The Secrets of Parkerville Series - Book 2 - Golden Shackles Read online

  ***

  “Hey Chad, we gotta go," Skye said, as she reluctantly pulled away.

  "Look, next Saturday is not that far away. We can try to see each other then, and if you want, I'll bring my own skates with me.

  "Okay, I'm not sure about skating again, but whatever we do it will be really cool."

  “Wait a second.” Chad stopped Skye. “I think one of your shoe laces came undone.”

  “I’m not wearing any shoe laces.” Skye smiled. “I’m wearing white fur boots.”

  “I just wanted one more moment with you, any excuse would do.”

  Chad pulled Skye against the building and warmed her face with his own, he hated letting her go and for the life of him he could not stop kissing her.

  “You know, if you get any closer, you’ll be behind me.” Skye laughed.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen the Marx Brother’s movies too.” Chad chuckled.

  “Okay, we’ve got to stop, my cheeks and mouth are red and it’s not from the cold.” Skye said breathlessly.

  The timing was perfect, the doors opened at the movie theater and a throng of people started leaving through the doors. Chad and Joshua quickly said their goodbyes, not wanting the younger girls to see them.

  Cassie ran up to Skye. “If the girls ask any questions about the movie, you need to answer them, since I haven’t seen it.”

  Then, looking at Skye’s face she stopped. “Whoa girl, your face is so red.”

  Skye blushed and just said, “I’m freezing, let’s get into the bus. Don’t worry about the movie; I know the whole thing by heart.” Skye reassured her.

  Just then, Geri and Amy came through the door and walked up to Cassie.

  “Oh, wasn’t that just wonderful! I’m so glad you wanted to see it again. I’ve never been to a movie so . . . wonderful.

  “Yeah, the best movie I’ve ever seen, too,” Amy drifted past Cassie.

  Cassie looked at Skye and smiled. No one really mentioned the movie at all, on the bus going back to Parkerville. They each were consumed by their own memories and secrets of their perfect trip to the movies.

  As the bus pulled up to the fountain, the girls exited the bus. Geri and Amy took off, so they could talk, leaving Skye and Cassie to catch up on their storylines.

  The Blackboard

  "Oh, wait, I have to go back! I forgot my cinnamon toothpicks. I left them on my desk,” Skye said to Cassie and Carol Jean, as they were leaving school.

   "For Pete’s sake, Skye,” Carol Jean broke in, “they're probably gone by now. Someone probably took them."

   "If they did, they're dirt!" Skye said running back into the school. She ran down the hallway, stopped, and walked quietly into her English classroom. Her toothpicks were still on the desk. However, Miss Hatfield was still in the room. She didn't notice Skye returning and was standing silently in front of the black board.

   Skye quietly walked to her desk and picked up the pack of toothpicks and started to leave, when she noticed a funny sound coming from the blackboard.

   Miss Hatfield was unaware of Skye’s presence, as she intently stared into the blackboard. Skye silently walked toward the board and noticed lights and sounds coming from it. The teacher seemed to be taking it all in, with a dazed look on her face. Suddenly, she took out a set of keys and walked toward the storage room. She unlocked the door, walked in, and closed the door. Skye could hear the key locking the door behind her.

   Skye approached the board and stared into it, trying to figure out what Miss Hatfield had seen. She concentrated on it for a long time, trying to empty her mind, and all of a sudden she saw what Miss Hatfield must have seen . . . a pattern of tiny lights and low sounds. Finally, at the bottom of the board, she saw a line of ones and zeros, right before it went quiet. Then it was gone.

  "Huh," Skye puzzled out loud. She slowly backed away from the board and rushed out the door.

   Cassie and Carol Jean were sitting on the school steps waiting, when Skye rushed down and approached them.

   “What took you so long?” Cassie asked.

   “You’ve got to come back into the school with me . . . now!”

   Cassie grabbed Carol Jean’s arm and the three of them hurried back up the steps.

   “You are not going to believe this!” Skye smiled, her eyes blazing.

   They went into the English room and Skye stepped up onto the teacher’s platform. She stood staring in front of the blackboard.

   “Okay,” Carol Jean asked, “What’s up?”

   “Oh, that’s right, this one is blank now. Come on.” Skye hurried out the door and ran down the hallway to the Math room, with the girls running behind her.

   Mr. Thatcher was staring at the blackboard, just as Miss Hatfield had done. The three girls were very quiet as they watched him, terrified he would look their way. He never looked at them, as he finally took out his keys and went to his storage room.

   Skye walked quietly up to the blackboard and listened. She motioned for Cassie and Carol Jean to join her.

   “What is that?” Cassie asked.

   “I don’t know,” Carol Jean said, totally puzzled.

   “Listen, do you hear that?” Skye asked. “What do you think is going on?”

   “Shh, now I can see lights and a whirring sound,” Cassie whispered.

  “Good grief,” Carol Jean whispered back, “I can hear some type of instructions.”

  “What?” Cassie asked, “I don’t hear that, just a strange noise.”

  “Oh, I guess my mind is just playing with me,” Carol Jean replied softly.

   “Wait! Look at the bottom of the board,” Skye whispered anxiously. “The coding must be different on this board. The numbers were gone, and in their place were groupings of different symbols.

  “Yeah, I can see it,” Cassie whispered.

  Carol Jean could read the instructions and knew what the symbols meant. “Okay, guys, we need to get out of here right away.”

   “Why?” Skye said out loud.

   The door to the storage room opened and Mr. Thatcher stood watching the girls. “What exactly are you three doing in here?” he asked.

   Startled by his appearance, the girls looked at each other wide-eyed and didn’t know what to say.

   “Oh, Mr. Thatcher, you startled us.” Cassie said.

   “Yes, apparently I did. Now, do you want to explain yourselves?”

   “Well, we were just going to leave you a note on the blackboard for tomorrow.” Cassie continued, as the other two just looked at him blankly.

   “The board has shut down for the day,” Mr. Thatcher replied.

   The three girls looked at each other in question, then back to Mr. Thatcher.

  “Shut down?” they all asked together.

  “How can a blackboard, shut down?” Skye asked.

   “Well,” the teacher started, “what I meant was, the board is not to be used after school hours and it’s certainly not to be used for some frivolous game you girls want to play. Now I suggest you leave now and go home, so your parents won’t get a call from the Principal. I want no more questions.”

   The girls turned and walked out of the classroom, not saying a word to each other until they were outside.

   “That is the strangest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Skye started.

   “What just happened back there and why was Mr. Thatcher in the storage room? I never knew blackboards could shut down,” Cassie said a little puzzled. “It’s just a board.”

   “I’m not sure what’s happening, but I need to think about this for a second. One thing is for certain, that is no ordinary blackboard,” Carol Jean cut in.

   The girls came to the fountain and Joshua was waiting for Cassie.

   “Hey, darlin,’ mind if I walk you home. We need to talk,” he said, as he winked at her. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything important, but what have you three been up to? You know, you girls can’t se
em to stay too far away from trouble.”

  “What trouble?” Skye said, walking toward Joshua.

  “The whole town’s talking about it,” Joshua shrugged.

  “No, that’s impossible. We just left the school,” Cassie added.

  “Oh, no, my mom’s going to flip out,” Carol Jean whispered, looking down at the ground. “I have to go, right now.”

  Carol Jean took off and Cassie looked over at Joshua. She wanted to talk to him.

  “I know, I’m always in trouble, but I think I know something we weren’t supposed to find out. I wanted to be sure before I said anything, but now I’m pretty sure something is strange. I found Marion and Chris’ yearbooks. Good grief, you should see how Chris changed your photo in his book. It was hilarious!”

  “I’m certainly not surprised, darlin’, but go on.”

  “Well, I saw the photos of the entire faculty from the 50’s and they look exactly the same today. How is that possible?”

  Joshua just smiled. “I agree, how is that possible?”

  “That’s a little strange, don’t you think?” Skye questioned.

  “Yeah, so,” Cassie started, “what are they?”

  “Well, I’ve been wantin’ to talk to you about our dedicated teachers. They’re not exactly real.”

  Both girls stared at one another for a moment, and then they both smiled.

  “Skye, we need to get home,” Cassie said, as the threesome hurried on their way.

  Skye ran down Honeysuckle and soon walked in the kitchen door. Sara approached her, hands on her hips, looking exasperated.

  “Where have you been young lady?”

   “Probably where I wasn’t supposed to be,” Skye sighed.

   Sara’s look at her niece was penetrating.

   “Okay, we all left the school and then I remembered that I forgot my cinnamon toothpicks. So, I went back into my English class where I left them . . . that’s all.

   “So, why were you messing around with Mr. Thatcher’s blackboard?” Sara asked, then wished she hadn’t.

  “How did you know that?” Skye blurted out. “It’s only been about fifteen minutes. Good grief, how does news travel so fast in this town? And, what’s the big deal? We were just going to leave him a little message on the board, that’s all.”

   “Leave the school when you are supposed to, there is absolutely no reason for you girls to bother the teachers after school. Now they will probably have to lock the doors after everyone leaves.”

  Once again, Sara wished she hadn’t said that, since it would cause many more questions. Oh, shoot, she thought as she rolled her eyes.

   “Well, let’s just get ready for dinner and we’ll forget this whole matter for now. Take your books up to your room and I’ll start getting dinner ready.”

   “Gee, it’s a little early for dinner, isn’t it? I usually just do my homework now and play some records. Why are we eating so early?”

  “Just go up to your room and let’s not talk about this any further,” Sara sighed.

  “Okay.” Skye gave her aunt a halfhearted smile, walked past her, and ran up the stairs to her room.

  “No,” Sara said out loud. “That’s not the end of it, not with that kid’s imagination.”

  Just then the phone rang and Sara knew exactly who it was.

  “Your niece is an instigator. Now Carol Jean is in trouble and I have no doubt Cassie Evans is also responsible. Bad news always travels in pairs and that’s what those two are . . . bad news!” Louise Myers hollered at Sara.

  “Louise, calm down, nothing has been hurt by the girls just being curious. They will not be permitted to stay after class from now on. I’m sure the Keepers will see to it that the school doors are locked.”

  “My Carol Jean had a clean record of not being a trouble maker, now that’s been sullied by those two.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Louise, give it a rest. Until Skye and Cassie came to this town the only real friend Carol Jean had was Marabelle. Now she’s got two true friends that will always be by her side. Be grateful she has them and no harm was done. Get over it!” Sara said angrily.

  Louise Myers hung up before Sara could say another word. Sara hung the phone up, knowing it was not the last call she would get; however, it was nice to get that one over with.

  ***

  Cassie and Joshua were taking their time, walking toward Maple Ave.

  “So, are you going to tell me what’s going on at school?” Cassie asked.

  “Not here, darlin’,” he whispered, “but we’ll discuss that another day. I do want to talk about your Grammies, though. I already knew about your grandpa, and changing his name. Of course, it took me a while to figure it all out, that you are really Cassie Emerson.”

  Cassie stopped in her tracks. “I figured you knew stuff about me, but why didn’t you tell me who I really was?”

  “If I had, it wouldn’t have been even close to being this much fun. I doubt your dear friend, Christopher, knows anything that’s going on in this town. All he cares about is his own skin.”

  “Okay, no talking about Chris. He’s not allowed to talk about you, either. Those are the rules, at least for now.”

  “So things could change some day?”

  “Well,” Cassie laughed, “we still have a long way to go.”

  Joshua let out a heavy sigh. “I can live with that, as long as I still have a chance. Oh and how do you like being related to those Baker sisters? Promise me you won’t go loony crazy like they did. I hate to say it, but your Grammy Sadie is just about as Baker as she can be.”

  Cassie couldn’t help but laugh at that remark

  “Aw, but the Bakers are so sweet and funny. I love those ladies and my Grammies, too. Now I know I’m part of their family, I really want to help them get away from that horrible mother of theirs. Skye and I want to take them shopping or just walk around the town. They haven’t been out of that house in years. You had a great time with them at Burgers . . . remember? Everyone had a ball.”

  “Yeah, I also remember that was a pretty scary afternoon. And, just like everyone in this town, there are lots of secrets. Did you know Bernadette almost ran off with her beau, when she was young?”

  “Would his name have been . . . Nelson?” Cassie asked, gleefully.

  “How in the world did you know that?” Joshua was amazed.

  “Oh, I have my secrets, too.”

  “Well, darlin’, there’s a lot more to that story, but we can visit that down the road.” Joshua smiled and kissed her goodbye, they waved to one another and Cassie continued to walk down Maple Avenue.

  Marion was beside herself, worried about what punishment the girls would get.

  “It’s almost Thanksgiving,” Marion said out loud, “and I prayed for a peaceful holiday.”

  Justin walked in, just in time to hear his wife complain. “What now?”

  “Oh, you haven’t heard yet? I was sure you would come home furious.”

  “No, I’m not furious. They didn’t know any better,” Justin sighed, as he walked into the living room to relax.

  Marion followed him. “So, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. How would they know they couldn’t go back into the school, if they forgot something? Did anyone ever tell them that? And, yes, I know they were looking at the blackboards. So, they heard some noises . . . so what?”

  “Are you feeling okay, Justin? Let me see me see if you have a fever.”

  Justin started laughing, “No, I’m fine . . . really. I talked to the principal and we came up with a pretty good solution. We’ll ask their homeroom teachers to play some music on the blackboard, using a clicker, and play Happy Birthday. Then they’ll explain that all the boards were made to be electronic, but we never really utilized that function. End of story.”

  “That’s ingenious, honey; what a great idea, but won’t the kids see through this?”

  �
��No, we made sure there was someone in each of the girl’s homerooms, who had a birthday this week. We just got lucky. The teachers will tell them the boards aren’t really ready for daily use right now, but in the near future, they will be used for announcements and just some other fun things.”

  “So, are we going to say anything to Cassie?”

  “Yeah, I’ll give her the standard explanation and tell her that since the engineers are working on the boards, it’s not safe for students to stay in the school after hours.”

  “Oh, well, I hope this works. You know Cassie isn’t your normal teen. Her gifts are a little scary.”

  “Don’t worry, dear, we have the upper hand. Oh, I think she’s coming home now. Just ask her to see me in the study.”

  Thanksgiving Day

  Sara Davis was happily decorating her house for Thanksgiving. She’d been up before sunrise perfecting her living room, when she heard a knock at her kitchen door. Mr. Figg was standing on the stoop with two large pumpkins in his arms.

  “Oh, come right in.”

  “Do you think these will be enough?”

  “Let me see, one for the soup and one for the stuffing. Yes, I think two will be perfect. Just put them down on the table. Thanks so much, Gerald.”

  “No problem, I had a huge crop of pumpkins this year. I’m just glad you needed them. Well, I’ve got more to deliver, so I’ll see you tomorrow. What time should I be here?”

  “We will be eating at 3:00 pm on the dot, so don’t be late.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be here!”

  Skye came bouncing down the stairs and into the kitchen. She saw the two big pumpkins and went over to them.

  “Let me guess, you want me to carve out some faces on these two big guys.”

  “No, I need you to hollow them out for me. Cut out a nice round lid on each one and take out of the junkie junk inside, okay?”

  Sara picked up the cornucopia on the kitchen table and hurried out of the kitchen with it.

  “Okay, it’s not my favorite job, and it’s a really yucky job, but somebody’s got to do it!” Skye said, grabbing one of the pumpkins and headed over to the sink. She picked up a big carving knife from the kitchen drawer and jabbed it into the top of the pumpkin.

  “YEE OOWW,” came a scream, seemingly from the pumpkin.

  Skye’s eyes widened as she backed away from the pumpkin, the knife protruding from the top.

  Sara scurried into the kitchen with a box of her best silverware. “Don’t mess around, Skye, I need those pumpkins cut and cleaned out,” she said, as she rushed back out of the kitchen.

  Skye was still staring wide-eyed at the pumpkin, as if she’d just cut the head off a chicken. Something she always refused to do at the farm.

  “Okay, get a hold of yourself, it’s just a vegetable, it’s not alive.”

  Skye started toward the pumpkin again. It was quiet, nothing amiss. She grabbed the handle of the knife and continued cutting a circle around the top of the pumpkin. She drew the knife out and still no sound.

  “That was weird!” she said as she tried to pry the top off the pumpkin, but there it was again, a soft slow moaning sound coming from the lid. As she drew the top off, pulling the sinewy strings and globs of the insides, she dropped the lid and it snapped back into place. She backed away from it again.

  “Skye, what on earth are you doing?” Sara came back into the kitchen with some newspapers to place on the counter. “Look, just lay the insides on these newspapers, and when you’re finished, throw them in the trash . . . okay?”

  Skye was still staring at the pumpkin, as Sara started to leave the kitchen, but walked back in.

  “Well, from the look on your face, we seem to have a screecher in there, let me see.”

  Sara picked up the pumpkin and thumped it on the bottom.

  “Ouch!”

  “Yep, it’s a screecher. Oh, Gerald, he should have thumped it before bringing it in. Of course he’s busy and can’t thump them all. Oh, well, I’ll give Marion a call and see if he’s been there yet. I need another pumpkin!”

  Sara was about to pick up the phone, when she saw the look on Skye’s face.

  “Oh sweetie, I’m sorry, I guess you didn’t know about the screechers? You never had one before?”

  Skye shook her head still staring at the living pumpkin.

  “Skye, it’s not alive. Sometimes pumpkin patches get invaded by screechers. They’re tiny little bugs and they’re ornery. They hitched a ride with our pioneers, when they first came to this valley. They give the pumpkin a bitter taste, so we don’t want to cook that one. Well just put it out back and have Gerald dispose of it after dinner.”

  “Oh, okay,” Skye answered, as she sat down at the kitchen table looking perplexed.

  “Let’s see if the second one’s okay,” Sara said, as she picked up the other pumpkin and thumped it on the bottom . . . not a sound. “See? It’s as simple as that and this one’s fine. Now I’ve got to call Marion and try to get another pumpkin before he gives them all away.”

  Skye got up from the table and went over to the second pumpkin and plunged the knife into it. Not a sound. She continued to cut the top off and then scoop the insides out. She scraped the inside of the pumpkin until it was perfectly clean and put the lid back on it. Then she focused her eyes on the first pumpkin. She opened the kitchen door, picked up the rotten pumpkin, balled up her fist and punched it with all her might, sending it flying across the back yard.

  “Yee ooow,” it screamed.

  She smiled with great satisfaction then turned to Sara. “Okay, that felt wonderful. Give me the next pumpkin.”

  Sara smiled at Skye’s nasty little temper tantrum and waited until Marion answered the phone.

  “Hey, it’s just me. Has Gerald been to your house yet with pumpkins?”

  “Oh, he’s here now. Did you want to talk to him?”

  “No, just ask him to hold back another pumpkin for me. One of the pumpkins he gave me had a screecher. You should have seen Skye’s face. It was priceless.”

  “Well, I’ll be sure to check mine. I hate those nasty bugs. I nearly fainted the first time I cut into an infected pumpkin.” Marion started to laugh, “but I am tempted to give Cassie a little screecher lesson. That would make my day.”

  ***

  Cassie was dreaming. She was standing near the fountain watching Joshua, as he seemed to float toward her. Chris came out of nowhere and flung himself into the air, crashing into Joshua, as they both fell to the ground.

  “Whoa,” Cassie yelled out, as she suddenly woke up. “What was that all about?” She started to lie back down; when she noticed the morning sun was streaming through her window. She started to yawn and stretched out her arms, when she smelled the wonderful scents of Thanksgiving.

  It didn’t take long for her to dress and run down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and found Chris and Geri leaning on the counter, watching their mom cut up a pumpkin.

  “Hey, sleepyhead,” Geri began, “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade’s going to start soon. I was just getting ready to go up and knock on your door. We have chocolate donuts and hot chocolate ready. Did you watch the parade last year where you lived?

  “Yeah, I did see it,” Cassie smiled at Geri.

  “Wasn’t it scary when the balloons started going sideways? I felt bad when Dino and Popeye fell down. I guess they had problems, since it was the first time they did it. But I thought they did a really great job!”

  “Well,” Cassie began carefully, “I did watch the parade last year and I was so scared for those balloons. Hopefully, this year will be better, since they had time to fix everything.”

  “Oh, I can’t wait to see it again,” Geri, said, running into the living room.

  Mr. Keaton walked into the kitchen and put on his winter jacket. “Chris, we need to chop some wood for
the fireplace, so get your jacket and meet me out back.”

  Chris looked over at Cassie and rolled his eyes. “Oh, well, I’d better go. Thanks for not telling Geri about the parades. She’s so excited to see the second parade.”

  Cassie walked with him and put on her jacket, as she picked up her teacup. “You’re welcome, Chris. Geri needs to enjoy the parade and I’m not going to say anything, do you mind if I help outside?”

  “Well, it’s really only a two-man job, but you’re welcome to watch me work up a sweat.”

  Cassie smiled and walked outside. It was a brisk morning and everything smelled so clean, except for the slight smell of smoke coming from the neighbor’s chimneys. She walked over to the bench, in front of the house, and just sat back and enjoyed the solitude. After a while, she could hear the sound of chopping wood.

  “Wow, this is so peaceful,” she said, as she watched a few birds splashing in the birdbath, when her thoughts drifted to Joey Cheats. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. When she reopened her eyes, she saw a man under one of the streetlights on the corner. The smoke from his cigarette encircled his familiar fedora.

  Cassie was anxious to see him and no one was really watching her, so off she went to join him.

  “Hey, Joey . . . long time, no see.”

  “Yeah, kid, I’ve been a little busy. I knew something smelled bad in this town and . . . holy mackerel, I finally made the connection.”

  “Really, I’ve always felt there was something strange about this town. So, what did you find out?”

  “Can’t say right now, doll, but I’ve got this palooka on the run; I just got to tighten the screws, if you know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, I guess so, but why are you here? Don’t you want to see Marion? This would be a great time to surprise her.”

  “Nah, it’s too soon. I’ve got to stay on the lamb until I get something solid. Besides, I got a glimpse of Mare and her kiddos at the dance. She looked good, so did Gina. It was kind of creepy, though, to see the age differences.”

  “I can imagine, but why didn’t I see you?”

  “Cause I didn’t want you to see me. I’ve got my own tricks, doll face. By the way, I’m sorry about your grandma passing. I guess you know . . . who you really are by now . . . right?”

  “Yeah, Cissy told me about my dad and my other grandmothers. After Cissy died, Joshua and I found them. They were so nice. They told me some stuff, but I don’t know if it’s true or not. They’re old and they can’t remember much about Parkerville. It’s really hard to grasp all of this and I feel like I was lied to all my life.”

  “Well, yeah, just about. But now you know, right? That’s what’s important, don’t you think?”

  “Sure, but it’s so hard. I can’t seem to get any straight answers from anyone.”

  “I’m on your side, kiddo. You ask me a question, I’m gonna answer. Most likely, it'll be the truth.”

  Cassie couldn’t help but laugh, as she felt her necklace buzzing. She pulled out her necklace from under her blouse and looked at the stone.

  “Whoa,” Joey started. “Where’d you get that rock?”

  “Cissy gave it me. I had to wait until she died to put it on, though. You see, I’ve had visits from my grandmother, way before I came here. She came to me after she died, too, and told me it was time I started wearing it. It’s beautiful, though, don’t you think?”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s . . . pretty incredible. You need to hide that rock, where no one knows but you. There’s plenty of grifters around here who would like to slip that little gem in their back pocket.”

  “Oh, really . . . okay,” Cassie said, as she slipped the stone back under her blouse. I’ll be more careful, but why would someone try to take it?”

  “Sunshine, there are some really bad people around here. You have to be careful, especially at night. I already know you met up with those robo dogs. Not a very smart move, kid.”

  “Don’t worry about me, I’m careful and I have some tricks up my sleeve.”

  “Yeah, I know, cause you’re here talking to me right now. You do need to know this . . . Justin’s a good guy; he didn’t take out your parents.”

  Cassie gasped and suddenly found herself alone and back on the bench.

  ***

  Skye was cutting up the pumpkin and Sara was about to go back into the dining room, when a knock on the back door surprised her.

  "Who in the world is this now?" she said more to herself, as she went to answer the door.

  "Surprise!" Julie, Stan, and the girls came rushing into the kitchen.

  "Julie, Stan, its morning! What are you doing here so early?" Sara said, as the jumping and hugging began.

  Stan had his arms full of pies and cupcakes.

  "Oh, Aunt Skye, we’re so happy to see you!" Kim, Kit and Jilly surrounded their young aunt with hugs and kisses. Jilly just kept jumping up and down with her homemade rag doll.

  "Girls, say hello to your Aunt Sara, too." Julie admonished her hyper little brood.

  "That's okay, sweetie, I know they miss their Aunt Skye." Sara smiled at the little worshiping scenario before her.

  Kit came over to Sara and lovingly put her arms around her waist, and just hugged her.

  "Oh Kit, you are such a little sweetie." Sara hugged her back.

  "She's my little sensitive lamb. She's always worried someone's feelings will get hurt." Julie smiled and patted Kit on the head.

  Jilly and Kim came over to join in.

  "Jilly, you mustn't suck your thumb all the time, sweetie, you'll get a big thumb!" Sara laughed as she hunkered down to look into her eyes.

  Jilly just smiled and stuck her thumb back in her mouth.

  "Okay, what needs to be done?" Julie asked as she walked over to hug her little sister.

  "Well, I'm cutting up the pumpkin and putting the chunks in the pot. Hey, Stan, could you take it over to the stove for me?" Skye smiled sweetly at her brother-in-law.

  "Sure I can, little sis, no problem. Let me know when it's ready to go."

  "Oh, Julie, honey, you look like you're due any second." Sara softly padded Julie's protruding stomach.

  "Well, I'm not due for another week, but the doctor said it could come any time."

  "Yeah, and he told her not to travel too far," Stan interjected.

  "Hey, this is the first Thanksgiving here with the whole family; well, most of it." Julie said rather sadly.

  "I'm so glad you're here." Sara put her arm around Julie and started to lead her into the dining room. "Come on, I want to show you my grand plan."

  Just as they were about to leave the kitchen, there was a scratching at the door.

  "What on earth?" Sara exclaimed.

  The girls ran to open the kitchen door and in ran Smokey, their big black Lab.

  "Oh no!" Sara cried out, as Smokey bounded into the kitchen and up onto Skye.

  "Julie, Stan, girls, Smokey is not allowed here in Parkerville, you all know that!"

  "Yeah, why is that?" Stan asked scratching his head.

  “I tried to explain it to him, but Stan doesn’t go far without his Smokey. She’ll be good Aunt Sara, I promise. No one needs to know she’s here; we’ll keep her in the house and take her out on her leash when it gets dark. Okay?”

  “Please Aunt Sara? Can’t she stay?” All three girls begged.

  “Well, I’m certainly not going to send you all back home on Thanksgiving, and I’m glad to see Smokey. She’s a real treat! It’s fine. She can stay.”

  “Yeah!” The girls squealed and ran to hug Smokey, who had no idea what she’d done to earn such a sweet reward.

  “Okay, now let’s all pitch in and get things going. Stan we could use some more fire wood for the fire there.” Sara pointed to the great stone fireplace in the kitchen.

  “All you have to do is ask.” Stan smiled as he headed out the kitchen door.

  “What can I do, Au
nt Sara?” Julie asked.

  “I need you to rest and take care of yourself. But, I know that isn’t you, so if you want to keep an eye on the pumpkin as it cooks down, that would be great.”

  “All you have to do is ask?” Julie said walking over to the stove.

  Smokey padded over to the bench next to the fireplace and made herself comfortable underneath. She softly laid her head on her crossed front paws and watched the scene before her, before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  “Good girl.” Sara smiled at her and continued her bustling about.

  ***

  But over at the Keaton residence things were just as busy. Someone decided to try to ruin Thanksgiving for the Davis family and gave the Keaton’s a call.

  "Who's got a real dog at their house?" Justin yelled into the phone. But the party calling hung up immediately.

  “Someone just called to snitch on Sara. They said she has a real dog in her house. Oh, for heaven’s sake, I don’t really need this today!” Justin grumbled.

  “Justin you leave her alone. Julie and the kids are there. Okay, maybe they brought their dog, that’s no big deal once in a while here in Parkerville. Sara knows enough to keep the dog inside, so let it slip this once.” Marion demanded.

  “I don’t know I can do that. Someone knows and they could make a big deal out of this, if I don’t do something about it.”

  “Oh, really? Well what are you going to do, send her whole family home because of one little dog? No, you’re not. I think we both know who snitched. It had to be Marabelle.”

  “Yes, you’re probably right. She watches everything that goes on at the Davis’ house. Well, okay, I’ll let it go this time, since they didn’t give their name anyway.” Justin smiled at his pretty wife and gave her kiss on her forehead.

  Cassie got up from the bench, a little wobbly, and went looking for Chris, since the chopping sounds were diminished. She walked around to the back yard and saw Chris stacking the logs.

  “So, I can’t tell if you’re sweating,” Cassie remarked, as she leaned against one of the lawn chairs.

  Chris took a deep breath, as he turned around. “Oh, yeah, there was sweating. Lots of it, but I’ve cooled down now. Would you like to go for a walk? Dinner won’t be ready for a while.”

  “Don’t you think I should help your mom?”

  “Trust me; she’s got in under control. The morning is over and most of the work is done. We just have to wait around, now. What have you been doing?”

  “Oh, not much, I just sat on the bench and listened to you and your dad chop wood. It was very relaxing.”

  Chris had to laugh, but walked toward her, “Okay, let’s go for a walk.”

  The couple walked down the part of Maple Avenue Cassie hadn’t seen before. They went down a small hill, and to Cassie’s surprise, there was a huge playground on the right side of the road. There were also a few houses nestled around it.

  “Oh, I didn’t know there was a playground. I wondered if there were any funs things to do in this town.”

  “Actually, there are lots of fun things in town. You just haven’t seen it all.”

  “Okay, then show me something fun.”

  “Let’s go follow one of those trails that break out from the playground. You’re going to be surprised. Just pick a trail.”

  They walked closer to the trails and Cassie studied them for a few minutes. “Okay, I think we should just start with the first one.”

  “Great, that’s my favorite.”

  Chris took Cassie’s hand and they started to walk down the trail. They rounded a bend and snow started to lightly come down. The farther they walked; the snow became more intense.

  “Try to catch a snow flake on your tongue,” Chris said, as he stuck out his tongue.”

  Cassie laughed at him, but followed suit. “Oh my, it tastes like vanilla.”

  “Try again,” Chris said, as he continued to enjoy the snowflakes.

  “Oh, yum, that one tasted like peppermint. What’s going on?”

  “Sorry, I can’t explain it; it’s just a kid thing. I told you we had fun stuff.”

  “It’s so weird, since it’s not that cold.”

  “If we keep going, the snow will get a lot stronger and it will be cold. You can even build a snowman or have a snowball fight, but I don’t think we are dressed warm enough to go much farther.”

  The snow was getting a little too deep and Cassie saw some tracks in the snow.

  “What is that? The snow just started.”

  “Gosh, I don’t know,” Chris grinned at her.

  Suddenly a huge turkey flew over their heads, Cassie screamed and grabbed Chris’ arm.

  “It’s just a turkey,” Chris said, laughing. “Just seeing the look on your face was priceless. Come on, Cassie, it is Thanksgiving!”

  ***

  Thanksgiving at Sara’s house was something special for Skye. Although some family members were missed, they gave thanks for the family that could be there. Everyone had pitched in and made something special or helped out in some way. The dinner was delicious, Julie and Skye got caught up on some things, as everyone volunteered to clean away the plates and leftovers.

  Mr. Figg ate his last piece of pie, and then patted his stomach to show he was blissfully sated.

  After Mr. Figg said his goodbyes, and wished everyone a safe trip back to Bright Springs, he was on his way. He opened the kitchen door, waved a goodbye, and ran right smack into Marabelle.

  “Good grief, watch where you’re going!” She yelled at him.

  “Sorry, young lady, I didn’t expect to run into you.” He laughed and continued on his way.

  “Marabelle?” Sara approached her at the door, but did not invite her in.

  “Yes, it’s me and I know you have a dog in your house. I saw it run in when they came,” she said haughtily.

  “Yes . . . so?” Sara replied.

  “Real dogs are not allowed in this town and you know it, and I called Justin Keaton and told him,” she said, pleased with herself.

  “Why you little B,” Stan said as he approached the mean spirited girl at the door. He stopped himself from saying what he’d been thinking, because his girls were staring at him wide-eyed.

  “Who are you?” Marabelle demanded.

  “This is my nephew, my family is here celebrating with me today and whoever or whatever I have invited here is none of your business, Marabelle. Now leave.”

  “I guess some people think they can get away with anything in this town. Well, I’m here to tell you that you won’t. I’m going to make sure that dog is . . .” she started to say, when a hand was clamped over her mouth and Homer started to drag her away.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Davis, she got away from us. Come on you big jerk, mother and dad are furious with you.” Homer smiled at Sara and dragged his moaning sister away.

  Sara shut the door and just shook her head.

  “Who the heck was that?” Stan yelled.

  “Don’t worry yourself, sweetie, that was Marabelle, she’s just plain mean.”

  “Look, we don’t want to get you in trouble, if we have to, we’ll leave right now.” Stan offered.

  “No, you will not. I’ve waited too long for this little family reunion and she is not going to spoil it. You’ve been here for hours. If Justin was going to do anything, he would have called by now. Just relax.”

  ***

  Chris and Cassie were sitting next to the fireplace, eating their dinner and trying to defrost.

  “Why didn’t you two take me with you? You know I love the snow trail.” Geri said a little miffed.

  “I’m sorry, Geri. We just went for a walk and I didn’t even think about it. We can go again after dinner and make a snowman, if you want,” Chris offered.

  “Yeah, that will b
e fun. I’ll call Amy and see any of our friends want to go.”

  “So, why do we need to go with you,” Cassie asked, curiously.

  “Oh, you’re right. I’m almost a teen now. At least I’m in the double digits.” She walked into the kitchen and asked her mom if Cassie and Chris had to go with them.

  “No, dear, but please dress appropriately. You can still get a cold, if you’re not careful.”

  “We will. I’m going to call Amy right now!”

  Marion walked into the study to see who called Justin. He had a perplexed look on his face. “Is something wrong, dear?”

  “Yes, I need to go see Sara.”

  “Oh, why can’t people just mind their own business?”

  “We were right, it was Marabelle. I’ll have a talk with the Fludge’s and explain they didn’t know any better and it won’t happen again. I’m sure they’ll understand. I’ll also make sure the dog stays in the house.”

  “Okay, but please don’t be gone too long,” she said, as she kissed him goodbye.

  Geri’s friends and a few other neighbors came by, wishing them a happy Thanksgiving. Marion gave out pumpkin cookies, with chocolate chips, to all the children.

  Dr. Ross

  “You know, Skye, Mac really wanted to come along. He offered to take the twins with him in his truck. I know how you feel, but that big guy is just heartbroken.”

  “Julie, don’t you ever let him take those kids anywhere. He’s a maniac in back of the wheel,” Skye said, seriously.

  “Oh, I know he followed you to Marshall City in back of the bus. He showed me the marks on his truck, where he collided into some bushes.”

  “Gees and that doesn’t tell you how controlling he is? I don’t love him anymore, Julie. As much as you’d like me to live near you on another farm, it’s not going to happen. He’s a bully and I’m tired of it. Look, I love my family so much, but he’s not the guy for me. A year ago I might have said, yes, he’s my man, but I’ve met other guys and now I’m just really confused. That tells me I’m not ready to settle for just anyone.”

  “Good for you and I’m happy for you. I promised I’d have a talk with you about Mac, and well, we did. Now I certainly know where you stand. No one is forcing you to do anything.” Julie smiled at her little sister.

  “Oh, thank goodness, no long lecture. Hey, want a piece of my chocolate cake? I made it the way mom used to make it with butter cream icing.” Skye smiled and started to get up from the dining room table.

  “Oh . . . no!” Julie moaned.

  “Hey, it’s not that bad.” Skye turned around to see Julie clutching her stomach.

  “Julie? Oh, Julie! Is it time?” Skye whispered.

  “Yes, I think so,” Julie moaned again.

  Skye ran into the kitchen, where Stan and Sara were wiping dishes and talking about their recent visitor.

  “Aunt Sara, Julie’s in a lot of pain!” Skye yelled.

  “Oh, my goodness, she’s having the baby!” Sara went running back to the dining room.

  Julie was doubled over and in a cold sweat. She was panting like a dog, gripping the dining room table.

  “I’m so sorry, Aunt Sara, I couldn’t help it, but my water broke and I made a mess all over your rug.” Julie cried.

  “My goodness, Julie, don’t worry about an old rug. Now we’ve got to get you upstairs so you can lie down.”

  “She can have my room.” Skye offered.

  “I don’t think . . . oh . . . not another one,” Julie moaned.

  “Julie, let me carry you upstairs.” Stan went around to her chair and she screamed when he tried to lift her.

  The girls had come into the dining room and had terrified looks on their faces.

  “Mommy!” Jilly yelled her little eyes wide with fear.”

  “Come on, sweetie; let’s go back into the kitchen.” Skye lifted Jilly and took the twins by their hands, leading them away.

  “Its okay Julie. I’m here, honey. We’ll get you into the living room and put you on the sofa. You’ll be comfortable there,” Sara said, lovingly.

  After the next pain had passed, Stan and Sara both helped to get Julie into the living room. When she was comfortably on the sofa, with pillows propping her up and a blanket covering her, she had another pain. After the pain passed, she seemed to be better and asked for some water. Sara hurried to the kitchen, where Skye had the children sitting around the big country table. They were coloring in their coloring books they had brought with them.

  “How’s mommy, Aunt Sara?” One of the twins asked.

  “She’s doing fine. She just asked for a glass of water, sweetie.”

  Sara hurried back into the living room and saw Stan kneeling by Julie, patting her hand over and over.

  “What’s wrong?” Sara asked.

  “I don’t know. This has never happened before. She’s passed out!”

  Sara put the water down quickly and went to Julie, as she felt her forehead. She was burning up.

  “We need a doctor, immediately!” Sara said to herself. Actually, she screamed it to herself.

  Skye got up from the table immediately and didn’t say a word to the children. She was acting very strange. She walked over to the kitchen sink and looked out the window. She put her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes. Within a matter of minutes, there was a knock at the back door.

  Skye opened the door and a tall elderly man, with a shock of white hair, all dressed in black, walked in.

  “Hello! Hello!” he said. He was carrying his black doctor’s satchel and a large brown bag. He stuck his hand in the bag and proceeded to throw cotton balls at the little girls at the table. When the cotton balls hit the girls, they turned into sparkling colors. They giggled and threw them back.

  “Please, Dr. Ross, you’re needed right away in the living room,” Skye said.

  At this, he threw a cotton ball at Skye and proceeded into the living room. He threw more cotton balls at Stan and Sara, as he chuckled.

  “Oh, thank God, it’s you, Dr. Ross,” Sara said, relieved.

  “What’s the problem here?” he asked, as he knelt by Julie and opened his black bag.

  “First of all, are you sure he’s a doctor?” Stan said, staring at him.

  At this Dr. Ross threw another cotton ball at him and it exploded like a firecracker.

  “Of course, I’m a doctor,” he said, touching Julie’s forehead.

  “Water!” Dr. Ross demanded.

  “Yes, right here, doctor.” Sara handed him the glass, she had brought earlier.

  “More water than this! This girl is dehydrated!”

  Sara rushed back into the kitchen and grabbed a large glass pitcher from the cupboard and filled it with water.

  Hurrying back into the living room, she saw that Dr. Ross had Julie sitting up, the pillows were tossed to the floor and he was gently giving her sips of water. She kept drinking and drinking. Finally, her pains started up again, but this was not good, it had only been several minutes since she had passed out.

  “Room! She needs more room. Let’s get her on the floor, and get a sheet or blanket and lay it down. Now!” Dr. Ross demanded.

  Sara quickly went to the hall closet and brought out some blankets, as Stan and Dr. Ross carefully lifted Julie up and Sara placed the blanket under her.

  “Out!” he said to Stan.

  “What? I’m not leaving my wife with him! Come on, this isn’t my first baby, those three in the kitchen are mine,” Stan argued.

  “Out now!” Dr. Ross proceeded to throw more exploding cotton balls at Stan.

  “Please, Stan,” Sara broke in, “you need to leave Dr. Ross with Julie. I’ll stay with her.”

  “All right, but don’t leave her, Sara, please,” Stan begged.

  As soon as Stan was gone from the room, Dr. Ross turned to Sara. “It’s a breech. I’ve got to turn the baby.”

  “Oh, no, she’s already in such pain. Wh
at can we do? Those poor little girls will hear their mother scream,” Sara said, with tears running down her cheeks.

  “No, they won’t, no one will hear her scream, because she won’t scream.”

  “What?” Sara asked, incredulously.

  Dr. Ross looked deeply into Julie’s eyes and whispered to her. She looked up at him and nodded, and then she completely relaxed.

  “Alright, Sara, I want you to put your hands on either side of her stomach and hold tightly. I’m going to try to turn the baby.”

  Dr. Ross put on a pair of surgical gloves that went up to his elbows. He gently felt for the baby and you could see his arms twisting, as he turned the little person who wanted so much to be born.

  Julie kept looking straight ahead, with a little bit of a smile on her face. Sara understood now what he had done for Julie. She was in another world right now and would come back as soon as she was needed. How sweet.

  With a long sigh, and steady hands, Dr. Ross brought the head of the baby to the entrance of life. Just at that point, Julie gave out one long moan and out came Stan Jr.

  Skye was sitting near Stan, with her eyes closed in the other room, and told Stan it was a boy and he should go see him.

  “A boy? It’s a boy! Oh that’s great, is Julie okay?” Stan asked.

  “She’s fine, Stan.” Skye said.

  Stan was both thrilled and a little worried, as he ran into the living room.

  “Come in sir; would you like to cut the cord?” Stan took just one look and passed out on the floor. Dr. Ross chuckled and threw another cotton ball at him, but it just slowly drifted down on him.

  Sara made sure he was all right before she turned to watch as Dr. Ross cut the cord, giving the baby to Julie.

  “Thank you, Doctor, thank you with all my heart, dear Doctor Ross,” Julie said, in a very weak voice.

  “Well, Dr. Ross, what can I do to repay you for all of this? You came in the nick of time, as always,” Sara said, relieved.

  “When Julie’s husband comes to, tell him to send me 1500 cotton balls!” Dr. Ross chuckled, and then he started for the kitchen.

  “Oh Sara, one more thing.” He pulled Sara close, so no one else could hear their conversation. “This child was born in Parkerville. Do you know what that means? I delivered him and I am a resident here, he cannot leave this town, you do know that, right? Also, I will have to write a record of his birth and give it to the town’s Keepers. I’m telling you all of this so you will be on your guard. It’s a bad situation for them. They won’t want to leave their baby.” With that he threw a few more cotton balls at the children and was gone.

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Sara said, biting her lower lip. “When it snows here, it’s always a blizzard.” Right at that very moment, the phone rang and Sara went to pick it up in the kitchen.

  “Why was Dr. Ross at your house? Who’s sick?” Marabelle demanded.

  “That is none of your business, young lady, and if you bother us one more time today, I will report you,” Sara hissed at her. She slammed down the receiver and just stood with her hands on her hips.

  “What’s wrong, Aunt Sara, who was that?” Skye asked, coming into the kitchen after cooing over her new nephew.

  “Oh, that was Marabelle, nosy . . . terrible Marabelle. She knows Dr. Ross was here and demanded to know why. I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Sara said, grabbing the nearest kitchen chair and sat down.

  “Well, don’t get so upset over that big idiot,” Skye said, sitting down in the chair next to her aunt.

  “Kiddo, you don’t know the worst of it. I should have thought about this before inviting Julie and Stan here.”

  “What?” Skye asked, looking totally perplexed.

  “That little precious boy was just born here in Parkerville,” Sara whispered.

  “Yeah, I think that’s kind of neat.” Skye smiled.

  “No, it’s not neat. He’s a Parkerville resident now. It’s a new law. He will have to stay here and be brought up here. Too many young parents took their kids away after they were born and they had to change the laws. No one is allowed to leave now, until he or she is at least eighteen years old,” Sara said, looking deeply into Skye’s eyes.

   “What about Cassie and I. We weren’t born here, so why are we here now?”

  Sara looked down. “I can’t talk about that right now. I have to talk to Julie and Stan.” Sara got up from the chair and walked back into the living room.”

  “Well, another day of unanswered questions,” Skye said out loud. Typical!” 

  Once again the phone rang and Skye was prepared to tell off whoever was on the line. “Yeah, now what do you want?” 

  “Gee, that’s nice,” Carol Jean said, a little irritated.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were Marabelle.”

  “Like I said before, gee that’s nice.”

  “No, I mean Marabelle’s been a terror all day. First, because my brother-in-law brought their dog and second, because Dr. Ross was here.” 

  “Well, that’s kind of why I’m calling. I saw Dr. Ross leaving and I wondered if everything was all right?”

  “Oh, yeah, my sister just had her baby. I’m an aunt to a little boy. Oh and he’s so cute!”

  “Your sister had a baby boy?” Carol Jean gushed.

  “Beebie boy . . . beebie boy . . . beebie boy.” A squeaky, strange voice was heard in the background in Carol Jean’s house.

  “What on earth was that?” Skye asked.

  “Oh, ah, just a friend of ours who came for Thanksgiving. It’s their little kid. He was just mocking me.”

  “Weird voice, for a poor little kid,” Skye sighed.

   “Um, yeah, he does have a weird voice, but anyway . . . how’s the baby? Who does he look like and do you need anything for him?”

  “No, he’s fine and Julie was prepared. She brought everything with her, just in case. She’s got diapers, lotion, and even some baby clothes her friends gave her. She’s all set.”

  “Oh no!” Julie shouted from the living room.

  “Look, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later. Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay, but take care and tell Julie congratulations from me.”

  “I will . . . bye,” Skye said, hanging up the phone. Then she rushed into the living room.

  “Look, Julie, we can figure this out, I promise. Nothing is absolute, at least not in this town,” Sara assured her.

  “Aunt Sara, I am not leaving my baby here. There has to be some kind of loophole. There just has to be.” Julie said, with tears trickling down her face.

  A knock on the kitchen door caused everyone to turn to Sara.

  “If that’s the brat from across the street again, I’ll deal with her.” Stan walked back into the kitchen. When he answered the door, with Sara behind him, Justin was standing there with flowers.

  “Congratulations! I presume you’re the new dad?” Justin said in his most distinguished voice.

  “Yes, and we’re not leaving our baby behind when we leave,” Stan warned.

  “Uh hello Sara how was your Thanksgiving?” Justin asked ignoring Stan’s animosity.

  “It was great, Justin. This is my nephew, Stan, and if you’ll follow me into the living room, you can meet my new little nephew, Stan Jr.”

  “Oh, now this little guy is one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen. He looks just like his dad.” Justin was looking down at the newborn in Julie’s arms.

  “Yes, he is and he is leaving with his dad, mother, and sisters,” Stan advised.

  “Yes, well, we need to talk about this. I’m certain we can come to some agreement. Oh, and Julie, Marion sends her congratulations too,” Justin said, giving Julie a hug.

  “Thanks, Justin, and I hope we can come to an understanding. I mean, we’ve got to come to an understanding,” Julie said quietly.

  Sara introduced Justin to the rest of Julie’s family, even Smokey their dog, who padded in to make sure everything w
as okay with her little family.

   Justin patted Smokey on the head and she licked his hand, melting Justin’s heart.

  “Why hello there, girl. You’re just a big beautiful girl, aren’t you?” He kneeled down to pet her.

  Smokey put both her front paws on Justin’s shoulders and licked him all over the face. Justin hugged her and even wrestled with her, completely forgetting himself for a moment.

  The scene in front of them mesmerized everyone in the room. Sara had never seen this Justin, who was totally caught up in the moment with a playful dog.

  “Oh, it’s been such a long time since I played with a big dog like this. She’s just beautiful, guys, you’re so lucky to have her.”

  Helene and Evelyn

  “Well, Cassie, we seem to be the only ones here right now,” Marion started, “it’s time to relax a little, after all the cooking, eating, and the worse part, cleaning up. I do appreciate your help with the dishes, and I don’t know how long Chris will take to get those kids rounded up at the playground, so let’s go into the den and catch up on a few things.

  Cassie followed Marion, ready to get her daily lecture, about what she’s always doing wrong and how much trouble she always gets into.

  Marion went to the clock and removed the key from the hidden drawer. She opened the bookcase and brought out her yearbook.

  “Okay, dear, I guess it’s time to explain how you got here.”

  Marion sat on the sofa, with Cassie beside her, and opened the yearbook. She opened the book and turned to the photo of Cassie’s mother.

  “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen your mother’s yearbook. Have you?”

  “Mom never had one, as far as I knew. It wasn’t in any of her personal stuff at home that I remember.”

  “Well, your mom and I were great friends.” Marion opened the book to the recreation and clubs section. In the photo of the Home Economics Club, Cassie could see Marion, her mother, Cookie, and Margie.

  “We were all such good friends back then. Your mom and I went to a little community college in the suburbs of Marshall City. We both wanted to go into design. I wanted to be an interior designer, but your mom loved fashion. We met a girl there, who was in Helene’s class. Her name was Evelyn.”

  “Oh, yeah, Aunt Evelyn, but we really weren’t related. I knew she lived in Marshall City at one time. I guess I never really questioned when they became friends.”

  “Yes, Evelyn and Helene became very close. We would go shopping together after class in Marshall City. One weekend, Evelyn held a party at her house and I brought Justin. We were dating back then and Evelyn got a huge crush on him, which was more than a little annoying.

  She was a best friend with the boy next door, John, your dad. Well, Helene and John fell head-over-heels for one another, and before we even knew about it, Helene began going to the city just about every weekend.

  Your dad and Justin were the same age and were both going to college in Marshall City. And as you know, they also became very good friends. John studied pharmaceuticals, while Justin wanted to be a lawyer.

  Evelyn finally met Gus and they suddenly got married. Your parents stood up for them at the wedding and they decided to get married, too. But there was a problem. Your dad’s family originally lived in Parkerville. Actually, his great-grandmother was related to our original settlers. They were very special to our town, but your grandfather didn’t like adhering to the rules, so they moved away. The Keepers tried to persuade them to come back, but to no avail, so your family was eventually banned from Parkerville.

  Your mom knew she wouldn’t get permission to marry John, so they eloped. This angered the Keepers, but they wanted to make amends and told John he would be welcome to come and live in Parkerville, but he refused.

  Justin and I tried to convince them to live in town with us, but your dad wouldn’t budge. Evelyn and her new husband, Gus, decided to move away, so within the year, my best friends, and your parents, followed.”

  “But what about my mom’s family, where did they live? Couldn’t they have stayed where they lived?”

  Marion was still for a moment. “Didn’t your mother tell you she was an orphan?”

  “Of course she did, we didn’t have any secrets. She told me they died right before I was born. She said when she was a little girl, her family ran a little grocery store, and she and dad would steal candy. They lived in a little village . . .” Cassie stopped, realizing something was wrong. “Mom told me she and dad were best friends growing up, when she was just a little girl. She never said anything about Parkerville.”

  “Sweetheart, your mom came to live in Parkerville when she was eight years old. She didn’t meet your dad until she turned eighteen.”

  Cassie was stunned. “Why did she lie to me? What reason did she have to lie?”

  “I guess she didn’t want you to know about Parkerville. She was probably afraid she’d lose you.”

  “Lose me? Why would she think that? Where did she think I would go?”

  The Tiny Prince of Parkerville

  Thanksgiving was over and the task ahead of Sara’s family was just beginning. Stan and the girls left for home on Sunday, since it was time for Stan to get back to the farm and the girls needed to return to school.

  Dr. Ross came back a couple of times to check on Julie and the baby, and he always had fun with the girls. He threw cotton balls so much that the kitchen and living room always seemed to be sparkling with all different colors.

  Julie was still weak and Dr. Ross recommended that she and the baby stay behind for at least a few more days. Stan was extremely dubious of this plan. He was still not sure whether or not Parkerville meant to keep his little son. Sara and Justin assured him that little Stan would be fine and they could leave when Dr. Ross was assured that they were strong enough to travel.

  Each time Dr. Ross appeared, Marabelle was waiting for him when he left.

  “I demand to know what is going on in that house!” she shouted, while she followed an unstoppable Dr. Ross walking up the sidewalk.

  He never said a word, just threw explosive cotton balls at her and walked on.

  “You and those damned cotton balls. Are you sure you’re a real doctor?” She shouted after him.

  He just kept walking, ignoring her, as she stomped back across the street and slammed the front door to her house.

  “She’s going to be a big problem,” Skye said, looking out the window at the scene between Dr. Ross and Marabelle.

  “No, she won’t,” Sara assured her.

  “I don’t know, Aunt Sara.” An exhausted Julie said, walking into the kitchen. “She seems to be relentless about our big secret.”

  “Julie, you should be resting.” Sara walked over to put her arm around her.

  “I just wanted a warm cup of tea.”

  “I’ll get it for you,” Skye offered.

  “How’s that little angel of ours?” Sara smiled

  “He’s just fine. My goodness, at nearly one week he’s already grown a couple of inches. That’s remarkable.”

  “Well, we have nice clean, fresh air here and he is a very special little guy.”

  “Yes, he is and the girls are so proud of him. It was hard to see Jilly crying so hard when she had to leave him behind.”

  Just then they heard the front door open and close.

  “Who on earth is that?” Sara said, starting for the door.

  “Oh, it’s just Cassie. I invited her over to see my new little nephew. “We’re in the kitchen, Cassie, come on in,” Skye yelled.

  “Uh, Skye, little Stan is asleep. Could you keep it down a little, sweetie?” Julie asked.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  There was no sign of Cassie, so Skye went to investigate. “Huh, that’s strange, no one’s there.” Skye came back into the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face.

  Julie and Sara both looked at each other a
larmed, “The baby!”

  They rushed into the living room and looked down to see an empty basinet. In a futile attempt to make sense of the missing baby, all three looked over the entire living room, under the sofa, under pillows, up and down the hallway, even upstairs. There was no sign of little baby Stan.

  Julie plopped down on the sofa and collapsed into tears . . . great sobbing, heart-wrenching tears.

  Sara was on the phone in seconds, calling Marion. “He’s gone, Marion, the baby’s gone.”

  “Well, Sara, the family had to go back sooner or later,” Marion said, not understanding the entire situation.

  “No! I mean; someone has stolen the baby! He’s gone out of his basinet! Stan left with the girls, but Dr. Ross thought it would be better if Julie and the baby stayed behind for another week, until Julie was stronger.”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll call Justin right away. Everyone stay calm, we’ll find him if we have to search the entire town.”

  What’s going on?” Chris asked, as he entered the kitchen with Geri.

  “Julie’s baby’s been kidnapped. We have to find him.” Marion said trying to stay calm.

  “Don’t worry, Mom, we’ll find him.”

  “I’ll call all of my friends, mom. We’ll find him.” Geri said.

  Meanwhile Skye was marching across the street to Marabelle’s house. She just knew Marabelle was the kidnapper.

  Cassie caught up with her, just as she was about to pound on the door.

  “Hey, Skye, are you crazy coming over here, without some sort of weapon?” Cassie laughed.

  “The baby’s gone. Someone took him and my sister is beyond hysterical.”

  “Oh no!” Cassie yelled.

  Both girls started pounding on Marabelle’s door. Mrs. Fludge answered, calmly asking what was wrong.

  “I’ll tell you what’s wrong!” Skye yelled. “Your big oaf of a daughter just kidnapped my baby nephew!”

  “No! Oh, my goodness, no!” Mrs. Fludge looked horrified.

  “Well, we’ll just have to tie her up again, Mom,” Homer said, coming up in back of her.

  “Okay, what’s all this stink about?” Marabelle said, coming down the stairs. “I saw you coming across the street to my door. You’ve got a lot of nerve, you raving idiots.”

  “Where is he?” Skye shouted, shoving everyone aside to get to Marabelle.

  “Where’s who? And you keep your distance, you little ditz. I don’t like you when you’re sweet and I certainly don’t like you when you turn into an angry little troll, so back off.”

  “Make that two angry trolls,” Cassie said, shoving Marabelle back so hard she landed on the bottom step to the stairs.

  “Where’s that baby?” Mrs. Fludge hollered at her daughter.

  “What baby, for heaven’s sake, whose baby? What’s going on?” Marabelle said meekly.

  “Look, I’ve covered up for you a lot, but this is the last straw. This has got to be one of the meanest things you’ve ever done. I will never forgive you for this, Marabelle, and its back to that place for you, when your father hears about this.”

  “Mommy? What do you think I’ve done?” Marabelle sobbed.

  “My sister, Julie, had her baby boy on Thanksgiving Day. He was happily sleeping minutes ago, until someone snuck into our house and took him. It has to be you. You are the only person who would be rotten enough to do something like that, now where is he?” Skye yelled.

  Marabelle’s face turned white as a sheet. She looked up at the angry faces, staring down at her on the step.

  Skye, Cassie, Homer, and her mother all glared at her, like they wanted to hang her.

  “I didn’t even know her sister had a baby. Honest! I kept asking Dr. Ross who was sick, and what was going on, but he never told me. I mean, yeah, I’ve done some rotten things, but I wouldn’t steal a baby. Actually, I wouldn’t know what to do with a baby. I’m really sorry he’s missing, but I didn’t take him.” Marabelle said, looking down at her clasped hands.

  “I don’t think she took him,” Homer said, “but I’ll go check her room just in case.”

  Marabelle shoved over, so her brother could get by her on the stairs.

  “Mommy, I didn’t, honestly, I didn’t. Even I have rules. I would never do something like that. I would never take an innocent little baby. He’s not even old enough to hate me yet,” Marabelle said, tearing up.

  “No sign of a baby anywhere,” Homer said, coming down the stairs.

  “Go up to your room,” Mrs. Fludge said to her daughter, still angry.

  Marabelle got up and trudged up to her room. At the top of the stairs she turned to Skye. “We’ll have a truce for now until your nephew is found. I’ll help look for him, but it’s just a temporary truce between the two of us.”

  Skye didn’t say anything, as she sadly turned and walked out of the Fludge’s house, along with Cassie.

  ***

  Carol Jean was dancing around in her room, to the tune of a harpsichord, getting ready to go over to Skye’s house to see the new baby. She put on a hooded sweatshirt, a blue plaid skirt, leggings and her white bucks. She glanced at herself and giggled, as she danced down the hallway to her brother’s room. There, she saw her brother sitting on the bed with something wrapped in his arms. There were lots of blankets and the sweet smell of talcum powder.

  Her brother stood up suddenly, anxious to see his sister.

  “Ralphy, what have you got there?” Carol Jean giggled, as she danced around the room.

  “Beebie boy,” Ralphy said, very slowly, trying to articulate each word.

  “Oh, how wonderful!” Carol Jean whispered.

  “Yesh, mama love me now?” Ralphy said, smiling his little smile.

  Carol Jean’s brother was a special boy. He wasn’t quite four feet tall, which is considerably short for a fifteen year old. His mother always seemed to ignore him, and did her best to stay away from him. In time, he moved down into the Glen, where there were others like him. He usually came home on holidays and his father kept his sparkling, whimsical room ready, whenever he came for a visit.

  The phone rang and Carol Jean glided down the stairs, still dancing to the music, which no one else could hear. She looked at the phone, with a quizzical look on her face, and picked up the receiver.

  “Carol Jean! The baby’s gone!” Skye cried. “Someone kidnapped him! Please help us find him, please!”

  Carol Jean had a big smile on her face, with her eyes glazed over. “Oh, hi, Skye, do you want to come over?” she giggled.

  “Carol Jean! Did you hear what I said? The baby was kidnapped!”

  Suddenly, the music was gone and Carol Jean was back.

  “What did you say? The baby was kidnapped? Are you serious; of course I’ll help. I’m so sorry. I’m really so sorry,” Carol Jean cried.

  Carol Jean put the phone down and just stood for a moment. Then she ran back upstairs and down the hallway to Ralphy’s room, watching him hugging and cooing at the darling little baby.

  “Ralphy, your spell is gone now!” Carol Jean frowned, tapping her foot. “How could you do that to me? I’m your sister. We’re not allowed to play those types of games here.”

  Ralphy just looked up and smiled.

  “You do understand this is a baby, and you have to be very very careful with him?” she whispered, changing her tone.

  “Beebie boy.” Ralphy corrected her.

  “Yes, he’s a baby boy and you have to promise to be very careful. I’ll be right back . . . so don’t move.”

  She went back out into the hallway and opened the door that led to the attic. Up the stairs she went to get Ralphy’s old wicker basinet. She carried it down easily and took it into Ralphy’s room. It had been covered in the attic, so it needed very little dusting or cleaning. She lined the bottom with a soft, small blanket and then asked her brother to give her the baby.

  Ralphy carefully handed the bundl
ed baby over to his sister and she looked down into his sweet little face. “What a little charmer you are.”

  “Yesh,” her brother said.

  Carefully, she placed the baby into the basinet and he went right to sleep.

  “Ralphy, you must sit on the bed and watch the baby, and make sure he is okay. Don’t leave him! Do you understand me?” Carol Jean looked deep into his huge blue eyes.

  “Won’t leave beebie . . . ever!” Ralphy answered.

  She knew he wouldn’t. She knew Ralphy would sit there all day and all night to protect the little guy. She knew her little brother very well. Not everyone had a brother like Ralphy. He was special, but not in an ordinary way. He got most of his dad’s genes, as Carol Jean got most of her mother’s, but the dad’s genes were in both children.

  She grabbed her coat, ran downstairs, and then out the door.

  “What am I going to do? What am I going to say? Oh, dear God, help me save my brother. Help me find a way to get that baby back into his mother’s arms,” she prayed, as she crossed the line between her house and Skye’s.

  Sara was on the phone, when Carol Jean walked through the kitchen door, pale as a ghost.

  “Yes, that’s right; he’s almost two weeks old. Whoever took him didn’t take any food for him. He needs his formula,” Sara said, trying to keep her voice steady.

  Carol Jean froze at this point. Oh, no, he needs his formula, she thought to herself, in a panic.

  She went into the living room and saw Julie sitting on the sofa. Dr. Ross looked at Carol Jean and his face was stern.

  “No one kidnaps a baby I delivered . . . no one. They will pay for this kind of malevolence.”

  “Maybe they weren’t trying to be mean?” Carol Jean offered shyly.

  Julie looked up at Carol Jean, but she seemed to be in some sort of stupor, but still aware of what had happened.

  “Oh, yes, they meant to be mean, sweetie,” Sara said, coming into the living room to comfort Julie.

  “Where’s Skye?”

  “She’s out searching. I don’t expect her back anytime soon, but you can probably catch up with her at Todd’s house.”

  Carol Jean turned to leave, when Sara stopped her. “Oh, Carol Jean, could you take that thermos with you, it’s on the kitchen table? I made some hot cocoa for Skye and you can have some, too, if you want it.”

  “Sure,” Carol Jean answered, as she went back into the kitchen.

  She started to pick up the thermos on the table and then looked at the refrigerator. She thought for just one second, turned to see if anyone was watching, and quickly opened the refrigerator, grabbing two baby bottles. Then out the door she went.

  She rushed back to her house and up the stairs to Ralphy's room, where he was holding a crying baby, not knowing what to do.

  “Wot wong? Wot wong, Sissy” Ralphy kept repeating.

  “He’s hungry, Ralphy, he needs his formula.”

  With her arms full, she gave one of the bottles of formula to Ralphy.

  “Cold, so cold,” he said, shivering.

  “My gosh, no he can’t drink that if it’s cold. What’s wrong with me? Wait here and don’t move,” Carol Jean told Ralphy, taking the bottle from him.

  She rushed downstairs and ran into the kitchen, looking around for something she could use. She finally spotted a pan on the stove; put some water in it and then the bottle. She was heating it up, when her dad came in the back door.

  “Hey, what’s up?” her dad asked, striding to the refrigerator to get a drink.

  “Oh, not much,” Carol Jean answered, while shielding the pan with her body.

  “What’s this about a missing baby?” her dad asked, casually.

  “Yeah, Skye’s nephew is missing. Someone took the baby and I’m going to help look for him. In fact, everyone should be out looking for him!” Carol Jean said, a little angry.

  “Hey, hold on a second. Yeah, the baby’s missing, but they’ll find him. And, what the heck are you cooking there, young lady?”

  “Oh, it’s just something for Ralphy.”

  “Okay, well tell him I’ll be up to see him in a little while,” her dad said, walking into the living room to read his paper.

  Carol Jean grabbed the bottle and rushed upstairs.

  “Ralphy, dad is coming up to see you. You’ve got to go downstairs and see him instead. He can’t come up here and see the baby.”

  “Beebie boy.” Ralphy once again reminded her.

  “Yes, baby boy. “

  “Mama home?”

  “No, she’s over at the Fludge’s . . . I think,” Carol Jean answered.

  “Mama not like Ralphy.”

  “I’m sorry, Ralphy, but I love you very much,” Carol Jean smiled at him, and then she took the baby from Ralphy and started feeding him.

  “Go down, now!” Carol Jean ordered.

  “K.” Ralphy shrugged his little shoulders and went out the door.

  Carol Jean looked down into the baby’s face, as he peacefully took his formula. “You are so incredibly sweet, little Stan. I am going to hate giving you up. Oh, where can we hide you until I can get you back to your mommy? Wait a minute, Misha!” She thought.

  Ralphy came back into his room, with his head down.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “He patted my hid and went gone,” Ralphy said, dejectedly.

  “Its okay, the baby’s asleep. Now, listen carefully, we have to get the baby to Misha’s as soon as possible.”

  “Fost?” Ralphy said, excitedly.

  “Yes, Ralphy, very fast.”

  Wrapping little Stan up in lots of blankets, and putting one of Ralphy’s hats on the baby, they quietly made their way downstairs. Carol Jean gave Ralphy the baby, and then went to look out the front door, but a few neighbors were coming her way. Carol Jean whirled around and whispered to Ralphy to quickly go out the kitchen door.

  “Go fast, Ralphy, very fast.”

  He looked at Carol Jean and took off faster than lightening.

  ***

  Cassie and Skye were on their way up Cedar Avenue, when a strange surge of wind went by them.

  “Whoa, where did that come from?” Cassie said, whirling around.

  “I’m not surprised at anything anymore, not in this horrid town,” Skye hissed.

  Skye and Cassie were walking past the Baker sisters, when they heard shouting coming from inside.

  “Where is he, you crazy old women? Come on! Out with it! If you don’t tell me where you’ve hidden him, I’ll tear this house down brick by brick!” Marabelle shouted at two very surprised women.

  “Well, it’s not made of brick, my dear,” Bernadette corrected her.

  “Marabelle, won’t you come into the living room and sit down. We’ll talk about this rationally. Now, who is he? And why are we hiding him, dear?” Rose asked, in a calm voice.

  “Oh, she must mean that poor little baby boy who’s missing,” Bernadette broke in, “Good grief, Rose, where have you been? Everyone in town knows about Sara’s little nephew.”

  “That’s right, and I suspect both of you as kidnappers. Don’t play innocent with me. Where is he?” Marabelle looked around the living room, and then went back out near the stairs. She looked over at their mother’s bedroom and started to charge toward it.

  “Oh, mercy, no! Please don’t wake her up, Marabelle.” Rose cautioned.

  Just as Marabelle was about to open Wilhelmina’s bedroom door, Cassie and Skye walked in.

  “No!” They both whispered loudly, waving their hands.

  “I think that’s where they have him hidden,” Marabelle whispered back to the girls.

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake, he’s not here. They would never do such a thing, Marabelle,” Skye sighed.

  “We’re sorry, we didn’t mean to just walk in like this, but we heard shouting,” Cassie apologized.

  “That’s all right; girls. Won’t you come in
and have a warm cup of tea?” Rose offered.

  “No, thank you, we really have to keep searching,” Skye said, in a worried tone.

  “Okay, let’s go.” Marabelle grabbed both girls’ arms and started out the door. As the three headed back outside, Marabelle turned to the startled Baker sisters and said, “You may have fooled others, but you’ll never fool me.”

  ***

  Ralphy was in the Glen in a flash. He was at Misha’s door knocking, and when she answered it, she saw Ralphy with a squirming bundle.

  “No, you can no bring child here,” she said, trying to close the door.

  “Cal Jen say bring,” Ralphy said, and held out the baby to Misha.

  “Why you take baby, Ralphy?”

  “Dun’t knew,” he said, with his head down.

  “You know, you make the mama cry very hard? You know baby miss his mama? You do a very very bad thing, Ralphy. You make his mama very sad.”

  “No! Ralphy dint tink. Me dint tink at all.”

  “You must take baby back, now.”

  “Ralphy git tribble.”

  Misha knew he would probably be thrown out of Parkerville or worse. She had to help the little guy. “You come in. Misha find a way.”

  ***

  It was three o’clock in the morning and everyone was still out searching for the tiny baby boy. Some, who hadn’t seen each other in a while, stood talking on different streets. Others stopped in at Pennypacker’s, who stayed open for anyone who needed a hot cup of coffee. Parkerville had never seen the likes of this type of situation. It was unheard of for anything like this to happen in their perfect little town, which wasn’t so perfect after all.

  Misha was seen carrying a large basket full of breads, up from the Glen. She nodded to everyone she met along the way and explained she was taking fresh bread to the Davis’ house. No one so much as suspected Misha, since she was always doing kind things for everyone in town. When she approached the kitchen door to the Davis house, Ralphy was there waiting.

  Misha looked through the windows and all was silent. Julie was in the living room sitting on the sofa just staring into space. “Okay, no one around . . . you go.”

  Ralphy took the large basket and walked into the kitchen. He listened for a moment and then went into the living room.

  Julie was sitting on the sofa, looking straight ahead. Dr. Ross had given her a sedative to calm her, but she was beyond calm . . . she was numb.

  Ralphy walked over to her, as she looked at him in a puzzled way.

  “Who . . . what . . . who are you?” she asked in a sleepy tone.

  “Ralphy,” he said. He stroked her hair and tilted his head, to look at her. “You guud mama?” he asked, as he handed her the basket.

  “I don’t want any food right now, sweetie.”

  “No eat.”

  “What?”

  “Beebie boy,” he said, jubilantly and uncovered the baby in the basket.

  “Little Stan!” Julie yelled, “My baby!”

  Julie picked little Stan up from the basket and hugged him to her.

  “Thank you, thank you so much! Where did you find him? Oh, you’re a little angel. Thank you,” Julie kept repeating.

  “K,” Ralphy said, with his head down. In his own sweet words, Ralphy tried to explain to Julie why he took the baby, since he hoped his own mother would love him again. He wanted his mother to have a normal baby boy, instead of him, and he was sorry he made her so sad.

  Tears rolled down Julie’s eyes, as she finally comprehended why he did it.

  “Come here, sweetie.”

  Ralphy went to Julie and buried his head in her shoulder.

  “Everyone in this world is different . . . everyone. That’s what makes us so special. No two people are exactly alike. We look exactly the way God meant for us to look. And everyone has his or her own unique gift, and every single person has a reason to be here. So do you, Ralphy, you are a gift . . . a special gift,” she whispered, as she kissed him on the forehead.

  “K,” Ralphy said, blushing.

  “Now you better go before my aunt and sister come back,” Julie said, with a huge yawn.

  “K,” Ralphy said again, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Bye, bye, Junny.”

  Julie smiled; as she hugged little Stan and Ralphy made sure she wouldn’t remember what happened, when she finally woke up.

  He walked back out of the kitchen door, where Misha was waiting for him. “Mama happy now. Beebie boy back.”

  Julie gently placed a sleepy little Stan in his basinet. She placed her hand on the rim and gently rocked it.

  Dr. Ross came down the hallway of the Davis’ house to cover a sleeping Julie. He watched as little Stan sucked his fingers in the bassinet, safe and sound. He leaned down to touch him, but the baby was sound asleep and perfectly happy. He smiled and nodded his head, as he left. He would carry the story with him the rest of his life, but never tell a single soul.

  A very tired Sara and Skye opened the kitchen door and walked slowly into the living room, to check on Julie.

  “Ah, she’s finally asleep,” Sara yawned, “We don’t want to wake her.”

  They started to leave, but they saw movement from inside the basinet. Skye and Sara looked at one another and rushed over.

  There he was, wide-eyed and squirming, wanting his bottle. The little prince of Parkerville was back where he belonged.