I could barely tell when the train stopped because it was going so slow in the first place.
We all got off and thanked the cranky conductor for a really long ride. The town of Tolk was beautiful. A lot of famous people came here to relax or get away from it all. There were huge pine trees and mountains that looked proud to be placed where they were. There was an old-fashioned-looking Main Street with a lot of stores on it.
The hotel we were staying at was almost directly across the street from the train station. So we just carried our stuff over the road and up to the front door.
The hotel looked too fancy to be located in the town of Tolk. It had shiny gold trim around all the window edges, and a huge front entrance where a man in a long coat held the door open for us.
It was even fancier inside the hotel. There were all kinds of paintings and chandeliers. There were also rugs so soft and thick that I almost got stuck in one.
In the lobby, there was a little sign welcoming all the members of the small business groups. My dad had my mom take his picture by it.
When we checked in, the man at the counter said that my dad was the honored guest, so we got some of the best rooms in the hotel. My dad was so happy, he looked like he was going to pass out from joy. I kept glancing around nervously. I was worried that someone might find out Seussol was on my shoulder. Occasionally I would see my mom stare at me as if something was wrong. So I stepped away from my parents to study the tourist pamphlets the hotel had available for the taking.
I was super happy to find the one I needed. I took it and stared at the picture on the front. I was speechless! Bartholomew’s Hat looked just like …
It was a small stone mountain shaped like a hat with the face of Beardy carved into the side of it. I put the pamphlet into my pocket and joined my family. I didn’t know what was happening, but I felt pretty sure that nobody else in the world was dealing with the surprise of finding out that the face on their closet doorknob was also carved on the side of a stone hill in New Mexico.
Our rooms were really nice. It seemed more like the kind of place a president or movie star would stay, not a playground salesman’s family. When I told my dad this, he said,
After everyone cleaned up, we had dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was packed with smart people who had probably driven up in their cars instead of taking the slow train. During dinner my dad told us some of the fun things we could do tomorrow:
My dad rattled off a ton of ideas. Libby and Melany wanted to go to the outlet mall, and my mom and Tuffin wanted to go to the petting zoo. I knew exactly what I needed to do and exactly how to ask for it.
I handed the pamphlet I had picked up over to my dad. He loved the idea. He was pretty keen on fitness and the outdoors. So the plan was for the girls to go shopping, my mom and Tuffin to go zooing, and the rest of us to hike to Bartholomew’s Hat. Then, when the hike was over, we would come back and my dad would get ready for his ceremony. I think Seussol was happy with the itinerary, because he kept whispering in my ear.
After dinner we walked to a store for Jack to buy some new shoes. He had a hard time making up his mind.
After shoe shopping we went to Dairy Queen for a treat and then watched a play at an old playhouse on Main Street. The play wasn’t very good, but they handed out marshmallows for us to throw at the villains.
I don’t know how the play ended, because Jack kept throwing his marshmallows at the main girl and got himself kicked out.
Trevor and I decided to leave with him. The three of us and Seussol waited outside of the playhouse for everyone else to finish watching the play.
I was trying to use single words because now almost everything else I said was coming out as a rhyme. It was pretty embarrassing, and it made me want to help Seussol so he could return to the closet and I could start talking normal again instead of saying stuff that didn’t make sense.
When the play ended, everyone came out and we walked back to the hotel. My parents went to their room with Tuffin, Libby and Melany went to theirs, and me and my friends went to ours. There were two beds in our room and a roll-away cot. Me and Trevor got the beds, and Jack took the roll-away.
I made a little nest on the chair next to me for Seussol. He took off the ring and reappeared. He rested in the nest while we all stared at him and asked questions to all his personalities.
Seussol seemed to love our questions, and he answered them all using one of his three personalities.
After a ton of questions, Trevor began to yawn loudly and Jack put on his headphones and closed his eyes. Seussol got comfortable in his chair. He looked a little sad.
So I went to my parents’ room and softly knocked on the door. My mom opened up and held her finger in front of her mouth to indicate that Tuffin was asleep and I needed to be quiet.
My mom got me the book and promised not to tell my dad even though I didn’t ask her to. I read it to Seussol and then called it a night.
