DEAR READER: TUNE IN FOR CHAPTER 6

 

Chapter 6

    I didn't want to get up. Bright sunlight streamed through my window, but the room was still cool. I stretched under the covers and felt a heavy weight by my foot. Grandma Charlotte's scrapbook. 

     I dressed and shoved my list of clues in my pocket. Where could I stash the scrapbook? There wasn't a good hiding place in the room. The unmade bed would have to do.

The scrapbook went under the pillow, wrapped in my pajamas. With the bed messed up, it should be the last place someone would look.

     I could smell bacon half-way down the stairs and suddenly I was hungry. I raced to the kitchen and almost collided with Josh. He was coming out as I was going in.

    "Sorry."

    "That's okay," Josh said. He was eating a toaster tart. Half of it crunched under my foot.  

    "Ooops." 

    "That's okay," he said. "They're not very good anyway."

Mom said, "If you like bacon and pancakes, you can join us for breakfast."

    "It sure smells good," he said. "You sure it's not extra work for you."

    Mom shook her head and set a pile of steaming pancakes on the table followed by a plate of bacon. "Dig in. Don't let it get cold. And speaking of work, would you like a job?  There's a lot of chores to be done around here. It's not much, but I can pay you five dollars an hour."

    Five dollars an hour isn’t bad, I thought. If I had to work, as least I was going to paid for it. Even if I only made twenty dollars a day, by the end of the week I'd have enough to buy a track phone, some C-D's, and more photo paper for my printer.

    "I know how I'm going to spend my money," I said, smiling at the world. I poured syrup on my pancakes.

    "What money?" Mom asked.

    "My chore money."

    "What chore money?"

    "The money you're going to pay me and Josh for working."

    "Jessica," she said. "You don't get paid for helping your grandmothers. They're family."

    Suddenly I wasn't hungry. "It's not fair!"

Josh looked uncomfortable. "Hey, you don't have to pay me. I don't mind helping."

    "Nonsense, you're not family and I don't feel I can ask you to work without paying you," Mom said. "Jessica is a little spoiled." 

    I hate when she talks about me like I'm not there.

    "Now eat up. There's a lot to do and you'll both need the energy. I've made two lists. One for outside work and one for inside chores."

    Josh gobbled down the pancakes like he was a half-starved dog. I wondered if he always ate like that.

    "You eat more than my cousin Mark," I said, "And I thought he was a pig."

    Josh stopped chewing.

    "She's just kidding," Mom said. "You eat as much as you want. I like to cook and it's nice to have someone appreciate my efforts."

    Josh had taken his last bite of his fifth pancake when Mr. Thomas strode into the kitchen. He glared at me and then noticed Josh at the table.

    "What are you eating?" Mr. Thomas demanded.

    Before Josh could answer Mom said, "We're just having a little breakfast. The bacon's all gone, but there's plenty of pancake mix left. Would you like me to fix you some pancakes?"

    I couldn't believe she offered to cook breakfast for him. What would my father think?

    "No thank you," he said a little louder than necessary. "And you don't need to feed the boy, either. We can take care of ourselves. Josh, I need you to help me upstairs." Mr. Thomas turned and left. The swinging door that led to the hall flopped back and forth angrily in his wake.

    Josh, his face red, jumped to his feet and knocked over his chair. He set the chair back on its legs and slunk out of the room with a mumbled, "Thanks."

    "Mr. Thomas isn't very nice," I said. "I don't like him. Why did Gram rent a room to him?"

    "Because she needed the money."

    "Speaking of money. I don't think it's fair that you pay Josh and don't pay me."

    "It's not fair of you to expect pay for helping Gram and Grandma Charlotte." 

    I knew I wasn't going to win the argument. Mom had made up her mind.

    Why couldn't I just go back home?

    Mom poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down opposite me. She spooned in sugar and stirred. "Jessica, these first few days are going to be hectic. I called the hospital this morning. Gram's doctor said that her hip is healing well considering her age. She should be out of traction in about a week and will be released shortly after that."

    "What about Grandma Charlotte?"

    "Grandma Charlotte is better, but they want to run some tests." She swallowed the last of her coffee and stood. "Wash the dishes. I need to study their mortgage papers."

    I filled the sink with hot soapy water, set the dishes in to soak, and stared out the window. The backyard was even worse than the front. Some of the weeds were almost as tall as me. It would take a week to pull them. 

    "I hate dishes. I hate housework. I hate yard work." 

    I wished Kelsey had come with us. She'd understand how I felt. Mom didn't care. 

    That's when it hit me. If Josh was getting paid, then I would, too. He'd get money, and I'd take phone time on the land line. I needed to talk to Kelsey. 

    The phone bill wouldn't come for at least a month. The worse that could happen is that I'd be put on restriction for a month and given extra chores. Big deal. It felt like I was already on restriction with no TV, no friends, and enough chores to keep me busy for the rest of my life.

    The downstairs phone rested on a stand in the hall. It was an old black one. Instead of buttons to push, it had a wheel with holes in it over the numbers.

    Kelsey answered on the first ring like she knew I was calling. "Hello?"

    "Hi, Kelsey, it's me."

    "Jessica? Are you home already?"

    "No. I'm stuck here all summer."

    "You're kidding?"

    "I wish I was. Have you talked to Todd yet? Did you tell him I won't be there tonight?  Did he sound disappointed?"

    "Yes. Yes. And I think so. I talked to him yesterday morning. He couldn't believe your parents wouldn't let you stay home and hang out at my house during the day while your dad was at work."

    "I wish I was there," I said and went on to tell her about how both grandmothers were in the hospital, a strange man and his nephew were living in the house, and of Mom's plans to use me for a slave. 

    "How old is the nephew?" Leave it to Kelsey to ask the important questions. "Is he cute?"

    His name is Josh. I think he's about our age, but he's kind of weird."

    "Too bad. If he was cute, it'd make up for having to be there."

    Someone was on the stairs. 

    "I've got to go now. I'll call you later. There's a lot more to tell you. Bye."

 Be sure and come back next week to find out what happens in 

Chapter Seven.

To read the whole book at once, or make it a part of your personal library, find it in paperback on 
AMAZON
or
HERE

DEAR READERS: TUNE IN FOR CHAPTER 5

Chapter  5

    I stood in the bathroom and held my breath. Mr. Thomas thundered down from the third floor. I tried to breathe normally, taking in slow, deep breaths. His footsteps stopped on the second floor landing.

    How was I going to get out of this mess? Mom would kill me if she knew I'd been up prowling at night with a strange man living upstairs.

    I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My face matched the red pajamas that peaked from the neckline of my sweatshirt. 

    More footsteps.

    I flushed the toilet. It would give me a few extra minutes while I thought of what to do.

    Had Mr. Thomas actually seen me?  

    Quickly, I shed my outer clothes like a snake slipping out of his old skin. It was a good thing I'd left my pajamas on underneath my clothes. I turned on the water faucet and shoved the jeans and sweatshirt under the sink. Taking one last look in the mirror, I rubbed my wild brown curls into a tangled mass before turning off the water.  

    I took a big breath and opened the bathroom door. Mrs. Picket, the drama coach, would have been impressed with my yawn. My open hand covered most of my face and my eyes were half-shut.   

    Mr. Thomas waited by the door. He glared and his hands were balled into angry fists that hung at his sides like clubs.  

    "Were you upstairs?" he demanded and went on without giving me a chance to answer. "I've rented the third floor and you have no right to be up there."

    I yawned again. "I don't know what you're talking about." I crossed my toes in my slippers. It was just a little fib. "I had to go to the bathroom."

    I side-stepped him and started for the dragon room. He stepped closer and grabbed my arm. His hot breath sent a shudder down my back.

    "I'm warning you, little girl.  Stay out of my business or else."

    "Jessica?" It was Mom's voice. It was about time she woke up. "Is everything all right?" 

    I jerked my arm from the man's grasp. "Yeah, I had to go to the bathroom." I stared at Josh's uncle like I wasn't afraid of him even though I was about to wet my pants. "If you touch me again, I'll tell."

    I turned and bolted to my room. 

    Back in bed, I couldn't fall asleep. Twenty minutes went by and I was still, wide-awake. Upstairs it was quiet, so I turned on the bedside light and retrieved Great-Grandma Charlotte's scrapbook from the floor. Propped up in bed, I flipped to the back page and re-read the poem. What if there was a real treasure? One of gold or money or jewels?

    On the ride home from the hospital, Mom had told me about Gram and Great-Grandma Charlotte's money problems. They were late on their taxes and had borrowed so much money that they were about to lose their house. If that happened, they would have to come live with us. That meant I'd have to dress like a fool all the time and Todd would never like me.

    I had told Mom what Grandma Charlotte had said about the hidden treasure. Mom said there wasn't any. 

    What if she was wrong?

    I thought about all of that and more as I sat up in bed.

    "Why would Grandma Charlotte tell me to find the Liberty Lady?" It helps me think when I talked out loud. 

    "The poem says the Liberty Lady hides a secret, and the words 'hidden treasure' are mentioned three times. If Grandma Charlotte never found it, the treasure must be still hidden somewhere in the house."

    My great-great-grandfather's letter to Grandma Charlotte said there was a "golden surprise and that he had beat the bank's closing." Maybe the treasure was gold coins.

I re-read the poem slowly and carefully aloud. It sounded nice.

    "I have to write down the clues or I might miss one." I scampered out of the warm bed to get paper and a pencil.

    "Brrrr, it's cold." I hopped back in bed and tucked the covers around my feet.  I wished Kelsey was there. She's really good with riddles. Maybe I could call her tomorrow.

"From the east to the west they traveled.

From the North to the South I'm told.

Dragon wings beat the rhythm

Of the hidden treasure of gold." 

  

I stopped and wrote.

Clue 1: Hidden gold treasure.

Clue 2: The treasure traveled north, south, east, and west.

Clue 3: Dragon wings have something to do with the treasure.

    I twisted until I stared up at the carved dragon above the bed.   "Do you have a secret for me? I wonder if you were here when Grandma Charlotte was a girl."

"There came a lone Liberty Lady,

In her right hand she held a key.

She rode a magical beast;

The iron horse of victory."

Clue 4:  The Liberty Lady has a key. (Statue of Liberty?)

Clue 5: She rode a magical iron horse. (Pegasus?)

"In secret silence she came to stay

In our house hidden safe away,

Not like the other fallen

In depression on that Black Day."

Clue 6: No one knew the lady came because she hid.

Clue 7: Everyone was sad and depressed.

Clue 8:  There was a black day.  (Stormy? Eclipse?)

"She covered herself in star flowers,

Dreaming of fortune for hours;

Hidden deep beneath the wood,

 Alone in her ivory tower."

Clue 9:  She's under flowers, under wood, and in a tower.  (The cupola?)

The next stanza had the same stuff in it as the others. There's no point to write down the same clues twice. 

"Of all the hidden treasures I own;

the money, gold and precious stones,

Not one of them can compare,

to the love a-waiting at home."

Clue 10:  There's hidden gold, money, and precious stones.

Too many clues.

    Would I ever find out what they meant?

    I stood on the bed facing the dragon and ran my hands over him, feeling for a secret compartment. I didn't find one so I snuggled back between the warm covers and switched off the light. With my head full of plans for the next day, I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

    The next morning I awoke to Mom's, "Get out of bed, you sleepy head. It's nine o'clock. Breakfast in ten."

    My bedroom door closed with a gentle thud.

Be sure and come back next week to find out what happens in 

Chapter six.

To read the whole book at once, or make it a part of your personal library, find it in paperback on 
AMAZON
or
HERE

DEAR READERS: TUNE IN FOR CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4

    Mom and I left the hospital after midnight. Exhausted, we climbed the front steps of the house. It was even spookier looking at night.

"You think Mr. Thomas would have left a porch light on," Mom said, fumbling with the keys. "I'm so tired I can't seem to find the right one."

    "Give me the keys," I said.

    After I opened the door, I felt for a light switch and flipped it on. The ceiling light bathed the room with a weak yellow light. Our suitcases had been moved next to the staircase. My green sweatshirt sleeve hung from one. Someone had opened the case and was careless putting things back. I moved to hide it. Mom had enough worries for one day.

    "Where are we going to sleep?" I asked.

    "The guest bedrooms are on the second story. Grandma Charlotte called it her Rainbow Floor." Mom picked up a small suitcase and started up the stairs. "Just bring up what you need for tonight. We can get the rest in the morning."

    "It's already morning," I said as I followed her down the second floor hall.

    Mom smiled, but her eyes were tired. She opened a bedroom door. "Why not take the yellow sunflower room. It's across the hall from my room."

    I peeked into my mother's room and giggled. The room was painted a bright pink and filled with stuffed animals. "Your room looks like a little kid's room," I said and burst out laughing. 

    "The pink panther room was always mine. Grandma Charlotte fixed it for me when I was about your age. Back then he was cool." 

    I picked up a stuffed pink panther from a chair and threw it in the air. It somersaulted to the floor.

    She looked at me for a moment and then started laughing, too. She picked up the toy and swatted me. I grabbed a heart-shaped pillow and hit her back. Suddenly everything was funny and we couldn't stop laughing until our faces were wet with tears.

    "Enough," Mom said, suddenly Mom again. "You need to pick your room and we both need sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a full day. I've got to sort though their financial papers."  She rubbed her forehead. "Do you want the sunflower room, the purple palace, the green jungle, the blue lagoon, or the red Chinese dragon room?"

    "Dragons sound more exciting than sunflowers."  

    "Suit yourself. But it's the room farthest from the bathroom." 

    She pointed down the hall to my room with one hand and with her other to the bathroom, the first door off the stair landing. Next to it was a linen closet. Mom handed me a set of sheets and a couple of pillowcases.

    She yawned. "You'll have to make your own bed." 

I stuffed the sheets under my arm with the scrapbook and carried my suitcase down the hall to my room, bumping into the wall as I went. The bedroom door was ajar. I kicked it open. 

    Light filtered in from a full moon low in the sky. I dropped the suitcase on the floor and reached for the bedside lamp. Two bright gleaming eyes stared down from above the headboard.

    I gasped, jumped back, and then laughed when I realized it was a large carved dragon mounted on the wall over the bed. Its eyes reflected the moonlight and shone like the eyes of an animal caught in the headlights of a car at night. I switched on the bedside lamp.

    "Well, Mr. Dragon, you get to share your room with me."

    I stripped the blankets from the bed and remade it with the clean sheets. By the time I finished, the toilet flushed and it was my turn to use the bathroom. I scooted down the hall. It was too late to take a bath, but I brushed my teeth and washed my face. They say having a clean face keeps the pimples away. It better work. I wash my face three times a day.

    The minute my head hit the pillow, I was sound asleep. I don't even remember turning off the light. I dreamed I was swimming in the ocean towards a cliff.  Grandmothers' house perched over the ocean like a huge bird. On the roof sat a large red dragon. It waved and called my name. I dove under a wave and swallowed bitter salt water.

    Coughing, I surfaced and heard thunder crash. Another wave picked me up and then pulled me down. Seaweed clung to my arms and legs. I woke up thrashing in my covers. For a moment I forgot where I was.

    A loud thud sounded overhead. I kicked my legs free from the tangled sheets. There was another thump followed by scraping. Something was being dragged across the floor overhead.

    I sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped myself in the bedspread. Another crash.  Whatever fell this time was large and had been made of glass.   

    Should I wake Mom? I looked at my watch. It was 3:00 a.m. No. She needed her sleep or she'd be a real grouch in the morning.

    I slipped on my jeans and a sweatshirt over my pajamas. It looked a little funny, but I wasn't planning on seeing anyone.      After creeping past Mom's room, I tip-toed up the stairs and wished I had a flashlight. 

    I inched my way to the third floor, stopping to listen every few steps. Soft lights lit the third floor hallway. 

    "Strange," I whispered.

    Furniture and boxes were piled on top of each other, taking up most of the hallway. I'd have to squeeze to get by them. Should I? Or should I go back to bed and wait until morning when it was light, to investigate? I'd make some excuse to come back in the morning, but could I go to sleep if I didn't know what was going on?

    Probably not.

    The last door on the left opened. I jumped back into the shadows of the staircase. An awkward pile of boxes sat opposite the open doorway. I didn't see any broken glass.   Whatever had fallen must be in the room.

    Mr. Thomas emerged holding another large box with a toy train engine on top. He balanced the box on top of the cardboard tower.

    Something touched my cheek. I brushed whatever it was away with my fingers. I glanced down and saw the daddy long-legs spider clinging to my hand. I gasped. I really don't mind spiders as long as they're not on me. I shook my hand and my fingers hit a wooden framed mirror. It rattled.

    Mr. Thomas turned. He bumped the stack of boxes and the whole pile tumbled down. He swore.

    I fled down the stairs.

Be sure and come back next week to find out what happens in 

Chapter Five.

To read the whole book at once, or make it a part of your personal library, find it in paperback on 
AMAZON
or
HERE

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