Clang, clang, clang!
Jack opened his eyes. The sound of bells filled thenight-not the gentle ringing of the temple bells but aharsh clanging.
Jack smelled smoke. He and Annie threw off theirmosquito nets and stumbled to the door.
Basho was standing in his yard, looking at thedawn sky. It was black with smoke. The bells keptclanging.
"Is there a fire?" asked Jack.
"Yes," said Basho. "It must be very big, for79the bells do not stop ringing from the watchtower.
This is what we have feared most. I must go and helpthe firefighters.""We'll help, too," said Jack.
"No, stay here," said Basho. He pulled on his socksand sandals, then grabbed a wooden bucket by thedoor. "If the fire gets close, wade into the river, whereyou will be safe.""But we want to help!" said Annie.
"Yes, wait for us!" said Jack. He and Annie pulledon their socks and sandals.
"Come, then," said Basho. "But if the fire begins tospread, you must promise to return here to the river.""We promise!" said Annie.
"Then bring the other bucket and follow me," saidBasho.
"I'll get it," said Jack. He hurried into the hut andgrabbed the wooden bucket by the hearth. It washeavy, even without water in it. Jack hugged thebucket to his chest and rushed back outside.
80Jack and Annie followed Basho through the pineforest. They passed a farmhouse where two smallchildren stood outside, looking at the fiery sky.
"Our father says the lumberyard near the river isburning!" the boy shouted to Basho.
"He has gone to help fight the fire!" said the girl.
"Great piles of wood are burning!"The fire bells kept clanging as Basho, Jack, andAnnie rushed past the temple and across the narrowfootbridge.
They hurried up the winding dirt path until theycame to the shopping market. In the smoky red dawn,people were pushing carts piled high with goods.
They were running away from the fire.
But Basho, Jack, and Annie rantowardthe fire. The air grew hotter and smokier near theteahouses and the performance stages. Sparks flewthrough the sky. Tiles on rooftops were catching fireand crashing to the ground.
6981Basho led Jack and Annie farther through thesmoke until they came to the lumberyard. The fireroared as it burned piles of logs. Flames rose high intothe sky.
Firefighters were passing buckets of water up a linefrom the river to the fire. Others waved huge fans tobeat back the windblown flames,82while the most daring worked with hooks and axes,trying to separate the burning timber.
"Help the bucket brigade!" Basho said to Jack andAnnie. "Get water from the river!"Basho rushed to help the men beating back the firewith fans while Jack and Annie hurried down to theriver. Jack filled their wooden83bucket. With water inside, it was so heavy hecouldn't lift it.
"Do it together!" said Annie.
"Right!" said Jack.
Using all their strength, Jack and Annie carriedtheir bucket up the bank of the river. As theystumbled along, they tried not to spill the water. Jackcould hardly breathe in the smokefilled air. His throatand eyes burned. His face felt red-hot. Finally, whenhe thought he couldn't take another step, they got tothe bucket brigade. They gave their bucket to theperson at the end, who gave them an empty bucket.
"Get more!" he said.
Jack and Annie hurried back to the river with theempty bucket. They filled it with water and thenstruggled back up the bank.
Over and over, Jack and Annie hauled buckets ofwater back and forth from the river to the line offirefighters. Everyone worked hard to battle the greatblaze. But the flames kept shooting into7284the sky. Eventually the fire leapt over the river, andtimber on the far bank began to burn.
"Oh, no!" cried a woman. "All of Edo will catch firenow!""The rice-storage houses will burn down!" said aman.
"The harvest will be destroyed!"Several people began weeping. Jack felt like crying,too. Right in front of his eyes, the beautiful floatingworld of Edo was about to go up in flames. "This ishopeless!" he said to Annie.
"No, it's not!" Annie said. "The wand! We can usethe wand!""Of course!" cried Jack. "But it's in my bag! Back atBasho's house!""We have to get it!" said Annie. She shouted toBasho, "Basho, we're going back to your castle!""Yes, run for safety!" called Basho. "Jump into theriver!""Right!" cried Jack.
"Be careful!" Annie shouted to Basho. Then85she and Jack started running as fast as they could.
They raced past the market. They ran across thefootbridge, past the temple and the farmhouse, andthrough the grove of pines to Basho's house.
Jack and Annie ran inside the tiny hut. Jackgrabbed his bag and pulled out the wand. He waved itthrough the air. "Do something to make the fire stop!"he shouted.
Jack held his breath and waited.
"Let me try!" said Annie. She took the wand andwaved it. "Stop the fire over Edonow!"she shouted.
Jack and Annie waited again.
"It's not working!" cried Jack. "We must be doingsomething wrong.""But this is for the good of everyone!" said Annie.
"I know, I know!" said Jack.
"And we've tried our hardest!" said Annie.
"Everybody has!"86"Five words!" said Jack. "We have to use fivewords!""Oh, right!" said Annie. She waved the wandthrough the air again. "Put. Out. The. Fire!" sheyelled.
87"One more word!" cried Jack.
"Please!"shouted Annie.
Jack and Annie were blasted by a blinding light.
Jack felt himself shooting through brightness, thendarkness, then back into light. An icy wind blew. Theair was crystal-clear. Early sunlight flashed on rock.
Jack and Annie were standing on the ledge of amountain. |