Smoke was fast enveloping the stall, thick with wisps of blackened hay. It took only a few minutes for the fire to spread to the adjoining enclosure, setting alight an old carriage harness hung out for repairs. The tangle of burning leather quickly snapped and shattered a lantern. Glass exploded, spilling oil onto a pile of rags. Sparks lit the soaked fabric and suddenly flames were shooting up to the rafters. Panicked, the big animal reared up again and again, hooves splintering the singed wood as it desperately sought escape from the growing inferno. The noise finally roused a young stable boy who was sleeping above the tack room. He stumbled down the stairs, finally awaking to the danger below. Shielding his face, the lad tried to make his way to the stall, but the heat and smoke forced him back. Another snort of terror from the thrashing stallion drove him to try again. Dropping to the stone floor, he managed to crawl half the distance before a falling timber caught him a glancing blow on the shoulder.
