Brothers Below Zero by Tor Seidler

Author:Tor Seidler [Seidler, Tor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-06-202830-3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2002-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

8

IN THE MORNING the phone and electricity were still out. But the sun was out, too, and Dr. Tuttle was convinced power would soon be restored. He and the boys bundled up and went out to shovel the walkway and the driveway under a storm-scoured sky. They couldn’t look anywhere without squinting, the reflection of the sun off the new snow was so brilliant; and the air was so cold, their nostrils tingled.

After finishing the shoveling, they carried a few extra loads of firewood into the house. Then everyone gathered in front of the blazing fire and plundered their Christmas stockings. As usual Tim’s and John Henry’s stocking presents were mostly practical: underwear, soap, four-packs of Ticonderoga pencils, Scotch tape, socks, rulers. And at the bottom was the usual box of maple-sugar candy.

They all got new mittens, too, and Mrs. Tuttle put hers on before venturing into the kitchen. Mittens might have seemed an unfair handicap to someone who wasn’t a world-class cook in the first place, but then cooking was out of the question anyway, since the stove was electric. No poached eggs. She couldn’t even make toast. Nor could she stick the turkey in the oven. But she did halve a couple of the grapefruits her parents had sent from Florida.

After Christmas breakfast she usually called her parents, but she’d been unable to recharge her cell phone, and the regular phone was still dead, so they headed straight for the tree. The family tradition was for Dr. Tuttle to hand out presents in order of age, starting with the youngest. John Henry’s first present was a book bag from his mother—which, he was relieved to see, didn’t have any women’s rights slogans on it. Tim’s first present was three large tubes of acrylic paint—indigo, tan, and forest green—from his father. Mrs. Tuttle’s first present was the scarf from John Henry. She put it around her neck and went to check herself in the hall mirror. The green-and-yellow silk made her look a bit sallow, but she gave John Henry a big kiss and said he had exquisite taste.

“And it means even more, love, knowing you spent your own money on it. What do you think, Trev?”

“Very silky-looking,” said Dr. Tuttle, who was unwrapping his own present from John Henry. “Hey, get a load of this!” He started playing with the reel. “Those trout better watch out, if they know what’s good for them. Thanks a million, son.”

“I hope it fits your rod all right,” John Henry said.

“I’m sure it will. Now if you could just arrange to melt the ice on Lake Champlain …”

In years past Great-aunt Winifred had been next to open. By shutting his eyes, Tim could see her happy smile as she asked him to help her get the ribbon off a package.

“You’re up again, tiger,” Dr. Tuttle said, handing John Henry another present.

In the second round, John Henry got a pair of rechargeable foot warmers from his parents. They were ingeniously designed, slender enough

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