Don't Go Under

May 13th, 1994

The rain poured down Jackie's window and through the small town she lived in. She stared sadly out the window of her small purple painted bedroom singing softly to herself. "Rain rain go away. Come again another day...." She didnt notice the water leaking in through her ceiling and coming in under the door.
Jackies father ran in. His pants were soaked up to the knees. His face was written with panic. This Jackie noticed, and it frightened her. "Come on sweetheart, we have to go on the roof." He tried to make his voice sound relaxed, but it was higher than usual. Jackie opened her mouth to ask why, but was interrupted. "Now!" He grabbed her hand and led her out the door.
She finally saw what the problem was when she got to the stair case. The door of their house had broken down and water was gushing in. She thought to herself that it made the same sound that a waterfall did, or perhaps it was the sound of rapids flowing through a river. Only the noise sounded scary to her now. Pictures were knocked off the wall and furniture was over turned. Jackie's mother was standing at the foot of the stairs. Her mother and father were about the same height, and the water was up to her moms chest. She could just imagine herself in that water. The cold, icy liquid sucking her weak body under, and Jackie's blood froze.
Her mother ran up the stairs and grabbed her other hand. The two adults spoke on the way up to the attic. "Should we tell her what's going on?" her mother said. The father shook his head, no as he opened up the hatch leading up to their roof. "Its a flash flood, she wouldnt understand. Besides we dont want to scare her. Shes only three." Jackie knew they were talking about her, but she didnt care. She was too terrified to care.
The water gushed up to the attic. "Go, honey, go!" her dad yelled as they pushed her up the latter, onto the roof, and out of harms way. The water grabbed at her parents legs and brought her mom down. Jackie would never forget the sound of her mothers screams as she went under. Soon the water took her father too. Before he went under he screamed to Jackie "Don't ever forget us, Jackie! We love you!"
"Mommy? Daddy?" Jackie said with tears streaming down her cheeks. Then she sat down buried her small head in her knees and sobbed until someone took her away.