Tea Leaves and Trouble by Anne Marie Lucci-Stahl

Author:Anne Marie Lucci-Stahl [Lucci-Stahl, Anne Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Anne Marie Stahl

His friends had left to go about their own Saturday afternoons, Zelda had headed off to Maddie’s house and Ernie sat in the living room waiting for Momma.

“Okay. Keys, glasses, muffins. Check, check, and check. Okay, buddy. Let’s go,” Momma said as she entered the room and headed towards the entryway. “We’ll go around to the front door today. I want to see the new work Reveena said she had done this week.”

“Funny, I didn’t see any people working on the house. What’d she have done?” Ernie asked.

“Not sure. Whoever did it was awfully quiet. I didn’t hear anyone puttering over there at all.”

They both walked down their front steps to the sidewalk and proceeded a few feet over to Reveena’s abode. They walked up the winding path to her front door.

“My, how things have changed,” Momma gushed.

The buckling, caved-in roof now wore shaker wood shingles. The brick pathway that they had just walked upon seemed to wind its way through a fairy garden of poppies, buttercups, and other colorful delicate flowers. They stood at the front door, which was painted a fresh coat of dark purple, the antique knob gleaming in the sunlight. The tiny windows that faced the street were wavy with their lead glass. As Momma went to knock on the door, Ernie’s stomach did a flip and then a flop. What would he find? And how would he know what he found was useful? And what if she had already heated up her oven? Look for an escape route, he thought as he saw the brass doorknob turn and the heavy wooden door slowly swing open.

He took a deep breath as the door opened fully, and he soon realized that his eyes had been shut tight. He opened them, one at a time, to see a tiny frail woman, much shorter than himself, standing before him. She had a pile of white curls upon her head, cat eye reading glasses planted firmly in the tendrils that haloed her wrinkled face. She wore small, silver hoops that dangled from both ears and as he looked down, Ernie noticed the beautiful stone ring on her finger. She was indeed waving that hand, inviting them into her home.

“Oh, my. Oh, my. I just couldn’t wait to meet you, Master Ernie. Your mother just shone with joy and pride when she talked of her young man. Now, let me get a good look at you.” She took a hold of his hand and held him at arm’s length. “Oh, my. You are a strong one, aren’t you? Now, come in, come in. And bring your mother with you, my dear,” she said as she rushed ahead of them to the back of the house. Ernie and Momma followed closely behind as Ernie took time to peek into each room along the way. There were few rooms, and they appeared to be dark but cozy. Antique furniture overflowed each room, but it did not feel old and scary. It felt welcoming and comfortable.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.