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Leon was sitting on the doorstep of his house one
evening when he suddenly felt a terrible wind blowing.
The earth trembled and the sky darkened. "Run, Leon''"'
his neighbors shouted as they ran past him. There was
widespread pandemonium. People were screaming in fear
and in pain. Leon tried to go into his house but felt
his arms and legs burning. He watched people around him
burn and fall dead while their clothes showed no signs
of, having been touched by fire. Full realization struck
him. The volcano had erupted! Many victims were coated
with sulphuric lava, which burned hard and baked them
alive. There had been fears that the volcano which had
been lying dormant for the last fifty years, might
erupt. Residents of the town had been worried about the
sudden tremors and mild eruptions. However, they had not
expected the volcano to erupt with such intensity.
Neighboring cities rallied to their help.
With his legs bleeding and covered with burns, Leon
ran from his burning house. He ran and kept running,
away from the flowing lava. The entire city was burning
too. Sixteen of the eighteen ships in the harbor had
capsized. Leon somehow managed to escape breathing in
the lethal sulphur fumes that burned out
people's tongues and lungs.
Leon saw a small boat in the wharf. Ignoring the
hundreds of dead bodies around him, he plunged into the
water and jumped into the boat. He rowed as he had never
rowed before. Finally he came to a cave. It was rather
cool in there. He fell to the ground. At that moment,
the world ceased to exist.
Three days after the disaster, Leon heard voices
outside the cave. He yelled for help. Rubble had blocked
the exit. Search parties were nearby and Leon was
eventually saved by two rescue workers. He was badly
burnt and had to undergo surgery to restore his
appearance. There were no other survivors. |
