Read Online What a Pair! by Wanda E Brunstetter - Free Book Online
Authors: Wanda E Brunstetter
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to take turns cranking the handle of the ice cream freezer. Mark and Mattie went first, because they weren’t as strong as their older brothers, and as the ice cream began to freeze up, it became harder to crank.
“Let’s go out in the yard and look at the stars,” Mark said to Mattie after they’d both taken their turns cranking the handle. He glanced toward the west, where the sun was below the horizon. All that was left of daylight was the faint orange glow of the beautiful sunset they’d seen just minutes earlier.
“Okay, let’s go.” Mattie hurried into the yard, and Mark followed.
“Look up there,” Mark said, pointing to the twinkling stars overhead. “See … there’s the Big Dipper!”
“And there’s the Little Dipper. I’ll bet there must be hundreds of stars,” Mattie said.
“Nope. There’s more than that.”
“Thousands?”
Mark shook his head. “There are about 100 billion stars in our galaxy.”
“Wow, that’s amazing! How do you know so much about the stars?”
“I read a book about them at the library. You could learn a lot if you read more, too.”
“The kind of books you read are boring,” Mattie said.
“No, they’re not.”
“Jah, they are.”
“No, they …”
“Mattie! Mark! Come inside now, the ice cream’s ready!” Mom called.
“First one to the porch gets the first taste of ice cream!” Mark hollered. The day might not have started out so good, but he was glad it had ended well. Maybe, just maybe, Dad would give in and let him lick the beaters. That is, if Mattie didn’t think to ask first.
C HAPTER 7
First Day of School
Mattie knelt on the grass in front of the pond and stared at her reflection. She noticed that her black head covering was on crooked, so she reached up to straighten it. When she glanced at the water again, her reflection was gone and another had taken its place. It was Mark looking back at her now. What was he doing at the pond? She thought she’d come here alone today.
Mattie turned, but there was no sign of Mark behind her. She looked back at the water and saw her own reflection again. Maybe she’d just imagined seeing Mark’s reflection.
Bzzz … Bzzz …
A bee buzzed overhead. She swatted at it, and then quickly jerked her hand away, so she wouldn’t get stung.
“Everyone gets stung sometime,”
she heard Grandpa say.
“No, no … Not me!”
Mattie stared into the water and gasped when she saw Mark’s reflection once more. What was going on? Was he playing another one of his silly tricks on her?
She whirled around quickly, thinking she’d catch him this time, but Mark wasn’t there—only the buzzing bee overhead.
Bzzz … Bzzz
…
Bzzz …
The buzzing kept on.
Mattie scrambled to her feet and tried to run, but she couldn’t move. Her feet felt like they were stuck in a bucket of cement.
“Help me! Help me!” she cried. “I can’t move, and there’s a bee after me!”
“Mattie …” Someone was calling to her, but their voice sounded far away.
Mark, is that you?
Mattie tried to speak, but she couldn’t seem to get the words out of her mouth. All she could do was moan.
Someone touched Mattie’s arm and gave it a shake. “Mattie, wake up.”
Feeling as if she were being pulled from a fog, Mattie opened one eye, and then the other. Mark stared down at her with a peculiar look on his face. “It’s time to get up,” he said. “Didn’t you hear your alarm clock buzzing? I could hear it clear out in the hall.”
Mattie rolled over and hit the button on the clock by her bed. “Oh, the buzzing I heard must have been in my dream,” she murmured. “I—I thought it was a bee.”
“Huh? What were you dreaming about?”
“I was dreaming that I saw my reflection in the pond, and then I saw … Oh, never mind.” Mattie figured if she told Mark about her dream, he’d probably think it was weird and tease her again.
“Hurry up and get out of bed,” Mark said. “We start back to
“Let’s go out in the yard and look at the stars,” Mark said to Mattie after they’d both taken their turns cranking the handle. He glanced toward the west, where the sun was below the horizon. All that was left of daylight was the faint orange glow of the beautiful sunset they’d seen just minutes earlier.
“Okay, let’s go.” Mattie hurried into the yard, and Mark followed.
“Look up there,” Mark said, pointing to the twinkling stars overhead. “See … there’s the Big Dipper!”
“And there’s the Little Dipper. I’ll bet there must be hundreds of stars,” Mattie said.
“Nope. There’s more than that.”
“Thousands?”
Mark shook his head. “There are about 100 billion stars in our galaxy.”
“Wow, that’s amazing! How do you know so much about the stars?”
“I read a book about them at the library. You could learn a lot if you read more, too.”
“The kind of books you read are boring,” Mattie said.
“No, they’re not.”
“Jah, they are.”
“No, they …”
“Mattie! Mark! Come inside now, the ice cream’s ready!” Mom called.
“First one to the porch gets the first taste of ice cream!” Mark hollered. The day might not have started out so good, but he was glad it had ended well. Maybe, just maybe, Dad would give in and let him lick the beaters. That is, if Mattie didn’t think to ask first.
C HAPTER 7
First Day of School
Mattie knelt on the grass in front of the pond and stared at her reflection. She noticed that her black head covering was on crooked, so she reached up to straighten it. When she glanced at the water again, her reflection was gone and another had taken its place. It was Mark looking back at her now. What was he doing at the pond? She thought she’d come here alone today.
Mattie turned, but there was no sign of Mark behind her. She looked back at the water and saw her own reflection again. Maybe she’d just imagined seeing Mark’s reflection.
Bzzz … Bzzz …
A bee buzzed overhead. She swatted at it, and then quickly jerked her hand away, so she wouldn’t get stung.
“Everyone gets stung sometime,”
she heard Grandpa say.
“No, no … Not me!”
Mattie stared into the water and gasped when she saw Mark’s reflection once more. What was going on? Was he playing another one of his silly tricks on her?
She whirled around quickly, thinking she’d catch him this time, but Mark wasn’t there—only the buzzing bee overhead.
Bzzz … Bzzz
…
Bzzz …
The buzzing kept on.
Mattie scrambled to her feet and tried to run, but she couldn’t move. Her feet felt like they were stuck in a bucket of cement.
“Help me! Help me!” she cried. “I can’t move, and there’s a bee after me!”
“Mattie …” Someone was calling to her, but their voice sounded far away.
Mark, is that you?
Mattie tried to speak, but she couldn’t seem to get the words out of her mouth. All she could do was moan.
Someone touched Mattie’s arm and gave it a shake. “Mattie, wake up.”
Feeling as if she were being pulled from a fog, Mattie opened one eye, and then the other. Mark stared down at her with a peculiar look on his face. “It’s time to get up,” he said. “Didn’t you hear your alarm clock buzzing? I could hear it clear out in the hall.”
Mattie rolled over and hit the button on the clock by her bed. “Oh, the buzzing I heard must have been in my dream,” she murmured. “I—I thought it was a bee.”
“Huh? What were you dreaming about?”
“I was dreaming that I saw my reflection in the pond, and then I saw … Oh, never mind.” Mattie figured if she told Mark about her dream, he’d probably think it was weird and tease her again.
“Hurry up and get out of bed,” Mark said. “We start back to
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