Firefighter by Jennifer Li Shotz

Author:Jennifer Li Shotz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-08-08T16:00:00+00:00

11

MATT NEEDED TO KEEP HIMSELF OCCUPIED.

“We need a campfire,” he said, scouring the area for dry sticks and leaves. He found a spot on the rocks right next to the water where there was no risk of sparks igniting anything else. He placed the kindling down first, then stacked the sticks on top in a pyramid shape, leaving space between them for air to pass through.

Fire needs oxygen, Matt could hear his dad telling him on a dozen camping trips when he was younger. It can’t burn without it.

Matt took a box of waterproof camping matches from his backpack and held a lit match to the dried leaves at the bottom of his woodpile. They caught immediately, and within minutes they could feel the warmth radiating off the crackling fire.

“Well done,” his dad said.

“Hungry?” Matt held out a granola bar from his bag.

“My favorite meal.” His dad reached for it and grimaced from pain. “Is there enough for you in there too, kiddo?”

“Plenty.” Matt held up three more bars. He sat down close to his dad and leaned back against the rock.

They chewed in silence. Matt poured a baggie of kibble out onto the rocks for Scout, who scarfed it down in a few hungry bites. Then he tipped the water bottle to Scout’s mouth, and he gulped the water gratefully.

Matt’s dad broke the silence. “I know you want to go get your friends, Matt.”

Matt tried to protest. “I could never leave y—”

“It’s not your job to worry about me. You know that, right?”

“But, Dad, you’re hurt—”

“I am. And I’m also going to be fine. It’s a broken ankle at worst.”

“But it’s all my fault that you got hurt in the first place,” Matt blurted out, before he even realized what he was going to say. “It’s my fault that you’re even up here on this stupid mountain.” Matt choked up as he said the words. “I’m the one who brought us up here.”

“We came up here together,” his dad said firmly. “And besides, it’s my job to worry about you—not the other way around.”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Matt said.

“Oh, Matt-o,” his dad replied with a smile and a shake of his head. “That’s like asking me not to breathe. I’m your dad. There is nothing more important to me than you and Bridget.”

As if to make sure he was included on the list, Scout wandered over and wriggled his way between Matt and his dad. He plopped his head down on Matt’s lap, and Matt put an arm around him and pulled him close. Scout’s warm, soft fur and familiar—and slightly tangy—breath helped Matt feel calmer.

“I’m just—not here that much,” his dad said softly. “I’ve spent so much of your life away from you.”

“It’s okay, Dad. You have to do your job. There are a lot of people out there who need your help.”

His dad stared up at the smoky sky above them. “I used to worry that I wasn’t here to teach you things.”

“What kind of things?”

“Well, to be brave, for starters.

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