Read Online A Handful of Time by Kit Pearson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kit Pearson
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them. âLook what I found!â Around her neck curled a striped snake. Its tongue darted in and out rapidly as Trevor held it up.
âLook, Potty!â He waved it in her face. âDo you like garter snakes?â
âP-please donât!â gasped Patricia. She slowed her steps and let her cousins walk ahead. Their laughter floated back and the familiar feeling of isolation filled here again.
Then she remembered her secret. Tomorrow, she thought. Tomorrow Iâll go back again.
8
I f she was right about the watch keeping its own time, it should take her back to exactly the same minute she had left: nine thirty-five in the evening. Patriciaâs fingers trembled as she sat on the bed in La Petite and twisted the gold knob. She decided to wind it more tightly so she could stay in the past longer.
She closed her eyes, expecting to be transported to the canoe. But she opened them on the same setting. The watch had resumed its brisk ticking, but she was still in the cabin, not out on the lake with Ruth.
It hadnât worked. Almost in tears, Patricia jumped up and paced the floor frantically. The space was too small to contain her frustration; she pushed open the door of the cabin and stumbled out.
Dusk greeted her: a hushed evening with a few stars dotting the sky. The old-fashioned car in the driveway loomed mysteriously in the dim light.
It had worked. Patricia tucked the watch inside her shirt, shivering with relief and excitement. She had come back, and she could stay here until the watch ran down again. She hurried to the front of the cottage to look for Ruth.
The Loon was gliding to shore. With a slight crunch it reached the beach, just as Pat Reid opened the door of the cottage.
âRuth! Come in at once!â
âComing,â answered a sullen voice below.
When Ruth appeared, her eyes were still glistening with tears. Patricia felt as if she had stopped a movie, then started it again two days later.
They went inside the cottage and Ruth was sent to bed. With dismay, Patricia realized that now she had the whole night to get through. She couldnât make the watch skip time. It ticked out every long minute and she would have to endure each one until morning.
For a while she was occupied with watching Ruthâs parents. Peering over Pat Reidâs shoulder, she saw that the scrapbook she was working on was about the Royal Family. âHRH Princess Elizabeth plays with HRH Prince Charles,â read the caption under a photograph she snipped out of the newspaper. In it, a pretty young woman held up a solemn-looking baby with large ears.
Shortly after the grown-ups went to bed, Gordon and Rodney arrived home. Gordon was laughing, but Rodney sulked and seemed resentful of his brotherâs good mood.
âGo to bed, you two,â called their father. They tramped up the kitchen stairs to the attic.
Patricia continued to look for ways to pass the time. First she crept around the cottage, peeking in at Ginnie, clutching a doll, and Ruth, twisted awkwardly in her sheets. Then she fitted together a few pieces in Ruthâs jigsaw puzzle. She sat on the verandah and stared at the moonâs path on the lake, while the cottage full of sleeping Reids breathed peacefully. If only she could shout and wake them all up.
Finally Patricia decided to try to sleep herself. She wasnât at all tired, but she would be later, especially when she got back to the present. Stretching out on a cot on the verandah, she tried counting sheep.
She tossed for hours. Her mind kept reviewing all the things that had happened during this strange summer. For the first time in days, she remembered her parentsâ separation. Why couldnât morning come so she wouldnât have to think? This night was so boring, she almost wished she were back in the present, but the watch ticked out its own time relentlessly. Patricia felt trapped, knowing she couldnât return until it stopped. The watch
âLook, Potty!â He waved it in her face. âDo you like garter snakes?â
âP-please donât!â gasped Patricia. She slowed her steps and let her cousins walk ahead. Their laughter floated back and the familiar feeling of isolation filled here again.
Then she remembered her secret. Tomorrow, she thought. Tomorrow Iâll go back again.
8
I f she was right about the watch keeping its own time, it should take her back to exactly the same minute she had left: nine thirty-five in the evening. Patriciaâs fingers trembled as she sat on the bed in La Petite and twisted the gold knob. She decided to wind it more tightly so she could stay in the past longer.
She closed her eyes, expecting to be transported to the canoe. But she opened them on the same setting. The watch had resumed its brisk ticking, but she was still in the cabin, not out on the lake with Ruth.
It hadnât worked. Almost in tears, Patricia jumped up and paced the floor frantically. The space was too small to contain her frustration; she pushed open the door of the cabin and stumbled out.
Dusk greeted her: a hushed evening with a few stars dotting the sky. The old-fashioned car in the driveway loomed mysteriously in the dim light.
It had worked. Patricia tucked the watch inside her shirt, shivering with relief and excitement. She had come back, and she could stay here until the watch ran down again. She hurried to the front of the cottage to look for Ruth.
The Loon was gliding to shore. With a slight crunch it reached the beach, just as Pat Reid opened the door of the cottage.
âRuth! Come in at once!â
âComing,â answered a sullen voice below.
When Ruth appeared, her eyes were still glistening with tears. Patricia felt as if she had stopped a movie, then started it again two days later.
They went inside the cottage and Ruth was sent to bed. With dismay, Patricia realized that now she had the whole night to get through. She couldnât make the watch skip time. It ticked out every long minute and she would have to endure each one until morning.
For a while she was occupied with watching Ruthâs parents. Peering over Pat Reidâs shoulder, she saw that the scrapbook she was working on was about the Royal Family. âHRH Princess Elizabeth plays with HRH Prince Charles,â read the caption under a photograph she snipped out of the newspaper. In it, a pretty young woman held up a solemn-looking baby with large ears.
Shortly after the grown-ups went to bed, Gordon and Rodney arrived home. Gordon was laughing, but Rodney sulked and seemed resentful of his brotherâs good mood.
âGo to bed, you two,â called their father. They tramped up the kitchen stairs to the attic.
Patricia continued to look for ways to pass the time. First she crept around the cottage, peeking in at Ginnie, clutching a doll, and Ruth, twisted awkwardly in her sheets. Then she fitted together a few pieces in Ruthâs jigsaw puzzle. She sat on the verandah and stared at the moonâs path on the lake, while the cottage full of sleeping Reids breathed peacefully. If only she could shout and wake them all up.
Finally Patricia decided to try to sleep herself. She wasnât at all tired, but she would be later, especially when she got back to the present. Stretching out on a cot on the verandah, she tried counting sheep.
She tossed for hours. Her mind kept reviewing all the things that had happened during this strange summer. For the first time in days, she remembered her parentsâ separation. Why couldnât morning come so she wouldnât have to think? This night was so boring, she almost wished she were back in the present, but the watch ticked out its own time relentlessly. Patricia felt trapped, knowing she couldnât return until it stopped. The watch
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