Tuesday, December 3, 2013

What steps does the narrator take when she realizes that there is a fire in The Leap?

The narrator remembers when the farmhouse caught fire. Seven years old at the time, she wakes up and smells smoke in the room. The steps she takes follow the fire safety instructions she had learned at school. She knows not to immediately open the door or hide. Instead, she touches the door to test it. It is hot, so she rolls up a rug and stuffs in under the door. She puts on a flannel robe and sits to wait for rescue.
Although she is a child, the narrator is able to stay calm and think logically. She remembers what she had been taught, which allows her to wait in the room while outside her mother comes up with a plan for her rescue. The mother's trapeze skills help her climb a tree and leap to the window, hanging on to the gutter with her feet. From there, they jump into the firefighter's net.

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