Question: What was the sight that shocked the author? Why was there no time to grieve?
Answer: As she walked past her house, while returning from school, she was shocked to see the pathetic condition of her house. Everything had been reduced to ashes. If not for her mother’s presence of mind, all their documents and photo albums too, would have got burnt. She had lost her cat which made her feel extremely sad. Despite all the losses, they did not have time to grieve because they had to secure themselves, till such time, they set their house in order.