By JACOB COMP, student reporter
The embers flew straight to the sky. The wood popped and cracked as the fire grew in size.
The stay at home order issued by Texas Gov. Greg Abbot caused many Texans to run out of things to do. This led some to do anything just to get out of the house, like start the fire pit.
Husband and wife sat side by side while the wood burned away faster than the things to do.
The half-moon was accompanied by the millions of stars in lighting up the cloudless sky.
“Toes,” by Zac Brown Band could be faintly heard across the cow pasture from the neighbors next door.
He got up and stirred the fire, provoking it to burn hotter.
He sat down, leaving the metal rod to heat up and turn orange like the sunset they had seen hours before.
After a few minutes she could see the look in his eyes.
“It’s not gonna bend,” she said as she laughed.
“Watch me,” he quickly responded.
“Touch it,” she urged.
“No.” he said
He quickly pulled the rod from the fire, bent it and slammed it into the ground.
“Now it’s burning the earth,” he declared.
The silence returned, and only the cracking of the fire could be heard.
She opened her phone and got on Facebook, which she frequents more now since being home in lock down. The southern twang of a familiar voice rang out. Country singer Dolly Parton was sharing a corona virus poem.
“This too shall pass as all things will,” Dolly says. “If the virus don’t kill us, the stay at home will.”
The fire burned out, but the desire to go back to life as they knew it still remained a top priority. Side by side, the two walked into the house, back to their lives of staring at a TV screen, watching the news, thinking of what they can do tomorrow.
This is their new reality.