Hazel threw the photo into the box, put the lid back on, and ran down the stairs before her mother could call her again. She decided she’d come back later to look through the box again as soon as she got the chance.
Whatever had happened that day so long ago was the reason her grandparents had changed jobs and moved to the country, while her mother refused to talk about it.
She was still thinking about the time machine and the secret when she caught up to Bess, who was standing in the living room, holding her pet frog. Across the room, their mother sat on the couch next to Bobby and a large woman with glasses. She introduced Hazel to the woman. “Susie, this is my oldest, Hazel. Hazel, this is Bobby’s mother and my old friend, Mrs. Jacobs.”
Bobby stood up and pointed when he saw Hazel. “Tell my mom, Hazel. You took my frog and then you… you and your sister… they both disappeared! One second they were there in the attic, and the next second they were gone.”
Hazel held in her gasp, telling herself not to panic even though things were just as bad as she’d thought. He had told everyone. She looked over at Bess. Bess just shrugged.
“Poor kid’s been saying that all day,” their grandfather said, as he casually walked in from the kitchen, biting into one of their grandmother’s homemade rolls. “I sent him home and told him to go lie down for a while. He’s acting crazy if you ask me. He’s not crazy, is he?” He turned to Bobby’s mother.
“I’m sorry, Susie,” their mother said.
“I’m not crazy. I saw what I saw,” Bobby said. “And I saw those two disappear! Hazel ran into the house and I followed her in. There was a loud noise coming from the attic, so I went upstairs…”
“Wait a second,” his mother snapped, adjusting her glasses and sitting up in her seat. “You went into someone else’s house and up into their attic without their permission?”
Bobby’s face grew red under his freckles. “I…uh… that’s not the point. You and Hazel’s mom are friends. And, the important part is I saw them disappear. Come on, Hazel. Tell my mom how you and your sister disappeared.”
Hazel shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. But then, older kids sometimes have crazy imaginations.”
Rrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiibbbbbbbbet!
Seeing the frog, Bobby ran over to Bess. He grabbed Froggenstein’s aquarium out of her hand. “And here’s proof. This is my frog. I taught the girls how to play soccer, and they gave me the frog. But then, they took it back, so I had to go into the house to get it.”
“Nope,” Hazel said, grabbing the cage and giving it back to her sister. “This has always been Bess’s frog and it always will be Bess’s frog.”
Bobby scowled. “I thought you were cool,” he said.
Bess gave Hazel a hug. “She is,” she said. Hazel hugged her little sister back. Sure, having a friend her own age was fun, but not if it meant she couldn’t be friends with her sister.
Bobby’s mother stood up to leave. “I’m so sorry for all the problems Bobby has caused today. Honestly, I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” she said. “It’s just so crazy.”
Hazel’s grandfather went back into the kitchen, winking at the girls as he left. “Crazy, all right. Just crazy.”
On the way out the door, Bobby looked back. He pointed two fingers at the girls to let them know he was watching them. And somehow Hazel knew he meant it. This definitely wasn’t going to be the last time they saw their curious new friend. But right now, she had more important things to think about like helping their grandpa return stolen stuff to their places in history, investigating the mysterious box full of photos, and the secret. Hazel had no idea how she was going to do any of that stuff right now, but she knew deep down, she finally had the courage to do them all.
— The End —
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Read on for more about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.
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Ernestine Tito Jones