Maple Dale Revisited (Maple Dale Series) by Myers MaryAnn

Author:Myers, MaryAnn [Myers, MaryAnn]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Sunrise Horse Farm
Published: 2014-01-14T16:00:00+00:00

~ 27 ~

It was the longest day in the girls’ lives, ever. Out of boredom, they decided to clean the observation room. It wasn’t that dirty, so that didn’t take long. They ran the sweeper, they dusted, they stacked the magazines, they updated the bulletin board. They cleaned the kitchen next. That took about a half hour. They did foot races in the arena at one point. Becky was the fastest.

“Don’t get sweaty,” Bethann warned.

They watched TV. They watched videos.

“Let’s go see if someone brought more apples.” The girls bundled up to go outside.

“Don’t go near the deer,” Bethann said.

“We won’t.”

“And follow your tracks back. That way you won’t get lost.”

“Yes, Mom,” the girls said.

“I’m serious. If you get lost, you’re on your own.”

“Yeah, right.” The girls laughed.

“Maybe we’ll walk to the house,” Mindy said.

“No.” Bethann pointed a finger at her. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Oh my God,” Mindy said. “Now you even look like Mom.”

The girls headed out and around the arena. Bethann needn’t worry. They weren’t going to walk to the house. After being in the nice warm observation room for hours, and the wind blowing out of the northwest, the direction they were taking, they were lucky to make it down the hill.

“Come on,” Mindy said. “It’s just a little further.”

The effort paid off. There in the clearing, just before the big oak, lay a fresh supply of apples. And the only tracks they could see, coming and going, were deer tracks.

“Oh my God,” Yolanda said. “I bet it is Leah Oliver.”

The girls looked up at the trees and all around, amidst an eerie silence. Becky stuck her tongue out and ate some snow.

“Look.” She pointed to one of the trees where an owl watched their every move.

“Let’s go back,” Yolanda said. “This is creepy.”

On the way up the hill, they heard a siren in the distance, growing louder and louder, then more sirens. As they rounded the end of the arena, they saw Bethann standing outside the observation room, apparently awaiting their return. “The power’s out,” she said, when they got closer. “It’s out all over the development.”

“What are we going to do?” Yolanda asked.

“Nothing, for the moment,” Bethann said, hurrying them along. “We’ll just have to try and stay warm. I lit a fire in the wood burner. I don’t want you girls to get chilled.”

“Wow! When did you get so old?” Mindy asked.

“Come on,” Bethann said. “Get inside. Now.”

At first being without power was fun. They sat around the fire, talking, laughing, reliving the morning. “Oh no! What if it doesn’t come back on by six?” They’d miss the news broadcast.

“It will, don’t worry,” Bethann said.

Mindy smiled. Now that sounded like her sister and not her mom.

“Good thing we heated up the paprikash earlier.”

They all nodded. At least they weren’t hungry. Plus, there were always the vending machines. Several times during the afternoon, the fact crossed Mindy’s mind that Howard her cousin – not really her cousin, was supposed to come over this evening at seven-thirty for their tutoring session.

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