Wednesday, July 7, 2010

EPILOGUE

SCRIBBLERS

C2004 By Gracie Prior

Mary pushed Jimmy to the Junior High School in his wheel chair. Butch and Terry were by his side. Though things didn’t turn out the way everyone wanted, the Scribblers passed through the next arch of learning with hope.

The End

(This story is now complete. I hope you have enjoyed reading it. There will be more stories on this blog from time to time. Nancy)

CHAPTER XXXVIII. SUMMER'S END

SCRIBBLERS

By

C 2004 Gracie Prior

Doctor Dr. Quentin,

The summer is over and what a blast it was! Everything was so perfect until Jimmy had that accident. Dad has been doing so well that we just use the downstairs bed to put junk on. He hasn’t been coughing much at all. His medicine seems to be working.

I loved the Sesquicentennial. It was so great to hear the crowds cheering for us as the writers. That’s what I want to be when I grow up, some sort of writer. And Mary has been such help with the Scribblers. I don’t know how we ever managed without her. Well, school is looming over my future. I hope that is the worst thing I have to look forward to. Junior High should be fun. We’ll see. Thanks for caring Doctor, Dear. Terry

* * *

Diary Man,

Butch here. We finally got rid of Marabella and Connie. I get my room back for awhile, at least, till they figure out what to do. Marabella didn’t find a job so it’s back to Pennsylvania for them. I have tried to be nicer to Mom and Dad, but I don’t think they notice. They still treat me like I’m five. I think of Jimmy and how well he’s taking all his pain and woe. Then I just have to let the parents rant and rave. At least I can walk. Gosh, it’s been a great summer. I hate to see it end. Soon we four will be the youngest in school again. That stinks. Oh, well, new experiences loom on the horizon. That’s all, Diary Man

* * *

Dear Louisa,
Bitty just crawled across the floor tonight. She is so cute. Mom lets me take care of her and I love to do it. Now that school is starting, I’m going to be busy. I’m still planing to watch her in the evenings for a little so Mom can get a break. She misses the library. There’s no way she could watch Bitty and do that job, too. I will remember this summer the rest of my life. What was life before I met the Three Musketeers? I have so much to look forward to. I can write and I can act and we can plan activities. My world just opened up and I am so happy. Daddy says his revival went well. He has some new people in church and there are new members at other churches, too. I’m so glad we moved here. It just seems like destiny or something. One more thing. We are all hoping Jimmy’s new surgery goes well and he can walk again. That’s my only sorrow in all this glorious good news. Love, Mary

* * *

Dear Diary,
School is starting soon and I don’t know if I’ll be going in a wheelchair, crutches, or walking. Walking, I hope. The operation is scheduled for next week. I’ll miss a bit of school, but it can’t be helped. They wrote a story about my surgery in the newspaper. I’m a big celebrity I guess. I wish I could have gotten there another way. I am glad of school no matter what happens with the surgery. I love the classes and the kids everywhere and mostly the writing assignments. We’ll have to be even better for the new school.

I’m enjoying the Bible Mary loaned me. I am almost done with the New Testament. Maybe I can persevere like Paul, in good times and bad. That is my goal. Isn’t it wonderful, Diary, that Mary came to town? If we were the Three Musketeers, then Mary became our D’Artanyan.







Thursday, July 1, 2010

CHAPTER XXXVII. GLORY IN THE STARS

SCRIBBLERS

C 2004 By Gracie Prior

Summer was slipping away again. School started in a few weeks. Jimmy was to have his new operation at the end of August. Butch was expecting his aunt and cousin to leave for the school year. Terry’s dad was doing well and Bitty was growing so fast Mary could hardly keep up with her.

Butch saw in the paper that there was to be a meteor shower during the week. To see it required staying up till dawn or getting up at around two A.M. He would love to call up the Scribblers and see if they wanted to watch the stars together.

Mrs. McNeil said it was fine if they had a chaperon, but she was too old to stay out in the cool night air at her age. “I don’t expect any parent will agree to it.”

Butch called Terry first. He could come but he also needed a grown up to be with them and his parents weren’t in the running. Butch was getting nervous. He was nearly out of options. Mary sounded excited about seeing the stars and having a star party. To Butch’s surprise Mary’s mom said she would come and supervise if the kids kept quiet and didn’t wake up the neighborhood. He guessed she didn’t want ‘the neighborhood’ to know they were out there, but he kept that to himself. Butch called Jimmy to invite him, and Mrs. Falcon said she would like to join them.

The evening of the party the Scribblers quietly showed up with pillows, blankets, drinks and food. Butch brought an alarm clock in case everyone slept while the meteors were zooming across the sky. Jimmy and his mom, Terry, Mary and Mrs. Brewster all arrived and set up their places. The kids each had their blankets spread on the ground so they could look straight up at the stars. The moms sat in chairs, under the eaves of the roof of Havenward to keep bugs off and to give the kids some space.

The party started with food and giggles and all kinds of talk until about ten-thirty. Then the moms suggested some sleep while they kept watch. One small lantern was enough to read by. Mrs. Brewster was to guard her charges first and then at about twelve-thirty, Mrs. Falcon would take over. Butch heard whispers and rolled over. He saw the changing of the guard and heard Mrs. Brewster’s voice. “We don’t need to watch, because there is nothing to see, but I want to be able to say we kept good care over our precious charges.”

Butch’s alarm went off at two o’clock. All the Scribblers woke up and looked overhead. At first there was nothing to see but sky and stars. Clouds hid some of them. Butch fixed his gaze in one spot for a long time and then all of a sudden a white streak dashed across the sky. It went so fast that he wasn’t sure he saw it at all.

“Did you guys see that?” Butch asked. “It was awesome. Right across the sky.”

“I did, Butchie,” Mary said. “I saw it.”

They all lay still and looked straight up. Patience was the word for the hour. “There it is!” Jimmy shouted. “I saw one.”

“Where?” Terry asked. “Oh, I see one. It’s like an arc, like a swirling arc.”

It seemed that every five or ten minutes, one or the other of them would squeal and declare their latest find. They watched for about two hours. Butch wasn’t sleepy. He didn’t want to miss this unique experience.

They got very quiet and just stared as the expanse of heaven displayed her treasures. A huge light came at them from beyond the clubhouse and a dark shadow loomed over them.

“Ah ha!” the voice said. The Scribblers looked. It was Mrs. Frumpstead with a flashlight shining right on their blankets and into their faces.

“I knew I’d catch you sooner or later. Bet your folks don’t know about this little get together.” She stood with her hands on her hips and the flashlight pointed on the ground.

“As a matter of fact they do,” said a voice from under the roof and very near the intruder. “I am Mrs. Brewster, Mary’s mom and I am pleased she is so interested in science and the beauty of God’s creation. It is a sight, isn’t it Mrs. Frumpstead?”

The woman was so taken back that she took two steps away from the group. “Well, I never,” she said.

“You never, but you should,” Mrs. Falcon piped in. “Only once in awhile do we get to see something like this beautiful meteor shower and we don’t want to miss it. Won’t you join us?”

Mrs. Brewster got up and went to sit with Mary on her blanket. Mrs. Frumstead sat down heavily in the lawn chair and craned her neck upwards. At that moment a huge star shot clear across the sky as if to say, “I’ll make it worth your while.”

An hour later Butch watched as the other stargazers meandered home. He was sure he was the most amazed person in the world that night. His eyes fell on Mrs. Frumstead as she plodded to her door. She moved as one stunned, not by what she expected to see, Butch thought, but by something wholly supernatural.

(Next week, our story concludes. See you then.)