Vanilla ice cream waited in a bowl on Jime’s porch. Isa scooped a shining mound while Jime struck a match beside the grassy yard. The tiny flame nipped across the dry grass with a sharp hiss. Isa dropped the spoon. “Put it out!”
Smoke curled toward the house, gray ribbons twisting above the grass. Isa and Jime raced for the garden hose. Isa yanked its green length while Jime pulled from the other side, but a flowerpot pinned the hose tight. “The hose is stuck!”
Isa heaved once more. The kink sprang loose, and water blasted sideways. It soaked both children from shoulder to shoe, then splattered harmlessly across the porch. Beyond them, the fire ran faster. Isa coughed through the smoky air. “Turn off the match!”
A gust shoved the flames toward the house. Behind a window, the floral curtain began to glow orange. Jime scrambled past and kicked Isa in the face. Isa fell beside the hose, stunned, as the window cracked with a loud pop. “Isa!”
For one breath, everything seemed frozen except the snapping fire. Isa sat up, seized the hose, and twisted the nozzle toward the yard. Water roared across the grass in a bright silver arc. “Call for help!” Isa shouted. Jime stared at the sparks spitting from the roof.
Jime froze only a moment longer. Then he sprinted toward the phone inside, shouting for help as sparks scattered over the roof. Isa kept the water moving, sweeping the stream from the fire line to the glowing window. Steam rose where the spray struck the hottest grass.
The water hammered the flames. One bright tongue shrank, then another collapsed into smoke. The orange curtain dimmed behind the cracked window. Isa held the nozzle steady while Jime returned from the doorway, waving both arms. “Help is coming!”
At last, the fire gave a final hiss and vanished beneath the roaring spray. The house stood wet and smoky, but it was no longer burning. Isa pressed a cold cloth to the sore spot on Isa’s face while Jime stood silently nearby. On the porch, the abandoned ice cream melted untouched.