A thunderous flapping sound filled the sky. The villagers peeked out of their huts shielding the sun from their eyes. They gasped in wonder as the sky turned black. Hundreds of birds exited the forest, shrieking in warning and confusion. Smoke began to emerge from the forest lingering in the sky.
A murmur went through the crowd naming the obvious. “I can’t say I’m surprised. These forest fires have been occurring all summer,” said one villager.
“I suppose we’ll just have to wait it out,” said another.
` A young boy was the only one voice what they were all thinking, “ What if it spreads to our village?” The villagers froze at the question and no one spoke a word for a few seconds.
Finally one of the older villagers said wearily, “The boy’s right. Look how big the fires has gotten already.” The fire had gotten a great deal bigger. It greedily snatched up anything in its way, soon beginning to feast on trees, letting out crackles of glee. “We must pack up our most valuable possessions and escape this fire,” said the same villager solemnly.
The villagers anxiously glance at the fire and each other before reluctantly following the villager’s directions. Once they packed the essentials and food for a couple of days they headed out. The villagers took one last regretful look at their village, wondering if they would ever see it again.
The village hiked all day, miserably tromping through the tall grass away from their only home. Once the sun began to set the villagers laid out bed rolls and after a light dinner went into a restless sleep.
The next morning the villagers were woken up by a loud motor sound. They looked up towards the sound and spied a plane flying over their heads straight towards their village. After much discussion they headed back to their village to see if the plane had anything to do with the fire. By the time they reached their village the sun was beginning to set. Despite the lack of light the villagers could see clearly that the plane was gone and the fire was out. At least half of their village was destroyed, but they were too relieved the fire was gone to care.
