I discovered the power of fear when I became stuck to my driveway, as if my feet were crazy—glued to the cement（水泥）．As much as I tried, I could not move them. The realization that my daughters were playing in Nancy's house, just one-half block away, paralyzed（麻痹） my legs, making me unable to move when I neared the end of our driveway. Dense, black smoke was rising from behind the Sycamore Maple trees on the other side of the street and was enveloping three houses, making them barely visible. Nancy's house was one of them.

I tried to call out for my daughters hoping to see them run safely to my arms, but my voice was also stuck - stuck in my throat with no intention of coming out. There I stood, helpless, paralyzed and silenced by fear, unable to protect the two little girls I loved more than even I had realized.

Although trapped in a body that couldn't move or speak, I could still hear. I could hear other mothers anxiously calling their children. I could hear a frightening silence that covered the neighborhood instead of the usual happy voices of children. And, finally, I could hear the alarm of the fire engine. As the alarm announced, "We're on our way," it instantly dissolved the crazy glue that had held my feet to the cement and it unlocked the soundproof box that had silenced my voice. I was free to make sure my daughters were safe.

As I continued down the driveway, two little girls, my two little girls, ran toward me from across the street. They had come home to tell me about the fire in the garage next to Nancy's house. Not only did my feet and voice work now, but my eyes were also in good working order and had no trouble producing tears.

【语篇导读】本文是一篇记叙文。作者讲述了她在开车接女儿的途中看到房子起火了，因为恐惧而不能说话，不能动了，但是能听的到。后来女儿从朋友家里安全跑到她车子这里，她又恢复了正常。她觉得恐惧力量太巨大了。