[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
ered to cover up with his gawky teenager act, even when there
were other people besides herself and Davina watching.
You're getting cocky, aren't you? she mused. Good.
That's one mistake. Let's use it.
In a clear, far-reaching voice. Sandy belled, "Why, Cass
Taylor! Why aren't you in school?"
Heads turned. Cass squirmed under the massed inquisi-
torial eyes of Godwin's Comers' Concerned Mothers. These
ladies believed in a place for everything and everything in its
place, especially children. Truancy could lead to juvenile de-
linquency, as was well known by every mother worth her Par-
ents magazine subscription; and juvenile delinquency could lead
to drugs, liquor, sex, wild parties, and mailbox bashing, which
was the horrid prelude to the ultimate degeneracy, a dip in
property values. Suddenly Cass was not so alone with his prey
as he might have wished.
Sandy pressed her lips together to keep from smiling as
the elven quickly tossed on his so recently disdained role of
adolescent goof. "Uh gosh, Mrs. Walters, it's okay. I've got
a note and everything from school. My mom just she just
stopped by the academy and asked if maybe I could pick up
my brother today. She has to be somewhere, see some-
one. . . ."he fumbled in his pockets. "I've got the note, hon-
est!" He was deliciously graceless, and mortified to the roots
of his hair. When his eyes met hers, they glared.
Awwwww. hzums angry? Sandy let her thoughts show
on her face. In her best condescending manner she said,
62 Esther M. Priesner
"That's quite all right, dear. We'll trust you. My husband
always tells me what a good boy you are." She turned her
back on him. That will teach you to come on strong to me.
"Mrs. Walters." Davina's whisper in her ear was ur-
gent. She let the Welsh girl draw her aside. "Mrs. Walters,
you mustn't rile the Fair Folk at your pleasure. They've a ter-
rible temper, every one. It's a woeful thing you'll do if once
their favor turns to hate." '
"So they carry grudges? Don't try scaring me with that,
Davina," Sandy shot back. "My mother could teach Remedial
Vendetta to the Mob. She's still toting a whopper she picked
up at a family reunion back in 1968 when she found out Cousin
Harriet went to a wedding in Taos and missed my graduation
from Erasmus High. I don't know what brought Tinkerbell over
there into my life, but I do know I want him out, and if I have
to embarrass him cross-eyed to make him back off, I'll do it."
Davina was glum. "To banish the Pair Folk is never that
easy."
"That was what everyone said about Cousin Harriet and
buffet tables, but she hasn't shown up at a catered affair where
she might meet my mom since 1969. Never mind him. Here
come the children."
The door opened and they streamed down the steps, deaf
to Miss Poster's ineffective exhortations of walk-don't-run.
Mothers signaled and called to their young, like a scene out of
a Disney nature film where, with much bellowing and thrashing
of flippers, hundreds of mama seals picked their own pups out
of the rookery rummage sale.
"Ellie! Ellie, over here!" Sandy was on tiptoe, wigwag-
ging with the best of them. Only Cass and Davina remained
quiet, sifting the crowd of children with eyes alone. "There
she is! In the pink sweater! Ellie!"
But Ellie wasn't alone. She held Jeffy Taylor by the hand
and ran only halfway down the path to the gate before stop-
ping, whispering something in the boy's ear, and then taking
off with him around the comer of the yellow house.
"Ellie! That child . . ." Sandy's fists were on her hips.
"Now we'll have to wait until the bottleneck at the gate clears
up before we can go in and get her." She looked at Cass. "And
your brother."
"Why?" Cass was suddenly taut. "Won't they come out
with the rest? Where did they go?"
"Now don't worry ..." His fingers closed tightly on
her wrist. The blue fires in his eyes were burning white. "Let
ELF DEFENSE 63
go of me," Sandy said very low. "Let me go or I'll kick you,
and I know that works on elves too." She felt his fingers un-
clench. There were faint marks on her arm. "Come on , follow
us and don't get all upset. They've only gone to the play "
Ellie's terrified scream leaped over the rooftree.
" ground."
Miss Foster got there before anyone, which was a won-
der, considering how Cass vaulted the picket fence and seemed
to fly around the comer of the house. Sandy took the more
conventional path, through the gate, followed by Davina and
as many of the other mothers as were unable to dissuade their
children from rubbernecking.
Sandy's first reaction was a wholehearted Thank God!
when she saw Ellie kneeling in the dirt, frightened but unin-
jured. This was followed by a more leisurely backwash of guilt
as she realized that there was an injury after all; a pretty spec-
tacular one.
Jeffy Taylor lay on his back near the seesaw, blood
streaming from his nose, while Ellie ineffectively tried to mop
it up with her flimsy cotton hankie. The dainty rag was soaked
scarlet and smeared with dirt. The little girl twisted it through [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
ered to cover up with his gawky teenager act, even when there
were other people besides herself and Davina watching.
You're getting cocky, aren't you? she mused. Good.
That's one mistake. Let's use it.
In a clear, far-reaching voice. Sandy belled, "Why, Cass
Taylor! Why aren't you in school?"
Heads turned. Cass squirmed under the massed inquisi-
torial eyes of Godwin's Comers' Concerned Mothers. These
ladies believed in a place for everything and everything in its
place, especially children. Truancy could lead to juvenile de-
linquency, as was well known by every mother worth her Par-
ents magazine subscription; and juvenile delinquency could lead
to drugs, liquor, sex, wild parties, and mailbox bashing, which
was the horrid prelude to the ultimate degeneracy, a dip in
property values. Suddenly Cass was not so alone with his prey
as he might have wished.
Sandy pressed her lips together to keep from smiling as
the elven quickly tossed on his so recently disdained role of
adolescent goof. "Uh gosh, Mrs. Walters, it's okay. I've got
a note and everything from school. My mom just she just
stopped by the academy and asked if maybe I could pick up
my brother today. She has to be somewhere, see some-
one. . . ."he fumbled in his pockets. "I've got the note, hon-
est!" He was deliciously graceless, and mortified to the roots
of his hair. When his eyes met hers, they glared.
Awwwww. hzums angry? Sandy let her thoughts show
on her face. In her best condescending manner she said,
62 Esther M. Priesner
"That's quite all right, dear. We'll trust you. My husband
always tells me what a good boy you are." She turned her
back on him. That will teach you to come on strong to me.
"Mrs. Walters." Davina's whisper in her ear was ur-
gent. She let the Welsh girl draw her aside. "Mrs. Walters,
you mustn't rile the Fair Folk at your pleasure. They've a ter-
rible temper, every one. It's a woeful thing you'll do if once
their favor turns to hate." '
"So they carry grudges? Don't try scaring me with that,
Davina," Sandy shot back. "My mother could teach Remedial
Vendetta to the Mob. She's still toting a whopper she picked
up at a family reunion back in 1968 when she found out Cousin
Harriet went to a wedding in Taos and missed my graduation
from Erasmus High. I don't know what brought Tinkerbell over
there into my life, but I do know I want him out, and if I have
to embarrass him cross-eyed to make him back off, I'll do it."
Davina was glum. "To banish the Pair Folk is never that
easy."
"That was what everyone said about Cousin Harriet and
buffet tables, but she hasn't shown up at a catered affair where
she might meet my mom since 1969. Never mind him. Here
come the children."
The door opened and they streamed down the steps, deaf
to Miss Poster's ineffective exhortations of walk-don't-run.
Mothers signaled and called to their young, like a scene out of
a Disney nature film where, with much bellowing and thrashing
of flippers, hundreds of mama seals picked their own pups out
of the rookery rummage sale.
"Ellie! Ellie, over here!" Sandy was on tiptoe, wigwag-
ging with the best of them. Only Cass and Davina remained
quiet, sifting the crowd of children with eyes alone. "There
she is! In the pink sweater! Ellie!"
But Ellie wasn't alone. She held Jeffy Taylor by the hand
and ran only halfway down the path to the gate before stop-
ping, whispering something in the boy's ear, and then taking
off with him around the comer of the yellow house.
"Ellie! That child . . ." Sandy's fists were on her hips.
"Now we'll have to wait until the bottleneck at the gate clears
up before we can go in and get her." She looked at Cass. "And
your brother."
"Why?" Cass was suddenly taut. "Won't they come out
with the rest? Where did they go?"
"Now don't worry ..." His fingers closed tightly on
her wrist. The blue fires in his eyes were burning white. "Let
ELF DEFENSE 63
go of me," Sandy said very low. "Let me go or I'll kick you,
and I know that works on elves too." She felt his fingers un-
clench. There were faint marks on her arm. "Come on , follow
us and don't get all upset. They've only gone to the play "
Ellie's terrified scream leaped over the rooftree.
" ground."
Miss Foster got there before anyone, which was a won-
der, considering how Cass vaulted the picket fence and seemed
to fly around the comer of the house. Sandy took the more
conventional path, through the gate, followed by Davina and
as many of the other mothers as were unable to dissuade their
children from rubbernecking.
Sandy's first reaction was a wholehearted Thank God!
when she saw Ellie kneeling in the dirt, frightened but unin-
jured. This was followed by a more leisurely backwash of guilt
as she realized that there was an injury after all; a pretty spec-
tacular one.
Jeffy Taylor lay on his back near the seesaw, blood
streaming from his nose, while Ellie ineffectively tried to mop
it up with her flimsy cotton hankie. The dainty rag was soaked
scarlet and smeared with dirt. The little girl twisted it through [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]