Once upon a feeling #2 Big Orange Sky read by Dylan

Big Orange Sky: When Home Changes After a Wildfire

We’re so happy you’re here for our second episode of Once Upon a Feeling — the podcast where we talk about growing up: the fun parts, the weird parts, the messy parts… and the magical parts too.

This podcast is inspired by stories from Gooshi, read by kids who have lived through similar experiences. You can explore more stories in the app here:
🌎 https://gooshi.world/

 About This Episode;

In this episode, we talk about wildfires and other natural disasters — and what it feels like when something big and sudden changes the place you call home.

Our special guest and reader today is Dylan (11 years old), who lost her home 10 months ago in the Eden Fire in Southern California. 

Dylan shares:

• What she remembers from the day of the fire
• How it felt to evacuate
• What helped her feel safe
• What “home” means to her now

📖 Storytime: Big Orange Sky

Dylan reads Big Orange Sky, the story of three siblings — Sienna, Mateo, and Lily — who notice the sky turning orange as a wildfire approaches their neighborhood.

Through their eyes, we explore:

• The fear of having to pack just one special thing
• The uncertainty of leaving home
• The many different emotions adults feel
• A community coming together to help
• The mix of sadness and hope after loss

This story gently reminds us that big feelings are normal after something scary — and that even when things change, people can help rebuild what matters most.

💬 A Conversation with Dylan

After the story, host Rita Bezzola talks with Dylan about her real-life experience during the fire.

Some powerful moments from their conversation include:

•  Evacuating to a hotel and waking up to a bright red sky
•  Choosing just one stuffed animal to pack
•  How evacuating with a close friend helped her feel calmer
•  Returning to the “dirt patch” where her home once stood and planting seeds
•  Recovering her childhood stuffed animal and restoring it
•  Her message to other kids going through something similar:
   “Everything is going to be okay. It might feel really sad at first, but when you get a new house, things will start to feel almost normal again.”

You can explore Gooshi's ecosystem here:

https://linktr.ee/gooshi_world

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Once Upon the Feeling. This is the podcast where we talk about all things growing up. The fun parts, the weird parts, the messy parts, and the magical parts too. I'm your host, Rita, and I'm so glad you're here. Are you ready? Let's dive right in. Hi friends. Thank you for tuning in to this week's Once Upon a Feeling. I'm your host, Rita. And in this week's episode, we're talking about wildfires and other types of natural disasters and what it feels like when something big and sudden changes the place that we call home. Our reader today is Dylan, who lost her home about 10 months ago in the Eden Fire here in Southern California. She is sharing what she remembers, what helped her feel safe, and what home means to her now. Let's listen.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Big Orange Sky, read by Dylan Davis. Sienna, Mateo, and Lily were playing outside when they noticed the sky turning orange. It wasn't the sunset, but the air smelled smoky, like a campfire. What's that smell? Sienna asked, wrinkling her nose. I don't like it, said Mateo, rubbing his arms. Their dad came outside. He looked serious. Kids, come inside. We need to talk. Inside, their mom was watching the TV. Red words were flashing at the bottom of the screen. There's a fire nearby, Mom said. It's not here yet, but we need to pack some things in case we have to leave. Sienna's eyes got wide. Leave? Leave our house? Lily hugged her bare mango. But what about my toys? Dad knelt down and looked at them. It's okay to feel scared or sad. I feel that way too. But we'll be safe because we have a plan. Mom and Dad gave the kids small backpacks, packs of clothes, one favorite toy, and one special thing, Long said. In her room, Sienna looked at her boats. She loves them all. How could she pick just one? She finally grabbed her favorite bedtime story. Mateo tried to fit his Lego spaceship in his bag, but it was too big. He sighed and packed his drawing pad instead. Lily sat on the floor hugging Mango. I don't want to leave Mango or my pink blanket or my dollhouse, she cried. Mom sat with her. It's okay to feel sad, sweetheart. I feel sad too, but we'll bring Mango with us and we'll all stay safe together. By the time they packed the car, the sky was darker and the orange glow of the fire looked closer. The air smelled stronger, and the wind made a low roaring sound. As they drove down the street, Sienna saw neighbors packing their cars too. Mrs. Huong was holding photo albums. The Rodriguez family was trying to get their scared cat into a crate. Some people looked sad, and some looked worried. Is everyone leaving? Mateo asked. Most people are, Dad said. It's safer that way. The road was full of cars, all driving slowly. A dog barked from one car. Sienna held her book tightly, feeling nervous. When they came back, everything looked different. The streets were covered in ash, and some trees were black and burned. Their school was gone and some houses were too. Sienna's house was still there, but the roof was burned and the backyard fence was gone. She thought about her books and her room. Were they okay? Lily looked at where the Rodriguez's house used to be. Where is their house? she asked softly. The fire burned it, Mom said, but we'll help them rebuild. Some neighbors were crying. Others, like Mr. Lopez, were yelling. This should have never happened, he said angrily. Sienna saw Mr. Brown standing very still. He didn't say anything, he just stared at the ground. Why is everyone feeling different? Sienna asked. People feel lots of things after something scary. Mom said. Some feel sad, some feel mad, and some don't know what to say. It's all okay. The adults shared their feelings too. Mrs. Huang said, My mother's piano is gone forever, it makes me so sad. Mr Lopez said, I'm just so mad. I don't know who to blame. Mr Brown just nodded and said, It's too much. Even though people felt different things, they were all helping each other. Soon, big trucks came by with clothes, toys, and other things families needed. Helpers gave Lily a new stuff there. It's like Mango's cousin, she said, hugging it. Sienna found a box of books. These aren't mine, but I think I'll like them, she said, flipping through the pages. Mateo smiled when the firefighter gave him a small Lego set. I didn't think I'd get more Legos, he said quietly. Kids could also go to a tent to draw or talk. Lily drew the orange sky, but added people helping each other. I feel sad and mad at the same time, Mateo told the helper. That's okay, the helper said. Big feelings like that are normal after something hard. The school was gone, so classes were held in a big tent while workers started building a new one. The kids painted a rainbow mural on the side of the tent. It's not the same, Mateo said. No, but it still feels like a school, Sienna said. Families helped each other plant trees, fix fences, and rebuild houses. The town didn't look the same, but it started to feel like home again. Months later, things were still different, the trees were smaller, and some houses were gone. Sienna thought about all the things that couldn't be replaced, like Mrs. Huong's photos and Mateo's spaceship, and felt so sad. But new things had come too. Families shared meals, played games, and planted new gardens together. At one gathering, Sienna looked around. A lot of things are gone, she said to Mateo, but we're making new memories now. Mateo nodded. It's sad, but it's good too. The end.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Thank you so much for reading the story for us, Dylan. Can I ask you a few questions? Of course. So tell me and tell everybody, the audience, a little bit about you, how old you are, and something that makes you happy these days.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

I am 11 years old, and what really makes me happy these days is playing softball and seeing all of my friends a lot.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

That sounds fun. Can you tell me about what you remember about the date of the fire? And for those audience, we're in Southern California and we live very close to where Eden Fire happened. And Dylan and her family lost their home at the Eden Fire. So tell me a little bit, like what you can remember about that whole experience.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

I remember midday, my mom told me, Dylan, we're going to a hotel and we're gonna go with your friend because the winds are gonna be really strong and we're not gonna have power. So I remember clearly going to the hotel and I was probably in bed really early, or I was just goofing off with my friend because I didn't see anything different. And then in the morning when I woke up, the sky was bright red, and our hotel room smelled like smoke.

SPEAKER_00 7:23

Do you remember how it felt like when you had to pack for the hotel?

SPEAKER_01 7:29

I remember I wasn't really stressed about it. I didn't really think twice until I got to my room and I was packing up a few things. I chose one stuffed animal because I loved all my stuffed animals so much. And I remember telling myself to calm myself down, I'm gonna see all of them again.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

So that's fast forward to while you were at the hotel and the morning after you realize that the fire is really close and it's getting really smoky. Um what was your feeling then? And what were some of the things that maybe your parents or your friend helped you feel safe during that time?

SPEAKER_01 8:12

I was getting a little worried, and my parents were really supportive. They were always there, and it kind of just felt good to have a friend to just act normal and kind of goof all.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

So the trick is to evacuate with a friend. It sounds like that's why you're that really helps.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

To evacuate with somebody that you really care about that would probably distract you from the stress.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Sounds amazing. I think that's a good good tip. So now your old home is gone. You have since gone back?

SPEAKER_01 8:47

I have gone back. I actually didn't drive by my house before we got it demoed, but I've been back multiple times to our what we call the dirt patch. Uh-huh. And I planted some seeds there. Oh, that's beautiful. We haven't watered them off, so I don't know if they're growing.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

There probably are. Probably native seeds, knowing your parents. So when you think about your old home, what are some of the things that you miss? Um, some of the things that's special that you still remember.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

So it was just Christmas. I had gotten a full-length mirror, and I love mirrors. Okay. So I remember getting all these really cool things, and it's just my stuffed animals. I there was one stuffed animal that I had had since I was born. And my dad didn't get her when he went back and grabbed last-minute things. Uh we got her, and she's currently she's kind of clean. We just need to unstuff her and wash and restoff.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

Oh, okay. So she is somewhat safe. She can be refurbished. That sounds good. Thank you so much for sharing all of those experiences. I know it's hard. Um, we are coming to one-year anniversary. The fire season is upon us again. So if another kid was going through a fire or something similar, a natural disaster, what would you want them to know? Or hear from you.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

So I want them to know that everything is going to be okay. Hopefully the hopefully hopefully this won't happen to you, but everything will be okay. You might miss all of your stuff. It might seem really sad at first, but then when you get a new house, everything will feel almost normal again. You'll get all these nice new things, and I bet all your friends are gonna be there for you like they were for me.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Well, thank you so much for sharing your story and reading Big One Sky for us. And that's all we have for today. Thank you. Thank you.

unknown 10:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

And that's it for today's episode of Once Upon the Feeling. If you liked listening to Dylan's story and all the feelings we explore together, please tell your friends and ask your grown-ups to give us a five-star review wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps more families find us. And for the grown-ups, be sure to tune in to our afterstory episode where Miss Tarnay and Dr. Janet talk about how parents and caregivers can help children prepare for and cope with big things like wildfires and the story you just heard, Big Orange Sky. Thanks for listening, everyone. Take good care of your hearts, and we'll see you next time. Bye.