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I walked around school like a zombie. Everything felt surreal, and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. All the security I had known, from my old school, my friends, my house and my cat had all been ripped away.
When I walked through what used to be my house after school that day, I was shocked to see how much damage there was — whatever hadn’t burned was destroyed by the water and chemicals they had used to put out the fire. The only material things not destroyed were the photo albums, documents and some other personal items that my mother had managed to heroically rescue. But my cat was gone and my heart ached for her.
There was no time to grieve. My mother rushed me out of the house. We would have to find a place to live, and I would have to go buy some clothes for school.
Explanation:
The narrator says he went to school the next day after the fire disaster and strolled about the school like a zombie. A zombie is a person who has lost their will to live and is unable to communicate. It is a living corpse raised via the use of supernatural techniques, such as witchcraft. Also, the narrator called himself a zombie as zombies are afraid of fire, and he moved around the school unconsciously without thinking about what was happening around him.
The zombie
The narrator says that he wandered around the school like a lifeless, uninterested individual. He was upset as his things, old school, old friends, pet cat, and home had all been taken away from him. In addition, he already felt alienated in his new school surroundings, and he was dressed differently in a sports shoe and no school bag. Also, for children, their school bag is very important because it contains all of their personal, secret, and favourite items, which they would never want to lose. The narrator, too, was saddened by the addition of losing his school bag and his pet cat.
The narrator walked through the burnt house on his way back from his new school and was shocked to see the amount of damage caused by the fire. Things that weren't burned were ruined by the water and chemicals used to put out the fire. The papers, photos, and some personal belongings that the narrator's mother had rescued were the only things that were saved. The narrator had also lost his pet, which hurts him more than anything. Whatever the case may be, life must go on. The narrator didn't even have time to worry about his cat as he needed to think about how he and his mother would restart their lives. They needed a place to stay as well as clothing and other basics.
Meaning of difficult words:
S.No | Words | Meaning |
1. | Zombie | A living corpse raised via the use of supernatural techniques |
2. | Rip away | To tear something away from something/someone else |
3. | Grieve | To feel or express great sadness |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2006). Beehive. A House Is Not a Home - Zan Gaudioso (pp.49-54). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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