Blinded and Loveless

It happened at M.J's birthday party, the day she turned two months old. Even though she wasn't exactly old enough to have a birthday party, her parents wanted her to have the full experience, even if she was in diapers and would have many more to come. She was enveloped with love, and her parents always pounced on an opportunity to show her off to anyone that would stand around and listen. And they always did. People would tell her mother what a beautiful baby girl she had given birth to. How she was like a princess, graceful even as a baby. How her silky brown waves shone in the light. How her deep brown eyes portrayed innocence and beauty. They told her she was the purest creature that ever walked the earth.

And even though M.J was indeed an infant, she understood that love came in different ways. It could come effortless, as the love from her parents. Or it could come through hard work and effort, as with a lover, or friend. Or it could come completely unattainable, as with someone you despise. M.J was underestimated, as all parents treat their child like they know nothing. But M.J did. She knew that some things are too good to be true. She was a very good observer.

Her mother had invited everyone from her address book to attend M.J's party. The room was overflowing with balloons, and streamers of pink, red, and yellow were strewn over everything, making a canopy over the patio on the back deck. The sun was just setting, casting rays of red, orange, pink, and yellow over the city of Carlson, the place where M.J's parents had lived all their lives.

As the guests arrived, M.J was hoisted up and shoved into their faces, her parents bragging and sending compliments about her. M.J could tell the guests were trying their hardest not to just tell her parents to stuff it already, but since she couldn't speak, it was pointless. M.J appreciated the compliments, glad that she had the unconditional love from her parents. But getting bragged about didn't seem very nice to her. And she soon got bored, squirming and crying more often until her mother would rock and murmur to her until she calmed down.

She realized that the love a mother has for her child was strong. It was irrevocable and unconditional, nothing could compare to it. And she also realized that her mother only bragged about her because she thought she was so special that she deserved the whole world to know about her. And though M.J understood this, she also understood that all good things, no matter how amazing they are, have to end. But she never expected it to be so soon.

So when she started to smell smoke coming from the patio doors, she knew that something was wrong. And it seemed she was the first to notice it. She started crying to the top of her lungs, squirming and pulling her mother's hair for her attention. Something bad was going to happen. She could feel it in her tiny heart. From the top of her small cherubic head to the soles of her feet. They needed to get out of here, and fast.

It seemed like an eternity before one of the guests, a skinny man with bright blue eyes and auburn hair, yelled out in alarm, pointing towards the patio doors. He was yelling in a raised voice, telling people to get down, to cover their face. By now, panic had broken out among everyone. The auburn man tried to keep everyone calm, but he failed. People were scared. A woman was screaming, a man was hiding under the table that held the cake, and a group of children sat in the corner of the patio crying. But what was worse was that the patio was on the second floor, and it was a long drop. There was no way to get down. The flames must have already spread through the entire house by now. They were trapped.

M.J started to wail. She didn't want to die, nor did she want her family or any of the other guests to die either. And to think that the fact that she understood exactly what was going on only made it worse.

Her parents didn't know what to do. The house was burning down. They were all too high up to jump, and everyone was hysterical. And soon, the back deck, made out of wood, started to wobble. The flames had reached the wooden beams that supported the deck. And they were starting to crumble. Soon, the whole thing would collapse. People were on their knees. Some crying, some praying. One man was still trying to figure a way out, even though it was all to no avail.