810 Natural Disaster (1/2)

When they heard the knock on the door––or the bang on the door, to be exact––little Liu Ying and her grandmother first thought that it was the wind. But after listening carefully, they realized it wasn't, as someone was shouting at them from outside.

Grandmother asked Little Liu Ying to wait in bed while she stepped into the knee-deep water to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, deeper water flooded in immediately, nearly striking grandmother down. Luckily, a strong arm held her.

It was Liu Ying's parents coming back in from the heavy storm. They didn't even use an umbrella, as it was totally useless.

They didn't say much, just one simple word: evacuate.

Grandmother didn't ask any further. She handed them the water-proofed valuable items, then took Little Liu Ying with herself.

Her mother entered the flooded house to take the medicine. Then, she took some emergency food, such as instant noodles, etc.

”What about the clownfish?” Little Liu Ying asked, looking back at the fish tank. She was sitting on her father's back.

After the door opened, the candles were blown out. The fish tank was pitch dark; nothing could be seen inside.

Yet nobody answered her. Nobody had time for the clownfish.

As her mother dangled the flash light, it swept through and illuminated the fish tank. Something flashed inside. Little Liu Ying felt that it was the clownfish's eyes staring at her.

As soon as she went outside, the storm cooled her down completely. The heat that had accumulated inside her body didn't even have time to evaporate. She was cold outside but hot inside––a terrible feeling, indeed.

The entire village was evacuating with their entire families. They were moving to higher ground––somewhere safe.

There were no more roads in the village. The river was everywhere. The water was taller than an adult's thigh.

All kinds of things were floating in the turbid water, including dead poultry, broken branches, and even some small boats. The boatman rowed the bow while he avoided the obstacles in the water and terrified family members sat on board.

Even then, grandmother didn't forget to lock the door, just in case any thieves came in after the flood and stole the electric appliances.

On the main road, the village leaders shouted at the top of their lungs, organizing the evacuation.

The closest army had already arrived, evacuating villagers on jet boats. Dark green silhouettes were going around everywhere.

Little Liu Ying's father drove the fishermen's jet boat there. She didn't like the jet boat, as it stunk with a strong odor of dead fish and rotten shrimp. She could smell it even in the torrential rain.

”The clownfish are still at home,” she repeated after getting into the jet boat. Cold rain drops poured in as soon as she opened her mouth.

Maybe the rain was too loud, or the village leaders' loudspeakers were too noisy, but neither parent seemed to have heard her question––or maybe they had heard, but didn't think it was necessary to answer.

Grandmother held an umbrella in her skinny hands to protect Little Liu Ying from the storm. Yet while it rained heavily outside, it still drizzled inside the umbrella.

”It's fine. I'll buy you more in the future,” grandmother said, almost announcing a death sentence on the clownfish.

Her father drove the jet boat and took the whole family outside the village. Little Liu Ying stared at her house all the way out of the village until she could not see it any longer.

After the typhoon, it took a day for the flood in the village to recede, then another two to three days to clean up the branches and trash that were blocking the roads. Dead animals and poultry that were scattered everywhere were burnt and buried to prevent them from spreading diseases.

Her family and the other villagers stayed in temporary tents for a few days before they finally returned home.