Read Online Tails of Spring Break by Anne Warren Smith - Free Book Online
Authors: Anne Warren Smith
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I climbed back into bed, disgusted.
Chapter 20
China–Still Wild
F RIDAY MORNING, AFTER WE got back from feeding Ruby’s fish, Tyler had disappeared.
“I’ve looked everywhere,” Dad told us. He raised his voice. “Young man,” he said, “you’re in big trouble.” He lowered his voice. “He’s hiding,” he told us. “I’ve been putting up my shelves, but I keep hearing him.”
We followed him into his office.
“I finally have room for all those files that were stacked in the closet,” he told us. He slid his closet door open and then turned back with a surprised look. “Who’s been in here?” he asked. “I had things sorted into piles.”
Claire and I peered around him into the closet. “Not me,” I said.
“Me,” a little voice said. There in the back of Dad’s closet stood Tyler with dust bunnies on his sweatshirt. “I was playing,” he said.
“In my closet?”
“Under it,” Tyler answered in that same little voice. He clicked the flashlight off and on. Then he hid the light behind his back and brushed at a dust bunny on his knee.
Dad stepped into the closet. “What do you mean— under it?” Then he stepped back out, shaking his head. “I forgot the trap door for getting under the house is in here. I’ve never gone down it. Never needed to.”
“It was open a little bit when I found it,” Tyler said. “It looked like a good cat place. So I went down.”
“That was brave of you,” Dad said. “Good thing you had a flashlight.” He looked hard at Tyler. “Did you find her?”
Tyler nodded.
“You found China?” Claire and I spoke at once.
“She likes it under the house,” Tyler said. “We’ve been talking cat talk down there. She tells me what stuff to bring her.”
We crowded around the trap door and peered into the darkness. When Tyler turned on the flashlight, we saw cobwebs and a gravelly floor. On the floor were cut-out paper fish and Legos and trucks. A bowl of water. A can of cat food.
Claire shuddered. “I bet there are bugs and spiders.” She looked at Tyler in amazement.
“I see China,” I said. “Hi, China.” Far off in a back corner, two slitted eyes flashed. As Tyler moved the light, I could see metal heat ducts branching toward all parts of the house. No wonder China’s voice had traveled through them.
“Hissssss!”
I jumped back into Dad’s office.
“She’s getting to be my friend,” Tyler said. “I know how to talk to wild animals.”
“You’re some kid,” Dad said. He brushed his hand across Tyler’s red hair and then looked at his hand. “Cobwebs,” he said.
Tyler shook his head and something black fell out of his ear. “She’s all dirty too,” he said. “She’s lucky. She’ll brush off.” He looked up at Dad. “Am I in trouble?”
“You’re a hero,” Dad said. “A hero who needs a bath.”
“We can help you tame her,” I told Tyler. “We’ll bring stuff to you. I’ve got a little ball with a jingle in it. And Claire made a thing out of beads that we can hang for her to hit with her paw.” I looked down into the hole. “That you can hang,” I said.
We ran to get stuff for China. Then, we did all the things that we’d written on the calendar. We sang songs. We read her poems and nursery rhymes. We bounced a ball. We brought more food. China’s slitted eyes never changed as she stared at us through the darkness of the crawl space. Pretty soon we knew Tyler hadn’t tamed her at all.
She was still wild.
Chapter 21
Tea with Ruby
F RIDAY AFTERNOON, RUBY PHONED . “I’m home,” she said.
“Did you read our note?” I asked when she let us in the door. “Did we do something wrong?”
“Harry Truman was old,” Ruby said.
I looked closely at her. She looked sad. Did she blame us? I couldn’t tell.
She was wearing silver tights. A silver cloth covered her curly hair and flowed down her back. She’d tied a purple scarf around her waist and little bells hung from the bottom of it and jingled
Chapter 20
China–Still Wild
F RIDAY MORNING, AFTER WE got back from feeding Ruby’s fish, Tyler had disappeared.
“I’ve looked everywhere,” Dad told us. He raised his voice. “Young man,” he said, “you’re in big trouble.” He lowered his voice. “He’s hiding,” he told us. “I’ve been putting up my shelves, but I keep hearing him.”
We followed him into his office.
“I finally have room for all those files that were stacked in the closet,” he told us. He slid his closet door open and then turned back with a surprised look. “Who’s been in here?” he asked. “I had things sorted into piles.”
Claire and I peered around him into the closet. “Not me,” I said.
“Me,” a little voice said. There in the back of Dad’s closet stood Tyler with dust bunnies on his sweatshirt. “I was playing,” he said.
“In my closet?”
“Under it,” Tyler answered in that same little voice. He clicked the flashlight off and on. Then he hid the light behind his back and brushed at a dust bunny on his knee.
Dad stepped into the closet. “What do you mean— under it?” Then he stepped back out, shaking his head. “I forgot the trap door for getting under the house is in here. I’ve never gone down it. Never needed to.”
“It was open a little bit when I found it,” Tyler said. “It looked like a good cat place. So I went down.”
“That was brave of you,” Dad said. “Good thing you had a flashlight.” He looked hard at Tyler. “Did you find her?”
Tyler nodded.
“You found China?” Claire and I spoke at once.
“She likes it under the house,” Tyler said. “We’ve been talking cat talk down there. She tells me what stuff to bring her.”
We crowded around the trap door and peered into the darkness. When Tyler turned on the flashlight, we saw cobwebs and a gravelly floor. On the floor were cut-out paper fish and Legos and trucks. A bowl of water. A can of cat food.
Claire shuddered. “I bet there are bugs and spiders.” She looked at Tyler in amazement.
“I see China,” I said. “Hi, China.” Far off in a back corner, two slitted eyes flashed. As Tyler moved the light, I could see metal heat ducts branching toward all parts of the house. No wonder China’s voice had traveled through them.
“Hissssss!”
I jumped back into Dad’s office.
“She’s getting to be my friend,” Tyler said. “I know how to talk to wild animals.”
“You’re some kid,” Dad said. He brushed his hand across Tyler’s red hair and then looked at his hand. “Cobwebs,” he said.
Tyler shook his head and something black fell out of his ear. “She’s all dirty too,” he said. “She’s lucky. She’ll brush off.” He looked up at Dad. “Am I in trouble?”
“You’re a hero,” Dad said. “A hero who needs a bath.”
“We can help you tame her,” I told Tyler. “We’ll bring stuff to you. I’ve got a little ball with a jingle in it. And Claire made a thing out of beads that we can hang for her to hit with her paw.” I looked down into the hole. “That you can hang,” I said.
We ran to get stuff for China. Then, we did all the things that we’d written on the calendar. We sang songs. We read her poems and nursery rhymes. We bounced a ball. We brought more food. China’s slitted eyes never changed as she stared at us through the darkness of the crawl space. Pretty soon we knew Tyler hadn’t tamed her at all.
She was still wild.
Chapter 21
Tea with Ruby
F RIDAY AFTERNOON, RUBY PHONED . “I’m home,” she said.
“Did you read our note?” I asked when she let us in the door. “Did we do something wrong?”
“Harry Truman was old,” Ruby said.
I looked closely at her. She looked sad. Did she blame us? I couldn’t tell.
She was wearing silver tights. A silver cloth covered her curly hair and flowed down her back. She’d tied a purple scarf around her waist and little bells hung from the bottom of it and jingled
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