Friendship in Flames

by Anna

Part 1

            Andi Carter reined Taffy to a stop in front of the Goodwins’ mercantile. Skirts flying, she jumped down and ran inside, waving a paper and shouting.

            “Jack! I won the bet! I won the bet!” She slammed the report card down on the counter and beamed. The taste of peppermint filled her mouth as she anticipated her reward.

            Jack appeared from behind several large boxes. He was covered head to toe in dust and wood shavings. With a responding smirk, he slapped his report card down next to hers. “Prove it.”

            Andi cleared her throat. “I have an A in English,” she announced proudly.

            “So do I,” Jack returned, turning on the heat. Andi gulped. Jack had never achieved more than a B in English before.

            “I got a 90% grade on my final test,” she stammered, suddenly doubting herself for the first time.

            A smile spread across Jack’s face. “Sorry, Andi, but today’s not your lucky day. I scored 93% on the final. Looks like you owe me something.”

            Andi groaned. Why did she wager so much on the silly bet? “Fine. You can come on the ride tomorrow.”

Inside, she felt a bit annoyed. This was going to be the first all-day ride of the summer, a tradition with Cory, Rosa and herself. Now Jack had to come along and change it.

            “Aww, Andi, you asked for it,” Jack reminded her. “And you must admit, it was a great idea. Both our grades went up.”

            She smiled and picked up her report card. “We leave at eight o’clock sharp. Don’t be late. And don’t forget your lunch.”

            “I won’t.”

            Clomping out of the store, she mounted Taffy and turned her towards home.

***

            “Andi, duck!”

            A thick tree branch sliced the air above Taffy’s saddle where Andi’s head had been moments before. Pulling up her horse, she whistled at the near-disaster.

            “That was a close call,” she mused. “Thanks, Cory.”

            “I didn’t say it. It was Jack,” Cory said, stopping beside her.

            “Oh. Well then, thank you Jack.”

            “You’re very welcome, Your Ladyship,” Jack replied with mock formality. Removing an invisible hat, he made a sweeping bow from atop his horse. Rosa giggled and halted her mount.

            Grinning, Andi glanced at Cory and jumped. He was staring at Jack with a look that quite baffled her. It sent shivers down her spine. The stare was icy and cold, not like Cory at all. She could not label the emotion it portrayed. Anger, perhaps? Jealousy? And then it was gone, as quickly as it had come.

She blinked, then dismissed it. “How about lunch?”

“Qué buena idea. I’m starting to get sore,” Rosa lamented.

“Me too,” Jack commented, forgetting his new dignity. “Food can fix any problem.”

Cory remained unusually silent. Sliding off Flash, he tossed the reins over a limb and perched himself on a rock opposite Jack.

Concerned, Andi extracted her lunch bundle from her saddlebags and walked over to Cory. He looked up and smiled.

Holding up her sack, she tempted, “Rosa’s mother packed me some handmade tamales. Wanna trade anything?” She knew on any regular day Cory would give his entire lunch for one. This will prove if he’s well or not.

“Would you take a chicken sandwich and an apple?” Cory held the large, red fruit inches from her face. He paused, then added soberly, “Or I could always give it to Flash…”

“Alright! Alright! You can have my tamales,” Andi laughed. He seems fine now, she noted. Rejoining Taffy, she shrugged. “He’s normal,” she remarked to the horse.

As they finished lunch, Jack pointed to a large hill on their right. “Did you know there’s a neat cave on the other side, just beyond that tree?”

Andi shaded her eyes against the bright sun. “A cave on the Circle C? I didn’t know that. Have you been in it?”

“Yep. It can fit all four of us, easy. I left some candles last summer; they might still be there.” Jack stood and brushed the crumbs off his lap. “Shall we make a detour of it?”

She wrapped up the remains of her lunch. “Sounds like fun. Let’s go!” she replied without hesitation. “But Jack, how did you know about a cave on our property?”

Whistling, Jack continued stuffing the remains of his lunch into his saddlebags.

After securely tying Taffy in the shade beside the other horses, Andi followed the others towards the hill. The California sun, now directly above, bore down with such heat Andi thought her hat might melt. Every stick of grass in the valley was brown, and they snapped like twigs underfoot. What a killer summer this will be, she thought. I sure hope that cave is cooler.

The mouth of the cave sat ten feet up in the hillside. Climbing on several large rocks, Jack alighted at the entrance with remarkable speed.

“Show off,” Cory muttered under his breath.

Andi stared at him a moment, taken aback by the comment. Jack and Cory had always gotten along famously, save the infamous incident with Johnny Wilson and the trial. She could see no reason for Cory’s apparent grudge.

As Andi nimbly made her way up the rocks, she heard Jack call from inside the cave.

“I’ve found the candles! Does anyone have a match?”

Entering the cave, Andi shook her head. Realizing Jack could not see her in the dark, she quickly replied, “No.”

Cory pulled himself up over the ledge and reached into his pocket. He handed Jack some matches without a word.

Jack lit the first candle as Rosa appeared, wide-eyed at the grandeur. The cave indeed proved to be much bigger than expected, and was refreshingly cool. Andi relaxed immediately. In the distance, a horse whinnied.

“That sounds like Taffy,” Andi commented. “Can we see the horses from here?” She leaned out as far as she dared from the opening.

Jack joined her at the front. “They’re around the corner. You would have to lean out further to see them.” As he talked, Jack inched out past Andi. Candle still in hand, he added, “I can almost see them now…”

Suddenly, he tipped and grabbed for the ledge. Andi seized his arm, yanking him back, and they met the dusty floor of the cave with a resounding thud. Eyes wide, Jack stared down over the edge mutely.

“You’re welcome,” she suggested. Jack didn’t move. “What’s wrong?”

The smell of smoke hit her as she realized what happened. “Jack…  You didn’t drop it…”

He nodded.

“Quick, get out of the cave!” Andi yelped. “It’s wildfire, and it’s spreading fast!”

 

Part 2

 

Skinning her elbow, Andi bumped and bruised her way down the hillside at top speed. Soundly knocking her head against a rock, she saw stars before joining her friends at the bottom.

Cory paused to look back at the spreading blaze. “Fire burns up when it can. It’ll consume the hill before starting across the flat ground.”

Jack nodded. “We should make a run for the creek while we have a head start. We may not make it as it is. Come on.” He and Cory took off sprinting for the blue line across the valley, motioning for the girls to follow.

Andi yelled after them angrily, “What about the horses? They’re tied to a tree. We can’t let them burn alive!” She imagined Taffy enveloped in thick smoke, rearing and lunging against the anchored reins.

“The horses are the opposite direction from the creek,” Rosa whimpered, tugging at her friend’s arm. “We won’t have a chance if we go back for them.”

Andi flinched at the true statement. We can’t risk our necks for any horses, even Taffy, she realized.

 “All right. Let’s go,” she agreed, pointing at the giant black cloud forming overhead. The two shot after the boys, legs pumping like never before.

Pounding across the parched valley with her friends, Andi dared not look back. The fear of the approaching flames kept her moving forward.

Her braids hit against her back in a monotonous rhythm and sweat rolled down into her eyes. Stumbling every few yards, she gulped air and tried to pick up her dragging feet. It was no use. Her boots seemed as heavy as lead.

Exhausted, she caught her toe on a rock and fell forwards. Andi tried to catch herself, but her elbows buckled and her face hit the hard ground. Her forehead began to throb where it had met the rock earlier. With a groan, she pushed with all her might against the prickly dry grass. She had no strength left; she could not move her limp body.

“Wait, help!” Andi frantically yelled after her friends.

Already far ahead, she saw them like tiny shadows, getting smaller by the second. Her voice the wind snatched from her mouth and prevented her friends from hearing.

She mutely stared after them as her sight became blurred; the pounding in her head only grew stronger. Too exhausted for tears, she chocked back a sob as the valley began to spin before her.

Faintly, she became aware of four other distant shadows heading for the creek. In her partial consciousness, it dawned upon her that they must be the horses, broken loose from the tree.

Seeing her beloved horse escape to freedom, she felt the last of her energy surge through her. For a moment her mind cleared and, pushing herself into an upright position, she gasped in a huge gulp of air. With all her breath, she parted her lips and whistled.

The pitch resounded through the valley and seemed to echo all around. Every muscle frozen, Andi waited. Time seemed a dream. For one terrible second, she doubted her horse. Then, relief like rain poured over her as Taffy, but a speck in the distance, skidded to a halt mid-gallop.

Tossing her head wildly, Taffy seemed unsure of what to do. Andi swallowed and prayed her horse would not shy away. The mare was always willing to come at Andi’s whistle, but no horse in its right mind would run straight towards a fire. For once Andi half wished Taffy was not in her right mind.

As her vision once again clouded, Andi whispered to herself encouragement meant for her horse.

“Come on, Taffy. You can do it. Please don’t just leave me here.”

Andi could feel the approaching flames’ heat on her back. There wasn’t much time. If Taffy would just come close enough for her to mount…

Glancing back at her horse, the last thing Andi saw was Taffy rear and plunge away towards the creek as if chased by invisible wolves.

“No, Taffy!” Andi screamed.

Please, God, don’t let me die like this, she prayed as a wave of black swept over her mind.

 

Part 3

 

Andi awoke to the slow clopping of horse hooves beneath her. Afraid to open her eyes, she cringed as a splitting headache began. As her awareness grew she realized she was resting in front of the horse’s saddle; she was being carried by someone.

Consciousness now returned, she opened her eyes to meet her rescuer. Blinking, she stared up at the blond face and jumped. She was riding with none other than Cory himself.

Hastily, Andi slid off Cory’s gelding Flash to mount Taffy. Too late came Cory’s warning.

“Andi, stop! You’re too hurt!” Cory exclaimed as her boots touched the ground.

Andi’s feet crumpled underneath her weight, and she sprawled in the road. Pain shot through her legs. Taffy stared down at her mistress, apparently puzzled. With a moan, Andi struggled to right herself.

“Stay right there. Don’t try to get up,” ordered Cory. “I’ll help you back onto Flash.”

Andi became indignant. “I can ride fine by myself.” To prove her point, she pulled herself into a standing position. Immediately her knees buckled and she crashed to the ground. Pain came from everywhere.

Cory smiled weakly. “I’m sorry, Andi, but you’ll have to keep riding with me. You busted just about everything running from that fire.” He dismounted and plucked her off the ground.

At Cory’s comment, she suddenly remembered the terror she had felt just hours before and realized what she had been spared from. Memories washed over her and weighed her down.

“W-what happened? How did I get here?” she stammered in sudden shock, forgetting her headache.

Cory looked grim. “Andi, you don’t know what you were spared from. That fire took out miles of grass. If Taffy hadn’t flown by us kickin’ and screamin’ and carryin’ on so, well…  We might not have realized you were gone until who knows how late.

“Anyway, you were out cold, so Jack and I jumped on our horses and prayed we’d make it to you before the fire did. We grabbed you and hung on to the horses for dear life on the backstretch.”

Andi stared wide-eyed at Cory. “You mean you risked you necks in a fire for me…  Just like that?” She couldn’t believe her ears. “Thank you,” she finally managed, still in shock over her friends’ heroics. “I thought you weren’t getting along with Jack.”

Cory grimaced. “You noticed, huh? Well…  You see -…”

“You were jealous,” Andi finished for him.

“No,” Cory snapped defensively. “I was . . .” He paused. “Resentful. Look, Jack’s a swell guy, but all of a sudden you invited him along on our ride without asking anyone else. Then you seemed to have more fun with him than with us.” He shrugged. “I guess I got a little upset.”

Andi grinned sheepishly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first, but I didn’t bring Jack voluntarily. He won a bet I was sure I’d win; otherwise I never would have invited him.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad now that he came.”

“Except that he was the reason for the fire,” she reminded him. “Speaking of whom, where are Jack and Rosa?” she asked.

“They galloped off an hour ago to tell the ranch about the fire and get help for you.” Cory smiled. “I think after you get fixed up we may look back on today and laugh.”

Andi frowned. “We might,” she said, “except that valley we burned up was our ranch’s best grazing spot. Chad will skin me alive.”

“Wanna bet on it?” Cory asked impishly.

“Not on your life,” she retorted. “I’ve learned my lesson!”

 

The End