Ariana's Story

Ariana's mother collapsed into a chair after a long day at work. She looked exhausted; dark circles had formed under her eyes, and her cheeks, which were normally red and rosy, were sallow and pale. Her dark hair hung limp around her shoulders.

Ariana came skipping into the front room where her mother lay, giving her a warm hug. "Welcome home, Mommy!" she greeted cheerfully.

Her mother gave her a weak smile. "Hi, Honey."

Ariana frowned, noticing her lack of enthusiasm. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, and ruffled Ariana's hair with her hand. "Yeah. I just need to catch up on some sleep, that's all." Ariana eyed her skeptically.

"Are you sure? Do you want me to make you dinner?"

She laughed once. "It's okay, Sweetie. I'm not hungry yet, just sleepy. I'm going to go to my room and rest for awhile, okay? Can I trust you down here on your own?"

Ariana put one hand to her heart and held the other in the air. "I promise you can trust me, Mommy. So help me God."

She laughed again, brightening up a little bit. Ariana loved hearing her mother's laugh. It was like music: lovely and sweet.

She stood up. "Alright, kiddo. Wake up me up in about an hour, okay?"

"M'kay."

She kissed Ariana on the cheek before trudging up the stairs to her room.

Ariana didn't know hat she should do. Her mother had told her not to make her any dinner, and she did not want to disobey her. But she knew she would want food when she woke up.

She decided to go ahead and make dinner for her. What harm could it do?

Ariana retrieved the cookbook from behind the bread pan, and gathered up the ingredients to make her mother's favorite simple dish, buttered noodles. She had been taught how to make it before, and was quite good at it.

When all of the necessary ingredients were acquired, she filled a pot with water and set it on the stove to boil. She opened the package of noodles and poured them in, being extra careful not to spill any. When these steps were completed, Ariana threw away the empty package and sat down on the couch in the living room.

"Great. Now I have to wait," she grumbled.

The clock ticked slowly by… and Ariana grew tired. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but the couch was too comfortable. She rested her head on the arm and was asleep within seconds.

Meanwhile, the noodles were boiling and cooking. The water bubbled up until it began to spill over the side, dripping foam and bubbles onto the hot stove. It made a hissing sound with each drop.

A rag that Ariana had used to wipe the counter with lay precariously close to the hot surface. A small, yet dangerous flame lit up the end of it, flickering mischievously.