“That morning when this big fire broke out, none of the household was able to put it out. Marianna, my mother’s niece, who was left to live with us while her parents were in Europe, was all in flames. So no one managed to break the small window in the red box in the corner, turn the latch to pull out the hose and call the firefighters in helmets. Burning with a bright flame, like ignited cellophane, Marianne went down to breakfast, with a loud sob or groan, plopped down at the table and barely swallowed even a crumb. The room became too hot, and her father and mother left the table...”

The book was also published under the title “Fire.”