RED RIVER

  It was just another tranquil day in the town. Hawkers called out their wares and children played in streets. A woman hung out washing in her backyard. A man called for breakfast and an old man stood, reading the public notice board. No one paid heed to the thin spiral of smoke coming out of the Vesuvius. 

   Suddenly, people stopped in their tracks as they felt a slight tremor. It stopped. Then everyone went about their daily lives. They were used to such insignificant emissions. 

   The sky went dark unusually early that day. Finally, a child looked up, his eyes wide with fear and said, with a deadly pale face, " Look!" . Rocks and stones were bursting out of the raging Vesuvius like a fountain !! 

     " Run!!" screamed the people in unison. Hot rocks and pumice stones rained down on everyone. An earthquake shook the ground and cracks appeared in the roofs. A vast mass of smoke hung over the town in an ominous cloud. 

     Meanwhile chaos had struck the small group on the slope of the mighty Vesuvius itself. Meganthus was the wisest man in the city of Pompeii. The group stared petrified at the stream of liquid fire making its way down the rocky side of Vesuvius. Meganthus snapped the reins of the horse cart and they galloped off in a cloud of dust. All his dreams shattered in a million fragments. Hopes of being honoured by the Chief for discoveries making life easier for people, all vanished with a poof! He knew that the slopes of Vesuvius were rich with strong metals. If those could be unearthed, better weapons could be made for war and Pompeii would be well protected. They were near the West Gate now. On the other side was the dock and beyond that the crashing sea. No honours mattered now. Only LIFE! 

" Tie a pillow to your heads and escape to the docks!" announced the Chief. Meanwhile, a stampede was taking place at the West Gate. Men, women, children all scrambled onto the nearest boat or ship. A woman looked around frantically. She had a baby strapped to her toga and a young boy was clutching her hand. " Aurelia!! My daughter, where are you?" They had got separated in the crowd. 

The smoking killer stream flowed slowly down. It was at the outskirts of Pompeii now. An old man cried for help, " Someone help me to run !! I cannot run with this limp of mine ! " A young man rushed out of the gladiator's barracks, his dagger drawn. " Come grandfather," said the gladiator , " I will escort you to safety!" With one heave of his muscular arms, he lifted the frail old man and ran towards the West Gate.

 " Is there space for one extra passenger?" he asked the Captain of the ship. 

" I can accommodate seven more people."

" Then please help this old man aboard! I will evacuate more people!"

" What is your name son?" asked the old man.

" Marcus."

" I bless you , Marcus! Thank you!" the old man said, choking on tears of gratitude. 

   Soft ash carpeted the streets and lay on rooftops like a blanket. All colour was blotted out by the monotonous grey ash. All the running was making Marcus pant heavily. He opened his mouth for a gasp of air. However,he closed it immediately while coughing as a mass of hot ash blew into his mouth. All around the air rung with cries for help, shouts calling for lost husbands, wives, children and relations. Marcus pulled his robe over his mouth and nose and dashed towards the docks, hoping to just haul himself onto a ship and escape. The spark of fear in him was now a raging fire. 

    A cry of " Marcus!!" made him look back. It was his beloved Claudia. His robe dropped from his nose and he inhaled the toxic ash again. His throat was burning now! He desperately gasped for air. Every breath filled his lungs with poison. He collapsed to the ground. A face loomed up over him. 

" Don't worry Marcus, I'm here!" said Claudia almost sobbing. He felt his head on her lap. Gathering all his strength he choked " Claudia... I...love...you..." his voice trailed off. His vision became blurred. He heard a passionate sob. He closed his eyes. 

Little Aurelia stumbled down the street. A dog bound by a chain howled mournfully. " MUMMY !!" she screamed. She looked back in terror and horror as she saw the destructive river of lava chasing after her. She just had time to shout , " Hel.. !" when a burning rock struck her head. She heard a sickening crack and fell, her senses drowning into darkness...

The dock lay deserted. The town, covered by the grey ash was a picture of devastation. Every street had its own melancholic story to tell. Everywhere lay distorted bodies of humans and animals, some with arms outstretched, yearning for fresh air. Among the ashes lay the figure of a little girl, in a fetal position, in the act of covering her face with her toga. There was a fatal wound at the back of her head. 

Not even an insect moved. Among this destruction, the lava snaked through, devouring everything in its path. In the oppressive, sinister silence, the Red River reigned.

Written by 

Anandini Sengupta

12 years