[Once #3] Now by Morris Gleitzman

Author:Morris Gleitzman [Gleitzman, Morris]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Children's Books, Coming of Age, Facts of Life, Family Life, Fiction, Growing Up, Historical, Holocaust, Survival, World War II
ISBN: 9781742530550
Google: VPVzNJK8LnsC
Amazon: B00AMGFCSW
Publisher: e-penguin
Published: 2010-05-02T23:00:00+00:00

Now I have to get into town as fast as I can.

I have to find the people in charge of the firefighters, and hope they’ll let me train on the job.

They will if they’re desperate for people to fight the fire. And if they won’t let me volunteer, I’ll explain I started it. They’ll have to let me help then.

I run all the way down the hill to where our road joins the highway. I turn right and sprint towards town.

I’ve never run this far, not even on sports day at my old school when I volunteered to be in the thousand metres race because I wanted to give Mum and Dad a trophy to take to Africa. Something to remind them of me if they get lonely.

I didn’t win. All I got was a pain in the side.

It wasn’t as bad as the pain I’ve got now. This one isn’t just from running, it’s from worry as well.

I try to cheer myself up. I picture what I hope I’ll see in the main street when I get there. A few weary but proud firefighters having a beer and polishing their fire trucks and congratulating themselves on a job well done.

A fire completely put out.

And when I confess to them that I started it, they’ll be stern at first, but then they’ll forgive me and explain it was actually quite good for them because they needed the practice.

Except I don’t think that’s going to happen.

A gleaming red blur roars past me on the highway.

A fire truck, heading towards town.

And another.

They must be coming from other areas. Extra trucks wouldn’t be needed if the fire was completely out. Plus, if it was, all these black bits of soot wouldn’t be flying around in the wind and sticking to my sweaty skin.

The pain in my side gets worse, and the smoky air is hurting my chest, but I try to run faster anyway.

I have another scary thought.

What if Josh was so hurt and angry about me being suspicious of him and sending him sprawling that he told people I lit candles in the forest? What if there are posters of me up all over town saying Arsonist?

I’m close to the main street now. I slow down. I think about going back to the house and hiding with Jumble.

No. I started this and I have to help fix it.

I hurry round the corner into the main street.

Oh.

Oh no.

The main street is full of fire trucks. Eight, nine, ten or more. Firefighters are running everywhere, shouting at each other and looking at maps and checking the equipment on their vehicles.

The fire must be big. That valley on the other side of town must be totally alight.

I squint into the distance.

I feel sick.

In the sky are big piles of smoke.

I go up to a firefighter who looks like he’s supervising. He’s got badges on his shirt and he’s yelling orders to a couple of fire trucks that are heading off.

‘Excuse me,’ I say to him. ‘I want to volunteer.

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