9

As the weeks of fall passed, Sophie grew to love her new school. She especially enjoyed working with the grade sixes in science. Sister Blanche was really keen about animals, so they did a long study unit about frogs, toads, and other amphibians. Sophie brought her collection of pet frogs to school where, with some turtles, they lived happily at the back of the classroom in a big aquarium filled with mossy branches and rocks.

She had caught another frog in the ravine, and Monsieur Croak looked so happy to see the new frog that Sophie thought they must be related, maybe even brothers. They surely looked a lot alike with their flapping mouths and the dark brown stripe that extended from their nostrils, through their eyes, and down to their armpits. She decided to call the second frog Monsieur Croak Two. She and Ronnie looked in Sister Blanche’s Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians and found out that they were Pacific tree frogs.

Almost every day Sophie and Ronnie brought in fresh moss and tender leaves that they gathered from the woods behind the church or down in the ravine for the frog habitat. They often saw the small round prints of deer hoofs near the creek, and sometimes they even caught a glimpse of a deer or two, melting away into the underbrush.

One day Sister Blanche announced they would be starting a new unit in science. “We’ll be studying electricity and you’ll be building electric motors,” she told the class.

Sophie grinned. That sounded like fun.

“We’ll need the back tables for our experiments,” Sister Blanche said, “so that means we’ll have to find a new home for our frogs and turtles.” She looked at Sophie. “Does anyone have any ideas?”

Sophie put up her hand. “We could move them to the ravine. That would be a great place for them.” She knew Maman wouldn’t welcome them back home.

Sister Blanche nodded. “Sounds perfect.”

After school Sophie and Ronnie, and his little sister Melissa, put the frogs and turtles into jars and carried them to the ravine. It was a warm, sunny day, although it was already November. It smelled damp and woodsy near the creek. The water wasn’t as high as it had been earlier in the fall, so it was easy to get across on the stepping stones. Even Melissa made it across without getting her feet wet.

On the other side there was a green bush and a large fern. Sophie stopped. “How about here?”

“Looks good to me,” Ronnie said. They opened the jars and put them on the ground under the fern. The frogs hopped out and were soon lost in the bushes.

“Goodbye, Hoppy,” Melissa said.

“Goodbye, Monsieur Croak and Monsieur Croak Two,” Sophie said. A sadness passed over her. “I’ll try to come and visit you every day,” she whispered.

The turtles took longer to waddle out of the jars, but soon they, too, had vanished into the underbrush.

“Don’t you think they might be cold and lonely here all by themselves?” Melissa asked.

“They’ll love it here,” Sophie said, trying to reassure herself as much as Melissa. “I know if I were a frog or a turtle the ravine is exactly where I’d like to live.”

Ronnie nodded and they silently followed him up the steep trail and out of the ravine.

The rainy weeks went by quickly. Sophie kept waiting for winter to arrive, but that year it snowed only a couple of times and the snow didn’t last long enough to go sledding or even to build a snowman. Sophie’s brothers complained that it didn’t even get cold enough to freeze the ponds so they could go skating and play hockey. Papa was happy, though, because he could build roads throughout the winter.

Sophie’s hair finally grew back, and Maman got better at giving the whole family haircuts with her Super Clip Clippers. She had found an article in a Chatelaine magazine that explained how to cut hair and studied the article carefully before she tried her hair-cutting skills again, this time on a very reluctant Henri.

“Now, we mustn’t rush these things,” she said as Henri settled on the stool. “Put your head down and I’ll start in the back.” She turned on the Super Clip Clippers and slowly cut the hair on the back of his head. Then she consulted the magazine article again and moved to the sides and the top. When she was finally finished, she asked, “Now, Sophie, what do you think?”

“Looks pretty good to me,” Sophie had to admit. “As good as the haircuts he usually gets at Monsieur LeBlanc’s barbershop.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Henri said, brushing stray bits of hair off his freckled nose. He pulled off the towel and then jammed on his baseball cap and made for the back door.

“Be back in time for supper,” Maman called after him.

One Friday in early December, Sophie was helping Arthur with his paper route. She was still trying to save for a bike, but her savings were growing very slowly. When they came to the last delivery at LeBlanc’s, she noticed a sign on Sam’s Theatre next door to the barbershop, announcing Saturday’s matinee: It’s a Long Way Home starring Roy Rogers and his horse, Trigger. Also showing was The Stellar Return of Star Girl.

“A Star Girl movie!” Sophie yelped. “I’ve got to see that! That’s tomorrow. And look, Artie, they’re having a talent contest, as well. First prize is twenty-five dollars! If I won that, I’d have enough money to buy that secondhand bike from Cap’s Bicycles.”

“Too bad you haven’t got any talent,” her brother said.

“I could sing.”

“Ha!”

“I could sing and you could play your harmonica! If we won, you could have half the prize.”

“What song do you know?”

“I know lots of songs. What song do you know?”

Arthur shrugged and started wheeling his bike up the hill.

“How about ’Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’?” she yelled at his back. “Everyone likes that one. I heard you playing it on your harmonica the other day and it sounded great.” She sang as she followed him up the hill, shouting out the words in her excitement.

“Okay, okay. You don’t have to screech. I get the picture.” He stopped his bike and looked back at her. “Twenty-five bucks, eh? That would be twelve-fifty each. Not bad for a couple minutes of work.”

“We’d have to practise, though,” she told him.

“But all the kids are going, Maman,” Sophie said at the supper table.

“There are so many rough boys around, Sophie. I don’t want you going to the movies alone.”

Sophie stared at Arthur, who was sitting across the kitchen table from her, mashing a glob of butter into his mound of potatoes. She kicked his knee, but he still didn’t look up. “Arthur said he’d come with me. Right, Arthur?”

He nodded. “Sure, sure. As long as we leave early enough so I can get my newspapers done on time.”

“And I could help you again. So can we go, Maman? Please.”

Maman looked at Papa, who was sitting at the end of the table. He shrugged and nodded slightly.

Sophie knew that meant yes, so she was already grinning when Maman said, “Well, I suppose so. But you have to promise to stay together the whole time.”

Sophie wanted to tell her parents about the talent contest. But what if she and Arthur didn’t win? No one had as strong a voice as she did. And no one could play the harmonica as well as Arthur. They had to win. Still, she decided to keep the talent contest a secret and surprise everyone. She imagined her family’s faces when she and Arthur announced it tomorrow at the supper table.

“First prize in the talent contest! What talented children we have!” they would say, smiling at Sophie and Arthur. They would probably ask for a demonstration and an encore, so Sophie would sing her song and Arthur would play his harmonica. Afterward they would both bow and everyone would clap and cheer as if she and Arthur were heroes.