The children pedaled so fast they were out of breath when they knocked on Grandma Belles door. They waited, then knocked again. Nurse Rumple finally opened the door wearing rubber gloves and holding a giant bottle of cleaning spray. Sssshh! she said,...
The children pedaled hard up the steep hill that overlooked Pleasant Valley Park. Suddenly, they came to a screeching halt. They barely recognized their favorite park in the large valley below. Gone were the baseball and soccer fields, the playground...
After dinner, the children were playing Go Fish when Grandma Belles grandson called. So sorry we missed your visit, he said, but I took Grandma Belle to a doctors appointment. Her hip is doing very well. She was feeling so much better that we decided...
The children rang the bell but no one answered. They knocked on the door. Still nothing. Grandma Belle cant go out with a broken hip, said Violet. Benny peered through the window. Her wheelchairs gone! I left it right there in the corner. Maybe she w...
As they wheeled their bikes into the diners bike rack, an orange pickup truck came speeding down the street. Isnt that the same Jessie began, just as the truck squealed around in a U-turn. He is one very bad driver, said Henry. The truck screeched to...
The next morning, as the children pulled their bikes in front of the old blue house, they saw a young man in a robe and pajamas stomping around in the bushes. May I help you? he asked. Did you just move in? asked Jessie. Me? Oh, dear me, no. Im visit...
Its all my fault. A sorrowful Mrs. McGregor sat on the sofa. I let Watch out in the yard for a bit of exercise while I relaxed inside. I did hear him barking. But hed been barking all day, what with so many strangers coming and going. And, well, I ju...
The dinner table buzzed with excited voices as the children told Grandfather about the yard sale and the old blue house and the mask Benny found. Wait, Ill show you! Benny dashed to his room and brought back the mask. Look, he said. Grandfather, said...
Five minutes later, the children stood in front of 332 Locust. Faded blue paint chipped and peeled off the old house. Thick weeds choked the flowerbeds and grew up through cracks in the walk. Hot summers and freezing winters had turned the white pick...
A bolt of lightning ripped across the night sky. One, one-thousand, whispered a frightened voice. Two, one-thousand, whispered another. Three, one-thousand, four, one-thousand, counted four soft voices together. Five, one Thunder shook the house. The...
