Chapter 26: Damages
One evening after a lesson
they came home to the smell of fire and a haze of smoke in the air. Johnathan
said that the rangers on the preserve were doing a prescribed burn. He
explained that fire was a natural part of this longleaf pine habitat. If they
didn’t allow fire to come through periodically, the hardwoods would grow up and
take over. The long leaf pines, themselves, actually needed the fire to
reproduce. It seemed like the fire was close, because the smoky haze outside
was pretty thick. They all stayed inside that day.
The haze was a fixture of
their lives for the next week. They mostly stayed inside and they got used to
not being able to see much beyond the house. Jack was worried about the
chickens and the goats. This smoke couldn’t be good for them, but there was
nowhere else for them to go. On the fifth day it seemed like the smoke was even
thicker. Just beyond the backyard of the house was a border of the park. They
actually saw flames this day. Several rangers were in sight of the house and
reassured them that they would keep the fire in the preserve.
Unfortunately, a bale of hay
had been placed against the fence and nobody had thought to move it. Before
anyone had noticed, the bale was on fire and then it jumped to the goat pen.
The goat pen was old and dry and went up like a candle. Ellie looked out the
window and screamed. Karen ran to the window to look, and seeing what was going
on, ushered everyone outside. Jack grabbed the cat and Ellie took Snitch.
Johnathan ran downstairs and grabbed Emma. Karen had Joe. They all ran out
front just as the henhouse caught fire.
Ellie screamed. “What about
the goats Mommy?” “What about the goats?” There was nothing they could do. It
was too hot and too dangerous to go into the backyard. The rangers who had been
monitoring the flames were running and screaming on the other side of the fence
and pretty soon a fire truck came howling up the lane. The Katz’s were crowded
onto the lane in front of the house, watching in horror. The flames rose higher
in the back and they listened to the screams of the goats and the screeching of
the chickens, helpless to do anything for them. When the firemen finally got
the fire out that night, the goat pen was gone, the chicken coop was gone, the
barn was gone, the vegetable garden was gone and the back of the house was
charred. The kitchen window had melted away along with the wall and was now
open to the elements. It was all a terrible, wet, black mess. Most of the
children were dazed and in shock. Ellie and Sarah were in tears. Karen also was
in shock and exhausted from holding Emma. She didn’t want to put her down, for
fear she would run off. Thank goodness they had all made it out safely, even
the pets. It had been good that Jack had known where Yeller was because she had
hidden under a bed and would easily have been left. Still, it looked like the
house wasn’t in too bad a shape. It wasn’t their own house, but it had been
home, and they still had all of their stuff inside of it.
They didn’t know what to do.
The neighbors had come when the fire truck screamed up the lane. The Batcherlys
and the new family were out there next to the Katzs. Rhea and her husband, Bob,
offered to let them stay with them that night. Karen and Johnathan quietly
accepted. Everyone was just too tired to deal with anything else. They would
think about what to do in the morning. Mr. Batcherly assured them that the
owner would understand that it was an accident they had been powerless to
prevent and the Preserve managers would have to take responsibility for things
getting out of hand. Repairs would likely be covered by the state. Still, all
of that would have to wait. Johanthan sent Karen and the kids to Rhea and Bob’s
and went, himself, around the house to make sure there were no animals left to
care for. It was so sad, so horrible, to contemplate what had happened to the animals,
but it was also entirely likely that at least the chickens had been able to
jump out and run away. None of them had seen them, but it was possible.
He didn’t want to look at
the black, charred, wet mess back there, but he forced himself to round the
corner and look. There wasn’t much left. In the goat pen he thought he detected
two lumps that had probably been the goats. He mourned them silently. This
would be very hard for the kids. The chicken coop was gone, but he couldn’t
tell if any of the chickens had been in there. There just was nothing left. He
would have to look in the morning.
How could all of this have happened
so fast? They had barely had time to grab their loved ones and get out. In a
few moments time he could have lost everything and everyone he loved. He sat
down in the middle of the yard on a rock and cried.
Meanwhile, at the house down
the lane, Rhea and Bob Davis were doing everything they could to help the
Katz’s out. They brought them into their home and provided them with the
clothing they needed, a hot meal and blankets and beds for the night. Rhea
seemed a little conflicted, she clearly didn’t like the necessary mess and
disruption, but she said nothing and made sure that all of the kids were settled.
Jack slept on the floor with the boys, the girls went into the floor of Lilly’s
room, and Karen, Johnathan, and the two littlest slept in the living room
together on the sofas.
The animals were a major
problem. Rhea said the boys were allergic, and so, confused and upset, both
animals spent the night in the garage. Snitch, in particular, did not like this
and whined most of the night. He was used to sleeping at the foot of Karen and
Johnathan’s bed. Karen found it hard to sleep, exhausted as she was, and it
wasn’t just the whining. Like Johnathan, she couldn’t believe how fast it had
all happened. When things like this happen, it’s hard not to feel the fragility
of life and want to cling to all you have more tightly. She also felt horrible
about the animals. A more awful way to die could be hardly imagined.
They awoke the next day and
Rhea insisted that they have some breakfast before they went out. She made them
all pancakes and eggs and coffee. Karen and Johnathan were very appreciative.
Who would have known that a family so different and so clearly in dislike of
them could show them such kindness?
Seeing everything in
daylight was ten times worse than what they had seen the night before. Those
lumps were indeed that was left of the goats, but to their surprise, all but three
chickens were sitting in the yard waiting for breakfast. They must have flown
out of the yard when the fire hit and stayed at a safe distance until
everything had settled down. Everyone felt quite a bit better seeing them. It
was a relief, and Jack was proud that what he thought of as “his” chickens had
been wily enough to get themselves to safety.
The house was a mess. It
wasn’t just that the kitchen and everything in it was burnt or damaged, the
smoke had permeated the whole house and everything was covered in soot and
smelt of the fire. They would be able to salvage much of their belongings, but
it was going to be difficult to get the smell out of the furniture. Much of it
was old and ratty anyway. Johnathan wondered if it would be easier to just dump
it all and start over again. They did have renter’s insurance, so there was a good
chance they would be ok. He felt bad for the owner. He lived in Asheville now,
and would need to be called as soon as possible. Luckily, he found his phone
upstairs. It was covered in soot, but it still worked.
No comments:
Post a Comment