The earthquake had hit the island quick and hard. Her little hutch was no match for the trembling earth that engulfed almost the entire two block area that she and hundreds of others shared.In a terrible second her entire world had been changed. What once was a dirty little rut scarred lane had become a raging river. Other shanty’s floated by looking like mangled children’s toys. Suddenly the dead body of a neighbor drifted by. 

The rains continued. Clutching her daughter, they became part of this ugly slow-moving  river of mud. Her body  came to an abrupt stop as she  hit a large submerged bolder. She suddenly reached out to grab a root of a tree that was still planted firmly on the  edge of the shore.  She realized she  was holding on  for dear life with both of her arms. All around  her was the swirling mass of mud.

Frantically  she digged for the thing that meant  the  most  to her. Looking over her shoulder she saw her daughter disappear under the  raging current. Slowly releasing her hold  on the  bolder she drifter toward her daughter.