Karen just loves to make plans.
I yawned. I stretched. I slid out of bed. I put on my new sundress.
Then I stepped into the hallway. I peeped in Mommy and Daddy’s room. It was empty. The bed was made. I looked at my watch. Almost eight-thirty. Yipes! Daddy had probably already left for work.
I ran downstairs. Before I reached the steps I passed Mr. Nobody’s room, the room that should belong to a baby brother or sister. We could put a crib in the corner by the window. We could get a chest and fill it with toys. Or I could give the baby my own toy chest, the one Daddy painted with pictures of Paddington Bear and Madeline.
I sighed.
We did not have a baby, so I should stop thinking about cribs and toy chests.
“Happy first day of summer!” said Mommy when I walked into the kitchen. She fixed cantaloupe and strawberries for a special treat.
“Mommy?” I began. I was going to tell her how much I wanted a brother or sister. But I decided not to. “Nothing,” I said. “Thank you for the strawberries.”
Brrrring! rang the phone.
“I’ll get it!” I leaped out of my chair. I grabbed the phone. Karen was calling. And she told me to bring my doll to her house.
I knew which doll she meant. Not just any doll. The doll. Merry. Hannie and Karen and I have triplet dolls. They look just the same. We bought them at a toy store. I named mine Merry, Karen named hers Terry, and Hannie named hers Kerry.
Together they are the Doll Sisters.
We decided that the Three Musketeers needed the Doll Sisters. We could play with them a lot. We could make sister outfits and sister jewelry for them. There is just one problem with the Doll Sisters. Really, the problem is with Terry. Karen has only one sister doll. Not two. Terry is not a two-two. And sometimes Karen forgets to bring Terry from the big house to the little house, or from the little house to the big house. Then she cannot play with her for awhile. Oh, well.
Karen said to ride my bike over to her house, so I did. I put Merry in the basket. She likes bike-riding.
Soon the Musketeers were together and so were the Doll Sisters.
“First,” said Karen, “we are going to build a house for the Doll Sisters.”
“Cool!” I said.
“Yeah, cool,” agreed Hannie.
We found a whole pile of big cardboard boxes in Karen’s garage. I pulled out the largest one. “The Doll Sisters share a bedroom,” I said. “This big box should be the bedroom.”
“We will paint it pink,” said Karen.
“This little box can be the bathroom,” announced Hannie.
“We will paint it yellow,” said Karen.
We dragged the boxes into the backyard. We stuck them together with masking tape. Then we cut out windows. Then we cut out doors.
Then we got bored.
And hungry.
“Time for lunch,” said Karen.
Stoneybrook Playground
Karen’s mother let us eat lunch at the picnic table in the backyard. That was terrific. The not-so-terrific part was that Andrew wanted to eat with us. And Mrs. Engle said he could. (Mrs. Engle is Karen’s mother.)
Karen and Andrew sat on one side of the table. Nancy and I sat on the other. The benches are tippy. If anybody has to stand up, he is supposed to warn the person he’s sitting next to, so the bench will not flip over. If you sit on one of those benches alone, you better sit in the middle.
For lunch we ate sandwiches and Popsicles. My Popsicle was lime. It turned my tongue green. I stuck my tongue out at Andrew. “Look! I am an alien!” I cried. “I am from Mars.”
Andrew looked as if he might either laugh or cry. But instead he just said, “No, you aren’t.” He is no fun.
He is better than Sari, though.
When we had licked our Popsicle sticks clean, I leaped to my feet.
“Hey!” cried Nancy as she slid to the ground. “Hannie!”
“Sorry,” I said. “I forgot to warn you. But I have an idea. Listen.”
“No, I have an idea,” Karen answered. “It is now time for the Three Musketeers to go to the playground.”
Well, that was not what I was going to suggest. But it was a good idea.
“Can I come, too?” asked Andrew.
“Nope. Just the Three Musketeers,” Karen answered.
We told Mrs. Engle where we were going. Then we hopped on our bikes. (I borrowed one from David Michael.) We are allowed to ride to the playground all by ourselves. It is called the Stoneybrook Playground, and it is not too far away. Get this. Nancy and Karen and I helped build the playground. We really did. Everyone in town helped. Now we have a wonderful place to play.
A lot was going on at the playground. There was a special summer program. A counselor was teaching a group of kids how to play soccer. Another counselor was reading to some kids. And another counselor was teaching arts and crafts.
“Cool!” I cried. “Let’s try everything.” So we did.
We played soccer for awhile. Then we listened to a funny story called Pop Corn and Ma Goodness. Then we made boxes out of Popsicle sticks. Also, we tried to make lanyards, but that was hard. None of us could figure out what to do with a finished lanyard anyway.
“Use it as a keychain,” suggested the counselor.
“I do not have any keys,” I replied.
So I made another box from Popsicle sticks. “You know what?” I said to Nancy and Karen. “I will paint my boxes. I will put glitter on them. They will be jewelry boxes. They will make good presents. I think I will give one to my aunt. And I will make some jewelry to go in it. Did I tell you that my aunt is getting married? Well, she is. In Greece. Someday I am going to visit Gr — ”
Karen interrupted me. “Hey, in three weeks we leave for the lake.”
“Yes!” I cried. Karen’s daddy was taking a bunch of people on a trip. We were going to stay in a cabin on a lake. The lake is named Shadow Lake. (I do not know why.) I had not been to Shadow Lake before. But I was glad I was going. Two weeks with no Sari.
“At the lake,” said Karen, “we can go swimming.”
“Maybe we can ride in a boat,” I added.
I looked at Nancy. I waited for her to say something. But she was busy with a pink-and-orange lanyard. Maybe she had not heard me.
When Nancy finished her lanyard, we went home. The Three Musketeers had to split up for dinner. That was okay. We would see each other bright and early the next morning.
Hop on Pop
“Yea! Hurray! It is time to take,” I sang, “all of my things to Shadow Lake!”
I was so happy. Our trip would begin the next day. I was in my room at the little house. I was packing my suitcase for the trip.
The next morning, Mommy would drive Andrew and Nancy and me to the big house. Then we would leave on our adventure.
“Let me see,” I said. I counted shirts into a pile on the bed. “One, two, three, four, five — ”
“Karen?” said Andrew.
“Wait. I am counting. One, two, three, four, five — ”
“Karen?”
“Just a minute! One, two, three, four, five — ”
“Karen?”
“WHAT?”
“Will you teach me how to read?”
“Not now.”
“Please?”
“I said not now.”
“Pretty please?”
“Andrew! I will teach you to read over the summer. How is that?”
“Do you promise?”
“Yes. I promise. I promise that by the end of the summer you will be able to read Hop on Pop all by yourself. But only if you will leave me alone right now. I am trying to pack.”
“Okay,” agreed Andrew. He ran downstairs.
Good. Now I could concentrate. I sat on the bed. I counted the shirts again. Then I counted pairs of socks. When my clothes were packed, I remembered that I would need to bring toys and books to the lake.
I looked at the stuffed animals and dolls on my bed. “I will bring
you, Goosie,” I said. “And of course you, Terry.” The Three Musketeers were bringing the Doll Sisters. We could not just go off and leave them.
But I did have to leave Emily Junior behind.
“Why?” I had asked Daddy. “You get to bring Boo-Boo and Shannon.”
“That is different,” said Daddy. “They would have no one to take care of them. But Mommy and Seth can take care of Emily Junior for you. Besides, you know how Nannie feels about rats.”
I knew. “Sorry, Emily,” I said to her. “No vacation for you.” But I was still excited about our trip.
Homesick
Meow-meow-meow-meow-meow. My alarm clock was going off. At first, I could not figure out why. I thought, It is still summer vacation. This is not the first day of school.
“Nancy!” Mommy called. “Time to get up. Today is the day.”
Then I remembered Shadow Lake. Soon I would be going away with Karen’s family. For two weeks.
I did not want to go.
My suitcase was packed. Merry was ready for the trip. Karen had said we could swim and fish and bike and ride in boats.
But I did not want to go.
At breakfast that morning I said to Mommy and Daddy, “I do not feel very well. I think maybe I better not go to the lake.”
“You are homesick,” said Daddy.
“How can I be? I am still at home.”
“You know what I mean.”
I nodded. “Can’t I stay here? Please?”
“Is that what you really want to do?” asked Mommy.
“Yes,” I said. Then I thought of Hannie and Karen swimming and having fun together at the lake — while I stayed in Stoneybrook. They would be the Two Musketeers, and I would be the One Lonely Musketeer. “No,” I said to Mommy. “Oh, I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you try it?” asked Daddy. “We can always drive to the lake and get you if you really want to come home.”
“Okay,” I said in a tiny voice.
Before I knew it, Karen rang our doorbell.
I burst into tears.
Mommy and Daddy gave me hugs.
“What’s wrong?” asked Karen when I answered the door.
“I am going to be homesick,” I wailed.
“At the lake?” said Karen. “No, you will not. You will be with Hannie and me. The Three Musketeers will be together. That is all that matters.”
“But I will not be at home!”
“Even the Doll Sisters will be at Shadow Lake,” said Karen.
“That is another thing. I do not like the name of the lake. It sounds scary. I bet the lake is haunted. We will probably run into ghosts.”
“Why don’t you stay at home then?” said Mommy.
“No. I want to be with my friends.”
“Then get in the car,” said Karen.
“No. I want to stay at home.”
Karen smiled. Then she laughed. So did Mommy and Daddy. So did I. I knew I was being silly. It was time to leave.
But first I would have to say good-bye.
I put my arms around Mommy’s waist. “I love you,” I said. “I will see you in fourteen days. Remember to return my library books.”
“Okay, sweetie.”
I put my arms around Daddy’s waist. “Good-bye. I love you. The next time you see me I will be two weeks older.”
“I probably will not even recognize you.”
“Oh, Daddy,” I said.
Daddy helped me carry Merry and my suitcase to Karen’s car. I climbed into the backseat next to Karen. Daddy talked to Mrs. Engle for a few minutes. Then we drove away. Soon I could see Karen’s big house. Across the street was Hannie. She was saying good-bye to her family.
B-I-N-G-O
“Here they come!” I called, “I see the car!”
I was in my front yard with Mommy and Daddy and Linny and Sari. Karen’s car was driving down the street.
“It is time to leave for Shadow Lake,” I added.
“Yes!” cried Linny. “All right!” Linny was going to Shadow Lake, too. He is a friend of Karen’s brother David Michael. David Michael had invited two friends to go on the trip, just like Karen had. I sort of wanted to be grown-up and go away from my whole family, but now I could not. Oh, well. At least I would leave Sari the pest behind. I knew I would not miss her at all. I was going on a vacation from Sari. A Sari vacation.
“Well, ‘bye!” said Linny to Mommy and Daddy.
“Hey, don’t I get a kiss?” asked Mommy.
“Not out here in public,” hissed Linny. “Everyone will see.”
“I will kiss you,” I said grandly. I stood on tiptoe. I leaned up and kissed Mommy. Then I leaned up and kissed Daddy. Daddy was holding Sari in his arms. I did not kiss Sari. I said to her. “Do not go in my room while I am away. And do not touch my stuff!”
“Hannie,” warned Daddy.
I sighed. “Sorry, Sari,” I said. Then I added, “Good-bye.”
Linny and I started to run across the yard.
I heard a voice behind me. It was Sari. “Hannie! Hannie!” she called.
I turned around. Sari was reaching her arms toward me. She was almost falling. Daddy had to hold onto her tightly.
I ran back to Sari and gave her a kiss. Then Linny and I carried our suitcases and stuff across the street.
Everybody was in Karen’s driveway. Karen and her daddy and her two mommies and all her brothers and sisters and their friends and Nannie and Nancy.
“Hello!” I called.
The Brewers’ van was broken, so we had to take three cars to the lake. That just shows how many people were going on the trip. Karen’s daddy was driving the car I rode in. I rode with him and Karen and Nancy and two of Kristy’s friends who are very excellent baby-sitters. Their names are Dawn and Stacey. The Three Musketeers rode together in the backseat. Dawn and Stacey and Mr. Brewer sat in the front seat.
As soon as Mr. Brewer pulled out of the driveway, Karen said, “Daddy? How many minutes until we get there? Is this going to be a long trip?”
“A few hours,” he said.
“I like long car rides,” said Nancy. “Let’s play games.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like Riddle Me Ree. Listen to this. Riddle me, riddle me, riddle me ree. I see something you don’t see, and the color of it is … yellow. What is it?”
“I hope it is in the car,” I said. “If it is outside, we have probably already passed it. We will never see it.”
“Of course it is in the car,” said Nancy. “Look for it.”
Karen and I looked. We guessed and guessed. The answer was my barrette!
“How about singing songs?” said Stacey from the front seat. “ ‘Bingo’ is a good one. Let’s sing ‘Bingo.’ ”
So we sang, “There was a farmer had a dog, and Bingo was his name-o. B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, and Bingo was his name-o. There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o.” On that second verse, we clapped instead of singing the letter B. After that, we clapped for B and I. By the last verse we were clapping like this: clap, clap, clap-clap, clap.
As soon as we finished the song, Karen said, “Daddy, are we almost there yet?”
“No.”
So Stacey taught us some new songs.
Finally Karen said, “Daddy, are we almost there yet?”
And he said … “Yes!”
The Secret Garden
Yesterday morning I woke up in Stoneybrook, in my bed in the little house. This morning I woke up in a bunk in a cabin at Shadow Lake.
Daddy’s cabin is very wonderful. It is not really a cabin. It is a house. And it is pretty big. (Andrew was not happy when he first saw it. He thought we were going to stay in an old-fashioned log cabin. He cried a little bit.)
In the cabin are four bedrooms. Two are tiny and two are huge. The kids are sleeping in the huge bedrooms, girls in one, boys in the other. Six bunk beds are in each room. The girls fill up eleven of the beds: Hannie, Nancy, me, Emily Michelle, Kristy, a
nd Kristy’s six friends, the Baby-sitters. (There are only six boys in the other room. Each of them gets a whole bunk to himself. The boys are gigundoly lucky.)
Here is what is in back of our cabin: woods. Here is what is in front: Shadow Lake. We have our very own dock. We can jump off the dock and go swimming.
Kristy and her friends are baby-sitting all us younger kids. That first day Mary Anne Spier was in charge of the Three Musketeers. Mary Anne is Kristy’s best friend. I like her a lot. (But not as much as I like Kristy.)
“What do you guys want to do today?” she asked Hannie and Nancy and me.
“Can we go out in a boat?” asked Hannie.
“Can we go swimming?” asked Nancy.
“Can we explore?” I asked. “Please, please, purr-etty please?”
“Yes,” Mary Anne answered. “But I can’t do all three things at once. Nancy, why don’t you go with Kristy? Hannie, why don’t you go — ”
“No!” I shrieked. “The Three Musketeers do everything together. We cannot split up. Then we would not be three. We have to stay in a bunch.”
“We-ell,” said Mary Anne.
“I know!” I cried. “This morning we will explore. This afternoon we will go swimming, and maybe ride in a boat. Okay?”
“Okay,” said Hannie and Nancy and even Mary Anne.
We left the cabin. We walked around the porch until we were facing the woods. Then we ran into the backyard. We stopped and listened. It was very quiet. I could hear water lapping and birds chirping, but those were quieter noises than Stoneybrook noises. No cars or horns or garbage trucks.
“Let’s take a walk in the woods,” I said to Nancy and Hannie.
I guess my friends and I were moving faster than Mary Anne was. Because when we reached the woods, she was not with us. Oh, well. I could still see our cabin. We were not going to go very far. Mary Anne would catch up with us later.
You will never guess what we found in the woods. A secret house with a secret garden. Yup. That is true. We were just walking along when I saw some wood and stones. “Look over there!” I said.
“It’s a house!” exclaimed Hannie.