Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 Leo stepped toward the alley. Wilkie grabbed him by the back of the shirt. "No," he said. "There's no way out of there!" "What do you mean?" "That alley doesn't cut through," he said. "How do you know?" Leo said. "I know every alley in this town," Wilkie said. "That one is useless." But Leo had to do something. He couldn't let Morris die in that alley. How could he help? Leo searched his mind for ideas. And as usual, his thoughts turned to Grandpop. He remembered that terrifying story of the forest fire in the Sierras. He'd only heard it a few times. But he remembered every detail.

Grandpop had finally crossed into California. In just a few more days, he'd be in gold country. He'd left his horse and wagon at a trading post. He'd headed up into the woods to hunt for rabbits. He would need their skins to trade for gold-mining tools. It had been a hot and dry summer. Everywhere he looked there were dying trees, their leaves brown and papery. Dead grass and weeds crunched under Grandpop's boots. There was hardly a speck of green anywhere. Grandpop roamed the woods. He bagged a few rabbits. And then clouds rolled in. Grandpop had smiled up at the sky. A cool rain was just what he needed. But only a few raindrops fell. Meanwhile, lightning sliced through the sky. And then — KABOOM! A lightning bolt struck a dead tree, turning it into a burning torch. More lightning bolts shot out of the clouds, stabbing the ground like burning spears.

Soon there were fires everywhere. A powerful wind fanned the flames. Within just a few minutes, Grandpop was stuck in the middle of a ring of fire. The heat was so strong that the metal on his belt started to melt. Grandpop had no idea what to do. He got down on his hands and knees. Down low the smoke wasn't as thick, and he could see where he was going. He almost didn't see the stream until he'd crawled into it. It was practically dry, with just a few inches of water covering the muddy bottom. But there was enough so that Grandpop could lie down and soak his clothes. He took his kerchief and drenched it in water. He put the soaking kerchief over his head, filled his lungs with air, and dashed through the flames. Seconds later, when he came out the other side, his pants and the back of his coat were on fire. He rolled into the dirt and put them out.

Then he ran for his life. When he staggered back into the trading post, nobody recognized him. His beard and eyebrows were singed off. His face was black with ash, his fingers blistered red. But once again, his quick thinking and calm head had saved him. "I need to find some water," Leo said to Wilkie now. "You heard those firemen," Wilkie said. "They can't even find any." Leo thought for a minute. He remembered the men leading those horses out of the stable. Where there were horses, he thought, there had to be water. Wilkie followed Leo as he dashed into the stable. Sure enough, there was a trough filled with dirty water. There was also a blanket. Wilkie watched as Leo climbed into the trough of water and soaked himself from head to toe. Then he soaked the blanket so it was dripping wet. "What are you doing?" Wilkie said.

"This water is going to protect me," Leo said, out of breath, "when I run into the alley." "You can't go in there," Wilkie said. "That little bit of water isn't going to do anything." "I'll make it," Leo said. "I'll make it." He repeated those words in his mind, trying to believe them, as he ran back outside. At the entrance to the alley, Leo put the blanket around his body and over his head. And then Wilkie grabbed him again. "Let go!" Leo shouted. They had no time to waste! But Wilkie wasn't trying to stop him. "I'm going with you," he said. Leo opened his mouth to tell Wilkie no, to tell him to stay where he was. But there wasn't time to argue. And from the look in Wilkie's eyes, he understood that there was no stopping Wilkie. They were in this together. Leo had to stand on his tiptoes to get the blanket around Wilkie. "Make sure your face is covered," Leo told him. "On the count of three, take a deep breath and run as fast as you can!"

Leo filled his lungs and put the blanket over their heads. "One, two, three!" Leo and Wilkie rushed into the fire.