I’ll bring the wagon back in a couple hours.”
I eat my orange as I walk directly to my cache. I completely clean it out. I spend the next hour pushing the heavy load through the sand. I am exhausted when I come to the village, but I don’t stop until I come to Bill’s shop.
“Alex, what do you have there?” he asks as he steps out his door.
“How much will you give me for everything?” I ask, wiping sweat off my forehead.
He gapes at my vast collection. “Alex, these are very nice items. The best I’ve seen, but the season’s pretty much over. If you can wait until next spring, I can give you a lot more than I can right now.”
“I really need the money,” I explain. “I’ll take whatever you can afford.”
The wagon is empty, and my pocket feels just as empty as I walk home. Bill was only able to give me a hundred and fifty dollars with a promise of a hundred more the next year. I am sad to have given up my entire stash, especially since I can’t even buy one window with what I earned, but I don’t feel right about having the stash if it can’t help me and Gramps.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Christian asks from Marjory’s porch, flanked by Sven and Henrik.
I avoid looking at him as I walk into the yard. “No, but please tell Marjory ‘thank you’ for the use of the wagon.” I park it in her shed.
“She went to your house,” Sven points across the street. “You can thank her yourself,” he says rudely. I don’t know what I’ve done to tick him off.
Hypothesis # 8 – Sven doesn’t like me.
It’s really strange, Christian blows through his lips and Sven responds with a blow of his own. They frown at each other. Maybe this is some weird Danish thing? I think as I walk across the street, not bothering to tell the Pedersens goodbye.
Marjory is coming out my door as I walk up the sidewalk.
“Thank you for loaning me your wagon,” I tell her.
“Ah, Singer beauty!” she exclaims, lovingly patting my cheek. “You will come to dinner, tomorrow!”
She leaves without explaining a thing.
“Gramps?” I call into the house.
“In here,” he says from his room. I go to the back of the house and find that he has boarded up his bedroom window. “This one was bad, too.” He shakes his head. “I was going to trade you rooms, but it seems we’re both out of luck.”
“What was Marjory talking about?” I change the subject, putting my back to the boar ded window.
“She’s invited us to dinner to get to know her guests better.” Gramps closes his toolbox.
“But I have so much homework,” I whine.
“You have to eat anyway, besides I already agreed to go.”
“Gramps…”
“I really don’t know what you’re complaining about.” He smiles at me. “From the ruckus going on in the village, I think you’ll be the envy of all the girls in the county.”
“I don’t want to be the envy of all the girls in the county. I want to be left alone! I thought that was what you wanted, also?”
“Singers may not be a lot of things, but we are always good neighbors. We will be going to dinner tomorrow night.”
It’s no use arguing with him. I stomp to my room and slam the door. It has been an all around bad day.
3
Carpooling
That night I’m bombarded by nightmares of drowning in the sea. They are filled with darkness, only darkness. I am swallowed by it. My voice is stuck in my throat as I struggle in the depths. My body thrashes in the water, trying to break the surface. I am finally able to scream.
“It’s only a dream!” Gramps’ callused hand caresses my face. “It’s only a dream!”
I open my eyes and suck in a deep breath. My body trembles as I begin to sob. “The darkness,” I say, over and over, trying to free my mind from the nightmare.
“We’ve got to get this damn window replaced!” he says, angry with himself. “I’ll do what I
I eat my orange as I walk directly to my cache. I completely clean it out. I spend the next hour pushing the heavy load through the sand. I am exhausted when I come to the village, but I don’t stop until I come to Bill’s shop.
“Alex, what do you have there?” he asks as he steps out his door.
“How much will you give me for everything?” I ask, wiping sweat off my forehead.
He gapes at my vast collection. “Alex, these are very nice items. The best I’ve seen, but the season’s pretty much over. If you can wait until next spring, I can give you a lot more than I can right now.”
“I really need the money,” I explain. “I’ll take whatever you can afford.”
The wagon is empty, and my pocket feels just as empty as I walk home. Bill was only able to give me a hundred and fifty dollars with a promise of a hundred more the next year. I am sad to have given up my entire stash, especially since I can’t even buy one window with what I earned, but I don’t feel right about having the stash if it can’t help me and Gramps.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Christian asks from Marjory’s porch, flanked by Sven and Henrik.
I avoid looking at him as I walk into the yard. “No, but please tell Marjory ‘thank you’ for the use of the wagon.” I park it in her shed.
“She went to your house,” Sven points across the street. “You can thank her yourself,” he says rudely. I don’t know what I’ve done to tick him off.
Hypothesis # 8 – Sven doesn’t like me.
It’s really strange, Christian blows through his lips and Sven responds with a blow of his own. They frown at each other. Maybe this is some weird Danish thing? I think as I walk across the street, not bothering to tell the Pedersens goodbye.
Marjory is coming out my door as I walk up the sidewalk.
“Thank you for loaning me your wagon,” I tell her.
“Ah, Singer beauty!” she exclaims, lovingly patting my cheek. “You will come to dinner, tomorrow!”
She leaves without explaining a thing.
“Gramps?” I call into the house.
“In here,” he says from his room. I go to the back of the house and find that he has boarded up his bedroom window. “This one was bad, too.” He shakes his head. “I was going to trade you rooms, but it seems we’re both out of luck.”
“What was Marjory talking about?” I change the subject, putting my back to the boar ded window.
“She’s invited us to dinner to get to know her guests better.” Gramps closes his toolbox.
“But I have so much homework,” I whine.
“You have to eat anyway, besides I already agreed to go.”
“Gramps…”
“I really don’t know what you’re complaining about.” He smiles at me. “From the ruckus going on in the village, I think you’ll be the envy of all the girls in the county.”
“I don’t want to be the envy of all the girls in the county. I want to be left alone! I thought that was what you wanted, also?”
“Singers may not be a lot of things, but we are always good neighbors. We will be going to dinner tomorrow night.”
It’s no use arguing with him. I stomp to my room and slam the door. It has been an all around bad day.
3
Carpooling
That night I’m bombarded by nightmares of drowning in the sea. They are filled with darkness, only darkness. I am swallowed by it. My voice is stuck in my throat as I struggle in the depths. My body thrashes in the water, trying to break the surface. I am finally able to scream.
“It’s only a dream!” Gramps’ callused hand caresses my face. “It’s only a dream!”
I open my eyes and suck in a deep breath. My body trembles as I begin to sob. “The darkness,” I say, over and over, trying to free my mind from the nightmare.
“We’ve got to get this damn window replaced!” he says, angry with himself. “I’ll do what I
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