“He took an old Massy Ferguson tractor out in the paddock, must’ve sparked or something, and it took off. At least that’s what it looks like. His neighbor on the other side of him lost a paddock of wheat to the fire, too.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I’m glad you and Mom are fine here. We were lucky.” He squeezed her tightly.
“What will he do?”
“He’s old stock. He’ll be fine. We’ll all look out for him.” His words slurred as Ben started to fall asleep.
Raven kept quiet, letting him get the rest he needed. She felt herself relax. He was all right, and he was finally in bed with her. The waiting was finally over.
Sunday, December 22nd
Raven dreamed there was an annoying fly trapped in the room with her. No matter how much she looked, she couldn’t find it.
“Okay, I’ll get down there now.”
Ben’s voice broke the dream, and her eyes fluttered open. He was talking on his cell. She smiled, grateful he was with her. She reached out and ran her hand down his back as he sat up in bed.
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Raven felt a tightness in her chest. His tone was serious. Something was wrong. A selfish side of her wanted to grab him and not let him go. She didn’t want him to leave her. It would be nice to have a long sleep-in for a change.
If only that were possible.Another sacrifice for living on a farm.
Ben ended the call, turned, and took her hand in his. “The fire’s flared up.”
“What?”
“It can happen.” His forehead was a wrinkled mess with worry.
She moved to hug him, sitting on her knees. “This isn’t good.”
“No.” He broke the embrace. “I have to get moving. There’s no time to waste.”
“Can I help?” She watched him get dressed in his usual attire on the farm—jeans and a shirt. His eyes were bloodshot, she assumed from the smoke.
“By staying here.”
“I hate waiting.”
“There will be more for you to do today. Just stay with Mom. If you have to, I want you two to go into Keith.”
“You mean evacuate?”
“If it comes to that.”
His serious expression made her skin prickle. She rubbed her arms as if she were cold.
“I mean it, Raven, I want you two to be safe. The farm, the house, those things can all be replaced. You can’t be.”
Tears welled in her eyes.This can’t be happening.
“Raven,” he said her name softly, stepped back to the bed toward her. He embraced her, and she held on to him tightly. “I’m sure it won’t come to that, but I just want you to be prepared.”
She didn’t want to think of having to leave because of a fire. That would ruin him and the farm, and she didn’t think it would be easy to rebuild from that.
Raven felt his strength boosting her confidence. She had to be strong—by doing so it would help Ben. The last thing she wanted was for him to be worrying about her when he was in a dangerous situation.
