In the Dust

Dust came racing up from behind his father’s shoulder, swept over Yu’an’s head, and surged into the street ahead.

The trees and shopfronts visible only moments ago vanished all at once. His father lunged toward the roadside with him in his arms, slamming one shoulder hard against a pillar. His mother squeezed in beside them, an arm braced across his back. Wind poured past the three of them, carrying paper bags and shattered glass. The iron frame of an awning scraped along the ground, struck the steps at one end, and sprang violently upward.

Yu’an buried his face deeper.