RTW: Fire

Road Trip Wednesday is a blog carnival, where YA Highway’s contributors and readers post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s take on the topic.

This week’s prompt was: The house is on fire and you've only got time to grab five things. What are they?

I’d like to say I’d grab the following five things, but let’s be honest: I’d make for the nearest exit and bolt. I’ve watched enough movies to know that people who go back for their belongings end up dead.* Unless Spiderman’s involved.

So, taking into account the fact that I wouldn’t have enough time or brain capacity to search for my most favoritest possessions, here’s what I would like to take provided the fire is contained and the toxic smoke hasn’t started killing my brain cells:

1. My computer. I’m sure I’m not the only one who will say this, but c’mon. I really don’t feel like writing my entire manuscript ALL OVER AGAIN. And I especially don’t feel like writing it all over again from the burn unit of the hospital.

2. My cell phone and charger. Because I’m going to need to call my family and let them know I’ve been burnt to a crisp. Also, it will be useful for finding a place to crash should I miraculously escape without burns or lung damage from smoke inhalation.

3. My fan. Here’s something you don’t know about me: I have a disease that makes my feet burn like they’re on fire when the temperature is over 65. First, this is why having a fire in my house is possibly the worst thing that could happen to me. Second, I’m well-versed in second-degree burns (thanks, body) and know for a fact I’d rather lose all my possessions than acquire more burns than I already have. HOWEVER, if I’m going to be away from home for a while, I’ll need my fan for my feet. Because the only thing worse than self-burning is self-burning while you have second-degree burns. Trust me.

4. My glasses. When you’re in the middle of getting skin grafts (because you stupidly ran through the fire trying to save your belongings) you really don’t want to worry about putting in contacts. And even if I escape the fire, I’ll need glasses to see. Once I take out my contacts I’m basically blind.

5. My husband. Yeah, it’s way more likely he’d be saving me. But in case he trips or gets hit on the head by a falling beam (not that my apartment has any exposed beams, but in movie fires someone is always knocked unconscious) I’d go back for him. He’s probably the only thing I’d run back for in a real-life situation.

What about you? What five things would you save?

*Okay, so I may have a pessimistic outlook on fires. I just hate them with a fiery passion. (See what I did there? Hardee har har.)