A story about a wildfire in Northern Ontario.
A story about creatures, both human and animals, coming together in their common fear.
Lovely illustrations!
Antonio Willie Giroux (a great name if ever there was one) lived with his mother who ran a boarding house on the edge of a lake in rural Ontario.
It was a pretty great life for a kid--so much to see, so many people to dote on him and teach him how to do things.
The second floor was full of sportsmen come to do some hunting and fishing.
The top floor was filled with the French Canadians working in the nearby timber harvesting outfits. Willie loved spending time up there listening to words in French, English, and several different Native American languages.
One summer day, smoke came out of the woods and threatened their lives.
As the fire edged closer, people crowded into the lake for safety.
And as it got even closer, wild animals fled from the woods into the lake with the humans.
And they all stood together, uncommon companions, watching the fire rage by them. Somehow in their common fear, predators did not attack prey, but somehow understood that this situation was beyond the realm of their conventional relationship.
By some miracle, the hotel did not burn down. So they crept back after the fire, remembering the moment they stood shoulder to haunch with the wild things of the forest.
