Frightened by Fire
One day there was a great storm on the wooded hills.
The lightning struck a tree in the forest.
It set it on fire.
At once the flames spread to the neighboring trees.
The Tree-dwellers were driven to the ground.
They had never been so frightened before.
They were afraid of thunder and lightning.
They were afraid of beasts of prey.
Only when they were up in a tree did they feel that they were safe.
But now the trees were on fire.
They thought that the fire was a wild animal.
They thought that it was an animal that ate wood.
They had seen the rhinoceros and the mammoth eat parts of trees, but this creature devoured all the trees in its path.
.·.
Several years passed by.
Once again a fire broke out on the wooded hills.
Once again the wild animals ran.
The Tree-dwellers ran, for they still were afraid.
Bodo ran; for he, too, was afraid.
But he soon stopped and looked at the fire.
“Bodo stood and watched it a moment”
He was almost full grown now.
He was learning every day.
He was curious about many things, and now he wanted to see what the red monster was doing.
So he stood and watched it a moment.
It seemed to be chasing him.
So he ran to find a hiding-place.
He ran around through the underbrush until at last he found a safe place.
The fire ran away from him now.
He stood and gazed at the red flames.
The wind blew.
The fire monster spread its great red wings and leaped from tree to tree.
The branches groaned, and cracked, and fell.
Bodo was filled with terror.
He did not know what to do.
After a little it began to rain.
The fire monster became smaller and smaller.
In a few moments it was gone.
Bodo wondered where it went.