Bull Canyon by Lin Pardey

Author:Lin Pardey
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781929214679
Publisher: Pardey Books

“Worry if you want,” Larry teased me when he finished adding more supports to the boat, then came in to suggest we again try some editing. “The wind is dropping, the whole spread survived a real good quake. Floods, frogs, bugs, rats, earthquakes… Maybe we’ll be spared fire.”

As the winds dropped, I did try to look more logically at the odds. Just because there hadn’t been a fire on our side of the road in living memory, this didn’t mean there’d be one while we lived there. “Besides,” I teased Larry as we lay in bed and watched the moonlight flow through the branches of trees that now stood serene and still, “we’re protected by the goose alarm. Ellie told me last time there was a fire out here, the Newhouses heard their geese cackling madly well before the sun came up. Got up to take a look. The geese were all facing up-canyon, really making a racket. Lee went outside and smelled smoke. Got in his car, drove to the swapmeet, called for help. Seems someone else on the far side of the fire called the fire squad in Perris. Within twenty minutes, engines from Elsinore were headed up the canyon. Unfortunately, fire trucks from Perris came in over the back road. Lead car from each company had a head-on collision right at the fire. No real damage, got the fire under control in a few minutes, because there wasn’t any wind. Wonder why those geese made such a fuss. The fire must have been two miles away from them.”

“Simple,” Larry answered. “They smelled smoke and knew it meant danger. Wanted someone ready to let them out of their pen.”

“But how did they know the difference between smoke from someone’s fireplace and a brush fire?” I asked as I nestled into his arms.

“Survival instinct, all animals have it. They need it,” he said sleepily. “Nice to know there are two fire departments ready to come up the canyon. The road’s in good shape, they can move fast on it, but that crash was a warning. Would pay to stay off the roads if any fires are burning.”

Survival instinct, I thought as I lay there. The animals might have it, but did I?

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