The Day the Sky Turned Red

It started just like any other day. I was playing outside, running down the dirt road near the houses when I saw it. The sky was darker than usual, but I didn’t think much of it. Then, I heard the rumble. At first, it sounded like thunder, but the sky wasn’t cloudy. I turned to see what was happening, and that’s when I saw it—the mountain in the distance was smoking, the air was thick with dust, and the sky was glowing red. I had never seen anything like it before, and I didn’t know what to do. Everyone was running, but I stayed still, just staring. I couldn’t look away from the explosion of ash that filled the air like a huge cloud, swallowing everything in its path.