Those Who Favor Fire by Lauren Wolk (easy readers .TXT) 📕

up trying to fight the fire, and is now trying to identify residents who may soon be at risk.” Rachel was pleased to hear how it sounded coming from him.

“Actually,” she said, “the government seems to think that some of the families living over by the tunnels already are at risk and ought to be moved. At least that’s my impression.”

“What gives you that impression?”

“I just told you.”

“Well, Rachel, a few strangers in town doesn’t necessarily mean that the government’s planning to relocate anyone.”

Rachel looked at him. “You heard about the problems in the graveyard?”

Mr. Murdock began to straighten a paper clip. “Yes, of course.”

“Things have been different since then. The families out around there have heard from the government.”

Mr. Murdock sighed. “All right, Rachel.” He thought through his questions and ordered them quickly. He was a good lawyer. “You’ve talked to these families?”

“A couple.”

“And do they want to be moved?”

“No.”

“They don’t consider themselves to be at risk?”

“No more than for the past eight or nine years. They want to stay right where they are.”

“How many families are living directly above the tunnels?”

“Directly?”

“Yes.”

“Four or five, spread out, on big lots. And the church, of course. A few more families close by. Maybe half a dozen.”

“And the government has approached all of them?”

“Some sort of surveyors have. From the Department of Community Affairs, whatever that is. They’re asking how people would feel about selling their property if conditions worsen, is how they put it.”

“Like if people start getting sick or their houses start burning down.”

“I guess that’s the kind of stuff they’re suggesting might happen.”

“I see.” Mr. Murdock leaned back in his chair and tossed the paper clip onto his blotter.

“So if I confirm that the government does indeed have a plan to buy out these families, you want me to …” He made a beckoning motion with one hand.

“… get there first.”

“Buy their land?”

“Buy it in my name, pay whatever the government is offering. More, if those people really are at risk. Whatever I can afford. We can talk about the price when the time comes.”

“Mind if I ask why?”

“Why do I want to buy their property?”

“For starters.”

“Because once the government gets a foothold in Belle Haven, once it’s had to dish out money for some ‘worthless’ land, it will find a way to turn things to its advantage. What good are a few acres of land over a burning mine? But several hundred acres—all of our property—would be worth having. And once people are running scared, they’ll probably sell out for a lot less than their land is worth.”

Mr. Murdock rocked forward again and planted his elbows on his desk. The young woman across from him looked so earnest that he was tempted to see the situation her way, take her word for things, say something to make her smile. But he was a lawyer.

“Forgive me, Rachel. I know Belle Haven is your town, and it’s a beautiful place, but the government won’t be able to force any of you to sell your land unless there’s an authentic threat. A serious one. And if that’s the case, why would the government want the land? Why would you want to own it either, or to stay on it, for that matter?”

Rachel was glad to find that for each of Mr. Murdock’s questions she had a ready answer. “I think it’s reasonable to assume that the government would be interested in cheap land that’s probably still got plenty of coal in it. As for the threat, the degree of it … ever since the government realized the fire was going to be difficult and costly to contain, we’ve been hearing various official assessments of our situation. Ten years ago they told us the fire would spread along the coal seams that radiate out from the tunnels and we’d all be forced to leave, probably within a year or two. Five at most. Well, it’s true that the fire runs off course and burns along coal seams and comes up in odd places, but it has never wandered far from the tunnels. Even the people who live right above them have never seen more than smoke out there, and the only reason there’s even smoke is because the government drilled holes to vent some of it. So why should I be alarmed by what they tell us?

“There may be a threat to Belle Haven,” she said, leaning forward in her chair, “and the government is certainly broadcasting that fact, but it’s a distant one at best that has not yet harmed a single living soul. In other places, there are all kinds of threats—crime, pollution, poverty—but because these dangers are so pervasive, so visible, and because no one can be sure who will be the next target, the government doesn’t bother to broadcast the danger or buy out potential victims.

“Given the choice between staying in Belle Haven where I’ve been pegged as the eventual target of an invisible threat or moving to some place where statistics claim I’ll survive a million visible dangers, I’ll stay right where I am.”

Mr. Murdock raised an eyebrow and sighed again. “There’s no law that says you have to move to a city,” he said in a reasonable tone. “There are lots of nice, safe, friendly little towns around here.”

“Of course there are,” she said. “But can you guarantee me that if I move, someone won’t eventually come to my door with the news that I’m living too close to some toxic dump or power lines, or that they’re going to build a highway through my backyard? I’ve thought about this a lot, Mr. Murdock, and I’d rather stick with the devil I know.”

Sensing that there was nothing he could say to her that would weigh more heavily than her own conclusions, Mr. Murdock simply picked up his pencil and opened a fresh file.

“If it’s taken ten years for the government to get this far, it may take them another ten to take the next step,” he said.

“That’s what I’m hoping,”