I heard loud screams of my parents yelling at us to wake up. My father's hand grasped my arm firmly and yanked me out of bed. I hadn't even woken up properly and struggled to understand what was going on. I stumbled to find my footing as he pulled me out of the room. I screamed in pain as the friction from the carpet burnt my knees. I got up ran with my father. I looked back and saw my mother as she followed us with my sisters in her arms.
It took a while for me to snap out of my state of slumber and realize what was going on - it was an earthquake.
I held my father's arm with both hands firmly as we ran through our corridor into the kitchen towards our back door which led out into our open backyard. We were running in zigzags as we struggled to find a firm footing as we made our way out. I realised we weren't even running -we just couldn't. The ground beneath our feet wasn't swaying, it was vibrating. All the crockery in the shelves and the kitchen cabinets were tinkling in their places against each other. I still remember that tinkling sound and it was eerie and horrifying. Since houses there are built mostly of wooden the whole house creaked and shook. Windows shattered in their frames. We made it out into our backyard and onto our driveway and stood close to each other as the ground shook beneath us. I could see other families had come out and stood in the middle of the street huddled together. The deep pitched roar of an earthquake is unlike anything you could ever hear in your life. I could hear the asphalt road crack beneath us. Children crying and car alarms blazing. We stood there just waiting for it all to end.
I held my father's arm with both hands firmly as we ran through our corridor into the kitchen towards our back door which led out into our open backyard. We were running in zigzags as we struggled to find a firm footing as we made our way out. I realised we weren't even running -we just couldn't. The ground beneath our feet wasn't swaying, it was vibrating. All the crockery in the shelves and the kitchen cabinets were tinkling in their places against each other. I still remember that tinkling sound and it was eerie and horrifying. Since houses there are built mostly of wooden the whole house creaked and shook. Windows shattered in their frames. We made it out into our backyard and onto our driveway and stood close to each other as the ground shook beneath us. I could see other families had come out and stood in the middle of the street huddled together. The deep pitched roar of an earthquake is unlike anything you could ever hear in your life. I could hear the asphalt road crack beneath us. Children crying and car alarms blazing. We stood there just waiting for it all to end.
you were in LA?? why in God's name did u come back?? Why??? WHYYYYYYYYY
ReplyDeleteSame Question
ReplyDeleteThat must be horrible.
ReplyDeleteits really traumatic, i can understand how horrible the flashbacks you have while noting it down.. but i have the same question that's making me confuse about You.. why did you came back from LA....?
ReplyDeletekyun k mujhay gaRrRrmi pasand hai aur mujhay inquilaaaab laana tha xD :P
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ReplyDeletetraumatic indeed! I like the way you have described the whole incident.. LA and surrounding areas are known for the earthquakes and tremors, yet they have equipped themselves through proper building plans and evacuation planning.. hope Pakistanis had learnt a lesson or two from the '05 quake :/
ReplyDeletezohair when are you going back to LA? :P
ReplyDelete"It took a while for me to snap out of my state of slumber and realize what was going on."
ReplyDeleteNot much has changed. ;)
LOL out of the whole disturbing tale THATS all you got xD xD xD hahaha
ReplyDeleteZuhai(Ulta)r... it's superbly written..... I'm just not thinking you being an inqalaabi and comin to Pakistan but I think its just a wonderful piece of literature!
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