Dragonfly Secret by Carolyn J. Gold

senile to handle your own affairs, and told that person that you believe in fairies, and you don’t want to talk about it?”
    Gramps shook his head. “Why? Damage is done. No sense gettin’ you involved.”
    â€œBut I am involved, Dad. What am I supposed to tell Miss Ryderson?”
    Gramps fixed his stare on Mother. “Why should she ask you? Ain’t Allison’s word good enough to get me shipped off?”
    â€œDad, you know that’s foolishness. But if you start acting this way around Miss Ryderson, no telling what she’ll think. I’ll just tell her Allison lied.”
    Gramps shook his head. “No. It ain’t right to get someone in trouble by saying what ain’t so, even someone as pure disagreeable as Allison.”
    Mother looked at him blankly. “You mean Allison didn’t lie? You do believe in fairies?”
    â€œDid she say I believe in fairies, or did she say I said I believe in fairies?”
    â€œOh, for heaven’s sake, what difference does it make? Do you or don’t you?”
    â€œMakes a heap of difference, Kate. She did hear me say that I do. That’s no lie of hers.”
    â€œDid Allison tell her mother about the fairy story we made up this afternoon?” I asked, hoping to ease Mother into believing what we’d told Allison.
    â€œYou made up a story about fairies?” Mother looked confused again.
    â€œIt’s about a fairy who loved roses,” Jessie piped up.
    â€œAnd Allison made me pick half your roses for her, too,” I said, frowning at the memory.
    Mother looked across the table at me. “Let me get this straight. You made up a fairy story, and Allison was here and knew that. Then Gramps said he believed in fairies, and she heard him. Was it part of the story?”
    â€œYes,” said Jessie.
    At the same time I said, “Sort of,” and Gramps said, “No.”
    Mother folded her napkin and pushed her plate away. “I think it’s time someone told me the whole story, and I don’t mean the one you made up.”
    I glanced at Gramps, but he shook his head, ever so slightly. We had agreed not to tell Mother about the fairy until after Miss Ryderson was finished, and nothing had really changed. If anything, it would be harder for her to know about the fairy now than before.
    â€œJessie and I put some doll furniture and some flowers in the lizard cage in my room. Then Allison came in. I told her we were going to make up a fairy story, sort of like a play. The stuff in the cage was the scenery. Then to get Allison out of my room I picked her some roses. After she left, we were talking about fairies, and Allison came back. She didn’t hear everything we said. I guess it sounded like Gramps said he believed in fairies. But he didn’t exactly say that.”
    Mother looked at me. Then she looked at Jessie. Jessie nodded. “It was like Nathan said.”
    Mother looked at Gramps. He glared at his plate and scowled. “Believe what you want.”
    Mother got up and stood behind his chair. She put her hands on his shoulders. “I love you, Dad. We all do. Even Louise, in her own way. I don’t think it matters whether or not you said you believe in fairies. I don’t even think it matters whether you really do. But I am worried about what Miss Ryderson will think. Promise me you won’t be cranky with her.”
    Gramps softened, and said he’d try.
    â€œAnd Dad, please don’t joke with her about what Allison said. She might not understand.”
    He looked at me and winked. “Don’t say I saw a fairy?”
    â€œRight,” Mother agreed, missing the wink. She got dessert, and we talked about other things that had happened that day. I went to bed feeling happy, because I thought everything was going to be okay. I slept fine. The nightmare didn’t begin until the next morning.

Chapter Ten
    â€œY our room is so stuffy, Nathan. Why