Read Online Zinnia's Zaniness by Lauren Baratz-Logsted - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
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said.
"I agree with Marcia," Rebecca said, pulling herself all the way out of the sand. "Zinnia's always been the nuttiest Eight." Rebecca paused to look at Petal, who was on all fours shaking back and forth in her bathrobe like a dog trying to rid itself of water, which she had plenty of right now. "Well, one of the two nuttiest Eights," Rebecca corrected herself. "Always believing she could talk to the cats, then thinking she could talk to that stupid pigeon pet, and now this thing with the dolphins. On top of that, there're these notes that keep coming, talking about her power. If she sees this latest one, right after that thing with the dolphins, we'll never be able to convince her that she can't communicate with animals. And if she goes on believing she can communicate with animals, eventually she'll be labeled crazy, we'll have to lock her away in a lunatic asylum, and there goes the whole family reputation."
"I think that ship has sailed," Jackie said, "on more than one voyage."
"My, that was a long speech," Georgia said to Rebecca.
"Yes, well," Rebecca said, "a person has a long time to think when she's buried up to her head in sand all alone while everyone else is playing."
"But you didn't know about the note at that time," Georgia said, "so how could you have been thinking this out then?"
"I wasn't," Rebecca said. She shrugged. "I guess it's just the leftover effects from before of having more time on my hands to think. My brain must still be doing that."
"Never mind all that right now," Marcia said, exasperated. "Who cares what Rebecca's brain is doing? The important thing is to get this note away from here before Zinnia comes back and sees it."
"You'd better hurry, then," Georgia said, looking toward the ocean, "because she's coming out now."
We looked up in time to see Zinnia wave to the dolphins before turning in our direction.
"Oh," Petal said, sounding exasperated as she struggled to her feet, "I'll take it."
" You'll take it?"
Okay, we all said that, including the Petes. We were that shocked: Petal offering to go off by herself again, Petal volunteering for a mission.
"What's wrong with that?" Petal said. "I did manage to walk by myself yesterday without disaster striking. Well, there was that little problem with the shadow, but since you did all convince me it was just my own..." Petal held her hand out for Marcia to give her the note. "Besides," Petal added, shaking her arms, "the walk will do me good. Maybe I'll finally be able to lose the rest of this water weight."
***
"What have you all been up to?" Zinnia asked, joining us a moment later.
The words Zinnia spoke were innocent enough in and of themselves, and even the way she delivered them sounded perfectly normal.
Still, we couldn't escape the sense of guilt washing over us as we kicked the sand with our feet, hands clasped behind our backs.
"Nothing much," we said, hoping we sounded innocent too.
***
Petal didn't sound at all innocent when she returned to us. She sounded frightened. And angry.
"You were all wrong," she said. "There was somebody following me yesterday. I know that because the same person followed me today."
Oh, Petal.
"It's true," she insisted, reading our Oh-Petal expressions accurately. "I went a ways down the beach to bury"—she paused, cast a look at Zinnia—"you know, something unimportant in the sand. Walking there I didn't notice anything funny, probably because my mind was occupied by my mission." She cast another glance at Zinnia, adding, "My thoroughly unimportant mission. But on my way back, when my mind was no longer occupied, I saw the shadow again."
"We already explained to you yesterday," Annie pointed out with a surprising degree of patience, "that's your own shadow."
"No, it's not," Petal said. "I took my own shadow into account, and this shadow wasn't my shadow. Every time I'd take a step, my shadow and this other shadow would take a step too. Every time I stopped taking steps, my shadow and
"I agree with Marcia," Rebecca said, pulling herself all the way out of the sand. "Zinnia's always been the nuttiest Eight." Rebecca paused to look at Petal, who was on all fours shaking back and forth in her bathrobe like a dog trying to rid itself of water, which she had plenty of right now. "Well, one of the two nuttiest Eights," Rebecca corrected herself. "Always believing she could talk to the cats, then thinking she could talk to that stupid pigeon pet, and now this thing with the dolphins. On top of that, there're these notes that keep coming, talking about her power. If she sees this latest one, right after that thing with the dolphins, we'll never be able to convince her that she can't communicate with animals. And if she goes on believing she can communicate with animals, eventually she'll be labeled crazy, we'll have to lock her away in a lunatic asylum, and there goes the whole family reputation."
"I think that ship has sailed," Jackie said, "on more than one voyage."
"My, that was a long speech," Georgia said to Rebecca.
"Yes, well," Rebecca said, "a person has a long time to think when she's buried up to her head in sand all alone while everyone else is playing."
"But you didn't know about the note at that time," Georgia said, "so how could you have been thinking this out then?"
"I wasn't," Rebecca said. She shrugged. "I guess it's just the leftover effects from before of having more time on my hands to think. My brain must still be doing that."
"Never mind all that right now," Marcia said, exasperated. "Who cares what Rebecca's brain is doing? The important thing is to get this note away from here before Zinnia comes back and sees it."
"You'd better hurry, then," Georgia said, looking toward the ocean, "because she's coming out now."
We looked up in time to see Zinnia wave to the dolphins before turning in our direction.
"Oh," Petal said, sounding exasperated as she struggled to her feet, "I'll take it."
" You'll take it?"
Okay, we all said that, including the Petes. We were that shocked: Petal offering to go off by herself again, Petal volunteering for a mission.
"What's wrong with that?" Petal said. "I did manage to walk by myself yesterday without disaster striking. Well, there was that little problem with the shadow, but since you did all convince me it was just my own..." Petal held her hand out for Marcia to give her the note. "Besides," Petal added, shaking her arms, "the walk will do me good. Maybe I'll finally be able to lose the rest of this water weight."
***
"What have you all been up to?" Zinnia asked, joining us a moment later.
The words Zinnia spoke were innocent enough in and of themselves, and even the way she delivered them sounded perfectly normal.
Still, we couldn't escape the sense of guilt washing over us as we kicked the sand with our feet, hands clasped behind our backs.
"Nothing much," we said, hoping we sounded innocent too.
***
Petal didn't sound at all innocent when she returned to us. She sounded frightened. And angry.
"You were all wrong," she said. "There was somebody following me yesterday. I know that because the same person followed me today."
Oh, Petal.
"It's true," she insisted, reading our Oh-Petal expressions accurately. "I went a ways down the beach to bury"—she paused, cast a look at Zinnia—"you know, something unimportant in the sand. Walking there I didn't notice anything funny, probably because my mind was occupied by my mission." She cast another glance at Zinnia, adding, "My thoroughly unimportant mission. But on my way back, when my mind was no longer occupied, I saw the shadow again."
"We already explained to you yesterday," Annie pointed out with a surprising degree of patience, "that's your own shadow."
"No, it's not," Petal said. "I took my own shadow into account, and this shadow wasn't my shadow. Every time I'd take a step, my shadow and this other shadow would take a step too. Every time I stopped taking steps, my shadow and
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