CARELESS AND THE ILLEGAL CAMPFIRE

Careless, Linda Lou at his side, was just rounding a bend in the Blackberry River when he first saw the smoke. He signalled to Linda Lou to be quiet and follow him. They kept low behind the bushes lining the river, moving slowly. When he got close to where the smoke was coming from, he looked out from behind the bushes. What he saw was two men and a woman, sitting around a fire. They appeared to be cooking something. Careless watched them a while, then stepped out onto the riverbank and approached them, Linda Lou right behind him. The two men saw Careless coming and gave him a cold stare. ‘What do you want?’ said the bigger of the two men. Careless tried for his best smile but it failed to impress them. ‘We were hiking along the river when we noticed your smoke,’ he said, still smiling. ‘Did you know that it’s not allowed to make fires in this part of the forest?’ The bigger man let out a wild whoop of laughter. ‘Of course we know,’ he said, ‘but we have our own rules.’ He gave Careless a what’re-you-going-to-do-about-it grin. Careless smiled as if the man’s answer amused him. Slowly, he went over to the fire. ‘That’s very interesting,’ he said, ‘but I’m afraid your rules don’t apply here in the park.’ Laughing softly, Careless began to kick sand into the fire. The two men sat watching for a moment, mouths wide open. Suddenly, before Careless could stop them, the bigger man jumped up and grabbed Linda Lou. ‘I’m going to count to ten,’ he said to Careless. ‘If you haven’t disappeared around the bend by then, I’ll break her arm.’ He twisted Linda Lou’s arm until she cried out in pain. Careless hesitated. ‘Go, Careless, go!’ she cried.

Think about ways to rescue Careless (and Linda Lou). Write down your best idea.

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