Free Blue Fire and Ice by Alan Skinner

two small sticks, one yellow and one blue.
    ‘What’s happening?’ Megan asked Crimson anxiously. ‘What’s “Sticks”?’
    ‘It’s how we decide what is best,’ Crimson explained. ‘When a Muddle is born, its parents ask two special people to be guideparents. It is the job of the guideparents to help teach them how to grow up to be good, what is right and what is wrong and what it means to be a Muddle. It also gives the child someone they can talk to when they can’t talk to their parents. One of the first things the guideparents do is to give the baby those two sticks. While the child grows, the guideparents will help the child understand the importance of those sticks. Each stick bears the name of the child. When we have an important decision to make, we meet, as we are now, and say what we want to do by which stick we use. Watch.’
    Wave held his own sticks in his left hand. He raised that hand and showed the Muddles the sticks, and said simply, ‘Sticks.’ All the Muddles raised their sticks and together replied, ‘Aye.’
    ‘Who will stand and say,’ asked Wave, ‘and remind us of what we must decide?’ To stand and say was a task open to any Muddle.
    It was Grunge who stepped forward. ‘I will stand and say, Wave. I will stand and say to remind us all.’
    Wave nodded once and Grunge stood beside him and spoke to the Muddles before him.
    ‘You have all heard the troubles of our neighbours, the Beadles. You have heard how the blue fire has burned their homes, their workplaces, their shops. You know how the Beadles have fought to keep the heat of the blue fire from setting other buildings alight and how they keep watch every night but have found no trace of who is doing this. You have heard with your own ears that nothing can put out this fire. You have heard what I have never heard in my lifetime. You have heard the Beadles ask for our help.’ Grunge spoke clearly and evenly, without persuasion or passion.
    ‘Crimson has agreed to their request. She has offered to take our fire truck and two volunteers. We need to decide whether she should do this. We all know that we have never had a fire in Home. There has never been a need to save one of our homes from the flames. Perhaps that means that we will have no use for it…Yet, what if whoever is doing this terrible thing to the Beadles is just waiting to strike at us once Crimson has left? Perhaps it is part of their plan to wait until our fire cart and some of our people have left for Beadleburg, and then send the blue fire to Muddlemarsh.’
    Quite a number of Muddles nodded, their faces grave. Even Brian had to admit to himself that he hadn’t considered the possibility that whoever was responsible for the fires was just waiting to strike at Muddlemarsh when it was helpless to defend itself.
    Grunge continued. ‘If we send Crimson and the fire cart, we will be helping others to save their homes. But, if they go, we may be destroying our own.’ He paused. ‘I have stood and said. Does anyone wish to say more?’
    None of the Muddles spoke. Grunge moved back and Wave came forward, raising his sticks. ‘Have you decided?’ he asked.
    ‘Aye,’ they answered.
    ‘Show!’ cried Wave.
    A flight of sticks flew from their hands and clattered on the ground in front of Wave. Wave looked at the pile of sticks. Every stick was yellow. He looked solemnly at Brian. Brian’s heart beat hard in his chest. He gripped Megan’s hand.
    Wave looked from Brian to Crimson. ‘Awesome, Crimson,’ he said. ‘You’re going to Beadleburg! That’s so cool!’

Chapter 4

Into the Fire
     

    C alamity sat on the front seat of the fire cart, watching Crimson. On the floor of the firehouse lay all the types of equipment one might need to fight a fire. There were hoses, axes, shovels, sledgehammers, crowbars and blankets; hats, coats, boots, gloves, goggles and waterproof jackets. There was a first-aid kit with creams, bandages and pills. Next to the equipment,