Community Magazine October 2009

92 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE T he crowd watched in horrified fascination as the firemen efficiently battled the flames. Black smoke poured out of the barn windows, and the surrounding area was quickly becoming unbearably hot. Suddenly, the fire chief pulled up. Jumping out of his truck, he strode towards his men and briefly conferred with them. One of the firemen pointed towards the Crocs Kids‛ father, and the chief hurried over to him. “Mr. Pardes, I believe?” “Yes,” Daddy replied. “My men tell me the barn is empty of people. Can you confirm who was in the barn at the time of the fire?” “My three sons, one daughter, and the riding instructor,” Daddy answered. “But they‛re all safely out – if you notice that little group over there.” Daddy pointed out the distant group, collapsed on the grass from the exhaustion of chasing the runaway horses. The fire chief nodded and then turned to survey the barn. “Seems like my men have things under control. I‛ll head over to the kids and see if we can get more information as to how the fire started.” The chief walked towards the little group. As he drew closer, his experienced eye immediately counted their ranks – four people, not five. He then broke into a frantic run. “You‛re those that were just in the barn?” he asked without preamble. “Yes,” the instructor replied. The chief turned to the Crocs Kids. “Where‛s your other brother?” “He was following behind us as we left,” Joey explained. “I assume he‛s in the crowd outside the barn.” “What‛s your brother‛s name? What‛s he wearing?” “His name is Ezra and he‛s wearing a yellow shirt, blue pants and yellow crocs on his feet...” was all Joey got out before the chief made an immediate about-face and ran back towards the barn. “There‛s still one kid inside!” he thundered. There was a stunned silence, then shrieks of horror from the crowd. The chief made his way towards the men battling the flames and spoke shortly to two members of the group. In seconds, the two relinquished the hose, rushed towards the barn doors and disappeared inside. The barn, made entirely from wood, was quickly becoming consumed by the flames. The firefighters could barely see a foot in front of them because of the smoke. They walked carefully, stepping over burning debris and attempting to peer into the depths of the barn. Suddenly, amidst the swirling smoke, one of the flashlights caught a flash of yellow on the floor. The fireman bent down and examined the yellow object. His breath quickened. It was a lone Croc. With his flashlight, he scanned the area around the Croc, and suddenly discerned Ezra‛s form in the flickering light of the flames. “There‛s the kid!” he screamed to his partner. The two men hurried forward, lifted Ezra in their arms, and dashed out of the barn... just in the nick of time. Moments later, with a thunderous crash, the barn roof collapsed. In the sterile, white and silent hospital room, the Pardes family sat near a bed, praying, crying and whispering in turn. Ezra was lying there, moaning softly as he coughed and wheezed. Just at that moment, someone entered the room quietly and cleared his throat. As one, the family quieted and looked up. It was the fire chief, along with a police officer. “Ahem,” he began. But before he could say any more, he was deluged with a chorus of appreciation from the family. “Merely did my duty,” he smiled, waving away their thanks. “But now we need to speak to the kids with the Crocs,” he grinned broadly. “A police report needs to be filed.” “Police report?” interjected a puzzled Daddy. “Yes,” the policeman spoke for the first time. “It seems that this was no accident.” He paused and then continued gravely. “This was a clear case of arson. Someone deliberately set the barn on fire, knowing full well that your kids were inside…” T h e C r o c s K i d s Chapter 5: Trapped! ESTHER PARDES The characters: Joey 13, Judy 12, Ezra 10, Rebecca 9, Morris 9, Sharon 6, Baby Charlie 3 The recap: Ezra finally joined his siblings in enjoying Pardes Acres. While taking horseback riding lessons in the barn, the Crocs Kids suddenly noticed a rapidly spreading fire. Everyone managed to flee from the barn – except Ezra, who became overwhelmed by the smoke after running back in to save the horses. However, no one knew that Ezra was still inside the burning barn…