Read Online Sarah's Orphans by Vannetta Chapman - Free Book Online
Authors: Vannetta Chapman
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killed in their sleep. As heâd explained while Rebecca was downstairs, it was a small town. Everyone knew everyone else, and theyâd never been burglarized before.
âI saw some footprints in the mud left from the snowmelt, but they were small.â He held up both forefingers, positioned about six inches apart. âI thought they must have been from earlier in the day, from some child playing out back.â
âUnlessâ¦â Rebecca fiddled with her mug.
âUnless our thief was a child.â
CHAPTER 15
M ateo huddled outsideâcold, waiting, and afraid to move. Heâd watched the tall man run outside and look carefully around, shining his flashlight down into the dirt. Apparently, he hadnât found anything because heâd gone back upstairs. Mateo thought about leaving then, but something told him to stay where he was. Good thing he had. The woman had come downstairs next, stared out into the night for a few moments, and then closed and bolted the door. Would she notice the missing bottle of Tylenol? Would she call the police?
Mateo knew it was wrong to steal, but he couldnât think of what else to do. His sisterâs forehead was hot to his touch. She slept a lot and didnât answer when he spoke to her. That was why Mateo was scared. Heâd been alone before, though maybe not for this long. But heâd never seen his sister so sick.
Once the lights again went off upstairs, he hurried from the bushes where he was hiding and ran across the street and into the old barn. A tomcat sat inside the entrance, blinking at him in the night. His sister was exactly where heâd left her, curled up next to an old hay bale. He set the small flashlight in a corner, propping it up so that it would cast a little light. The flashlight was the only thing his mother had left with them. That and a few dollars. Heâd spent those in the first two days.
Somehow, he managed to pick his little sister up, stuff the flashlight in his pocket, and carry her over to the trailer. Once inside, he placed her in their fort of boxes. Then he sat down beside Mia and pulled out the wet washrag heâd taken from the bathroom. Placing it across her head, he spoke to her softly. â Es la hora de despertar, Mia. Despertarse. Tengo la medicina .â
But she wouldnât wake up. He laid her back down and concentrated on opening the Tylenol bottle. He had decided to take chewables because they were grape flavored. Mia liked grape juice. Plus chewables were safer. He didnât trust himself to give her the right amount of the liquid, but he knew to give her two tablets. His mother had done that for him once.
He took off his jacket, rolled it in a ball, and placed it under her head. Mia finally blinked her eyes, which looked sunken and didnât seem to focus on him at all. He had to push the pills into her mouth. When he did, she slowly began to chew. Mateo had also filled up their water bottle when he was in the store. He pulled it from his pocket and tried to persuade her to drink a little. But Mia shook her head, curled on her side, and soon was once again asleep.
CHAPTER 16
S arah was surprised at how difficult it was to get four boys ready for church. Andy was late coming in from the barn. Their chicken coop had withstood the night, and they hadnât lost any more of the chickens. âBut theyâre skittish and not laying,â he said. Heâd also fed Dusty and harnessed him to the buggy. That had all taken longer than heâd expected. Probably the falling snow had slowed him down. It was light at the moment, but she suspected from the heaviness of the clouds outside the window that they were in for a good foot or more of accumulation.
âYou should have taken Henry up on his offer to help.â
Henry was looking rather chipper after sleeping in thirty minutes longer than usual, but dressing had been a problem. Sarah had failed to remove all the pins from
âI saw some footprints in the mud left from the snowmelt, but they were small.â He held up both forefingers, positioned about six inches apart. âI thought they must have been from earlier in the day, from some child playing out back.â
âUnlessâ¦â Rebecca fiddled with her mug.
âUnless our thief was a child.â
CHAPTER 15
M ateo huddled outsideâcold, waiting, and afraid to move. Heâd watched the tall man run outside and look carefully around, shining his flashlight down into the dirt. Apparently, he hadnât found anything because heâd gone back upstairs. Mateo thought about leaving then, but something told him to stay where he was. Good thing he had. The woman had come downstairs next, stared out into the night for a few moments, and then closed and bolted the door. Would she notice the missing bottle of Tylenol? Would she call the police?
Mateo knew it was wrong to steal, but he couldnât think of what else to do. His sisterâs forehead was hot to his touch. She slept a lot and didnât answer when he spoke to her. That was why Mateo was scared. Heâd been alone before, though maybe not for this long. But heâd never seen his sister so sick.
Once the lights again went off upstairs, he hurried from the bushes where he was hiding and ran across the street and into the old barn. A tomcat sat inside the entrance, blinking at him in the night. His sister was exactly where heâd left her, curled up next to an old hay bale. He set the small flashlight in a corner, propping it up so that it would cast a little light. The flashlight was the only thing his mother had left with them. That and a few dollars. Heâd spent those in the first two days.
Somehow, he managed to pick his little sister up, stuff the flashlight in his pocket, and carry her over to the trailer. Once inside, he placed her in their fort of boxes. Then he sat down beside Mia and pulled out the wet washrag heâd taken from the bathroom. Placing it across her head, he spoke to her softly. â Es la hora de despertar, Mia. Despertarse. Tengo la medicina .â
But she wouldnât wake up. He laid her back down and concentrated on opening the Tylenol bottle. He had decided to take chewables because they were grape flavored. Mia liked grape juice. Plus chewables were safer. He didnât trust himself to give her the right amount of the liquid, but he knew to give her two tablets. His mother had done that for him once.
He took off his jacket, rolled it in a ball, and placed it under her head. Mia finally blinked her eyes, which looked sunken and didnât seem to focus on him at all. He had to push the pills into her mouth. When he did, she slowly began to chew. Mateo had also filled up their water bottle when he was in the store. He pulled it from his pocket and tried to persuade her to drink a little. But Mia shook her head, curled on her side, and soon was once again asleep.
CHAPTER 16
S arah was surprised at how difficult it was to get four boys ready for church. Andy was late coming in from the barn. Their chicken coop had withstood the night, and they hadnât lost any more of the chickens. âBut theyâre skittish and not laying,â he said. Heâd also fed Dusty and harnessed him to the buggy. That had all taken longer than heâd expected. Probably the falling snow had slowed him down. It was light at the moment, but she suspected from the heaviness of the clouds outside the window that they were in for a good foot or more of accumulation.
âYou should have taken Henry up on his offer to help.â
Henry was looking rather chipper after sleeping in thirty minutes longer than usual, but dressing had been a problem. Sarah had failed to remove all the pins from
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