“Nasir, carefully step off the school bus and place your feet on the pavement,” Dima, instructing her younger sister and brother, continued, “Dana, follow your brother’s lead in the same way.”

After disembarking, the trio waved goodbye to their friends and headed home. As the oldest, Dima felt a sense of responsibility for her two younger siblings. Since their parents were at work during the day, Dima took care of them and made sure her siblings had lunch and took a nap.

As usual, on that day when their parents were away, Dima opened the door and entered the house with her siblings. She helped them take off their shoes and placed them in their respective spots. The three children always kept the house clean.

Today, Dima felt a strange smell as soon as she entered the house. She got worried and started wandering around the house to find out the cause of the smell. Finally, in the kitchen, she found the reason.

In the morning, Dima discovered that her mother had forgotten to switch off the stove. While Dima was wondering what to do, it was at that moment when some paper flew over to the stove, caught fire and then blew away, igniting the cloth towel placed right beside it. As Dima and the kids entered, they were met with the unfolding chaos.

Reacting swiftly, Dima shouted, ‘Nasir! Dana! Get out of the house quickly!’

She took them both out and rushed back to the kitchen, where she turned off the gas switch. The entire house was now filled with smoke, and Dima, concerned about the size of the cloth and the intensity of the fire, she must work quickly to tackle the situation.

Suddenly, the idea of a fire extinguisher came to her mind. “Yes! It is kept in the storeroom,” she thought.

Dima immediately retrieved the fire extinguisher from the storage. Her father had previously instructed her on how to use it, so it wasn’t difficult for her. She successfully extinguished the fire, but she was left covered in sweat. She thought what could have happened if they hadn’t reached the house on time.

Relieved from the fear, Dima emerged from the house and found her siblings looking nervous. She hugged them and brought them back inside. She then called her parents and explained the entire situation. They were both shocked and immediately rushed home.

Both were very happy to see the children safe and sound and thanked God.

“Well done Dima! You did a great job and saved the house from burning down.” Dima smiled and said:

“It’s all you guys taught me. That’s it! I was scared for my siblings they’re both so young, I’m happy that no bad thing happened.

“I will always be satisfied as I have a brave daughter like Dima in my home, and she knows how to protect her and her siblings!” Abu Jan said proudly.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 9th, 2023