Rosa and the Wobbly Flames

Rosa had practiced her parade wave in the station mirror. She had not practiced waving at paper flames.

Now she stood on the fire station’s little parade float, wearing her red helmet and her brightest smile. Paper flames, cut from orange and yellow sheets, curled along the float’s sides. They were meant to look like a cheerful campfire. They were not meant to wiggle at Rosa.

“Ready to greet the neighborhood?” called Firefighter Jo from the driver’s seat.

“Ready!” Rosa said. She lifted one hand and gave the mirror-practiced wave. The float rolled away from the station and onto the neighborhood street.

People lined the sidewalks. A little boy waved a paper flag. A grandpa clapped along with the parade band. Rosa waved to everyone she could see.

Then the float crossed a bumpy seam in the street.

Flap-flap-flap!

The paper flames tipped toward Rosa like they were trying to tell her a secret.

She stopped waving. “Oh! Stay put, little flames.” She checked the nearest paper curl. It was still fastened in place.

The float rolled on. Rosa began another wave. A woman waved back. A dog wagged its whole back end.

Bump!

Flap-flap!

Rosa’s hand dropped as she looked at the decorations. One orange curl lifted at its tip, though it stayed fastened. Rosa pictured a flame coming loose and tumbling into the street. She wanted to notice right away if any of the paper started to peel away.

“I fastened every curl snugly,” Jo called. “If one comes loose, tell me and I’ll pull over.”

Rosa nodded, but another seam was coming. She wanted to greet the crowd and make sure the decorations stayed put. She watched the paper instead of the cheerful faces, and still couldn’t settle into her wave.

Caleb, a boy standing beside his aunt, noticed her puzzled face. He leaned toward the curb and called, “Rosa! The flames only flap when the float goes over those bumpy lines!”

Rosa glanced ahead. A few seams crossed the street like long stitches. The float had just rolled over one, and the paper had fluttered again.

“Good noticing, Caleb!” she called.

Caleb cupped his hands around his mouth. “Maybe you could wave back when they do!”

Rosa blinked. “Wave back at the flames?”

“Sure!” Caleb called. “They wave first, and you answer!”

Rosa looked from Caleb to the next bumpy seam. It seemed like a very silly idea. That might have been why she liked it.

“Let’s try!” she called.

The float rolled forward. Rosa faced the crowd again and raised her hand. She waved to a woman in a green scarf, then to two kids holding a sign that said, “Hello, Firefighters!”

The float bumped over the seam.

Flap-flap-flap!

Rosa answered with an enormous wave. She swung her arm so wide that her helmet bobbed. The paper flames wobbled back.

The crowd laughed and waved, too. One of the kids waved the sign over her head. The dog wagged even faster, as if it had been invited to join the game.

Rosa laughed. “The flames say hello!”

“And Rosa says hello back!” Caleb shouted.

After the bump, Rosa glanced along the float’s side. Each curl was still fastened. She could wave when the flames fluttered, then check that they were still in place. She didn’t need to stare at them every second.

Soon, Rosa spotted another seam. She kept greeting the people along the sidewalk. When the float bumped, she gave the paper flames a big wave. Flap-flap! Wave-wave! Flap-flap! Wave-wave!

A little girl started waving whenever Rosa did. Her dad joined in. Then a whole row of parade watchers began waving at every bump, whether they saw the paper flames or not.

“Everybody’s waving to the street!” Jo called from the driver’s seat.

Rosa laughed so hard she had to steady her helmet. “The street is doing a great job!”

At the next seam, the float gave a little hop. The paper flames fluttered in a wiggly row. Rosa made her biggest wave yet. The crowd answered with a chorus of waving hands. Even Caleb waved both arms, careful to keep his paper flag tucked under one elbow.

The float moved on, steady and slow. Between bumps, Rosa glanced at the decorations. Each paper flame was still attached. No curls had fallen, and none had blown away. She could enjoy the crowd and keep an eye on the float without staring at every flutter.

At last, the parade reached the neighborhood square. Jo guided the float to its place beside the band. The crowd gave one more happy wave, and Rosa waved back. The paper flames rested along the float’s sides.

The parade band played its last tune in the square. Its trumpets gave a bright toot, and its drum answered with a soft tum-tum. Families gathered near the float, chatting about the parade and sharing little cups of lemonade.

Rosa stepped down carefully. She walked around the float with Jo, checking the paper flames one by one. The orange and yellow curls were still fastened along the sides. A few had bent a little, but they were all there.

Caleb came over with his aunt. His paper flag drooped from one hand.

“You figured out the parade wave,” Rosa told him. “The flames had a very important message.”

Caleb grinned. “They said, ‘Wiggle, wiggle!’”

“And I said, ‘Hello, hello!’” Rosa replied.

A tiny breeze moved through the square. One paper flame lifted at its tip, gave a small flap, and settled again.

Rosa raised her hand and gave it a little wave. Caleb waved, too. The paper flame stayed still, as if it were pleased with its very quiet turn in the parade.

Then Jo helped Rosa straighten one curled corner. Together they smoothed the paper gently, taking care not to pull at the fasteners. Around them, the crowd began to wander home. The band packed its drums, and the children tucked their flags beneath their arms.

Rosa sat on the edge of the float for a moment, her helmet beside her. The street was calm now. She could still remember the funny row of flames fluttering at every seam, and the whole crowd waving as if the road itself had joined the parade.

“That was better than practicing in the mirror,” she said.

“Did the mirror wave back?” Caleb asked.

“No,” Rosa said. “It never even wiggled.”

Caleb giggled, and Jo laughed with him. Rosa picked up her helmet and carried it back toward the fire station. The paper flames stayed in place on the float, resting after their busy day.