The Hole in The Roof
Emily stared out the rain streaked window, “The perfect Saturday” she thought “Why did it have to be today that it rained? Mom, why can’t you drive me to my friend Lisa’s house to play?”
I’ve already told you Emily, I am sorry but your little sister Lindsey is sick and I can’t leave her here” Mom said gently to Emily.
“Mom” groaned Emily “Please, can you take me in the car to play with Lisa” she whined.
“Can you just play with your brother or sister?” Mom moaned starting to get frustrated.
Emily hung her head. She wanted to scream, to boil over, to explode, she had enough! Her little sister was stuck in bed, and her mom would not even drive her to Lisa’s house to play. It wasn’t fair!
Emily stomped up the stairs and slammed the door. She looked out the window. Two houses down was a falling apart wreck of a house standing there, Mrs. Andrews house. Emily stared at the flower gardens full of tall ugly weeds and the roof with the jagged hole with shingles flaking off like chips of paint.
“That old monster must be sitting on a pile of garbage making plans to take all the children in the neighborhood captive, people in the neighborhood say she doesn’t like kids” thought Emily.
“What are you staring at?” Sneared her older sister Alice from the top bunk of the bed.
“Nothing,” Emily said firmly. “Just the rain.” Not wanting to admit she was afraid of Mrs. Andrews.
“Hey,”said Alice suddenly, “Didn’t you have a baseball game planned with Lisa and your friends” “Yes” said Emily glumly “I did”
“Then why didn’t you go, asked Alice “You can play in rain.
“Mom won’t let me she said it is too far away”whispered Emily.
“Not the one next to Mrs. Andrews house”Alice said strangely.
“Um, I can’t go”Emily said quickly. Alice glared at Emily and made a face. Emily didn’t like that look at all.
Emily wanted to run and hide and stay hidden for a hundred years. She never wanted Alice to know she was afraid of Mrs. Andrews or she would call her a scaredy cat.
Emily ran out of the room, pounded down the stairs, flung herself into the coat closet and buried herself in a mound of coats, shoes and boots.
“Ring, Ring” Emily woke instantly, bounced out of bed and tore the drapes open. She felt like a balloon being filled with helium. She saw sunshine flooding the room and the sweet song of birds chirping filled her ears. She dressed in a hurry running down the stairs shirt flying, still buttoning the last of her buttons. She was ready to grab the phone to call Lisa but her mom beat her there.
“Oh yes Mrs. Thomas I’ll be sure to tell Emily I hope she feels better, thanks.”
Emily stopped in her tracks, her heart sank.
“Oh, Emily” mom said shocked “I had no idea you were here, oh and Lisa is sick with the flu and a high fever she will not be able to play today but she will feel better soon.”
School was miserable with Lisa’s empty seat.
“That was a great game” Emily shouted across the field to Lisa.
“Yeah” Lisa shouted back, “I’m glad that all our friends and us could finally have the game.
“Hey, let’s stay and practice our hitting and pitching” shouted Emily.
So instead of going home, Emily took her place on home plate and Lisa on the gravel pitcher’s mound.
“Ready” shouted Lisa “Oh yeah” replied Emily.
Lisa threw the ball and it went whizzing towards Emily’s bat…
“SMACK” a crackling bang filled the air as Emily’s bat hit directly on the ball. It flew up and up and up then started falling downward. Emily held her breath as it flew right for Mrs. Andrews house. The two girls watched lifelessly as the ball hit the roof with a faint smack it rolled down…
and fell into Mrs. Andrews roof.
“What are we going to do?” Screamed Lisa frantically. “That is my brother’s favorite ball, he has a game tomorrow. He won’t play without it he will be so mad at me.”
“Why did you use it then!” Emily screamed back angrily.
“It was the first ball saw” whimpered Lisa
Lisa and Emily brainstormed a plan to get the ball back. They would go that night when Mrs. Andrews would hopefully be asleep.
That night Alice was at a sleepover at her friend’s house and the bedroom was all Emily’s.
After her mom and dad kissed her and said goodnight the lights went out. She pulled a flashlight from under her pillow, clicked it on and shone it around the room.
She started pulling the sheets the sheets of the beds, then she tied them together in a big long rope. She gathered the huge mound and shoved it under the bottom bunk of the bed.
After that she sat on the bed and waited.
A while later when she was sure her mom and dad were asleep she snuck down the stairs and went to the window on the other side of the house. She flashed the flashlight three times and she saw three flashes back from Lisa, it was the signal. She pushed open the door carefully trying to keep it from creeking. When it opened she stepped into the dim moonlight. Lisa and Emily went past Mrs. and Mrs. Allies house then past Mrs. and Mr. shoun’s house after that they came to Mrs. Andrews house. It looked even scarier up close. “Quick” whispered Emily “Get in Mrs. and Mr. Shoun’s oak tree.” Emily raced to the tree and scurried up.
“Wait, Wait” said a faint voice below, it was Lisa. “I can’t climb trees, remember”
“Oh yeah” groaned Emily. “I forgot about that”
“Wait, Emily I can still get up. Just throw down one end of the rope and pull me up.”
So Emily did and soon Lisa was up in the huge tree.
“Who is going to go down there” whispered Lisa.
“You are”Emily said shakily.
“I can’t go, I can never do that” Lisa cried.
“Ok, fine I’ll do it” announced Emily. She tied the rope of sheets around her waist and the other end to a thick branch and Lisa held on tightly. Emily swung her body so she was hanging from her arms on the branch. She closed her eyes, gathered her courage, took a deep breath and let go of the branch. She was falling and falling and then there was a terrible jerk and she stopped falling. The rope held! Emily took another deep breath, braced herself and called to Lisa “Lower me down.”
The rope suddenly dropped from under her and she fell with it. Another huge lurch stopped her fall but it kept on sliding and a terrified scream from Lisa “I can’t hold on.”
The sheet slipped from her hands and dropped, Emily fell into Mrs. Andrews house and laid helplessly on the floor.
Emily groaned and rolled over. She opened her eyes and a blurry shape was in front of her, it was an old lady. Emily was laying in a soft bed with a cool towel on her aching head. She Whispered, “Where am I.”
“She is alright” the lady said happily “I am Mrs. Andrews” she said softly “You are going to be alright.”
“Mrs. Andrews” said Emily in a hoarse voice. “Have you seen Lisa.”
“Oh yes, of course honey she is right here” Mrs. Andrews soothed.
Emily slowly sat up and leaned against the wall. Her blurry vision started to come to focus. She saw a wrinkled, frail, gentil faced lady leaning over her with a smile on her face, “I’ll get you a warm drink.”
Emily looked around, she was in a clean, nice little room with weathered old board walls. It was quite comfortable in the little house. In the corner was a wooden rocking chair with a small fire place next to it. Mrs. Andrews came back with three cups of steaming hot chocolate. She gave a cup to Lisa a cup to Emily and one for herself and asked them “I would Like to know what your names are.”
“My name is Lisa” replied Lisa.
“My name is Emily” replied Emily proudly.
“Mrs. Andrews” whispered Emily very softly. “How did you get so poor and why don’t you take care of your house.”
Mrs. Andrews sighed and inhaled deeply “My husband died at a very young age and I could not get a job. I had less and less money” she said in a shaky voice. “I kept on getting older and weaker, I could not take care of my house and could hardly get food and… she said sounding like she was about to cry. “I don’t have any friends” she wailed!
“It’s alright” Lisa soothed “We are your friends and we will help you”
Mrs. Andrews sniffled and looked up at Lisa and Emily with red eyes and a tear stained face. She smiled and said “I think you should be going now. Make sure to stop by again soon and we can talk some more. Please come again soon I get lonely.” Then she laughed and said “But maybe not not through the roof”
Lisa and Emily smiled and started walking through the door when a voice stopped them
“Wait, Wait” Mrs. Andrews came over and uncurled her fingers from a shiny baseball with crisp red stitches. The baseball shone in the moonlight.
“Is this yours?” She asked intently. “It is a very nice baseball”
“Oh yes, oh yes it is Mrs. Andrews, thank you, thank you, thank you” Lisa shouted with wide eyes. She carefully reached out and slowly took hold of it as if it was an egg going to crack if she pushed too hard. Lisa and Emily got the sheets and ran to their houses.
Emily tip toed up the stairs to her bedroom. She untied all the sheets and put them on the beds, she crawled into her bed. The sheets were cold, clammy and damp but soon she fell fast asleep.
The next day Lisa and Emily skipped happily over to Mrs. Andrews house.
Mrs. Andrews looked out the window and saw they had shovels and seeds. She was surprised.
“Mrs. Andrews we’re going to plant you a flower garden” they shouted together
“Why thank you so much” she stammered “I don’t know what to say”
Emily and Lisa chopped down the tall dead weeds and planted beautiful flowers. They brought a lawn mower and cut her grass.The day after that they brought tubs of clothing and some furniture for her house.
Day after day they brought gifts and supplies. They fixed her roof, resided her house and painted, got carpeting for her and brought food. They visited her often and talked to her.
Mrs. Andrews told them one day, “What can I do for you, you have done so much for me.” Emily smiled, “Don’t you understand you don’t have to give us anything, this is what friends do.”
