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Since Roops
said it was time to go, they went.
No more
horsing around now. They rode straight
and fast out of town, over the bridge, and out into the erstwhile suburbs of
the city. They flew past Gabe’s house and out toward the east and the
mountains.
At last, they halted on the street before the goat farm where Lucy and Margaret and their mother and brother lived. They waited to catch their breath and get into character as just a couple of kids there to see the sisters, as friends.
It was a 1960s white one level house with green trim. Like everyone else’s house it needed paint. There was an overgrown lawn in front and wire fences all around both sides enclosing an acre or so of pasture containing some Nubian goats, the kind with droopy ears which produce the mildest goat’s milk. They were the pride of Lucy’s mother.
“I guess we better knock and see if they are here,” said Gabe to Jeremy, who nodded. Jeremy always did as Gabe suggested.
They put their bikes in the ditch in front, so as to keep them out of sight to most and walked between the tall grass and wild flowers up to the very non-committal face of the door, and Gabriel knocked carefully, politely. There was no sound inside for a bit. Then the door opened just a couple of inches and Lucy’s face appeared looking apprehensive.
“Gabe,” said Lucy, in a whisper. “Why are you here?”
“Mr. Jones wants you to know he says it’s ok. He knows why you did it.” It seemed like it was a time to whisper, so Gabriel was whispering too, hoping no one but Lucy could hear him.
“We were going to be all sneaky and try to find out what is wrong without acting like we knew anything, but I guess that didn’t happen. So, what’s wrong? You were looking for something. We know that. Obviously.”
“OK, come in then,” said Lucy. Margaret was staring over her shoulder, trying to see what was happening now. Lucy opened the door wider, looking over her shoulder, then stepped out of the way.
Inside, Mrs. Knolls was lying on the sofa. She looked to be asleep. A plump lady in jeans and sweatshirt, with blond braids. On the floor beside the sofa lay the girl’s brother. He seemed to be sleeping also. He was a thin curly headed twelve year old. Levi.
“Let’s talk in the kitchen, Gabe,” said Lucy. “I don’t know who can hear what around here anymore. I don’t even know if it matters if she can hear us or not.”
“We’re horribly sorry we hurt Mr. Jones. Margaret was afraid she had killed him!”
“No, he woke up, when we got there and started nudging him,” said Gabe, “but he has a sore head. That’s for sure.
“What happened to you guys to make you do that?” Gabe waited.
“OK. This might not make much sense. It didn’t make much sense to us either. But this is how it happened. One day,” said Lucy, “we came in from walking to town and back and when we came in mom and Levi were like that. Yesterday.
“I don’t understand why it picked on us!” said Lucy.
“What picked on you Lucy,” said Gabe!
“This will sound crazy. But it’s not! There was a gray thing in here, leaning like it was drunk. Very tall. Translucent. Horrible. It spoke English, but weirdly. It sounded like a cheap recording of some kind. It said it had put our mom and Levi to sleep and that they would lie there until they died, asleep like that unless we could find this do-hickey at Mr. Jones’ place. It said it looked like a green kidney shaped thing. They knew he had it. They want to copy it. They can’t make one. It’s like a computer but does everything it said.
“The gray thing gave me the powder, but Margaret thought up the sock thing herself! We were scared to death. We still are!”
“I bet I know why they picked you two,” said Jeremy. “Remember how the Lights guard your family and mine Gabe, and Roops? Well, I don’t think they would be on guard against two girls knocking on his door. I think they slipped that little plan right by the Lights.”
“It’s hard to believe anyone has ever slipped anything past the Lights, but maybe that is just what happened,” agreed Gabe.
“We tore his place apart and couldn’t find anything like a green kidney in all that junk,” said Margaret. “We were scared he would wake up and catch us, so we ran away when we couldn’t find it. Now, we don’t know what to do!!”
“Ask Lucille, Gabe,” said Jeremy! “Try it! Come on!”
The sisters stared at him like he was nuts.
“That’s going to complicate life, Jeremy. But OK. I hope we all live over this one,” said Gabe. With that he pulled Lucille out of his jacket pocket. It lay in his hand, glowing just a little bit, maybe. The eye winked on and off.
“That’s it!,” yelled Lucy. “How did you get it?”
“Roops gave it to us,” said Gabe. “We’re supposed to use Lucille, here, he calls it Lucille, I don’t know why, to help you. But I don’t know how to use it to do that.”
Four kids stared at each other in wonder, wondering what to do next.
Jeremy said, “Gabe, talk to it. That’s all he does. Ask it if we can talk to a Light maybe. I’m scared of those Lights, but they know a lot and they said they would help us.”
“Lucille,” said Gabe. The eye blinked, the whole thing lit up brightly.
“I am OZ,” said a friendly odd voice. “There you are Gabriel. I have combed the electronic universe looking for any sign of you. You have heard of me I know, and here I am. I obeyed Doug, and now I will obey you!”
At last, they halted on the street before the goat farm where Lucy and Margaret and their mother and brother lived. They waited to catch their breath and get into character as just a couple of kids there to see the sisters, as friends.
It was a 1960s white one level house with green trim. Like everyone else’s house it needed paint. There was an overgrown lawn in front and wire fences all around both sides enclosing an acre or so of pasture containing some Nubian goats, the kind with droopy ears which produce the mildest goat’s milk. They were the pride of Lucy’s mother.
“I guess we better knock and see if they are here,” said Gabe to Jeremy, who nodded. Jeremy always did as Gabe suggested.
They put their bikes in the ditch in front, so as to keep them out of sight to most and walked between the tall grass and wild flowers up to the very non-committal face of the door, and Gabriel knocked carefully, politely. There was no sound inside for a bit. Then the door opened just a couple of inches and Lucy’s face appeared looking apprehensive.
“Gabe,” said Lucy, in a whisper. “Why are you here?”
“Mr. Jones wants you to know he says it’s ok. He knows why you did it.” It seemed like it was a time to whisper, so Gabriel was whispering too, hoping no one but Lucy could hear him.
“We were going to be all sneaky and try to find out what is wrong without acting like we knew anything, but I guess that didn’t happen. So, what’s wrong? You were looking for something. We know that. Obviously.”
“OK, come in then,” said Lucy. Margaret was staring over her shoulder, trying to see what was happening now. Lucy opened the door wider, looking over her shoulder, then stepped out of the way.
Inside, Mrs. Knolls was lying on the sofa. She looked to be asleep. A plump lady in jeans and sweatshirt, with blond braids. On the floor beside the sofa lay the girl’s brother. He seemed to be sleeping also. He was a thin curly headed twelve year old. Levi.
“Let’s talk in the kitchen, Gabe,” said Lucy. “I don’t know who can hear what around here anymore. I don’t even know if it matters if she can hear us or not.”
“We’re horribly sorry we hurt Mr. Jones. Margaret was afraid she had killed him!”
“No, he woke up, when we got there and started nudging him,” said Gabe, “but he has a sore head. That’s for sure.
“What happened to you guys to make you do that?” Gabe waited.
“OK. This might not make much sense. It didn’t make much sense to us either. But this is how it happened. One day,” said Lucy, “we came in from walking to town and back and when we came in mom and Levi were like that. Yesterday.
“I don’t understand why it picked on us!” said Lucy.
“What picked on you Lucy,” said Gabe!
“This will sound crazy. But it’s not! There was a gray thing in here, leaning like it was drunk. Very tall. Translucent. Horrible. It spoke English, but weirdly. It sounded like a cheap recording of some kind. It said it had put our mom and Levi to sleep and that they would lie there until they died, asleep like that unless we could find this do-hickey at Mr. Jones’ place. It said it looked like a green kidney shaped thing. They knew he had it. They want to copy it. They can’t make one. It’s like a computer but does everything it said.
“The gray thing gave me the powder, but Margaret thought up the sock thing herself! We were scared to death. We still are!”
“I bet I know why they picked you two,” said Jeremy. “Remember how the Lights guard your family and mine Gabe, and Roops? Well, I don’t think they would be on guard against two girls knocking on his door. I think they slipped that little plan right by the Lights.”
“It’s hard to believe anyone has ever slipped anything past the Lights, but maybe that is just what happened,” agreed Gabe.
“We tore his place apart and couldn’t find anything like a green kidney in all that junk,” said Margaret. “We were scared he would wake up and catch us, so we ran away when we couldn’t find it. Now, we don’t know what to do!!”
“Ask Lucille, Gabe,” said Jeremy! “Try it! Come on!”
The sisters stared at him like he was nuts.
“That’s going to complicate life, Jeremy. But OK. I hope we all live over this one,” said Gabe. With that he pulled Lucille out of his jacket pocket. It lay in his hand, glowing just a little bit, maybe. The eye winked on and off.
“That’s it!,” yelled Lucy. “How did you get it?”
“Roops gave it to us,” said Gabe. “We’re supposed to use Lucille, here, he calls it Lucille, I don’t know why, to help you. But I don’t know how to use it to do that.”
Four kids stared at each other in wonder, wondering what to do next.
Jeremy said, “Gabe, talk to it. That’s all he does. Ask it if we can talk to a Light maybe. I’m scared of those Lights, but they know a lot and they said they would help us.”
“Lucille,” said Gabe. The eye blinked, the whole thing lit up brightly.
“I am OZ,” said a friendly odd voice. “There you are Gabriel. I have combed the electronic universe looking for any sign of you. You have heard of me I know, and here I am. I obeyed Doug, and now I will obey you!”
The whole thing so far; Gabriel .docx
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