Fire! Fire! by Stuart Hill

Author:Stuart Hill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Published: 2016-12-14T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

I heard the porters calling after me, but I ignored them. I couldn’t let Pip get lost in a burning city! He must be so scared. But even though I ran as fast as I could, I couldn’t even begin to guess where the dog had gone.

I ran on and on, down towards the river where the billowing clouds of smoke got slowly thicker and thicker. Amazingly, even though the fire had been burning for days, the roads were still full of people. Obviously many of them had stayed in their houses hoping that the fire would be put out, or the wind would blow it in a different direction before it reached their homes. But now the flames were eating up everything around them like a starving animal. So now, finally, they were filling the roads with handcarts, trying to save their goods and belongings.

For the past few days my every hour had been filled by the roar of fire, the stink of smoke and the screams of people, but now as I made my way down towards Lombard Street and the river, the noise and the smell got louder and stronger still.

Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a small black and white dog dodging down a side alley, and I ran after it as fast as I could. But it was no good – I lost sight of it almost as soon as I reached the alleyway. Everything was confusing and chaotic. The billowing smoke made it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead and the heat was almost unbearable. It was terrifying – at any moment a burning building could collapse on me or I could be swallowed up by flames as they blasted into the roadway, driven by the strong winds. I ran as fast as I could, as though I could escape all the dangers, but the faster I ran, the harder I breathed the smoke and fumes into my lungs, making me cough and splutter and stumble.

It got so bad I had to stop. I sank down on the doorstep of a house that wasn’t yet burning, and tried to breathe slowly. A huge gust of hot wind howled along the street, clearing the smoke for a moment and making it easier to breathe. I leaned back against the door, catching my breath and it was then that I heard the calling voice. I don’t know why or how I heard it over all of the other screams and shouts, but I did. Whoever it was, they sounded old and tired and without hope.

“Will no one help me?” the voice called again, but it was quieter now, as though they had almost given up.

I was almost angry to be distracted from my search for Pip, but I couldn’t leave somebody to burn to death.

“Where are you?” I called, climbing to my feet. No one answered.

“I’ll try and help, but I have to know where you are!” I looked around for someone else who might help, but there was no one about.

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