House of Wings by Betsy Byars

Author:Betsy Byars [Byars, Betsy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4532-9424-6
Publisher: Open Road

DARK DISCOVERY

WHEN THE CRANE HAD finished drinking, Sammy’s grandfather carried him out to the fenced field behind the house. Sammy ran along trying to help, but his grandfather said, “I’ve got him. You just get the gate.” He sighed. “I bet this crane don’t weigh ten pounds. He’s like a sack of feathers.”

Sammy ran ahead. Weeds had grown up in front of the gate and it was difficult to open. Sammy tugged at it and then yanked angrily. “What’s wrong with this old gate anyway?” He wasn’t sure whether it was the gate or his weakened arms.

“Lift it up.”

Sammy tried to lift the gate, and then dragged it open, scraping it over the weeds. “I’m getting it,” he said, yanking it inch by inch, “only this doesn’t seem to be much of a place to keep a crane to me.”

“It’s shady and it’s cool. It’ll do.”

The geese had followed the procession through the house and were now standing around the grandfather’s feet, making cackling noises. One stuck out her neck and hissed at Sammy. Sammy said, “Don’t these geese ever stay out of the way?”

“No.” His grandfather was holding the crane out in front of him, waiting.

“All right, the gate’s open, enough anyway,” Sammy said. “If these geese would just stay out of my way, I could …” Sammy’s voice trailed off as his grandfather walked over and went through the gate.

“What we got to do first,” he said, “is get some food for him. I don’t reckon he’s had much from the look of him.”

“When do people eat around here?” Sammy asked pointedly.

His grandfather set the crane down and then stepped back. “See, he’s getting his strength. He’s standing.”

“Yeah, he’s standing,” Sammy said. He looked up at the sky, saw where the sun was, and knew he had missed both breakfast and lunch. For some reason he thought about a commercial he had seen on TV one time where little round pieces of cereal danced in a chorus line. Those round pieces of cereal swam before his eyes.

“Go get the water,” his grandfather said, “and get some of that corn in a sack by the door. Hurry now.”

Sammy ran quickly back into the house. He ran past the sack of corn and began to open the cupboards, searching not for the corn but for food for himself.

There was a box of Wheaties in the cupboard, and Sammy turned it up and, eating from the box, walked over to the refrigerator. He unwrapped two slices of cheese, poured Wheaties on them, and washed it all down with water from the spigot.

There were apples on the window sill behind the sink, and Sammy had two of those, and then he took biscuits from a metal plate on the stove and ate those with more cheese. He was still standing at the refrigerator, eating, when he heard his grandfather.

“Boy, come on with the water. Hurry!”

Sammy swallowed the last of his biscuit. “I’m hurrying as fast as I can.” He put the box of Wheaties in the refrigerator and closed the door.

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