...figure out what all this means. I'm particularly interested in the part that..."
"Awwwh, Ian! How could you? You've opened it! Oh, no no no no no! I
told you to
wait! Oh, no! You just don't know what you ha--"
"Oh, knock it off, Trudy! You really don't expect me to buy into all that mumbo-jumbo of yours, do you? Its just an old book, and quite intriguing if I do say so. Ooh...I'm so scared...come home and keep me safe, Trudy...."
My comments were met with cursing (uh-oh--she never curses) and crying and a very loud click, and then she was gone. Guess I shouldn't have teased her like that. Oh well, nothing to do now but wait for her to come home.
I tucked my newfound treasure under my arm and headed back upstairs to do some more forbidden reading. As I passed the window that had framed the sparrow like a spring painting earlier, I noticed the tiny creature had flown, its scrub perch now occupied by a horned lark. Strange, I thought, as I lay down across the feather bed and opened the book. Seems too far west--maybe she's lost....
Chapter Two
It had been a week since Trudy had hung up on me. She never came home, and all the peanut butter and jelly bean cookies were gone. I ate them. I hate them, but I ate them, because....