Tubes of Smoke

Last night I dreamt that I went home to Tujunga. The hills were still on fire and I could smell smoke in the air. I let myself into the house and walked to my room: the room I was born in, the room I keep returning to. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around. My mother was standing there talking to me, but I could barely hear her. She sounded like she was under water. Minutes passed as I looked at her and tried desperately to decipher her words by reading her lips when my father appeared in the doorway. He tried to talk to me, too. He realized quickly that I could not understand him either, so impatiently he pointed in my direction. I looked behind me, but nothing was there. Then I returned my gaze on the both of them and they both nodded "no" and then pointed directly at my chest. When I looked down everything finally registered: all over my body tubes were sticking out. Shocked and terrified, I immediately started ripping them out of my body. The tubes crashed to the ground splashing my bodily goo all over my old bed. I wanted to cry and scream, but no tears nor words came out. I looked at my parents pleadingly. They returned my gaze with compassionate frowns and then coerced me to sit on the bed. Smoke started to fill the room in huge plumes and I just laid there waiting for the flames to find me and take me away.