Scoga and the Island in the Waters of Time

Scoga and The Island in the Waters of Time

Part 5: Fire and Water

“Quick!” yelled Scoga “follow me!” We ran through the streets, Scoga shouting all the while “Fire on east Cartlin street! Fire on east Cartlin street!” We came panting to the door of a hut which Scoga burst into. A few men were already there, pulling out a long 'hose'- a pipe made of flexible reeds. Scoga and I got right to work. Soon many men and women were pulling it out. I saw smoke in the sky. “That's Mr. Pogrosnu's house!” Someone yelled. After a lot of pulling we got the heavy hose to the house. The man that owned it was standing outside, crying. “My cat is still in there!” He cried.

Well, unfortunately, I have always had a soft spot for cats. I ran into the burning house. Timbers were falling all around me. Then, in the blinding heat, I heard a soft “meow”. The cat was hiding under a fallen chair. I grabbed it, and headed for the door.

But then I stepped on a hot coal. “Ow!” I yelled, the heat burning through my shoe. But I kept on. Then a beam fell in and blocked my path. It was about three feet high and smoldering. Then another beam began to crack over my head. “It's now or never,” I thought, and made a leap. I barely made it. My pants were singed, my arm had a burn, and my feet felt like they were roasting. But at last I reached the door and stumbled out, coughing, eyes smarting, and cat under my arm. My arrival was greeted by a “My cat!” and a chorus of cheers. I coughed, rubbed my eyes, and looked around. Then all of a sudden the men yelled “Get down!” I dropped, and a spray pressurized water wooshed around the building. The fire was quenched. Then I ran to a puddle, took off my shoes, and plunged my feet into the cool water. Scoga ran up to me. “You need a bit more common sense to live around here,” he said. Then he grinned. “You shall go down in history as 'Fire-hair, the one who risked his life for a cat.” “I always had a soft spot for cats,” I said, managing a weak smile.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was sitting up in a bed in Gani's inn. Gani and Scoga were there, along with Mr. Pogrosnu and his cat. “I can never thank you enough,” said Mr. Pogrosnu, stroking his cat. The cat looked none the worse except for a few singed hairs. She meowed, and I asked if I could pet her a little bit. She was a fluffy cat, silky white with a few spots of grey. I asked, “Scoga, do you have a cat?” Scoga smiled, “Papa, cat I get him?” “Of course.”

Scoga ran upstairs and came back down with another cat this one was grey, with vibrant green eyes. He was very friendly. “His name is Dornsvik, after my uncle.” Scoga said, proudly.

Within a few hours I got up and Scoga and I went to explore the town. He showed me the main street, with a square in the middle. It was market day, and everyone was setting up their stalls. I looked up and down the main street, which was lined with shops. Tailors, Cobblers, Weavers, Grocers, Bakers, Blacksmiths, Carpenters, Coopers- everything imaginable in a medieval village. The market people, he said, usually sold wares they grew in their gardens or caught in their traps. He laughed.

“Those hunters that roam the wild always talk about catching huge bison and skinning them,” he said, “But only the eastern hunters are smart enough.” “Are there bison here?” I asked. “Sure, and bears and wolves and pronghorns and deer- and lots more,” he said. I imagined a bison running through town and bashing into walls and scattering the market peoples' wares. Then all of a sudden my stomach gave a fierce poke. “Let's get something to eat,” I said. We headed for Scoga's favorite tavern and sat down to wait.