I opened my mouth to speak, then to shout, and lastly to try to scream but no sound came out. Again I couldn’t understand what was going on.

For a brief minute, all the horror movies I have ever watched flitted across my consciousness.

Not long after this awful awakening, a team of doctors gathered around my bedside.

I listened as they informed me that I had been involved in a catastrophic train crash. They told me of the damage that had been done to me physically from both the train crash and the fireball. I had little option but to take them at their word.

I then listened as they explained that I had just woken up from a three-week coma.

I had to listen further as they told me the fireball had ripped down my throat and into my lungs, leaving my vocal cords badly burned which was the reason I couldn’t speak.

Finally, they explained the long and tortuous road I had ahead of me if I wanted to recover.

Because I couldn’t talk I had no option but to listen – unable to respond apart from blinking rapidly as the tears welled up. Once they were gone all I could do was think and all I could keep thinking was “how the hell am I going to survive this?”

In my current, silent world I ruminated over what had happened and why it had happened for a very long time.

I needed inspiration…