Room Full of Smoke

Fall 2023 | Short Fiction

Published in Building Imaginary Worlds

Room Full of Smoke follows Alyssa as she wakes to find her home engulfed in smoke from

a wildfire. Trapped inside and struggling to breathe, she searches for ways to survive as

the fire closes in around her.

The story moves from panic and uncertainty to survival and recovery, ending not simply

with Alyssa escaping the fire, but with her returning years later to rebuild what she had

lost.

Selected Excerpt

“A few years later, her health had gotten better. She had eventually gotten better and

then she went back to her house even though it was burned she rebuilt it with love

and care. The new version was even better than the old one.”

“She made sure that a wild fire would never touch her house again.”