Wildfire! by Elizabeth Starr Hill

Author:Elizabeth Starr Hill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Published: 2011-11-16T16:00:00+00:00

5

Together Ben and Elliot returned to their families. Ben flung himself down on the blanket near Goomby. She had spread out jugs of lemonade and sodas and more food. All over the park, people began eating and drinking again.

Mrs. Lorton had been holding the pup. Now she handed him back to Elliot. “I think he’s hungry.”

Elliot nodded absently. He gave the pup some meat loaf.

The band concert began. The sky was turning rosy gold with sunset. The music was tuneful and familiar. People hummed the old songs. It was a peaceful time of day, but not for Ben. He felt more and more nervous.

The Yankee Doodle Dandies started “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” This was always the last number in the concert.

Ben jumped up and murmured to Goomby, “Be back soon.” She nodded, and he sprinted away, carrying an empty Coke bottle with him. He could feel Elliot watching him, waiting for the concert to end.

At the truck, he looked back to be sure nobody could see him. The parking lot was a fair distance from the picnic area, with trees and bushes in between. The sun was setting, and smoke dulled the air. Anyway, nobody was near enough to catch a clear view of him.

He heard applause at the finish of the concert. Ben knew most people would stay for a while, enjoying the last of the day. Someone began strumming a guitar.

He got the box of fireworks and some matches from the pickup. The box was pretty big, but not too heavy. Still holding the empty Coke bottle, Ben balanced the box against his chest and lugged it to the path leading to the lake, at the far end of the park.

The tall trees of the forest loomed around the lake. Many of their needles had turned brown in the drought. Ben took the box to the rock where he and Grandpa had set off fireworks the year before—when there had been plenty of rain and no worries about fire.

Ben glanced at the tinder-dry forest, then put his own worries and hesitation out of his mind. Lucy and Jimmy and the others were running along the path toward him, with Elliot close behind. The pup was running loose around Elliot’s ankles.

“Welcome to the Fourth of July show!” Ben called. He wrenched the top off the box and took out a rocket. Then, aware again of the nearness of the pines, he hesitated.

“Let’s get started,” Lucy said.

“It’s not dark yet,” Jimmy Kyler objected. “Anyway, I don’t think we should be doing this.”

“Come on, before everybody chickens out,” Lucy urged Ben.

Elliot strolled up. “Maybe Ben’s the chicken.” He smiled coolly.

“Who, me?” Quickly Ben took out a rocket. “This is it! Get ready!” He stuck the rocket’s long balsa-wood tail into the Coke bottle and set the bottle in the sand. Now the rocket’s black nose was pointed to the sky, slightly over the lake.

Ben’s hands were sweating. They shook a little as he lit a match and ignited the fuse in the tail.

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