The Village Green by M. A. Foxworthy

Author:M. A. Foxworthy [Foxworthy, M.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Astraea Press, LLC
Published: 2014-10-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Kelsey stood at the front door of Rosie's dwelling. It was her first day back to school and they were going to walk together. The door opened and Mrs. Murphy asked Kelsey to come inside to wait while Rosie finished dressing.

Kelsey went in and Mrs. Murphy went back to washing their few breakfast dishes. Mr. Murphy was sitting on the small couch and asked Kelsey to join him.

“So, Kelsey, I bet you're glad to have Rosie back after her long illness,” he said grinning at her. Had she ever read the book, she would have said grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

“Yes, I am. That's the longest we've ever been apart.”

“So what did you do to keep yourself busy all of that time? Anything special?” he asked.

“No, nothing special. I spent more time with Derek.” Kelsey answered.

“Oh yes, Derek; the boy with the limp. Yes, Rosie mentioned the two of you went into then ruined city.”

Kelsey felt like she was being interrogated. “Yeah, we did, but we didn't do anything wrong. Well, aside from going into the city. But the guard stopped us before coming back into the village and checked our bags and found nothing out of the ordinary,” she said quickly

“Of course he didn't. Ah, here's Rosie,” he said turning toward her. “Are you ready then?”

“Yes.” Rosie replied and came to Kelsey and grabbed her hand, glad to see her friend again.

“Well then off to school with you,” said Mr. Murphy, “and stay out of trouble.”

He squeezed Rosie's arm and winked at Kelsey.

“What trouble could we possibly get in to? The village is much too boring to get into any trouble.” Rosie said and waved goodbye to her mother, who was readying herself for her job in the factory.

Kelsey and Rosie made their way to school. The red brick building looked different from the others in the village. Its flat roof and sharp angles were a strong contrast to the hand-shaped mud walls of the homes and other community buildings in the village. It was old too; a relic from long ago. All in all it was a sturdy, but ugly edifice and Kelsey found the low ceilings and musty smell most oppressive.

A few yards away, Kelsey spotted the limping silhouette of Derek. “Let’s wait here for Derek to join us.”

Rosie gave a little sigh, but stopped and stood with Kelsey.

“Hey!” Kelsey called. Derek waved his crutch at the girls.

“Rosie! It’s so good to see you feeling better,” he said as he joined them. She thanked him and the three friends entered the school and went to their classroom. Finding their seats, they sat and waited for their teacher to lead them in the pledge to Mother Earth.

The children sat down and Ms. Keller took her place at the front of the class.

“I have exciting news for you class,” she announced. “The Committee for Educational Advancement is meeting as we speak. It seems at least one of my students will be chosen for further studies this year.” She beamed at the children.

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