Crippled Detectives

(continued)

Chapter Thirteen
A Happy Day Without Worrying

The morn was when Sylvia and Lee woke them, and now they were waking them with words. “Dear Anne, dear Lisette, dear Ben, wake up please wake it is morn.” The children woke up and were carried down by their elders. “We’re having pearl balls and chocolate milk for dinner.” The youngsters were delighted about dinner and dessert. The dessert was cherry pie with whip cream and apple slices, and for pass-ons* sassafras and carrots, and for drink ice cream soda. They washed, and bibs were put under their chins. They ate every bit of food on their plate and asked for seconds, thirds, and fourths. Then they ate dessert and were put to bed. After the youngsters were put to bed, Sylvia read Naked is the Best Disguise and Lee read Supership.

Then we went to bed and we dreamed that we went to the land of good and found a sweet little house with curtains by the door. And Mother and Father were dressed in silks with gold belts and pearl chains with diamond crowns and wings. And Mother waved a wand, a wand that appeared from nowhere, and a gray cloud floated in and from the middle a rosebud appeared and opened. And out from the rose a fairy flew out and turned us to angels with crowns and flowing robes and gowns of gauze with halos over us, and we strumming golden harps and singing:

Oh pony of love

we see you

SEE YOU

our hearts will bloom

if we see you.

Then we awoke. It was one of those clear cool quiet mornings before the sun shines. The sun was not up so it was dark. The youngsters were peacefully sleeping. Sylvia and Lee whispered.

Lee: Let’s surprise the youngsters.

Sylvia: With what?????

Lee: Cherry pie, punch, popovers.

Sylvia: Pancakes with syrup and toast.

Lee: Fried ham, cooked bacon.

Sylvia: Let’s get to work.

Lee: O.K., you bet they’ll be happy.

Sylvia: Stop wasting time, Lee.

Lee: Oh right oh right.

Sylvia: Don’t tell me we’re gonna fight?

Lee: No, no way.

When the youngsters awoke they gobbled it down and thanked the elders. The elders quite agreed it was good. Then they walked Mandrake and called friends because today was Anne’s birthday. When she got home, surprise! She was opening presents: 5 dollies and 12 tin soldiers, 9 books, doll clothes, cloth and buttons to make doll clothes, clothes and a pretty gold necklace with a sapphire in it.

*A pass-on is a dish of food which is passed on by the members of the table till it is empty.

Chapter Fourteen
After Today

Lee: I feel like singing a song.

Sylvia: O.K., okey dokey.

And this is how the song goes:

After today the world’s gonna spin incorrect

and the sun’s gonna turn to cheddar cheese

and the stars gonna turn to lemon drops

and the bigger ones to lollypops

and so I keep this song in my heart.

After today I’ll get a head start.

After today and so it’s like tomorrow

I’m gonna fly through the air.

It’s like evil was only yesterday.

After today I’m gonna walk on thin air

and so I’m gonna be there.

After today I’ll swim like a fish

and tomorrow fly like a bird.

Nothing is gonna keep me from being there at tomorrow

and where are the words for tomorrow?

After the song Sylvia began to cry, whispering, “Lee, Ben’s gonna die tomorrow, oh Ben’s dying, Lee, tomorrow he’ll die.” Sylvia lay her head on Lee’s apron. “And,” cried Sylvia, “I’m gonna cry forever. Our parents went on a airplane, the airplane crashed, and it has not been found.” Lee cried too. Suddenly Sylvia stopped crying. “Lee, it means we have to take care of the youngsters, even Ben if he is still alive. It means we’re women, we have to fight the villains and take care of our family at the same time. We’re four or five alone.” But the day after Ben died and the girls wept upon his grave, but only the elders held back their tears, but black clouds came and they ran for cover for it would rain.

Chapter Fifteen
Four Alone

Four girls alone is a sad thing to be. It was cool and quiet and sad under the cover of the tree. It was a olive tree and white doves were nesting in it, a peacock sat down by them and spread its feathers, a pair of lovers sat by them, and a woman and a small child sat in the olive tree. Lee and Sylvia picked up Lisette and Anne, spread their umbrellas, and ran into the hard hailing rain. The sadness of that moment seemed forever, the lost parents and dead Ben. And a they rushed through the never-faltering pounding rain the rain turned to hail. The rain and hail pounded hard on the umbrella. White balls enclosed them like snow. Where was a sheltering tree? Wind roared and icicles hung on the branches of the trees. A branch broke off, crash smash! Ben’s tombstone was buried. It was snowing. Anne and Lisette woke from their sleep and knew their elders were dodging the death of the storm. Finally they got down, dug a hole, and jumped into it. Lee and Sylvia put their umbrellas to cover the top and keep more snow from falling in, Sylvia put some pillows on the bottom that she had got from the cleaners, and they spread a blanket on them. Anne’s leg bled because a sharp branch had scratched it while the elders ran. Lee washed it with ice and wrapped it in two white clean clear sheets and tied it on with cords that she had found. Never had such a thing happened. It was safe now and cozy now but a bit cold, and sharing coats did not help much. Of all the things that ever could happen this was the worst. Four alone in a snow hole and one of the four was hurt. But a tree fell, the hole grew smaller, the elders made a tunnel to get out, and they ran home.

Go on to Chapter Sixteen