Kids
12:37 PM EST on Monday, November 15, 2004
A breakfast serials story | Written by Avi | Illustrated by Joan Sandin
STORY SO FAR: It's 1972. Jamie Peters, watching the sky, sees a man parachute from an airplane. Not knowing the man is a thief, Jamie tries to find him. Meanwhile, Gillian is determined to find Jamie.
Gillian, convinced Jamie was hiding from her, was trying to find him. She walked to the top of the hill where she had last seen him. Rain, announced by lightning and booming thunder, moved closer. She waited, searching for some hint of Jamie's whereabouts.
When the wind brought splattering raindrops, Gillian searched for a place to take cover. The thick berry bushes at the bottom of the hill looked promising. As the rain began to pour, she dove beneath them.
The rain fell as though dumped from a barrel. In search of protection, Goddard, mashed parachute in hand, stumbled toward some trees. All he could think of was the million dollars on the ground and the kid who had seen him. They were both close, and he needed to find them, fast. Snatching up a stick, he broke it in two and kept the heavier, longer half. He'd use it as a club if he had to.
Jamie ran down the hillside looking for shelter. Spying a large pine tree, he dashed toward it. He was soaked by the time he reached it, but the branches were thick enough to keep him from getting wetter.
Jamie tried to sort out what he had seen. A man had parachuted from the sky. He was sure of that. The man had dropped something. It had fallen straight down, while the man, caught by the storm, blew on. Was the man hurt? Was he bailing out of a crashing plane? But I didn't see the plane fall, thought Jamie. It flew on. But if the man is hurt, he'll need help. It was up to Jamie to get it.
He looked out from under the tree. The rain had slacked off, so he started running toward home. But just as he was dashing across the old orchard, he heard his name called. He spun about. Gillian was looking up at him from under a bush.
"Did you see him?" Jamie shouted at her.
"What are you talking about?" said Gillian.
"The man from the sky."
Gillian stared at him, unable to decide if Jamie was telling the truth.
"Didn't you see him?" Jamie shouted, pointing in the direction from which he had seen the man drop. "The man. By parachute."
"You know what," said Gillian, "you really are yicky. You really are." She got up.
Shocked, Jamie stood still.
"You stand up there on that hill," said Gillian, "and you just . . . invent things. It's all phony baloney."
"He might be hurt," said Jamie.
"He might be President Nixon."
"Gillian," he said, "I really saw someone."
"Why don't you tell your grandparents? They can help you look for him." Pushing her wet hair away from her face, she walked past him. "See you later, alligator. Say hello to your sky man."
Jamie watched Gillian walk toward her home. At the top of the hill, she turned and stood staring at him.
She doesn't believe me, thought Jamie. She's waiting to see if I'm going to do anything. Feeling more frustration than anger, he stared back. That man might be badly in need of help. There may not be time to get Grandma and Grandpa.
He had to find him alone.
As Gillian headed home, she couldn't get Jamie out of her thoughts. It was as if he were testing her, trying to get her to believe. But it makes no sense -- a man falling from the sky, she told herself. She stopped walking. He certainly was excited, different than usual, she thought. Maybe he did see something.
Gillian looked back. Jamie was gone. The storm had moved on; the rain was only a mist and the earth was steaming. Shaking her head, Gillian became thoughtful. I wasn't watching the sky, she reminded herself. I was watching him. What if he did see a man?
She turned about and moved back, going to the top of the hill from which she had come just in time to see Jamie disappear over a bluff.
Gillian looked at the sky. It was clear and dry. The storm had moved east fast. If she went around the hill, surely she could catch up with him. It wouldn't take long, and she'd be home soon enough. . . .
As Ed Goddard buried his parachute under some leaves, he felt a sharp pain in one knee. Must have twisted it when I hit the ground, he told himself.
He looked out from behind the trees. All he saw were low hills broken by small groves of trees and rock piles. Runoff water from the storm ran in the little valleys. Tense and angry, Goddard tried to decide what to do first. Find the kid, or find the money?
He checked his watch. Three hours until dusk. He didn't have much time. By now someone would have discovered what had happened on the plane. The search for him had probably begun. If a public announcement was made, people would be hunting for the money or for him. How long would it take before the kid who had seen him told someone? He needed to find him. He clutched the stick tightly in his hand. He would use it as a cane -- and, if necessary, to deal with the kid.
(To be continued.)
*****
Breakfast Serial - Reading The Sky Weekly Activity for Chapter Seven
Jamie stood in the rain looking for shelter. Where do you go for shelter?
The Classifieds section of the newspaper lists ads for things like cars and lost pets and jobs. It also lists houses for sale and apartments for rent. Search the classifieds for an apartment in your city or town that you might like to rent. How much does it cost? Multiple the monthly rent by 12 to determine how much you would need to spend for rent over the course of a year.
One rule of thumb is that you should around 25 percent - or one quarter -- of your income on rent. Using that rule, how much money would you have to earn to afford that apartment? Once you've paid your rent, how much money would be left for food, clothing, transportation, and entertainment? What might happen to your budget if you got sick? What else might cost money that wasn't in your budget?
Text copyright 2004 by Avi
Illustrations copyright 2004 by Joan Sandin
Reprinted by permission of Breakfast Serials, Inc.
More top stories
Most viewed yesterday
In Bristol, Cianci strides Fourth
Sole survivor of Middletown plane crash identified as Newport man
Girl who rescued companion dies
Most active surveys
Do you consider such crashes accidents?
What are three of your can't-miss Rhode Island summer favorites?
Do you support the use of tracking devices on students?
Most e-mailed in the last 24 hours
Rita Watson: New rules for open marriage
In Bristol, Cianci strides Fourth
Ancient and Horribles parades independence
