Several of the children had begun playing with the train tracks and trucks, they were working on their own ideas, with no discussion of plans or ideas between them. Suddenly Jonah cried out
“There’s danger!”
What? What kind of danger?
“The bridge isn’t connected…oh no, he went off the tracks, into a cave, we have to send a crane!”
Tait heard Jonah’s cry and responded…
“We have an emergency” . Tait drove his front loader over to Jonah. “Beep, beep, beep….he has to get to the danger”
“No. There’s no more danger” said Jonah. “He’s back on the tracks.”
“If you need help call me….beep, beep, beep….” Tait drove his truck away.
A few seconds later Tait noticed more danger..
“There’s fire danger!”
“Where? At the shed?” asked Jonah.
“‘Cos look! The truck is near, there’s fire, we have to get near.” – Tait
“Pshhhhh…I’m spraying the shed” – Jonah
Louis joins in. He drives his truck towards the shed.
“Let’s get yours out” Tait says to Louis. “The gate will not let you in.”
“Why?” asks Jonah
“There’s more danger.” – Tait
“What? A fire?” – Jonah
“There’s a dragon!” – Jonah
“Where?” – Tait
“Over there, look!” Jonah
The boys all turn to spray the dragon.
“Now it’s gone.” Jonah
Did Jonah anticipate that his cry of danger would engage the others or perhaps he was just beginning his own story? He didn’t rebuff Tait’s help directly though he did solve the problem of the derailed train without his help. Tait accepted this and offered to help in future. Tait quickly took the idea and introduced a new danger, and a way to engage his friends. They were able to successfully keep each other safe and eliminate the danger in their roles as train and truck driving firefighters. All in a day’s work!
