TYGER LILLY
by
Lisa Trusiani
SMASHWORDS EDITION
* * * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
Lisa Trusiani on Smashwords
Tyger Lilly
Copyright © 2009 by Lisa Trusiani
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
* * * * *
Preface
Lilly Wilder didn’t remember her father. He died when she was four years old. Someone told Lilly how it happened but later Lilly couldn’t recall who this was. Lilly did remember that her father was a popcorn vendor at the circus, and one day the star tiger ate him.
Not all tigers like popcorn but this one did. Having discovered its tiger had a fondness for popcorn, the circus rehearsed a new act. The tiger was to act like a poodle, sitting on hind legs begging for a treat. But when the popcorn treat arrived, the moronic beast opened its massive maw and swallowed one dozen bags of popcorn, the tray that carried the popcorn, and the popcorn vendor carrying the tray. All that remained was her father’s right shoe.
Lilly imagined her father wore red-striped pants and looked like a giant box of popcorn, which was why the confused tiger gobbled him up. It was a disaster for the circus, for Lilly, and of course, for Lilly’s father most of all.
At the age of eleven, Lilly believed this story to be entirely true. It wasn’t except for the most important fact – a tiger did eat Lilly’s father.
Chapter 1
Lilly waited for a speeding flower truck to pass then hurried across the street toward home. “Will she talk to me?” asked Lilly. No one answered because Lilly was alone. She often talked to herself right out loud when no one was near. Hearing her own voice made Lilly feel better, almost like a friend was close by. But she was careful not to let kids at school hear her talking to herself. It would be one more reason for them to tease and there were already plenty. Her home was one of the most obvious.
Lilly lived in a tumbledown Victorian-style house. A stained glass window gaped holes like a prizefighter’s knocked out teeth. A turret sagged like a pointy hat on a drunken witch. And the porch sloped like the deck of a ship that had weathered many too many storms. It would be difficult to pinpoint the color of Lilly’s house except to say it was splotchy. Peeling paint revealed so many colors, shades of yellow, green, gray and one hundred years before that pink. Despite these imperfections, the old house reminded Lilly of a queen dethroned through no fault of her own. Its spooky appearance put the rest of the neighborhood in mind of a haunted house.
Walking along the side of her house, Lilly stopped to open the back gate and scan the yard for a sign of her mother. Lilly spotted her mother’s cloud only three feet off the ground. When Lilly’s father died, her mother was flooded with silence. A light gray cloud soon appeared over her head growing denser and darker until it was the color of elephant hide. It floated faithfully over her day after day. At night while she slept, the cloud grew lighter and became a shadowy vapor floating inches above her body from her head to her toes. Mrs. Wilder and her cloud were inseparable.
“I’m home,” said Lilly. She saw her mother sitting on the ground next to an enormous crocodile stretching the length of two park benches. The crocodile’s face was forever hidden under its tail. Lilly’s mother built the green crocodile years ago and named him McMuggster. Mrs. Wilder made animal sculptures called topiaries, some as high or as long as twenty feet.
Lilly found the process fascinating to watch even if she was jealous of the time her mother spent with them. To start, Mrs. Wilder built steel frames shaped like animals. They looked to Lilly like the skeletons of prehistoric beasts one might see in a natural history museum. Not that Lilly had been to a museum but she’d seen videos about dinosaurs at school. Once a frame was built, Mrs. Wilder planted climbing ivy and trained it to grow up along the steel frame. When the frame was completely covered by ivy, it looked like a gigantic, green animal living in her backyard. That’s where Mrs. Wilder made them, and that’s where she took care of them. They were her silent pets.
When Mrs. Wilder worked in her backyard, neighbors saw her cloud even when they didn’t see her. If she had walked to town, people would have seen her cloud from blocks away. But after Lilly’s father left and never returned home, Lilly’s mother never left home again.
One more thing Lilly’s mother stopped doing was taking care of Lilly. Fortunately The Church Lady, a kind, elderly neighbor, fed Lilly and her mother every day for years. When The Church Lady departed, Lilly’s mother still didn’t take care of Lilly, so Lilly took care of herself and her mother.
“I’m home from school, Mother.” Lilly kneeled in front of her mother and picked up a plate from the ground. Before school, Lilly had given her mother a peanut butter sandwich on this plate, which was now empty. I’m glad she ate something, thought Lilly. I bet she’s been here all day talking to McMuggster.
Lilly touched her mother’s icy hand. The calendar at school said it was spring, but Lilly thought it felt more like winter warmed over. “Don’t forget to put your hands in your pocket, mother.” The flowers didn’t know how to act either, or so it seemed to Lilly. Some had bloomed already in a burst of sunny days then died from a chill that refused to leave.
Lilly’s mother didn’t answer. At least she’s wearing her coat, thought Lilly. I guess she’ll be okay. Lilly sometimes needed to remind her mother about obvious things, like warming her hands, coming in from outdoors and eating her dinner.
“Mother,” Lilly spoke slightly above a whisper. “I don’t know if you’ll understand this but we’re studying genes in school. We learned if one parent has blue eyes and the other parent has brown eyes, then their babies will probably have brown eyes. I started wondering. I have blue eyes and you have blue eyes but I don’t know what color eyes my father had. Can you tell me?”
Lilly’s mother stopped whispering to the ivy crocodile but didn’t look up. “Your father,” said Mrs. Wilder softly.
Lilly held her breath. Her mother, who rarely uttered a word to Lilly, had never spoken about her father. “Your father said there is a white tiger with blue eyes.”
It wasn’t the answer Lilly hoped for but her mother had spoken. “He did?” said Lilly hoping to hear more.
“It’s hard to see your eyes,” said Lilly’s mother still looking away.
“You can see them if you look at me, Mother.” Lilly spoke patiently as though her mother were a young child. Her voice rose excitedly as she bent over to make it easier for her mother to see.
“I know how I could see your eyes better,” said Lilly’s mother.
“Yes?” said Lilly smiling.
“Peek out from under that tail, McMuggster.”
Lilly’s smile vanished. She blinked back tears. My mother wouldn’t notice if I disappeared, thought Lilly.
Lilly carried the plate away. As she headed toward her bedroom window Lilly heard noises, animal noises. She could count on her pets to be happy to see her – all forty-nine of them. Lilly jumped up, swung her legs over the windowsill and slid into her bedroom. Climbing in through the windows seemed a natural solution to Lilly since the front and back doors had been locked and the keys missing for as long as she could remember. Her mother preferred the kitchen window where Lilly kept a chair on the inside and a step stool on the outside to make climbing up and down easier.
“Olive!” Lilly shouted for her parrot as soon as her feet touched the ground. Olive was Lilly’s best friend and the only animal Lilly remembered having always had.
“Olive!” shouted Lilly again. Razz Ma Tazz, a French rooster, answered indignantly with “URT-URT-AROOO!” Razz couldn’t imagine why Lilly called for Olive so often, the old feather duster!
Lilly found her animals by tacking up a PETS WANTED sign in the Post Office. It was next to the sheriff’s MOST WANTED poster of criminals. People called Lilly about all kinds of pets – crawfish, cockatoos, geckos and goldfish. One hysterical woman asked if Lilly would adopt her ravenous pot-bellied pig. Lilly said she couldn’t. It would be impossible to find enough food to keep up with that appetite.
Once Sheriff McDuffie told Lilly, “You’re doing better in the pet department than I am in the criminal department, young lady. What’s your secret?” Lilly couldn’t think of any secret. It seemed obvious that so many animals were available because families often tried a pet on for size and decided it didn’t fit. Seeing Lilly’s sign gave them a way out. Instead of feeling guilty about giving up a member of the family, they felt good about donating their pet to the ragamuffin kid in the haunted house.
Chapter 2
“Olive, where are you?” hollered Lilly. Razz Ma Tazz trotted over and crowed. Lilly put her mother’s plate with the other dirty dishes on top of her dresser. It was a real balancing act. Then she flung her backpack onto her bed and flung herself on it, too.
The jumbled sounds of Lilly’s sweet voice and the rooster’s harsh bellow incited a wild ruckus. All the other animals quacked, cackled and thumped except for the fish. Those underwater barnstormers swam excited loop-de-loops.
The animals lived with Lilly in her bedroom, originally a dining room. It was small for a large group of animals but Lilly liked their close quarters. It was cozy. Olive flew in from outside. Lilly kept the window open even in chilly weather.
“Look Olive I brought you a present,” said Lilly, settling on the bed. She held open a book for the old parrot to see. “It wasn’t Library Day, but Miss Brightman let me take it out. It’s a book about parrots.” Olive perched on the bed rail and stared intently as if reading.
Refusing to be left out, Razz Ma Tazz spread his wings and took a flying leap into Lilly’s lap. “Not now, Razz,” said Lilly patiently. Razz squatted stubbornly on the book and nuzzled Lilly under her chin. She patted his head and spoke soothingly. “I’ll play with you later.” Lilly carried Razz Ma Tazz to the window and shooed him out. She watched Lady the Duck (who thought she was a chicken) follow him.
“Olive,” said Lilly returning to the book, “this says parrots eat mostly fruit and seeds with a few bugs for protein. But you eat mostly bugs and any old crumb. Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you: Have you been eating my toothpaste, Olive?”
Lilly lifted a white guinea pig named Janie from a wire cage on the floor. “I’ve been blaming poor Janie, you know.” Janie was “poor Janie” because she seemed a little muddled, even for a guinea pig. Olive, who didn’t appreciate being accused of poaching toothpaste, let out a high-pitched shriek.
The sound sent Janie scrambling. “Ow! You’re digging my arm!” yelped Lilly as Janie tried to claw her way to safety. Lilly plopped Janie into her cage. Olive shuffled and scuffled across the iron bed railing, shrieking indignantly.
“Olive, please calm down,” said Lilly, rubbing her scratches. Although Lilly spoke to the parrot as though Olive could understand, Lilly stopped believing Olive did years ago. Lilly spoke to Olive because she always had. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” said Lilly. “You know I didn’t.” At that Olive quieted.
Lilly named Olive for her color. Except for orange feathers on her neck, breast and under her wings, Olive was a green parrot. The shade of green, however, was not like an olive. It was like a lime. But Lilly named her Olive because “Who ever heard of a parrot named Lime?”
Lilly reached into her pants pocket. “I have something else for you, Olive. I saw a first grader leave it in the lunchroom, and I took it for you. Really, I planned to give it to you all along.” Lilly wondered if her bribe would work. She didn’t want Olive feeling insulted and holding a grudge. If a parrot can sniff, Olive sniffed as she watched Lilly pull out what appeared to be a crumpled napkin. Unfolded, it revealed a mound of yellow crumbs. “Corn muffin, one of your favorites,” tempted Lilly.
As Olive ate Lilly fished through her pocket, then pulled everything out. It was a surprisingly large pile for a small pocket and contained a pig-shaped eraser, two rubber bands, and a collection of business cards because they were free for the taking and fun to carry around.
“I wanted to show you the penny I found, Olive. It was differ– Oh, dang.” Lilly interrupted herself having discovered, not the elusive penny, but a scrap of paper with scribbled handwriting. Lilly stared at it groaning. “MONKEY DUNG! It’s a note from my mother, Olive. She left it for me days ago and I forgot all about it.” Lilly read it again. “I guess I have to go out. She wants me to buy monkey dung.” Olive squawked. “I don’t know why. I think she’s experimenting with fertilizers,” answered Lilly with a shrug. “The Garden Center was closed for awhile. It’s open now with new people in charge.”
Lilly headed for the nearest exit, her bedroom window. “Bye!” she yelled as she scrambled out and hopped the short distance to the ground. Lilly hurried to the front yard and toward the center of town.
On her way to the Garden Center, Lilly saw one of her classmates, Isadora Snodgrass, with her mother. The two were overloaded with shopping bags from the town’s only clothing store, expensive Trout Boutique. Isadora cast a sullen glance at Lilly but saved her whining for her mother. “M-m-o-m.”
“I won’t buy you short pants, Isadora.”
“They’re capris, Mom.”
Mrs. Snodgrass watched Lilly walk past then whispered loudly, “Short pants, pedal pushers, capris… whatever you want to call them, Isadora, see how atrocious they look.”
Lilly was sorry to hear this. Her pants were inches above her ankles so she pretended they were capris instead of hand-me-downs two sizes too small. Lilly had hoped she looked stylish in them but now she knew she looked atrocious.
Lilly watched Isadora and her mother walk away. Lilly envied Isadora, not because there was anything likeable about the girl. There wasn’t. Isadora was meaner than a stepped-on snake. Isadora’s mother, a real estate agent with her own office in town, wasn’t nice either. But they had each other and Lilly envied Isadora for that reason alone. My mother would rather talk to her plants instead of me, thought Lilly.
“I wish I had a real family with someone to talk to,” murmured Lilly, pushing open the door to the Garden Center. Lilly looked around. While the old store was filled with empty shelves, the new store’s shelves overflowed with gardening gadgets of all kinds. There were gloves, hand tools, kneepads, planters, watering cans, ‘how to’ books and ‘how not to’ books all beautifully displayed. Flowering plants, herbs, ferns, small trees, plus bags of potting soil, fertilizer and grass seed crowded the floor. A canopy of sheer green cloth floated above Lilly’s head, hiding the ceiling but letting light filter through.
Lilly’s eyes stopped at the cash register where a wizened, old woman stood so still Lilly wondered if she was a statue. Lilly didn’t speak. How idiotic she would feel if Isadora and her mother walked in and caught her speaking to a statue.
Lilly stared. But before Lilly could see whether the statue was breathing, in which case it wouldn’t be a statue, the woman spoke. “You’ve come at last.”
“You knew I would be here?” asked Lilly. “How?”
“A little bird,” answered the woman with a crescent moon smile. Her eyes were the light blue of a robin’s egg. Her skin was tan from a long lifetime in the sun. Her face was striped with wrinkly lines. And she had so many crow’s feet it looked as though the crow had tap-danced around her eyes and mouth.
Lilly saw paper bags of monkey dung fertilizer piled on the floor. She lifted one to the counter and paid. “Wait,” the woman said, “I have a gift for you.”
Lilly looked at her in surprise. The woman moved her hand slowly toward the pocket of her vest and reached inside. The black vest was embroidered with bright threads winding their way from a moon into plants and animals below. Holding her cupped hand towards Lilly, the woman’s fingertips pressed together. Lilly noticed the woman’s fingers were arthritic and gnarled like the twisty claw of a bird. But they opened gracefully.
“Take these Bowku seeds,” said the woman.
Lilly looked at three specs in the woman’s hand. They looked disappointingly ordinary. They weren’t brightly colored or iridescent or glowing. They didn’t jump or gyrate or twist. They were miniscule, dirt brown, still and completely ordinary except for a quiet humming.
Lilly held out her hand. “Why are you giving them to me?”
“So you will discover how extraordinary the ordinary can grow to be,” the woman answered. “Please excuse me,” she added. “I must be going.” She shuffled toward the back room, leaving Lilly speechless.
Chapter 3
Lilly took the bag of monkey dung and set it down near her mother who was where Lilly had seen her last. Mrs. Wilder whispered to McMuggster, coaxing the ivy to grow. The crocodile’s tail was balding in spots where the greenery was too thin.
Leaves rustled. Lilly turned to see Olive land nearby. The parrot perched on the snout of a great green grizzly whose head was thrown back in a powerful but silent growl. The grizzly stood on hind legs stretching toward the sky.
Lilly wondered if she should try to speak to her mother again. Despite the breeze, the dark, dense vapor above her mother barely moved. Lilly held the seeds in her fist then opened her hand hoping her mother would look at them. “Do you think we could plant these, mother?” Lilly stood waiting.
“What?” murmured Mrs. Wilder. When she looked past Lilly with her dull, sad eyes, Lilly knew more certainly than ever that her mother simply could not talk to her.
Lilly’s mother saw the fertilizer. “Ah, monkey dung,” she murmured to herself.
Disappointed, Lilly stomped to her bedroom window. Olive flew alongside without a sound. As Lilly slipped over the windowsill, she threw the seeds behind her into the yard. “Extraordinary? Ordinary? It doesn’t matter,” grumbled Lilly. “I just want someone to talk to.”
Lilly didn’t notice the seeds buzzing as they speeded through the air. Nor was she aware that the seed Olive caught and swallowed tasted delightfully like a perfectly ripe pomegranate.
Lilly flung herself on her bed and picked up the parrot book. “Are you sure you’re a parrot, Olive? You’re not at all like the birds in this book,” complained Lilly.
“No apology!” answered a raspy voice. “I make no apology for who I am.”
Lilly sat up with a bolt. “Who said that?” she asked looking around.
“TIMMAA!” came a cry. “You were speaking to me, Lilly. Haven’t I always answered you? Yayayayaya.” Lilly stared at Olive. The old parrot was perched on the windowsill laughing.
Lilly was speechless. Fortunately, breathing is automatic or she might have stopped breathing, too. Olive, meanwhile, was preoccupied. Lilly thought Olive was dancing until she realized Olive was using her feet to make a small square of cloth into a miniature pouch.
“HOBO! Help fasten this hobo sack around my neck, would you, please, Lilly, dear?” The parrot rolled its r’s screaming, “Brrring strrring! Any bit of strrring will do.”
“S-s-s-s-s?” Lilly’s stutter sputtered out.
“Poor girl is stunned into silence,” said Olive, still speedily moving her feet. “THUNDER-STRRRUCK may be a better exprrression! Thunderstruck is an etymological root of stunned. Thunderstruck is also the orrrigin of astonish and astound. FLABBERGASTED! I’m partial to flabbergasted, myself.”
For a moment Lilly heard nothing. She felt as though she was underwater. She watched Olive’s beak move but heard nothing. Suddenly, Lilly realized Olive was speaking. Speaking her language. “Oh, talk again! Talk again! How did you do it, Olive?”
“DELICIOUS!” shouted the old bird. “It must be that delicious seed I ate.”
Lilly laughed. “This is wonderful, Olive!”
The bird screeched, “Misconceptions run amok!”
“Miss who?” asked Lilly.
“Misconceptions, mistakes, Lilly. You have made two mistakes!”
“I have?”
“Indeed,” said the parrot. “A rrrose by any other name is still a rose and would smell as sweet… eceteri, ecetera, eceterum… However, a rrrose would not ask to be called ‘rump roast,’ or ‘axle grease’ or ‘tongue-tied.’”
“Are you saying your name isn’t Olive?” asked Lilly.
“Exactly and directly rrright,” said the parrot. “My name is Professor Tobias RRRoufus-tailed Tuft.”
“But that’s a boy’s name.”
“TIMM-AHA! Your second mistake, Lilly… we parrots are pRRRivate. So, take my word, I am male.”
“Sorry, Oli- Do I really have to call you, Professor Rump-tail, er… ?”
“RRRoufus-tailed Tuft. I am the last of my kind.” He drew himself up to his full twelve inches. “My grrreat, grrreat, grrreat grandmother was taken as a specimen in the late 1800’s, poor parrot. When they never saw another RRRoufus-tailed Tuft again, they assumed we were extinct.”
“But you weren’t or you couldn’t be here,” said Lilly.
“RRRIGHT! Exactly and directly right. After they kidnapped my grreat, grreat, great grandmother, my family stayed high-nigh out of sight. TO THE CANOPY! THE CANOPY! We parrots like to nest in the top, on the highest branches of the highest trees.”
“I can’t believe I’m talking to you. And you’re talking to me. And we understand each other, Olive!” Realizing her mistake, Lilly apologized. “I’m sorry, ‘Professor’?”
“TOBIAS!” screeched the parrot. “You may call me, Tobias. Please help me with this sack.” Lilly pulled yarn from an old pompom hat and tied the ends of the sack closed while Tobias cautioned her not to peek inside. Lilly tied the sack around Tobias’ neck.
When Lilly finished helping Tobias, she jumped up. “There were three seeds. I have to find the others so Razz Ma Tazz or Lady or Janie can talk, too.” Lilly jumped out the window into the yard. She knelt and listened for the Bowku seeds. “They must be here,” she murmured to herself. “How many did you eat, Tobias?”
“Only one,” he answered honestly. Tobias marched through the uncut weeds neither listening nor looking for the seeds. He watched Razz Ma Tazz chase Lady the Duck. “RRREVOLTING! I can imagine what’s on that bird’s mind,” groaned Tobias. “I’ve been listening to him for years. His utterances are totally unsuitable for a girl your age. RRRECONSIDER! I do hope you’ll give it more thought, Lilly.”
Lilly, however, was determined. Giving up hope of finding Bowku seeds on the ground, Lilly announced, “I’m going back to the Garden Center for more!” This time Tobias went, too.
Lilly hurried to the Garden Center, chattering to Tobias, who sat silently on her shoulder. He had no intention of being heard by any person except Lilly.
Chapter 4
When Lilly rushed into the Garden Center, the only person she saw was a tall boy standing on the top rung of a short stepstool. He stopped stocking shelves and asked, “Can I help you?”
Lilly stared. The boy’s eyes were as shining and black as the onyx stones Lilly liked to hold in her hands after a rainstorm. His hair was darker. But his most distinctive feature by far was his tail.
His tail was covered in a dark, silky fur and stuck out nearly eighteen inches through the seat of his jeans. It curled up like a constant smile or a miniature jump rope always at the ready. Lilly had never seen anything like it before except on an animal.
Tobias leaned in very close and whispered into her ear. “Lilly, you are much too polite to stare so. At least close your mouth.”
“I-I-I need…” Lilly stammered, then stopped.
“Animal, mineral or vegetable?” asked the boy.
“A man is an animal,” declared Lilly, not making any sense.
“That’s true,” said the boy. “Even George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.”
Having turned completely around to face Lilly, the boy’s tail was now out of sight. Lilly spoke despite feeling scattered, “I need to speak to the woman who was working here earlier.” Tobias sat quietly on Lilly’s shoulder.
“You must mean my mother. She’s out for a few minutes,” said the boy. “Maybe I can help you.”
“She couldn’t have been your mother,” said Lilly shaking her head. “Unless your mother is over a hundred years old.”
“You saw an old woman working here? I don’t think so. My mother and I were the only ones here all day. My mother is the new owner, but you can speak to me. I’m Dorian.”
Lilly frowned. “But I was here before and an old woman was working. You must have seen her. She was ancient. She reminded me of a bird. Except she didn’t have feathers or claws or a beak.” Lilly added this because she was speaking to a boy with a tail.
“Where was she?” asked Dorian stepping down from the ladder.
“At your cash register,” replied Lilly.
Dorian made a beeline for the register and hit a button. The drawer sailed open. Lilly watched him lift the tray, count the money hidden underneath, murmur “phew,” and snap the tray shut. Lilly marveled that a person her own age could handle a cash register with such confidence. But it wasn’t nearly as marvelous as having a tail.
“Is anything wrong, Dorian?” asked a woman stepping in from the doorway. Dorian looked up from the register, slightly startled. Tobias gave a quick squawk and flew to the floor where he scavenged for loose seeds.
Lilly looked from the woman to Dorian and saw the same black, shining eyes. Without thinking, Lilly glanced at the woman’s hindquarters for evidence of a tail. A long raincoat hid the area from view. Lilly felt chagrined for looking.
“No, Mom,” said Dorian nervously. “Everything’s okay.” Dorian answered his mother quickly, too quickly. It gave Lilly the impression Dorian didn’t want his mother to know about the old woman Lilly had seen. That’s why she decided not to ask Dorian’s mother about the woman and the seeds for now.
Dorian’s mother knelt by Tobias. She picked a seed up off the floor and held it out to him. “Hello, old friend,” she said.
“He is ancient. His name is Tobias,” said Lilly.
“Nice to meet you, Tobias, and -- ?” she turned to Lilly.
“I’m Lilly. I come here to buy gardening stuff for my mother sometimes.”
“I’m Nadine Mynah and this is my son, Dorian.” Her black eyes shot into Lilly’s as they shook hands. Lilly was mesmerized for the moment.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” said Lilly. Dorian’s mother withdrew her piercing gaze and her hand and placed her purse on the counter.
“What grade are you in, Lilly?” asked Mrs. Mynah.
“Fifth.”
“Dorian is too. If you have time, maybe you could show Dorian around the town.”
Lilly wasn’t used to parents being friendly to her. When someone in Lilly’s class had a birthday party and invited everyone that meant everyone except Lilly.
“Uhm, okay,” said Lilly awkwardly. She didn’t know how to respond to Mrs. Mynah’s friendliness. “I guess you could come with me, Dorian. I have to go to the post office. I could show you where it is.”
“I know where the post office—“ Dorian started.
“You can check our mail while you’re there,” Mrs. Mynah interrupted. She smiled as she handed Dorian a sweatshirt and held open the door. Tobias flew over her head and landed on Lilly’s shoulder.
Dorian pulled on the sweatshirt. Lilly was relieved to see that the oversized sweatshirt covered his tail.
“Sorry about my mother being so pushy,” said Dorian when they were far enough away not to be overheard by her. “Everyone says she’s a force to be reckoned with.”
“At least she talks,” said Lilly. “My mother—well, never mind.” Lilly didn’t want to talk about her mother.
“Oh, and thanks for not telling my mother your story about the old woman.”
“It’s not a story, it’s true,” said Lilly. “Why don’t you want your mother to know?”
“Because if it happened, it happened when I accidentally locked myself in the backroom.”
“How did you get out?”
Dorian shrugged. “I don’t know. The same way I got in, I guess – accidentally. But I don’t want my mother to know. She thinks I’m too young to watch the store alone.”
As they reached the post office, Lilly said agreeably, “Okay, I’ll keep your secret.”
Inside Lilly went to the bulletin board first. Her PETS WANTED poster looked dog-eared. All the tabs with her phone number were torn off. The headline, “Want a loving home for your pet? Call Lilly” was crossed out and someone had written, “Want a haunted dog house? Call Lilly Liver.”
Lilly tore down the sign. “I’d better put up a new one.”
“Does anyone ever call you?” asked Dorian.
“Oh, yes. I take care of forty-nine animals if you count the fish, which I do.”
“How many parrots do you have?”
Lilly laughed. “Just one, but really he takes care of me.”
“Does he now, Miss Wilder?” Lilly jumped. She recognized the gravely voice unhappily and turned to see her teacher, Mr. Stinchfield, standing behind them. He stared at Tobias. Tobias stopped pacing along the white counter top to see who caused Lilly to frown. “He must be a very intelligent bird,” continued Mr. Stinchfield. “What kind is he?”
Lilly didn’t want to say Tobias was a Roofus Tailed-whatever or the last of his kind. She considered it personal information. But lying to her teacher was out of the question not because she wanted to be honest, Lilly was simply afraid of him. Instead of giving him an answer, Lilly gave him a petrified stare.
“Well, Miss Wilder, what kind is he?” insisted Mr. Stinchfield.
“A-a parrot?” Lilly stammered.
“Obviously. What species of parrot?” Mr. Stinchfield asked impatiently. He tried to lift Tobias’ wings. Tobias refused and turned away. Then he stared into Mr. Stinchfield’s two beady eyes with a beady eye of his own.
“A green parrot?” asked Lilly.
“All green parrots are not alike,” said Mr. Stinchfield, growing more annoyed.
“I can’t say exactly,” mumbled Lilly.
“I didn’t hear you,” breathed Mr. Stinchfield, clearly angry.
Lilly stared at her feet. She pressed her feet against the inside of her shoes. She felt the softness of her threadbare socks. She felt the sturdiness of her shoes against the solid floor.
Lilly breathed in deeply filling herself with her breath. Her breath flowed to the tips of her fingers and toes. Lilly breathed out. Her breath flowed out and floated away. With her breath, Lilly floated away.
Dorian and Mr. Stinchfield didn’t shout in surprise because they didn’t know. One of the best things about floating, thought Lilly, is that no one knows. Lilly’s body didn’t move. She stood in the same spot, feet planted, hands clasped. When Mr. Stinchfield and Dorian looked at Lilly, they may only have noticed she was staring an especially vacant stare.
“Cat has your tongue again, Miss Wilder? Well, never mind,” snorted Mr. Stinchfield. He walked out. Lilly breathed in slowly. She thought only about her breath. As her breath flowed in, Lilly slipped inside.
“Who was that?” asked Dorian. He stared through the large window at Mr. Stinchfield walking quickly down the street.
“Mr. Stinchfield is our teacher, Dorian,” whispered Lilly. Dorian flinched. “And the principal of our school. You’re lucky. You’re getting him in fifth grade. I’ve had him since kindergarten.”
“The same teacher every year?” said Dorian alarmed.
“From kindergarten to eighth grade,” said Lilly. “That’s the way they do it at our school.”
“We’re closing soon, Lilly,” called out Sally, the postmistress. Lilly and Dorian walked to the counter. “Don’t wish to rush you, dear, but I have to catch the train home.” She handed Lilly a stack of the sheriff’s MOST WANTED posters.
“Why do you get those?” asked Dorian.
“I collect them,” said Lilly. How could she explain that she wanted to have a collection but couldn’t afford sports cards or pictures of celebrities like some kids in her class? Lilly squirreled away posters of criminals because they were free and interesting to look at.
“Have you ever seen a real criminal here in the post office?” asked Dorian.
Sally answered with a chuckle. “No, but if I do I’ll use my secret weapon.”
“You have a weapon?” asked Lilly.
“Can you two keep a secret?” Sally whispered despite Lilly and Dorian being the only people in the post office. They nodded. “Under the counter here is an alarm that goes to the sheriff’s office. Any trouble, I hit the alarm.” She smiled.
“Wouldn’t a criminal hear the alarm go off?” asked Lilly.
“It doesn’t buzz here. It only buzzes in the sheriff’s office.” Sally smiled.
“We have one in the Garden Center,” said Dorian. “I’m Dorian Mynah. My mother is the new owner of the Garden Center.”
“Nice to meet you, Dorian. I’m Sally. Who’s your other friend, Lilly?” Sally looked at Tobias, who continued to march around her counter.
“This is Tobias,” said Lilly. “He’s my oldest friend.”
“He looks like a spring chicken to me,” laughed Sally. Tobias squawked agreeably. Lilly liked the way Sally’s smile softened her tired face.
“He is old. But I mean he’s been my friend for the longest time,” explained Lilly.
“In that case, why haven’t you brought him for a visit before?” asked Sally.
Lilly grinned awkwardly. She couldn’t tell Sally that today was the first day Tobias said he wanted to come along.
Dorian broke the silence. “Do you have any mail for the Garden Center, Sally?”
Sally closed inkpads and turned off small machines. “No, Dorian, your mother picked it up earlier.” Sally lowered her voice again. “She bumped into Mr. Stinchfield, too. He’s been in and out of here all day hoping for some package to arrive but it never did.”
Sally chuckled. “Your mother isn’t afraid to speak her mind, is she, Dorian?” Dorian didn’t answer but looked embarrassed. Sally continued, “A little boy pretending to ride a motorcycle ran over Mr. Stinchfield’s toes with his tricycle. Mr. Stinchfield blew his top and talked real mean to the boy. His mother tried to make the little boy apologize. Your mother tried to make Mr. Stinchfield apologize. What a sight! I’m not certain your mother realized that Mr. Stinchfield was the principal of your school, Dorian.”
Sally spoke while she slipped into her spring coat and turned the OPEN sign to CLOSED. They followed her out, then Sally waved goodbye and walked toward the train station.
Dorian frowned. “It wouldn’t have mattered if my mother did know Mr. Stinchfield was the principal. She’d have told him off anyway.”
Lilly smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Dorian, Mr. Stinchfield would hate you anyway. Except for Isadora, he hates everyone no matter what.”
As he started to walk home, Lilly thought for a moment then added, “Just the same, Dorian, I’d hide my tail at school, if I were you.”
Chapter 5
Lilly slipped over the windowsill. She wasn’t surprised to see Zelda waiting at the bedroom window with several envelopes in her mouth. Years ago, Lilly taught the rabbit to fetch mail from the front hallway, so crammed with broken furniture and trash only a small animal could make its way through. Lilly was accustomed to Zelda delivering the mail every day. What did surprise Lilly were all the others waiting with Zelda and the thunder of voices that greeted her.
Razz Ma Tazz puffed out his chest and emitted explosive rock-a-roo-roo-roos. Lady bounced from one webbed foot to the other shouting, “Quake quackers!” Janie led a parade of chattering guinea pigs, circling round Lilly’s feet.
Lilly took the mail and set it aside without looking at it. That’s why she missed the bold, red message on one envelope, ‘URGENT… IMPORTANT… PAY ATTENTION… NOW!’
“What’s going on?” asked Lilly when Tobias flew in.
“RRRUMORS!” shrieked Tobias above the din. “A rumor has spread from beast to beast while we were away.”
“What rumor?”
“SPRIEKENZEE!” whooped Tobias. “They think you can understand and speak all of their languages.”
Lilly’s eyes lit up. “I wish I could.”
“I’ll translate but first RRRULES! They’d best end this unruly behavior!” croaked Tobias. He squawked at the crowd in a surprisingly musical way. The animals hushed.
Tobias turned to Lilly. “I instructed them to speak one at a time. Janie is first.”
Lilly lifted Janie and looked into her very sincere, very pink guinea pig eyes. Janie’s teeth began to chatter, like a telegraph operator softly tapping. “It’s a marigold! It’s a marigold!” translated Tobias.
“Marigold?” laughed Lilly. “But I’m Lilly.”
They listened to Janie chatter again. “Yaya… timma-timma,”” laughed Tobias. “Janie didn’t mean, “It’s a marrrigold, she meant, ‘It’s a mirrracle.’”
Lilly’s roommates said a great deal about a great many topics. Then everyone quieted while the miniature shark with the flame-colored tail spoke. His words were nearly inaudible, softer than a whisper. Tobias perched on top of the tank to hear. Each word was carried in a bubble. When the bubble drifted to the surface and burst, the word popped out and floated up to Tobias.
“Pip… Tipple bop… Pippen dop…. Nibbler… “
“He doesn’t like the name Nibbler,” said Tobias.
More “pippen’s” and “tippen’s” ensued, followed by “dopplen top,” “dippen tobbler,” and “pop,” “ja-yuck,” and “mack-smack.”
“Well Lilly,” said Tobias “he said you named him Nibbler because those two fish disappeared. Remember the tetra fish, Pester and Jester?”
“Yes, they were funny,” said Lilly.
“Nibbler denies eating them,” explained Tobias. “He said and this is a quote, ‘I detest the taste of tetra – too bony -- and those two were especially crunchy.’ Timm-aha!” tittered Tobias gleefully. “We’ve caught him now!”
“Please ask how they disappeared, since he says he didn’t eat them.”
After consulting the shark, Tobias spoke. “He claims Pester and Jester ate each other.”
“That’s impossible!” Lilly exclaimed but Nibbler stuck to his story.
“Let’s change his name to Fibber!” suggested Tobias.
“What does he want us to call him?” asked Lilly.
“Valentine,” answered the shark through Tobias.
“Valentine. Why, Valentine?” asked Lilly.
“I’m very proud of my tail,” he answered with a swish of his flaming, red rudder. He spoke through Tobias, of course.
“Please tell him I like Valentine,” Lilly said to Tobias. “And even if I didn’t, it’s his name. I’ll call him whatever he likes.” The shark listened to Tobias and thanked Lilly with a somersault. Then Valentine hid in a corner admiring his heart-shaped tail.
A hullabaloo ensued. “Oh, piffle,” screeched Tobias after listening for a while. “Now they all want new names. Lady the Most Beautiful of All Chickens (I didn’t remind her she is a duck.)… King Reggie Most Rooster of All Roosters… Janie wants Gwendolyn to change her name to Muffin and believe me that iguana is no muffin…! TIM—MAH—AWG!” Tobias screeched.
“I refuse to translate any more flummerous tripe until I’ve had my dinner!” demanded Tobias.
Lilly fed everyone in her room, Tobias first. She made a sandwich for her mother and put it on her mother’s bedside table with the mail. It had been such an exciting, red-letter day that again Lilly didn’t notice the special envelope with the red lettering ‘URGENT… IMPORTANT… PAY ATTENTION… NOW!’ Whatever was inside would have to wait because what Lilly wanted to pay attention to now was Tobias and rest of her animal family.
Chapter 6
Before dawn the next morning, Razz Ma Tazz marched to the foot of Lilly’s bed and screeched like a banshee. The bedroom sprang to life. Lilly jumped out of bed still asleep and woke up on her feet.
She looked at Tobias who had been sleeping peacefully with his head under his wing. Now he was awake and annoyed. “BALDERDASH! I wish that bird would get an alarm clock,” grumbled Tobias. “It is far too early for this nonsense. ‘Hello, new morning,’ my eye. The sky is as dark as night.”
Lilly took Zelda and sat in bed stroking the rabbit’s chocolate fur. “Timma-no… Timma-no,” warned Tobias, “I know what you’re thinking, Lilly.”
“You do?” asked Lilly excited. “You can talk and read my mind?”
“Timma, no, I simply know you inside-out,” he answered. Zelda stretched up over Lilly’s chest and allowed Lilly to stroke her soft bunny ears.
“SCHOOL!” screeched Tobias. “It’s all well and good to enjoy your newfound family, Lilly. But you must go to school.”
“I know but I wish I could take a day off,” said Lilly “and be with all of you.”
“And what about Dorian? It’s his first day at your school. And you’re the only person he knows.” Lilly knew Tobias was right. But Dorian wasn’t the only reason to go to school. Lilly didn’t want the truant officers or anyone else to check on her. Lilly worried that if they did, they would discover Lilly taking care of her mother instead of her mother taking care of her.
Lilly rubbed noses with Zelda, placed her on the floor and began her morning routine of feeding everyone and freshening a few of their beds. For Janie and her babies, bed was a wire cage filled with straw although they sometimes slept on the floor, a pile of guinea pigs. Zelda slept in a wooden crate lined with grass but during the day the bunny liked to nap in her litter box. Gwendolyn’s retreat was a very long log in the corner of the bedroom. Gwendolyn was an iguana. Lady who though she was a chicken and Razz who knew he was a rooster nested atop two dining room chairs while Tobias preferred the chandelier. Having glimpsed the fish at all hours, Lilly wasn’t convinced they did sleep.
After leaving breakfast for her mother in the kitchen and grabbing a bite herself, Lilly started to dress for school. As she pulled underwear from a laundry basket on the floor, Lilly felt awkward. What would Tobias think if he saw her without clothes? Lilly hesitated. “I’ll close my eyes,” said Tobias.
“Thanks,” said Lilly, hurriedly changing. “You can open your eyes now.”
Lilly picked up a shirt and pants from the floor and put them on. “WRRRINKLED!” exploded Tobias “Next!”
Lilly tried on outfits from her two categories of clothing: tight and very dirty or dirty and very tight. They were all wrinkled. After telling Lilly that Janie and Zelda said she looked beautiful in them all, Tobias dismissed their opinions with a loud, “IRRRELEVANT!” and vetoed every outfit.
Tobias paced atop the bed railing. Zelda called him a dictator while Janie tried to call a vote. “Vote on a winner,” insisted Janie.
“There are no winners,” groaned Tobias. “ATRROCIOUS! This clothing is atrocious. Lilly can’t wear any of it in public, and I’d prefer not to see it in prrrivate.”
“So sorry. So sorry,” apologized Zelda with a swish of her ears. She twitched her nose explaining to Tobias that a box from RC came in the mail the day before. She knew because she peeked through the front door mail slot every day, and she saw the package sitting outside just yesterday or the day before or maybe the day before that.
“EURRREKA!” proclaimed Tobias. “Lilly dear, a box from RC arrived yesterday.”
“New hand-me-downs!” shouted Lilly. She ran to retrieve the box. Over the years through trial and error, Lilly had figured out the exact spot between the house and hedges where a package would stay dry if it rained. Then Sally at the Post Office told every new delivery person to leave packages in that spot.
Lilly shoved the box over the windowsill and tore open the flaps. “RC! RC!” chanted Janie and Zelda, albeit in their own tongues and out-of-sync. RC stood for “rich cousin.” Lilly didn’t remember ever meeting RC but she’d been wearing her old clothes for years.
Janie, Zelda, and Tobias waited for another fashion show. Lilly pulled on a pink, fuzzy, short-sleeved sweater. Janie’s teeth chattered and Zelda’s whiskers danced. “Yes, I agree,” said Tobias.
“What?” asked Lilly.
“STILL TOO TIGHT! It is unfortunate your cousin hasn’t had a growth spurt, Lilly. Her clothes are still one size too small for you.”
“It’s better than two sizes too small. I can hardly breathe sometimes.” Lilly settled on a pair of pink plaid pants and the only matching top – the fuzzy pink sweater. Lilly pulled out the last item and gave a shriek that set the audience on its hind legs.
“Look at this!” Lilly held a two-piece, white bathing suit in front of her. Store tags dangled. Blue eyes flashed. “It’s brand new! And it’s beautiful. If I went shopping for a brand new bathing suit, this is exactly the one I would buy.”
Lilly and Tobias both knew Lilly never had been shopping for new clothes. Janie chattered. “According to Janie, your suit is RADISHES! RADISHES!” laughed Tobias. “She means RAVISHING! The suit is lovely, my dear. And you will look lovely wearing it.”
“I have swimming in gym class today!” Lilly dropped a towel and her new bathing suit into her backpack and left for school feeling buoyant. She had a beautiful new bathing suit and Tobias could talk, truly talk. Best of all, Lilly felt she was part of a family. A warm feeling swept through Lilly as she walked to school. Her smile grew wider.
“You must really like school to be smiling like that,” said Dorian, suddenly at her side. Lilly hadn’t noticed the Garden Center as she passed by.
“Oh, hi,” said Lilly, startled out of her daydream. “I was thinking about something else.” Lilly was happy to see Dorian and relieved not to see his tail. She noticed he was wearing the same oversized sweatshirt he’d worn the day before.
They walked toward school, an ugly cement building squatting at the edge of town. “Doesn’t it look like a giant Styrofoam, fast food container?” said Lilly cheerfully. Not only was she happy about Tobias talking, she’d never walked to school with anyone before.
“It looks like a giant Styrofoam, fast food container opened up and turned upside down,” said Dorian.
“Exactly,” agreed Lilly. “I’m glad you see it, too.” She lowered her voice. “Mr. Stinchfield just came out.” Dorian stiffened. Their principal stood in the doorway at the top of cement steps. Children filed past Mr. Stinchfield without looking up, and he did not look down at them. He was busy talking to a young woman.
“That’s Miss Brightman,” said Lilly. “He’s always bothering her probably because she’s so pretty.”
“Why doesn’t she tell him to bug off?” asked Dorian.
Lilly lowered her voice. “He’s her boss, Dorian. Miss Brightman is the librarian and the gym teacher. And she’s the nicest person in school.”
“She doesn’t have to be that nice to him,” commented Dorian.
Lilly looked at Miss Brightman smiling at Mr. Stinchfield. Her smile did seem more genuine than polite. An unpleasant thought popped into her head. Could Miss Brightman like Mr. Stinchfield? It was obvious Mr. Stinchfield liked Miss Brightman. Lilly always saw him touching her shoulder or arm and leaning his face in toward hers when he spoke to her. But would any genuinely nice person genuinely like Mr. Stinchfield? Lilly shuddered at the thought.
The alarm rang. “We have three minutes to get to class,” warned Lilly. They hurried along as Mr. Stinchfield and Miss Brightman disappeared into the school together.
“I forgot to tell you to bring a bathing suit for gym class. But it’s just as well,” said Lilly. She was thinking that he wouldn’t be able to hide his tail in a bathing suit. “You’ll play basketball in the gym with everyone who forgot their bathing suits on purpose, all the boys.”
Chapter 7
Lilly slipped into her new, shimmering white bathing suit. She stretched the straps up over her shoulders. While the other girls made their way to the pool, Lilly tried to look casual as she walked across the locker room and stood in front of a full-length mirror.
Lilly had always thought of herself as nothing special. Average height. Average build. Average brown shoulder-length hair. An ordinary, run-of-the-mill girl.
Lilly was surprised when she looked in the mirror. She looked different in this suit. She straightened her shoulders, stood a half-inch taller and admired herself. “I look like somebody else.”
When Lilly reached the pool, her class was swimming warm-up laps. She stepped onto a racing block, curled her toes over the edge and crouched. She threw herself forward. It was a shock diving into the cool water. She surfaced and began to swim.
Lilly reached the end of the pool where Isadora floated. Lilly stood up waiting in case Isadora wanted to swim ahead.
“Where did you get that?” said Isadora pointing to Lilly’s new suit. She flicked the ruffle.
Another girl reached the end of the pool. “What’s the holdup?” she asked.
“Lilly forgot her bathing suit,” laughed Isadora. “She’s wearing her underwear.” Isadora called to girls in the other lanes, “Look at Lilly! She’s wearing her underwear. Silly frilly underwear.” Isadora chanted, “Silly frilly Lilly. Silly frilly Lilly.”
Lilly’s cheeks burned. She looked around at the other girls. Everyone wore a one-piece racing suit that fit tight as skin. Miss Brightman blew her whistle and yelled, “Get moving, girls.”
Lilly plunged into the water and swam. Isadora’s laughter was drowned out, but Lilly couldn’t quiet her own anger. Although Isadora had teased Lilly every day since kindergarten, Lilly never grew accustomed to it. Hot anger welled up inside.
Lilly jabbed the water hard and plowed through, catching up to Isadora. Where Isadora was concerned, Lilly tried to be inconspicuous. She didn’t want Isadora to notice her. But this time Lilly broke her own rule. Instead of slowing down and trailing behind Isadora, Lilly brushed the bottom of Isadora’s fluttering feet with her fingertips and swam past. Lilly made a point of passing Isadora again and again. Isadora kicked harder to stay ahead but Lilly raced past anyway.
After class, Miss Brightman called to Lilly, “You swam hard today, Lilly.”
“I wish I was a better swimmer, Miss Brightman,” stammered Lilly.
“Your stroke may not be as polished as some of the girls who’ve had years of lessons but you have something that can’t be taught.”
“I do?”
“I saw a glimmer of it today,” said Miss Brightman. “There’s a fighter in you, Lilly. You should let that tiger out of the cage more often.”
“Okay,” murmured Lilly, not quite understanding. She entered the locker room. As she stood on the cold, damp floor in a chilly, wet bathing suit, she felt warm from the inside out. Her favorite teacher liked the way she swam.
Lilly went into a shower stall and turned on the water. She carefully rinsed her suit and hung it outside the stall. Lilly closed her eyes and let warm water spray her face and hair. After Lilly finished her shower and dressed, she reached for her bathing suit. It was gone! She dropped to her knees and searched the floor but didn’t find it. Isadora! thought Lilly.
Lilly threw open locker after locker searching for the bathing suit. The locker room echoed with the sounds of clanging metal. She looked at the clock. She was late for class. What would Mr. Stinchfield do to her? She opened another locker and found the bottom half of her suit. After searching longer, she glanced at the clock and decided to look for the top after school.
“This is what I get for swimming faster than Isadora,” thought Lilly, racing to the classroom. As she hurried in, Mr. Stinchfield was busy writing on the chalkboard. Lilly slipped into her seat.
“You’re late, Miss Wilder,” said Mr. Stinchfield with a hiss. “Tardiness carries a price.” He spoke without looking at Lilly. Without hesitating, he continued to write math problems on the chalkboard. Lilly felt as if eyes in the back of his head stared at her. He continued, “The Four-Corners are occupied for now, Miss Wilder,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” murmured Lilly. She looked at the four corners of the classroom. There was a student in each one. Mr. Stinchfield punished students in the Four-Corners.
“I didn’t hear you,” breathed Mr. Stinchfield.
“Yes, sir,” said Lilly crisply. She trembled. Students in Mr. Stinchfield’s class dreaded being sent to the Four-Corners.
Lilly looked at Billy Pardon, who was in the nearest corner. Billy’s eyes bulged as he looked at a colorful gumball machine, the kind found in old-timey department stores except this machine was filled to the top with horseradish stew balls. Billy pushed another penny into the machine and turned the crank. A pile of slimy stew balls rolled into his hand. Billy closed his watering eyes, wiped his runny nose on his sleeve and stuffed a stew ball into his mouth, followed by another and another.
“How many?” asked Mr. Stinchfield.
“Ich-y, ir,” mumbled Billy through sealed lips. He looked like a blowfish.
Sixty stew balls, thought Lilly. That must be a record. I didn’t know anyone’s cheeks could stretch that far.
“Enough, Mr. Pardon,” said Mr. Stinchfield. Billy spit stew balls into a bucket. Gum chewers were always sent to that corner. Although no one knew what Mr. Stinchfield would use to fill up the gumball machine, one thing was certain… it was always a revolting surprise.
In a far corner, Dotty kneeled on pistachio nuts. The more she shifted her weight hoping for a less painful position, the more nuts she cracked with her knees unless that cracking noise was her knees. Mr. Stinchfield gave this punishment to kids caught running.
In the opposite corner, Angela balanced a stack of books on her head. Mr. Stinchfield said it helped remind all students to use their heads, meted out to those who gave an incorrect answer to any of his questions. Poor Angela, thought Lilly. Her head wobbled as though attached to a spring. Lilly knew that if Angela used even one finger to steady the pile, Isadora would tattle and Mr. Stinchfield would add another book. Angela tried to steady herself by holding her breath. While Lilly watched, Angela the Bobble Head turned the color of cooked beets.
Tabitha stood in the fourth corner doing relatively easy time. Tabitha had a habit of talking too much. This time, Mr. Stinchfield superglued her mouth shut. In the past, super strong duct tape didn’t work. Tabitha had licked the tape until it fell off. So much licking gave Tabitha very chapped lips. With Superglue, it appeared she had no lips at all.
Lilly copied equations from the chalkboard onto her paper. She didn’t want to think about the punishment Mr. Stinchfield would concoct for her.
“I’ll repeat myself for the benefit of Tardy Lilly.” Mr. Stinchfield looked at Lilly. “You all have fifteen minutes to finish these equations – except Dorian who will come with me to fill out some forms.” Lilly hoped Dorian would be careful. So far she hadn’t seen his tail, and she hoped no one else had either. Lilly watched the door close behind them.
Lilly looked at the equations she’d copied. She wished she were home to tell Tobias about her bathing suit being stolen. There was so much she wanted to talk to him about.
Lilly heard giggling. Then someone said the word, Lilly. Lilly looked up. The giggling swelled. A shimmering, white blur whizzed through the air and hit a girl in the head. The girl grabbed it and tossed it back to Isadora. My bathing suit! thought Lilly.
Lilly lunged for it. A boy who was closer grabbed the bathing suit top and threw it to Isadora. Lilly ran after it.
“Monkey in the middle. Monkey in the middle,” chanted Isadora, throwing it over Lilly’s head. “Lilly is a lily liver. A lily-livered scaredy cat.” Isadora laughed while she sang.
As the bathing suit soared overhead, Lilly flew into the air and snagged it. She landed, clutching her damp suit and trying to catch her breath. “What is going on, Miss Wilder?” thundered a voice from the doorway.
Lilly jumped. Mr. Stinchfield walked toward her hissing, “How dare you turn my classroom into a circus?” Lilly tried to stuff the wet bathing suit into her pants pocket. But being one size too small, her pants couldn’t take it.
“Trying to hide the color of your stripes, Miss Wilder?” snarled Mr. Stinchfield.
Everyone else pretended to work on equations except Dorian who stood in the doorway looking shocked.
“So,” mused Mr. Stinchfield, “you wanted to put on a show, Miss Wilder?” He drew his thin lips into a grimace. “Stay right where you are. There’s no good hiding you away in a corner. I’m in the mood to see a show like yours.”