It is almost the end of summer. You can feel fall in the air. I know it, and I am sure Theo knows it too. The paintings are all framed and will be hung in the library soon.
“Jake’s and Boots’s paintings will go up in two weeks,” I say.
“But that’s almost the end of summer,” says Theo.
We finish dinner late, and it is dark outside. After we help with the dishes, Boots goes off to bed. Theo and I start upstairs to our rooms.
The phone rings, and for some reason it makes me jump. Theo and I are at the top of the stairs, his library light glowing in the corner.
“Hello,” says Jake. “Well, hello—where are you?”
Theo and I know. We know it is our parents calling.
“What exciting news is that? Oh, okay. We’ll look for you then.”
Jake turns and looks at us at the top of the stairs.
“No, sorry. They’ve gone to bed. But I’ll tell them you called.”
Jake hangs up the phone. “I lied,” he says.
I smile. “You’re forgiven,” I tell him.
“They’re coming on the weekend—just passing through. They say they have exciting news,” says Jake. “You know what I know.”
“Good night, Jake.”
“Good night,” he says.
Theo looks at me and goes to his bedroom door.
“Good night, Louisa,” says Theo. “I have to do something.”
“What kind of something?”
“I don’t know,” says Theo, looking as sad as I’ve ever seen him.
He opens his door and goes inside, shutting the door behind him.
I am surprised by my next thought.
I hope his something works.
In the morning we find out a bad storm is coming. It is dark and rainy, with strong wind gusts. George, dripping with rain, comes to see if he can help us. He takes off his raincoat and hat by the door.
“My father and I took our boat out of the water and helped Angelo secure his. My mother is bringing in all of her potted plants and cutting some flowers to bring in.”
“We should do that,” says Boots.
“Rafiki won’t go outside,” says George.
“Dogs know,” says Jake. “Want to go outside, Tess?”
Tess looks up, yawns, and closes her eyes again.
“What about the sheep?” asks Theo. “What if there is lightning and high winds?”
“Good question,” says Jake. “I never fixed the barn roof. It’s too dangerous for them.”
“Maybe you can take the car out of the garage and put the sheep in there,” says Boots.
Jake turns to look at Boots, his mouth open as if he is about to say something.
Boots bursts out laughing.
“Come on, old fellow, you know we’re going to bring them into the kitchen! Remember, we once had seventeen hens and a rooster in here during a hurricane.”
“I remember,” says Jake. “The rooster pecked at the shells of my poached eggs. George, maybe you could help me bring in the fencing. We can put the sheep in the corner with hay and water.”
“What about our parents coming here?” asks Theo.
“They’re not coming until after the storm passes, if the ferry is running,” says Jake.
“It’s not running for a few days,” says George.
“Okay. I have time to think,” says Theo.
“Think about what?” asks Boots.
“The ‘something’ that sometimes happens,” says Theo.
“Oh, that something,” says Boots.
The wind grows stronger. Boots and I cut lots of flowers and bring them in. We carry in pots of flowers.
There is thunder and some lightning.
George and Jake bring in fencing to the corner of the big kitchen. They carry in hay, and Theo spreads it around the floor. And then the wind grows stronger and some of the trees bend down. We go out to lead the sheep, Bitty and Flossie and Flip, into the kitchen.
They are peaceful, even staring calmly at Tess through the fence.
“This is great!” says Theo.
And the lights go out. We find candles and oil lamps.
George goes to the phone to see if it works. He dials.
“Hi. I’m going to stay overnight to help out at Jake and Boots’s house.”
“Yes, her too,” he says, looking at me.
Right after George’s call the phone stops working.
“I have my cell phone,” says George, “if we need it. My father said there may be some hurricane-force winds for the next day or two.”
Boots has made spaghetti sauce already, and she cooks the spaghetti on the gas stove, which works without electricity. She has a roast in the oven for the next two days.
We eat by lantern light, the sheep starting to smell like wet sheep in a warm house.
“I should check the garage,” says Jake suddenly.
“I did,” says George.
“This is great!” repeats Theo.
“It is,” says Boots.
“It is,” says Jake.
“It is,” says George.
They look at me.
“This is great,” I say, grinning at them all.
Bitty looks at me and bleats loudly.
This is great.