I wanted to scream when the sirens resounded that day. I wanted to throw myself down on the sidewalk, and shout, “No!” to the flood waters that disrupted every single facet of my life. I wanted to shout, “You can’t do this!” to the filthy brown water that overtook my home, the graves of my dead pets, my entire valley. But instead, I drove away. I drove away. I drove away. And I never returned.

I wanted to scream when the sirens resounded that day. I wanted to throw myself down on the sidewalk, and shout, “No!” to the flood waters that disrupted every single facet of my life. I wanted to shout, “You can’t do this!” to the filthy brown water that overtook my home, the graves of my dead pets, my entire valley.

But instead, I drove away.

I drove away.

I drove away.

And I never returned.