of a cardinal drowned out the other voice with its purty, purty, purty … whoit whoit whoit whoit!
Rebekah rose and flung her legs over the side of her bed. As her feet touched the floor, the memory of her stubbed baby toe flashed to the front of her mind with white-hot precision. Tears sprang to her eyes and her stomach churned. Hiking up her gown, Rebekah found that her tiny toe had taken on a hue of greenish black. A purple bruise mottled the entire side of her right foot, clean up to her ankle.
Pushing herself up using her dresser as leverage, she peered out the window. Down below stood Joseph, arms crossed as usual, with his trademark stem poking out from between his teeth. When he threw back his head to laugh, Rebekah saw to whom the other voice belonged.
It was Katie Knepp.
CHAPTER FIVE
Rebekah limped across her bedroom floor to the simple doorway. A jagged ache gnawed at her heart, blocking out the pain in her discolored foot.
“Why would Katie be here?” An unfamiliar feeling twanged in her gut. “Why is Joseph talking to her like a beau?”
Rebekah maneuvered herself out her room and to the stairs with more than a little difficulty. Standing with her hand on the banister, her stomach lurched as she looked down the steep staircase. “Well, here goes.”
Placing her good foot down first, she leaned on the banister and hopped down the first step. Whew , that wasn’t so bad. Only twelve more to go. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Rebekah leaned on the bannister and hopped down the rest of the wooden stairs. A thin film of sweat covered her face like a veil as she neared the floor.
Almost there, she whispered. As she stepped off the last step, her hands fluttered to her head to straighten her covering. Instead, her fingers brushed her singed mane. “My covering!”
A brief moment of panic brought on with the prospect of ascending and descending the stairs again was interrupted by a thundering of feet. Thomas skipped by, heart and eyes obviously set on the partially opened front door. Rebekah could see Joseph’s back come in and out of the space as the door swayed in the breeze.
“Thomas!” She swiped at the beads of perspiration that dotted her forehead. “Help!”
Stopping just before reaching the door, her youngest brother turned to face her. A hunk of bread, swiped from the kitchen no doubt, protruded from his mouth.
“Hi, Th-ithy,” he mumbled through the crumbs.
“Thomas, come here please.”
Shrugging his tiny shoulders, he ambled over.
He swallowed the swiped snack. “Hi Sissy,” he said more clearly, “Please don’t tell ’bout the bread. I was hungry.”
She ruffled his hair.
“Can you run upstairs for your favorite sister and bring my covering down? It’s in my room.”
He wrinkled his nose. “You’re my only sister!”
Thomas looked first at her, then to the door before allowing his big blue eyes to light back on Rebekah.
“Guess we do need to cover that hair up. I’ll be right back.” Thomas started up the stairs, slow as molasses in January. After a minute, he’d only ascended three steps.
Ever gentle, Rebekah whispered again. “Thomas?”
“Yea, Sissy?”
“Could you please go quickly? For me?”
A gap-toothed grin befell his freckled face. He scratched his nose. “Sure can.”
With that, Thomas disappeared up the stairs just as the front door creaked a tell-tale creak. Someone was coming inside. “Oh no.”
Rebekah glanced about for a suitable hiding place, just big enough for a twenty-year-old girl. In her haste, she hadn’t even bothered to dress and still wore her nightgown.
Her thoughts were coming in quick spurts. Maybe whoever it is won’t see me if I don’t move . She sat down on the bottom step and hugged her knees to her chest.
Joseph held open the door and Katie walked in. The pair sat down on the seat made for three, leaving the space between them open. Their backs were to Rebekah.
A hot knot formed in her throat.
“So
Rebekah rose and flung her legs over the side of her bed. As her feet touched the floor, the memory of her stubbed baby toe flashed to the front of her mind with white-hot precision. Tears sprang to her eyes and her stomach churned. Hiking up her gown, Rebekah found that her tiny toe had taken on a hue of greenish black. A purple bruise mottled the entire side of her right foot, clean up to her ankle.
Pushing herself up using her dresser as leverage, she peered out the window. Down below stood Joseph, arms crossed as usual, with his trademark stem poking out from between his teeth. When he threw back his head to laugh, Rebekah saw to whom the other voice belonged.
It was Katie Knepp.
CHAPTER FIVE
Rebekah limped across her bedroom floor to the simple doorway. A jagged ache gnawed at her heart, blocking out the pain in her discolored foot.
“Why would Katie be here?” An unfamiliar feeling twanged in her gut. “Why is Joseph talking to her like a beau?”
Rebekah maneuvered herself out her room and to the stairs with more than a little difficulty. Standing with her hand on the banister, her stomach lurched as she looked down the steep staircase. “Well, here goes.”
Placing her good foot down first, she leaned on the banister and hopped down the first step. Whew , that wasn’t so bad. Only twelve more to go. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Rebekah leaned on the bannister and hopped down the rest of the wooden stairs. A thin film of sweat covered her face like a veil as she neared the floor.
Almost there, she whispered. As she stepped off the last step, her hands fluttered to her head to straighten her covering. Instead, her fingers brushed her singed mane. “My covering!”
A brief moment of panic brought on with the prospect of ascending and descending the stairs again was interrupted by a thundering of feet. Thomas skipped by, heart and eyes obviously set on the partially opened front door. Rebekah could see Joseph’s back come in and out of the space as the door swayed in the breeze.
“Thomas!” She swiped at the beads of perspiration that dotted her forehead. “Help!”
Stopping just before reaching the door, her youngest brother turned to face her. A hunk of bread, swiped from the kitchen no doubt, protruded from his mouth.
“Hi, Th-ithy,” he mumbled through the crumbs.
“Thomas, come here please.”
Shrugging his tiny shoulders, he ambled over.
He swallowed the swiped snack. “Hi Sissy,” he said more clearly, “Please don’t tell ’bout the bread. I was hungry.”
She ruffled his hair.
“Can you run upstairs for your favorite sister and bring my covering down? It’s in my room.”
He wrinkled his nose. “You’re my only sister!”
Thomas looked first at her, then to the door before allowing his big blue eyes to light back on Rebekah.
“Guess we do need to cover that hair up. I’ll be right back.” Thomas started up the stairs, slow as molasses in January. After a minute, he’d only ascended three steps.
Ever gentle, Rebekah whispered again. “Thomas?”
“Yea, Sissy?”
“Could you please go quickly? For me?”
A gap-toothed grin befell his freckled face. He scratched his nose. “Sure can.”
With that, Thomas disappeared up the stairs just as the front door creaked a tell-tale creak. Someone was coming inside. “Oh no.”
Rebekah glanced about for a suitable hiding place, just big enough for a twenty-year-old girl. In her haste, she hadn’t even bothered to dress and still wore her nightgown.
Her thoughts were coming in quick spurts. Maybe whoever it is won’t see me if I don’t move . She sat down on the bottom step and hugged her knees to her chest.
Joseph held open the door and Katie walked in. The pair sat down on the seat made for three, leaving the space between them open. Their backs were to Rebekah.
A hot knot formed in her throat.
“So
Similar Books
