I woke up to smoke. Then a sepia-stained sky.  Did we get attacked? I checked the news about North Korea.

Headlines read: Ventura County Wild Fires. They started last night around 6:30. We are an hour’s drive South. Did the Santa Ana winds carry smoke that far?

Another headline: Sylmar Fires. 4 a.m. From us, a fifteen-minute drive North.

It was 60 degrees inside. I turned on the heat. The power flickered. My husband’s car wouldn’t start. He dashed out the door with my keys.

If we are evacuated, I’ve decided what I’d take: Cat, laptop, water. I’d need a ride from my in-laws. Would my husband meet up with us? Did I leave enough gas?

I looked outside. From the window, I see some blue returning, the yellow sun tinting the trees a golden green. An ordinary morning. Above that, grey.