Top Wing
Copyright © 1994 by Matt Christopher Royalties, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Little, Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Visit our website at
www.HachetteBookGroup.com
First eBook Edition: December 2009
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental
and not intended by the author.
Matt Christopher® is a registered trademark of Matt Christopher Royalties, Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-316-09453-5
Contents
THE #1 SPORTS SERIES FOR KIDS: MATT CHRISTOPHER
®
To
C. Christopher, Kimberly, and
Samantha Jo
I
t’s going, going …”
“It looks like it’s in there …”
“Goal!”
Dana Bellamy could almost see the imaginary soccer ball sailing across the goal line and into the net. He turned to his friends
Steve Rapids and Ben-ton Crawford, and grinned.
The three friends raised their fists in victory — even though it wasn’t a real one.
As they walked home together, they relived the winning goal that Steve, the center forward for the Anchors, had put by the
opposing goalie during soccer practice.
“Boy, I wish that had been a real game,” said Dana. The twelve-year-old right wing for the Anchors
slapped his teammate on the back. “Great kick, Steve,” he said.
Benton echoed Dana’s praise. “Way to go,” he said. “Gotta make a few like that when we play tomorrow.”
“Ol’ Steve here’s going to lead us on to victory,” said Dana. “How’s it feel to be captain?”
“No one’s ever going to replace Shins Sullivan,” said Steve. The longtime Anchors captain had recently moved out of state.
After practice that afternoon, following Steve’s spectacular goal, the team had elected him to the leadership spot.
“Yeah, but you’re the best player on the team,” said Dana.
“Not the strongest, though,” Benton added, darting between the others as he dribbled an invisible soccer ball down the street.
He stopped a few yards in front of them as a fit of coughing overtook him.
“Course not,” said Steve, thumping Benton on the back. “Everyone knows Abe Strom’s the team gorilla. And you’re our power
halfback!”
“Yeah, but I think Abe thought that he should be the new captain,” said Benton, still coughing slightly as he hiked up his
schoolbooks under his arm.
“You’re right, Bent,” said Dana. “I think he was a little disappointed.”
“What the heck,” said Benton. “He’ll get over it.”
“Maybe I ought to talk to him,” said Steve. “For the good of the team. I mean, we have to put that ahead of everything.”
“Better believe it,” said Dana.
They had reached the corner of the street where Dana and Benton lived.
Dana nodded in the direction of his house. “You guys want to come in? We can see if there’s a game on the sports channel.”
“No, thanks,” said Steve. “I promised my dad I’d clean up some junk in the garage. I better get that done.”
“What about you, Bent? Want to see if there are any of my mom’s killer brownies left?”
“Nah, I have to get home, too,” said Benton. “My folks are going to a wedding.”
“Tonight?” asked Dana.
“Yup,” Benton answered. “Mom said something about a sunset ceremony, so I’d better get a move on. Besides, I want to hole
up in my secret hiding place and finish reading that new dinosaur book.”
“Well, see you guys tomorrow,” said Steve.
“See you,” called Benton and Dana as they started to jog down their street together. It was too short a distance for a real
race, but by mutual agreement, they always put on some speed as they passed the fireplug fifty yards away from the Crawfords’
driveway.
Benton waved back at Dana as he swung into the driveway and went in the back door of his house.
Dana was lying on the floor listening to the stereo. But something was wrong with the CD, because the same note was repeating
over and over. It kept blaring and blaring and blaring.
Dana woke up suddenly. It wasn’t music — it was a fire alarm!
The house is on fire! Dana thought wildly. But as he sat up in bed, he realized the sound was coming from outside the house.
Besides, he thought, that’s not the sound our smoke detectors make.
A strange bright light shone in through his bedroom window. He jumped out of bed and looked outside.
“Holy cow!” he gasped. Orange and yellow flames
were streaming out of the windows of the Crawford house. Thick black smoke poured out around them. “The Crawfords’ house is
on fire!”
Dana grabbed his jacket and threw it on over his pajamas. He raced downstairs and almost crashed into his parents outside
the front door. His little sister, Christy, was right behind him.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“Your father smelled the smoke and woke up,” said Mrs. Bellamy. “He rang the alarm on the pole across the street.”
“Have you seen Benton and Letitia?” Dana asked in a panic. “They’re all by themselves in there!”
“What?” cried Mr. Bellamy. “Bill Crawford’s car isn’t in the driveway. I thought they were all away somewhere this evening.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Crawford went to a wedding,” Dana blurted out.
“And didn’t ask us to keep an eye on the kids? Oh, my goodness,” Mrs. Bellamy cried. “Those children really might be in there,
then. I’m calling 911 and telling them to send an ambulance right away.” She dashed off to make the call.
Mr. Bellamy had already stepped inside and
grabbed his gardening boots from the closet. He shoved his bare feet inside them and threw on a heavy jacket.
“What are you doing, Dad?” Dana asked.
“I have to see if those kids are in there,” Mr. Bellamy called back as he ran over to the burning house. “There’s a chance
I can still get them out safely.”
“But, Dad —,” Dana called after him. He wanted to go with him, to help. But he knew he should stay out of the way and keep
an eye on Christy.
By this time, people from other houses in the neighborhood had heard the alarm, too, and had gathered nearby.
Mrs. Bellamy, clutching the cordless telephone, had come back outside.
“Where’s your father?” she asked.
“He’s gone to find Benton and Letitia.”
“Where?”
“Inside the house,” said Dana, tugging at her bathrobe sleeve. He pulled her along with him across their driveway toward the
burning building.
Far off in the distance, Dana could hear the sound of fire engines. Why can’t they hurry and get here faster? he thought.
The smell of smoke was getting stronger outside the Crawford house. The flames licked higher and higher.
“I can’t believe he’s in there.” Mrs. Bellamy’s voice was thick with anxiety. “Are you sure he went inside?”
“I saw him. He went right in,” said Dana. He stared at the front of the Crawford house. Suddenly he saw a movement. “Wait
a minute! He’s coming out! Dad!”
“He’s carrying someone!” cried Mrs. Bellamy.
Sure enough, Mr. Bellamy came through the front door with a huddled form in his arms. Several people in the crowd rushed forward
to help relieve him of his burden. Dana looked over and saw Benton Crawford sprawled out on the ground. He was coughing and
sputtering, but he looked unharmed.
Dana rushed over to see if he could do anything to help his friend.
Mrs. Bellamy ran toward her husband. But before she could reach him, he rushed back into the house.
“What’s he going back in there for?” someone in the crowd yelled out.
“He’s crazy! It’s an inferno!” someone else shouted.
“Letitia!” cried Mrs. Bellamy. “He’s gone back for Letitia!”
Seconds turned into minutes that seemed like hours as the house continued to burn. There was no sign of any movement at all.
The flames continued to blaze away.
With their sirens wailing, several fire trucks came speeding around the corner and pulled up in front of the Crawford house.
A few fire fighters grabbed the hose and ran down to connect it to the hydrant.
Dana was so busy watching the fire fighters, he almost didn’t notice when the little girl came running out of the house.
“Mom! Look!” he cried.
It was Letitia, all by herself.
Mrs. Bellamy caught the little girl.
“Letitia! Where’s Mr. Bellamy? What happened?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” said Letitia, sobbing. “He was carrying me and … and then he dropped me. I fell. And then I just ran toward
the front door!”
One of the firemen must have heard what she said, because he called back to the others, “There’s still someone in there! Let’s
go!”
The hose was turned on. A squad of fire fighters wearing protective masks and suits grabbed their equipment. They forced their
way through the smoke belching out the windows and door and entered the house.
Dana could feel the heat from the fire on his face. Then, through the noise of the crowd and the sound of the fire’s destruction,
he heard a shout.
“We’ve got him!”
He clutched his mother’s arm and held his breath. Would his dad be all right? Would he be alive?
Two firemen stumbled out the front door. They gently laid Mr. Bellamy’s limp form on the ground. Mrs. Bellamy, Dana, and Christy
rushed toward him. Dana heard another siren coming closer and closer.
“That’s an ambulance,” said one of the firemen. “How’d they get here so fast?”
“I dialed 911 when I heard the children were trapped inside,” said Mrs. Bellamy. She held Mr. Bellamy’s hand and leaned down
over him.
His eyes were shut, but he was breathing. Every now and then, he coughed violently.
“Better move back and let the EMTs take over,” said the fire chief.
“Dad!” shouted Dana. “Are you okay?”
“What happened? Why isn’t he speaking?” asked Mrs. Bellamy.
“We found him under a heap of rubble,” said one of the firemen. “Don’t know what fell on him or how much damage it did.”
“But he’s alive,” said another fireman. “And lucky at that.”
The ambulance pulled up next to the fire trucks. Three EMTs jumped out and went right to work. They eased a stretcher under
Mr. Bellamy and lifted him into the back of the ambulance.
Mrs. Bellamy climbed in after him.
“I’m going with them,” she said. “Dana, you stay here and look after your sister.”
“We’ll take care of them,” said one of their neighbors. “Don’t worry.”
Don’t worry? As the ambulance sped off into the night, Dana knew that worrying was exactly what he would be doing — worrying
and wondering if his father would come through.
The Hammerville Herald
Good Samaritan Hospitalized
Man Stricken Saving Neighbors’
Two Children in House Fire
H
AMMERVILLE:
Hayden Bellamy, 41, of 2012 Lotus Street, suffered severe smoke inhalation while rescuing his neighbors’ two children from
a near-fatal fire that began at approximately ten o’clock last night.
Martin and Grace Crawford were attending a friend’s wedding reception when the fire, which started from an undetermined source,
began. It was already raging beyond control when Bellamy, alerted by the smell of smoke, arrived at the scene.
He rushed in and rescued the boy, whose bedroom
is closest to the front of the house. While in the process of rescuing the girl, he was struck from behind by a piece of debris
and fell, knocking his head against a door casing. But the girl could see the open doorway ahead and managed to run for her
life from the house.
Fire fighters on the scene were able to remove Bellamy from the burning building. After they had applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
Bellamy was rushed to Hammerville General Hospital, where he is listed in serious condition.
No matter how many times he read the newspaper article, Dana could scarcely believe that the fire had happened.
Mr. Bellamy was in the intensive care ward of the hospital. There was a tube stuck into his arm to give him food and nourishment.
Another tube went up his nose and down his throat. But he was gaining strength. All the doctors and nurses said his chances
of recovering were good. Everyone just had to be patient, they said.
“I’m telling you, Dana,” said Mrs. Bellamy, putting on her coat. “There’s nothing you can do at the hospital.
And you know they only let you see him for a few minutes at a time.”
Dana shook his head. “I still don’t know if I should play in today’s game.”