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Authors: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
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were thinking her very selfish not to offer us something to drink on her own when we'd gone and bought her such a fine fruitcake.
"What would you like to drink then?" the Wicket asked. "Coffee?"
"No, not coffee, " Rebecca said. "We don't drink coffee. "
"Of course we don't," Georgia said. "Haven't you noticed we're children?"
"Actually, I do drink coffee," Annie said, "you know, being the oldest. But I think water will be fine for all of us. We wouldn't want to put you out."
"No, we wouldn't want that," Jackie said.
"I'm not even sure if I have eight glasses," the Wicket grumbled under her breath as she headed off toward the kitchen, fruitcake gripped tightly in hand.
If there's one thing we have learned, it's that you shouldn't mutter or grumble under your breath when the people you are mumbling or grumbling about can hear you.
With the Wicket in the next room, we were able to spring into action.
Or, you could say, we were able to spring into talking.
Loudly.
"Gee," Annie said, yelling at the top of her lungs so probably people in the next town could hear her, never mind the Wicket, who was just in the next room. She was reciting her lines from the script she'd prepared and had us all memorize. "That was awful when some unknown person broke into our home a few weeks back."
"It really was," Durinda shouted.
"When we got home and found Mommy's private study had been entered, I thought I was going to have a heart attack," Georgia said.
"And to think," Jackie said, "whoever that awful person was, they took whatever was in Mommy's Top Secret folder."
"It's a good thing," Marcia said, "that whoever it was, they didn't know about the other folder."
The hairs stood up on the backs of our necks. It was almost as though we could see the Wicket's ears perk up, hear her tiny little brain saying, Wait a minute here. What other folder?
She'd probably write about it in her diary tonight.
"Oh, don't know it," Petal said, muffing her lines. Then she self-corrected to "I mean to say, don't I know it."
"The other folder is an amazing thing," Rebecca said.
"It's true," Zinnia said, "and Mommy is a genius for inventing it."
Again, it was as though we could hear the Wicket's thoughts thundering through the walls: What other folder?
"Yes," Annie said, "only Mommy would think to create a second folder, marked Nothing, in which she put all of her real information about making it so people could live forever if they want to."
"And where does Mommy keep that other folder?" Durinda asked. "Sometimes I forget these things."
"She keeps it in the same file drawer as the Top Secret folder," Georgia said. "But it's hidden all the way in the back, behind the drawer itself."
"It's a good thing it's safe," Jackie said.
"But how long will it stay that way?" Marcia wondered.
"That's true," Petal said. "We have to go to that... thing at school Monday night." Petal had been supposed to say that science fair, but apparently she'd forgotten that part.
"And Mommy is going with us," Rebecca said.
"What time does that, er, thing start at school?" Petal asked, thereby making up for her previous fumbles by raising an important point that hadn't been covered in Annie's script.
"Six o'clock," Annie said.
"Isn't that a bit early for a school function?" Rebecca asked.
"Well, it is still winter," Annie said, "so it will already be dark by six, a fine time for a school function."
"Yes, Mommy is going with us," Rebecca said, repeating her earlier line to get us back to the original script.
"Daddy too," Zinnia said.
"So there will be no one at home," Annie added, finishing up the last lines in our script, "to make sure no one breaks in and searches the house for the Nothing folder."
We all sighed loudly as if there was nothing to be done about it. When you have a choice between going to a thing at school or guarding a Top Secret folder containing information that could change life on this planet as we know it, you always have to go to the
"What would you like to drink then?" the Wicket asked. "Coffee?"
"No, not coffee, " Rebecca said. "We don't drink coffee. "
"Of course we don't," Georgia said. "Haven't you noticed we're children?"
"Actually, I do drink coffee," Annie said, "you know, being the oldest. But I think water will be fine for all of us. We wouldn't want to put you out."
"No, we wouldn't want that," Jackie said.
"I'm not even sure if I have eight glasses," the Wicket grumbled under her breath as she headed off toward the kitchen, fruitcake gripped tightly in hand.
If there's one thing we have learned, it's that you shouldn't mutter or grumble under your breath when the people you are mumbling or grumbling about can hear you.
With the Wicket in the next room, we were able to spring into action.
Or, you could say, we were able to spring into talking.
Loudly.
"Gee," Annie said, yelling at the top of her lungs so probably people in the next town could hear her, never mind the Wicket, who was just in the next room. She was reciting her lines from the script she'd prepared and had us all memorize. "That was awful when some unknown person broke into our home a few weeks back."
"It really was," Durinda shouted.
"When we got home and found Mommy's private study had been entered, I thought I was going to have a heart attack," Georgia said.
"And to think," Jackie said, "whoever that awful person was, they took whatever was in Mommy's Top Secret folder."
"It's a good thing," Marcia said, "that whoever it was, they didn't know about the other folder."
The hairs stood up on the backs of our necks. It was almost as though we could see the Wicket's ears perk up, hear her tiny little brain saying, Wait a minute here. What other folder?
She'd probably write about it in her diary tonight.
"Oh, don't know it," Petal said, muffing her lines. Then she self-corrected to "I mean to say, don't I know it."
"The other folder is an amazing thing," Rebecca said.
"It's true," Zinnia said, "and Mommy is a genius for inventing it."
Again, it was as though we could hear the Wicket's thoughts thundering through the walls: What other folder?
"Yes," Annie said, "only Mommy would think to create a second folder, marked Nothing, in which she put all of her real information about making it so people could live forever if they want to."
"And where does Mommy keep that other folder?" Durinda asked. "Sometimes I forget these things."
"She keeps it in the same file drawer as the Top Secret folder," Georgia said. "But it's hidden all the way in the back, behind the drawer itself."
"It's a good thing it's safe," Jackie said.
"But how long will it stay that way?" Marcia wondered.
"That's true," Petal said. "We have to go to that... thing at school Monday night." Petal had been supposed to say that science fair, but apparently she'd forgotten that part.
"And Mommy is going with us," Rebecca said.
"What time does that, er, thing start at school?" Petal asked, thereby making up for her previous fumbles by raising an important point that hadn't been covered in Annie's script.
"Six o'clock," Annie said.
"Isn't that a bit early for a school function?" Rebecca asked.
"Well, it is still winter," Annie said, "so it will already be dark by six, a fine time for a school function."
"Yes, Mommy is going with us," Rebecca said, repeating her earlier line to get us back to the original script.
"Daddy too," Zinnia said.
"So there will be no one at home," Annie added, finishing up the last lines in our script, "to make sure no one breaks in and searches the house for the Nothing folder."
We all sighed loudly as if there was nothing to be done about it. When you have a choice between going to a thing at school or guarding a Top Secret folder containing information that could change life on this planet as we know it, you always have to go to the
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