The kids! The kids! My body was shaking, but only one thing was circling through my head. I needed to find the kids and get them to a safe place. I couldn’t believe what was happening. The sky was falling apart. White was everywhere. It was in my hair, clouding my vision, and covering the buildings. The ground was rumbling. Outside of my home, I craned my head to see as far as I could in all directions. My kids were nowhere to be found. “Mama, Mama, is it snowing?” My head snapped around so fast I’m surprised it was still intact. I saw two chocolate brown eyes staring up at me.
I pulled my little Octavia into a giant hug. My heart was beating out of my chest. “No, honey, it’s not,” I said, choking back soft sobs. She was an innocent child; she didn’t deserve to feel the fear I felt. When I knew I could control myself, I pleaded, “Octavia, baby, go inside and hide under the table. It will be a game. I will come find you in a little bit. Just promise me you’ll stay there, ok?”
“Ok Mama, but are you sure this isn’t snow?”
“Yes, baby, I’m sure,” I responded, kissing the top of her head. With one final look of disbelief, Octavia bounded off to hide.
Turning back, Octavia squealed, “This is going to be a fun game Mama!” Her long, brown hair disappeared around the corner.
Once I knew she was safely inside, I refocused my attention. I needed to find Augustus and quickly. Where could he be? I racked my brain. He loved to play games with his friends, but usually he would be back by now. I longed to see Gus’s tan face and dark brown eyes. My heart ached with the thought of him getting hurt. It was decided- the end of the world was right now, and one of my children wasn’t with me. Constantly I prayed, “Please keep Gus safe. Please stop this destruction. Please bring my baby back to me.”
Holding a pot over my head, I set off down the cobblestone path toward the field where the boys play. Debris was falling from the sky. Surely they wouldn’t still be outside. The columns along the road were shaking; I needed to hurry. My legs carried me as fast as they could. Just when I thought I was used to the vibration under my feet, the ground would jerk, and I would lose my footing. By the time I reached Gus, my knees and elbows were scraped and bloody. In the distance, through the ash, I saw a head full of scraggly brown hair. “Gus! Augustus! Do you hear me?!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, desperation eminent in my voice. Slowly I saw his head turn. Frantically, I waved my arms in the air as I continued running towards him. The moment he recognized me, Augustus grabbed a rock and held it over his head. Then, he sprinted to me.
After he emerged from my hug, Gus shouted, “Mom! What is happening? Is Octavia ok? Are we going to die?” Older and less naive, he knew this wasn’t snow falling from the sky. He could smell the burning air. He knew what I knew; Vulcan was punishing us.
“Octavia is home. Now you are with me. We can get through this,” I consoled him, although I wasn’t so sure. I held him to me, stroking his wavy brown hair. After a moment, everything came back to me. All I knew was that we needed to get back to the hut. Once Octavia, Gus, and I were together, we could hide somewhere until whatever was happening ended. I still didn’t know if it was going to stop. “We need to hurry home.” With that, we both sprinted back towards our house.
Every few minutes, a tremor would vibrate up from the earth sending Gus and me to the ground. Each time, we would get back up and dust ourselves off. There was no time to complain or pout. We were just concerned with surviving long enough to get back to Octavia. Columns were crashing to the ground left and right. Gus and I needed to be ready to jump out of the way. Our little hut was in sight when I heard the crack of a column to my left. I tried to move, but the stone fell quickly on my leg, trapping me in place. I was in shock. I needed to be there for my children. I couldn’t leave them. Gus ran to my side, tears rushing down his cheeks.
“Go find your sister and crouch in the corner of the hut, under the table. I don’t want to be away from you, but you have to go. You need to get through this and help Octavia. The two of you can survive this. I love you both so much! Make sure Octavia knows that.”
“Mom, I can get you out! I can’t leave you!” Gus insisted. He grabbed my arm and frantically started to pull, staring at a me with desperate, love-filled eyes.
“No, honey. You have to make it home to Octavia. How would she feel if neither one of us came back? You two can make it. I believe you can! I love you and will always be with you,” I croaked through sobs. Gus bent over and gave me a kiss and a hug. He got up and jogged away. When he reached our street, he looked back over his shoulder. I saw his tear-stricken face. My eyes welled up, and I blew him a final kiss. Gus caught it and put it in his pocket. After blowing me a kiss of his own, he sprinted off with purpose.
No longer having to be brave for Augustus, I let out a cry of pain. The column was crushing my left leg. There was no one around to help me. Everyone else had either left the city or was hiding in a building. Just then, I realized I dropped my pot when the column came down on me. There was nothing protecting my head. Ash was coming down all around me, covering my body. Before long, I would be buried in it and forgotten. “Why are you doing this?!” I yelled to the gods. My voice echoed across the empty path. Silence followed. All I could hear was the slow grumbling of the earth and my heavy breathing. In the distance, closer to Mount Vesuvius, I could hear shrieks. Others must have been in similar situations to me.
Boom! The deafening noise reverberated up from the ground, sending a column on my right side down to the ground. I moved my head just in time; whack! With a crack, it painfully struck my right shoulder. I let out a screech of agony and frustration. All I wanted was to be there for my children. Now I couldn’t do that. My fate was to stay trapped in the middle of the street until death took me. Are Octavia and Augustus ok? Not knowing how my kids were was eating me up inside. The house is sturdy; they will be ok.
All I could do was pray, hope, and wait. Every second I was praying that my kids were safe and the world wasn’t ending. I was hoping that Octavia and Augustus would make it out alive and be able to live long and happy lives. I was waiting for my death. August 24, 79, was to be the last day of my existence. My future would end in the ruins.
Several hours I waited. The ash was covering me from head to toe. To keep it out of my mouth and nose, I tore my shirt and covered my face with the fabric. Soon enough, my body was disappearing under the rubble and dust. I looked around at my city. Pompeii was destroyed. Buildings were falling apart, the sky was dark, and the smell of fire was everywhere. Time passed slowly. With numbness slowly settling over my body, I could no longer feel anything, let alone pain. As I lie staring up at the sky, the white flakes began to collect on my eyelashes, forcing me to close my eyes.
Darkness was everywhere. For a few moments, I could feel an intense heat, despite the layers of ash shrouding me. In an instant, I was gone. My dying prayer was for Octavia and Gus to live long enough to make new families and live through this horrible disaster:
Please protect and guide my children
as they walk the path of life.
Send them my undying love,
and never let them forget
how much I love them.
Faking It Made 