The porch was nothing more than a pile of blackened screen and smoldering wood. She couldn’t even imagine what the inside of the house might look like. At least it didn’t look as if the fire had made its way inside, but there would be, at the very least, some smoke damage. She looked at Halena, who appeared older than she had hours before. Her gray hair was a tangled mess around her shoulders and the lines on her face seemed deeper. Still, she appeared stoic as she, too, stared at the damage. Mary couldn’t even begin to process the loss, or what measures would have to be taken to put things right again. She reminded herself that she held the most important thing in her arms. The other things were just stuff, and stuff could be replaced. She was just grateful that they’d all gotten out of the house and were safe. “We can’t stay here,” Halena finally said, stating the obvious. She held her wood carving as tightly to her chest as Mary held Joey.
