dumped all my clothes in it. i put what little cash i have in my pocket and grabbed my school back pack, careful to save everything related to my thesis. then, by chance i saw a wooden box at the foot of my bed - it was where i kept all the letters and other precious items ever given to me by my friends - and without thinking twice, i took the extra load. i carried all these with my bare hands and marched outside with the maddening crowd.

just then, my mom and dad came home in time to witness the insanity. mom stayed outside to watch over our things while dad helped in bringing out the heavier objects. i myself went a few more times back to the house to cart as much as my little arms could take. each time i went back, i saw the fire burning much brighter than the last. at one point, i found myself standing in the middle of the chaos, just staring blankly at the raging flames. at that moment, a single thought entered my mind... and i think i began to understand why people are so afraid of Hell.

firetrucks began to pour in from all corners. i must have counted 15 or so on our side and i heard there were a lot more on the other side of the street where the fire originally began. we couldn't save everything we have. it was sheer impossibility. most of the bulky stuff like furniture and such were left inside. i did get to rescue my brother's new puppy and my dog "Lilith", but i couldn't find the old cat. i was worried because she had just given birth and i knew she didn't want to leave her kittens. Lilith was shaking terribly in my arms while we were outside. we all sat there, knowing there was nothing more we could do but hope the fire can be quickly contained before it did more harm.

the firefighters were relentless. the overwhelming response of different fire stations was both surprising and remarkable. we live in quezon city but i saw some trucks that came from as far as pasig, pasay, binondo, makati and san juan. after battling it out for more than an hour, the flames started to give in as the rich dark smoke began to turn white. we could breathe a little easier. at approximately 11pm, the fire that threatened to destroy the homes of dozens of families was finally declared "Under Control".

slowly, and understandably with some hesitation, people started going back to their homes and putting their possesions in order. when i came back to our own house, i could only shake my head. it looked pretty much like a warzone. the floor was wet and muddy, the sofas were strewn reckless on top of each other, and kitchen was even worse. much worse. then came reality check, and we began to wonder how we would be able to sleep in this mess. so we began the tedious process of starting from scratch, putting things back to the way they were as if we were moving in for the first time. by 1am, we satisfied ourselves with a makeshift bed on the livingroom for the meantime to rest our very tired bodies.

but barely a few minutes after we went to bed, we heard noises coming from outside. the neighbors were up watching the smoke becoming thicker and a few sparks flickering from the supposedly controlled fire. and once again, everyone went into panic. i told my brother to call 117 and report an emergency. i also asked the neighbors to do the same so they wouldn't think it was a hoax.

my little sister and i looked at each other with the same weary face. and to think we haven't even eaten dinner yet. i was starving.

"ready for Round 2?"

"no, not again!"