Avalanche Dance Read Online Free PDF Page B

are chattering.”
    “Me too,” Gretchen says, jumping up. “Is there any paper around?”
    My head feels thick. “But the cabin’s really old,” I say. “And dry.”
    “Chill, Molly,” Tony says.
    Tony snaps a few slats off the broken chair. Meanwhile, Nikki’s found an old magazine and is tearing out pages.
    “I really don’t think –” I try again, but before I know it, they’re crumpling up the paper and laying the slats on top, and then there’s a crackle, a smell of dust and creosote, and a little fire starts snapping away in the firebox.
    “See? Isn’t that nice?” Crystal asks, warming her hands.
    “Mmm, that’s better,” Nikki says, drawing near.
    Tony pulls off another slat and feeds it to the flames, which are burning vigorously now. Even I am drawn to the stove, grateful for the warmth on my face, feeling the iron surface turn from cold to warm to hot.
    Tony yanks off the last slat. The fire’s roaring now, eating the old, dry wood. He breaks off one of the chair legs. “We’re going to have to find some more furniture,” he jokes just as I hear a roar, like a plane taking off, inside the metal chimney that rises from the back of the woodstove. I notice that a portion of the pipe is glowing red. And then I notice that there’s a small gap between that section and the adjoining one, where the metal’s rusted away. Suddenly a spark flies out from the gap and lands on the floor.
    “Guys! Look out!” I yell, stamping out the spark.
    Tony, who’s bent over putting the chair leg into the firebox, twists. “Oh no,” he says as another, and then another spark flies out.
    Crystal, the cedar fronds drooping in her hair, is frozen in place. Nikki, too, seems spellbound as she watches the stream of sparks.
    “Guys, help!” I yell, jumping like a crazed insect from one spark here to another there, and there.
    Everybody springs into action. Tony is trying to break apart the fire in the firebox. Nikki and Zach are helping me killsparks. Crystal opens the cabin door. Gretchen starts screaming.
    But the sparks are coming faster than we can catch them. One lands on my sleeve and I hear a sizzle as it burns a small hole in the fabric.
    “Ow!” Nikki yelps as one falls on her bare arm.
    One spark catches on the floor, and the old floorboard smolders for a moment before the smoke dies out. Then a larger one lands near the first and actually burns, flame darting up from the tinder-dry floor as if touched into life by a fairy wand – until Zach stamps it out.
    We’re running around, getting in each other’s way, stumbling as we lurch from burning spot to burning spot, coughing as the smoke thickens, rubbing our eyes.
    “Ow!” screams Crystal as she’s burned on the cheek.
    Tony is unable to quench the fire in the firebox.
    “We’ve got to get out of here,” sobs Gretchen, who’s crying now. “Zach, come on!”
    There’s a crackling sound, and a chunk of the metal pipe that was glowing red-hot actually breaks off and falls to the floor. We all stand there, stunned, staring at this piece of metal, not quite able to believe that the chimney is falling apart. Then, hearing a louder roar, we turn and watch the gap as the flames roar up from the bottom part of the chimney pipe. It’s like we have a sneak peek at a vertical orange inferno. As we watch, a burning clump of creosote shoots out of the gap and lands on the floor. Instantly it catches, and in a moment, flames are rolling alongthe length of the floorboard and licking up the wall. There’s an explosion as the fire reaches the vodka bottle and the remaining booze bursts into flame, shooting from the bottle.
    “Help!” Gretchen screams.
    “We’ve got to get out of here before we’re caught,” Nikki says. I whip off my hoodie and start batting at the flames. “Come on, guys, help me!” My eyes are stinging and I’m coughing. Instead, they all edge toward the door.
    “We can’t just let it burn down!” I yell, flailing at the