On New Year’s Eve, the night of Martine Allen’s 11th birthday, she dreams that she travels to a lush, jungle-like place. In this place, a fierce storm approaches, and Martine is holding an injured goose. In the dream, her hands surge with electricity, and smoke gathers around her as strange men in animal masks run away. The goose flies away as Martine hears voices, “[…] as old as Time. She knew they wanted to speak to her, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying” (2). Then children begin to chant at her, calling her a “witch.” Martine wakes up screaming and realizes that her home in Hampshire, England is on fire.

As smoke flows into her room, Martine tries to escape, but the doorknob melts with heat. She covers her face with a shirt and briefly considers jumping from her window down onto the snow. Instead, she uses bed sheets to make a rope and descends safely to the ground. Martine, along with several neighbors gathered outside, watches as flames engulf her home. As she screams for her family and tries to run back into the house, her neighbor Mr. Morrison grabs her, and his wife holds her and comforts her through her tears.