“Stay on the line with me, James,” she started to say.

But I yelled at her to hurry up and send the trucks before ending the call. I couldn’t stay on the phone with her and try to stop these flames from reaching our property at the same time.

Where the hell is my dad? I wondered before hearing him shout from somewhere behind me.

“I’m out here, Dad,” I yelled back, knowing he couldn’t see me in the dark. “Turn on the sprinkler systems. Keep the water running,” I yelled as I doubled back. I grabbed one of our power hoses and sprinted toward the edge of our property line.

The fire started to creep perilously close to Julia’s famous south side vines, which were way less protected than the rest of the vineyards. While most vines were consistently moist and offered a natural barrier against fire, I knew that her south side ones tended to be drier because of their placement on the hill. They were also surrounded by brush that couldn’t be easily cleared, unlike a normal vineyard with perfectly spaced out and meticulously maintained grounds. The fire would eat her prized vines first and think nothing of it. My heart ached as I thought about Julia losing the thing she loved most.

“What are you doing?” my father practically screamed from behind me as I turned away from our property line and toward the La Bellas’.

With the water set on high, I worked to protect Julia’s vines on the cliff, creating a barrier around them the best I could without falling off the damn thing. Climbing down as far as I could go while maintaining my balance, I sprayed and pounded at the oncoming flames, determined to keep them at bay and praying I didn’t fall. I slipped constantly, my feet trying to brace and dig in as the fire cracked and roared through the brush, eating every single thing in its path, making it clear that we were at war, the fire and me.

The sounds of sirens in the distance only gave me marginal relief as I sprayed and moved the best I could. I swore I heard the fire laugh at me as it jumped and lurched toward the cliff-side vines before backing down and then roaring back up again with a vengeance. The firemen couldn’t get here quick enough.

“James!” The sound of my father’s angry voice hit my ears, and I glanced back for only a second.

The sprinklers were raining down on our vines, but Julia’s weren’t on. Where the hell were her parents?