Read Online Blossoms and the Green Phantom by Betsy Byars - Free Book Online Page B

Even when Maggie fell off Sandy Boy, her mother had praised her for trying with something like “Almost!” Now Maggie was in disgrace and she knew it. What was worse, she deserved it. She had been Junior’s mother for the night, and she had done the most terrible thing a mother could do—desert her child.
    “And why, may I ask, did you let your brother climb up on a chicken house in the first place?”
    “Mom, he wanted to,” Vern said.
    “And you let him?”
    “Mom—”
    “Three big strong kids could not stop one little boy from climbing up on a chicken house? Is that what you expect me to believe?”
    Maggie nodded dumbly.
    “Not one of you had the guts to climb up on the chicken house yourselves?”
    “We offered but—”
    “I’m not interested in your offers, only your actions.”
    They knew then that Vicki Blossom was not interested in their answers either. The three of them stood in silence.
    “And then what? The three big strong kids ran off like cowards? I tell you one thing. If Junior hurts himself because of you, I will never forgive any of you. Never!”
    Ralphie cleared his throat. “What Maggie didn’t tell you, Mrs. Blossom, was that Mr. Benson had a gun. It was pointed right at us. If we hadn’t left when we did, one or more of us might be dead.”
    “You don’t die of rock salt wounds,” Vicki Blossom said, but she didn’t look at Ralphie. She wasn’t through with Maggie and Vern. She stood there, glaring at them, piercing the darkness with her glances. They were the ones she was furious with. Oh, she was furious with Ralphie, too, but Blossoms knew better than to run off and leave another Blossom.
    Ralphie spoke again. He knew Mrs. Blossom had no interest in him, but he couldn’t help himself. He could see from the way Maggie’s shoulders were drawn up that she was getting ready to cry, and he did not want to see Maggie cry. He had seen her brush tears from her eyes with the tips of her braids and that had been bad enough, but if she cried …
    “Mrs. Blossom, I’ll be glad to go back after him,” Ralphie said quickly, “I—”
    “I’m going after him myself, thank you very much.”
    Vicki Blossom came down the steps loudly. It was as if she had on combat boots instead of sneakers. There was a small space between Vern and Maggie, and she went right through it, pushing them to either side.
    She strode past Ralphie without a glance and then strode—there was no other word for the way she was walking—down the road.
    The children were so stunned by her fury that they were a little late starting after her. That was exactly what Vicki Blossom had been hoping they would do—start after her. She spun around.
    She was in the shadows of the pine trees, so it was still impossible to see her eyes, but Ralphie had seen his own mom’s eyes under similar conditions, and he knew what they looked like.
    “Oh no you don’t!”
    The children stopped in their tracks.
    “Oh no you don’t!”
    She managed to put new meaning into the words this time, making it even more of a command. “You stay right where you are, every living, breathing one of you.”
    That took in them all. No one moved a muscle.
    “You left Junior. You deserted Junior. You abandoned Junior. And as far as I am concerned you aren’t worthy to help Junior. Junior doesn’t want your help.”
    All of them knew this was a lie, but no one dared speak.
    “What do you want us to do?” Maggie asked finally. Ralphie hated to hear her voice tremble like that.
    “Can’t you even figure that out? Can’t you do one single thing for yourselves? No, I guess you can’t. You proved that tonight. I gave you a chance to do one simple thing for me, and you proved you cannot do anything, especially when courage and loyalty are called for.”
    She drew in a long breath. “All right. Here it is. Maggie, you and Vern go in the house and sit by the phone and wait for Pap’s call. No courage will be called for. No loyalty. Just sit by