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diff --git a/old/1087.txt b/old/1087.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..74f5b28 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/1087.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3218 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Baartock, by Lewis Roth + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +** This is a COPYRIGHTED Project Gutenberg eBook, Details Below ** +** Please follow the copyright guidelines in this file. ** + +Title: Baartock + +Author: Lewis Roth + +Posting Date: May 12, 2013 [EBook #1087] +Release Date: October, 1997 +First Posted: October 26, 1997 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BAARTOCK *** + + + + +Produced by an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer. + + + + + + + + + + +Here is a short message from the author of Baartock: + +This book is directed at children, up to about third grade, though it +should be read to them by an adult. + + + + + +Baartock, by Lewis Roth (C)1989 + + + + + +BAARTOCK + +by Lewis Roth + + + + +Chapter 1 + + +Baartock was sitting by the side of the old two lane country road, +crying. Seven years old and all alone for hours, but that wasn't why +he was sobbing, tears running down his cheeks. He had grown up in the +forest, he was used to being alone, except for his parents. He wasn't +lost and he hadn't run away from home, though he felt so ashamed he +didn't want to go home. It had been a bad day, a terrible day. +Baartock had been waiting all day to scare someone, but there hadn't +been anyone to scare. It was such a bad thing to happen to a troll on +his first day. + +Today was such an important day. Today was the very first day that +Baartock was to go out scaring all by himself. He had stayed up late +the night before and had gotten up early, so he would be all tired and +cranky. He had gone out of the cave where he lived and rolled in the +smelliest, nastiest mud he could find, so he would look his scariest. +And he had practiced his screams and shrieks, until both his parents +yelled at him to shut-up and to go scare somebody. He had set out, +going down the old dry stream-bed, just like his father had told him. +On the way, he fell down and cut his knee, which made him really angry. +He threw a rock at a bird that was singing in the trees, trying to make +fun of him. He missed and that made him even angrier. When he got to +the road and looked both ways, he crossed it and hid in the culvert. +Then he waited and listened. + +The culvert wasn't much of a bridge. It was just a big, old concrete +pipe that went under the road for rain-water to go through. He wished +that it was a bridge, any kind of bridge at all. Even a wooden bridge, +but a real bridge that he could hide under and come rushing out to +scare people. He crouched down to wait and listen. + +He knew what he was listening for. The sound of someone walking down +the road. Baartock had practiced at home, just the way his father had +shown him. He would stand waiting, just out of sight. + Then, when he heard something, he would run up the hill, roaring and +screaming. The practice had all gone so well. When he did it at home, +he never had to wait long to hear something. He had scared lots of +squirrels, a deer, two opossum, and a skunk. Baartock didn't like to +remember the skunk. They had scared each other. + +To help pass the time, Baartock remembered of some of the stories that +his father told. Stories about the famous trolls in his family, and +how they had scared people. How his Great-great-uncle Sssssgnaarll had +chased a whole village. He had come running down the side of the +mountain and right into the village, yelling and screaming his loudest, +and everybody had run away. And how wonderfully ugly his mother's +grandfather Munchch-Crunchch had been. So ugly, that just as soon as he +looked up over the side of a bridge, people would faint right where +they were standing. It was fun to think about things like that, while +he was waiting. + +He thought about the name he was going to earn for himself. Something +really scary and wonderful. Baartock wasn't his real name. + That was just what his mother called him. His father would just +yell 'kid', and Baartock knew that meant him. That's the way it is +with trolls. But he wouldn't get a name, a real troll name until he +was twelve years old, and had scared lots of people. He wanted to earn +a really scary name like Arrrggrr-Munch Slinurp, which was his father's +name. + +He waited for a long time, but no one came. After a while, when he got +tired, he ate his sandwiches. They were really good. His mother had +put extra sand in them. Just as he finished his lunch, a bee stung +him. That got him angry again, and he felt that he could scare anybody +who came along. He settled down again to wait and listen. But he +didn't hear anything. He kept waiting. When he got tired of waiting +down under the road in the culvert, he climbed up and hid in a bush by +the side of the road. Baartock waited some more, but still nobody came +walking down the road. The sun was right overhead. He was hot and +tired and hungry and lots of things, but mostly unhappy. The longer he +waited, the unhappier he got. + +He was sitting by the side of the road, crying, when the car drove up +and stopped near him. He was sobbing so hard that he didn't hear it. +It wouldn't have mattered if he had heard it. His father hadn't shown +him how to scare a car. He did hear the car door slam, when Mr. Fennis +got out. + +"What's the matter?" Mr. Fennis didn't know anything about trolls, but +he knew about children. And what he saw was a very dirty little child +sitting by the side of the road, crying. Mr. Fennis taught third grade +and would have been at school, but this morning he had to go to the +dentist. He was hurrying to get back to school. He didn't want to +miss more than half the day. The substitute teacher had been sick and +Mrs. Jackson, the principal, was teaching his class. That was almost +as bad as the pain in his mouth. + +As soon as Baartock saw Mr. Fennis, he knew what he was supposed to do. +If he hadn't been sobbing so hard, he might have been able to scare him. + +"Ahgrr," Baartock started to yell, but it got all mixed up with his +crying and didn't come out scary at all. + +"What's the matter?" Mr. Fennis asked again. "Are you hurt?" + +Baartock could only shake his head. + +"Are you lost? What's wrong?" + +Baartock tried to say, "I'm trying to scare you," but all that came out +was "scare." + +"You don't have to be scared. I'll try to help you. Do you know how to +get home?" + +Baartock nodded his head and sobbed some more. He hadn't been able to +scare this person. Now they were even talking. Oh, this was awful. + +"Let me take you home," said Mr. Fennis. "Which way do you live?" + +Baartock pointed up the hill. "I don't think anyone lives up there. +You must live in the old Howard place." Mr. Fennis seemed to be +talking mostly to himself. Then he asked "How old are you?" + +"Seven," answered Baartock. + +"You should be in school today." + +"No school." Baartock didn't know what school was, but he didn't think +he should be there. "Father said 'wait here'. I came early today, but +nobody came." + +"You've been waiting for a school bus all this time?" Mr. Fennis knew +what the trouble was now. The poor kid. Missed the bus, and he's been +sitting here ever since. No wonder he was crying. Though he could have +gone back home and gotten cleaned up. I'd better take him home and +explain things to his mother. + +"What's your name?" + +"Don't have name," Baartock was feeling a little better. Just sobbing +every now and then. + +"Well then, what can I call you?" asked Mr. Fennis. After all, he was +a teacher and he knew how to get an answer. + +"Baartock. Mother calls me Baartock." + +"All right, Baartock. You can call me, Mr. Fennis. I teach third +grade at the school where you should be today. I'm going to take you +home." Then he had a thought. No point in driving back to the old +Howard house if no one would be there. So many mothers had jobs. +Besides, he was in a hurry to get back to school. "Is your mother home +now?" he asked. + +"No." Baartock knew that his mother would be out gathering poison ivy +and catching lizards for dinner. + +"Well, Baartock. You should be in school and I'm going there. You can +ride there with me and come home on the school bus." Taking Baartock's +hand, they walked to the car. + +For some trollish reason, Baartock's mother hadn't told him not to talk +with strangers, or not to go anywhere with them. Maybe it was because +she didn't think that he would ever get the chance. But, Baartock knew +that he was supposed to be scaring someone, not talking to them. Or +going in a car with them. + +Because he had stayed up in the woods until today, Baartock had never +seen a car. He didn't know a car was, or what it looked like. He +certainly had never ridden in one, but he liked this thing they got +into. Mr. Fennis was neat about most things, but his car was a mess. +The paint was scratched, one of the fenders was dented, and on the +floor were some paper coffee cups and soda cans. On the back seat were +seven over-due library books, an overflowing litter bag, a couple of +cans of oil, which should have been in the trunk, and some plastic +tubing for a science project. To Baartock, it looked just like home. +He was busy looking around when Mr. Fennis started the engine and began +to drive off. Then Baartock went wild and really did scare Mr. Fennis. + + + + +Chapter 2 + + +It was only a short drive, though it felt very long to both Baartock +and Mr. Fennis. When Mr. Fennis finally parked the car at Marvis T. +Johnson Elementary School, he got out and helped Baartock out of the +back seat. + +"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Baartock," apologized Mr. Fennis, helping +him out. "You almost made us crash when you grabbed the steering +wheel. You don't do that in your folks car, do you?" + +"Don't like!" said Baartock angrily, as he kicked at the side of the +car. + +"Don't do that! It's my car. It may not look pretty, but it's paid +for and takes me where I want to go." + +"Go home," said Baartock and he started to walk off the way + they had come. Like all trolls, he had an almost perfect sense of +direction and couldn't get lost. This place wasn't at all like the +woods and he didn't like it. It was all new and frightening to him. +Since he was a troll, he wasn't going to be scared, or not much anyway. +He was supposed to do the scaring. + +"Come on, Baartock. Let's go on into school." Mr. Fennis grabbed +Baartock's hand. + +"Don't want school! Want to go home!" + +So, with Mr. Fennis pulling one way and Baartock pulling the other, +they went into school. As soon as they got inside, Baartock stopped +wanting to go home and started looking at this new kind of cave he was +in. There were big boards fastened to the walls, covered with lots of +colored papers. There were cases with glass frames with more colored +papers behind them. The walls were a bright yellow, and there were +lights overhead. Even the floor was smooth and shiny. There were a lot +of new things for him to see. He was still looking around when they got +to the school office. + +"Ms. Laurence, Baartock seems to have missed the bus this morning," +said Mr. Fennis to the woman sitting at a desk, behind the counter. +Ms. Laurence was the school secretary. "I found him still waiting by +the road." + +"Baartock? I don't know any Baartock." + +"Well, he's seven, so he must be in Mrs. Stogbuchner's class. Could +you get him down there? I've really got to get back to my class. +Good-by, Baartock." With that, Mr. Fennis hurried out of the office +and down the hall, leaving Baartock in the office. + +Baartock looked at Ms. Laurence. Then he looked all around the room. +When he had seen enough he said, "Not Mississtog-Buchnersklass. Go +home! Now!" Baartock thought it might be fun to meet someone with a +wonderfully scary name like Mississtog-Buchnersklass, but he was tired +and wanted to go home. He was just out the door, leaving Ms. Laurence +calling "Baartock! Stop!" when he crashed right into Mrs. Jackson, the +principal. + +Mr. Fennis told Mrs. Jackson about Baartock just as soon as he had +gotten into his classroom and she came running to the office. Mrs. +Jackson had been a school teacher for many years and principal for a +few more, but she wasn't sure that she had ever seen a child quite like +the dirty, wild, little one, who was trying to pull away from her. +"Stop right now!" Mrs. Jackson's voice echoed up and down the hall. +Baartock stopped squirming and stood, wide-eyed, staring at her. He +didn't know humans could sound like that. Down the hall, classroom +doors opened and several teachers looked out. Mrs. Jackson ignored +them as she pushed Baartock back into the office and closed the door. + +"Please tell me your name." Before he could say that he wasn't old +enough to have a name, Ms. Laurence answered "Baartock." + +"Baartock," said Mrs. Jackson as she brought him over to a bench, "sit +down. Tell me how you got so dirty." + +"Rolled in mud. Want to go home." + +"You certainly must have rolled in the mud. I understand you missed +your bus this morning." + +"Mrs. Jackson," said Ms. Laurence, who had stopped watching them and +was busily looking through some papers, "We don't have any student +named Baartock." School had just started the week before, but Ms. +Laurence was sure that she knew the names of all the new students. And +where to find their records. + +"Is today your first day?" asked Mrs. Jackson. "Yes! First day! +First day!" Baartock answered right away. Finally he had found someone +who understood that today was his first day to go scare people by all +himself. + +"But, Mrs. Jackson, I don't have his registration forms, medical +records, or anything." Ms. Laurence was now going through file drawers. + +"I'm sure you'll find them. Baartock and I will just go down to Mrs. +Stogbuchner's class, then I'll be back to help you look," said Mrs. +Jackson as she opened the door. "Baartock, let's go meet your teacher. +I'm sure you'll be very happy in her class." + +"Want to go home!" repeated Baartock rather loudly as they walked down +the hall. + +"Please don't shout, Baartock. We don't want to disturb the other +classes. I'm sure you would like to go home. I would like to go home, +too, but we're supposed to be here. And we'll get everything +straightened out about your bus schedule, so you won't miss your bus +tomorrow. I'll make sure that you get home after school is over. Just +behave yourself and do what Mrs. Stogbuchner tells you." + + + + +Chapter 3 + + +"Now, let's get you into class," said Mrs. Jackson. They went to the +last door on the right side of the hall, and Mrs. Jackson looked +through a little window in the door. + +"Is it recess time already? The class must be outside." She opened the +door and they went into the classroom. It was a bright cheerful room, +with windows all along one wall and chairs pulled up around low tables. + +"This will be your classroom," Mrs. Jackson said. They walked to a +door in the back of the classroom and went outside. + +"Let's see if we can find them. They should be on the playground. +That's around this way." Hand in hand, they went around to the back of +the school building. + +There was the playground. And the class. So many humans. Baartock had +never seen that many humans. They were swinging, racing around, +climbing, playing, and just standing. They were laughing and yelling +and screaming. They were all having fun. Baartock was so interested, +that he didn't see the woman coming over to them. + +"Baartock, this is your teacher, Mrs. Stogbuchner," said Mrs. Jackson. +"Mrs. Stogbuchner, this is Baartock. This is his first day, isn't it +Baartock?" + +"First day," said Baartock, still looking at the children. + +"Nice to have you in my class, Baartock," said Mrs. Stogbuchner. "I'm +sure you will enjoy it here." + +"I'll come see that you get on the right bus to get home, Baartock," +said Mrs. Jackson. "Why don't you go play. But, please behave +yourself. I want to talk to Mrs. Stogbuchner for a moment." + +Baartock started walking over to where the children were playing. He +was thinking so many different things. It was his first day and he +should be scaring people, and here were humans to scare. But there were +just so many of them, all running and laughing and playing. Nobody was +paying any attention to him. They weren't even looking at him. +Baartock couldn't think of any way to scare anybody. This was all so +new, and not the way it was supposed to be. He was suddenly scared. He +didn't know what to do. + +Baartock had been slowly walking by the fence that went around the +playground. When he got to the jungle gym, he stopped and watched the +three boys who were climbing on it. He wasn't quite sure why they were +climbing and chasing each other, but they seemed to be having fun. +Suddenly, Baartock jumped up on the bars and climbed up to the top. It +was like climbing a tree, but it was different, too. He was just +sitting there, looking around, when one of the boys, the one with red +hair, climbed up beside him. + +"Hi. I'm Jason. Are you new?" + +"No, I'm Baartock," he said. He wouldn't want a dumb name like 'New'. + +All the other children were about the same size as Baartock, but Jason +was even bigger. He was trying to think what to say to this red haired +boy. + +Then Jason started to climb down again. When he was just a little way +down, he called, "Try to catch me, Baartock!" + +Baartock knew what to do. He started climbing down, chasing Jason as +fast as he could. By now, Jason was on the ground, running past the +swings. When Baartock got down, he started running. He ran past the +swings, past the slide. He was catching up to Jason, he had almost +caught him, when a there was a whistle and Jason stopped. Baartock +crashed into him and they both fell down. Jason got on his feet right +away. + +"We've got to go in now," he said as he pulled Baartock to his feet. +"We have to go line up. Come on." + +Baartock didn't understand what they were going to do, but he walked +along with Jason. As they walked over to where Mrs. Stogbuchner was +standing, Baartock said, "I caught you." + +"I can run faster," answered Jason. "Next time you won't." + +Mrs. Stogbuchner again blew her whistle. "Recess is over. Time to go +inside," she called. Then she saw Baartock and Jason. "Making friends +already, Baartock? Jason, please let Baartock sit next to you and help +him along today." + +"Yes, Mrs. Stogbuchner," said Jason. + +"Everybody settle down," called Mrs. Stogbuchner as she walked past the +children, who were lining up. + +"I'm supposed to be first today, right, Mrs. Stogbuchner?" called a boy +from the front of the line. + +"All right, Jimmy," she answered. + +"There. I told you so," Jimmy said loudly to the girl standing next to +him. + +"Don't start a fight about it, Jimmy," said Mrs. Stogbuchner, who was +now at the back of the line. "Let's walk inside quietly. No running!" +she called, as Jimmy started rushing off. + +In just a few minutes, Baartock found himself sitting right next to +Jason, at one of the low tables in the classroom. Mrs. Stogbuchner, +standing in front of the classroom was saying, "We have someone new in +class." Everybody was looking around. "Baartock, please stand up. This +is his first day." + +Baartock stood up, but he was embarrassed. Now everybody knew this was +his first day, he'd never be able to scare anybody. He was still +standing, when Mrs. Stogbuchner said, "You may sit down now, Baartock." + +Jason reached up and pulled Baartock back onto his chair. A couple of +children at the next table were giggling, and several others were +whispering something and pointing at him. Baartock felt uncomfortable. +He wasn't really too interested in the papers that were passed around. +But he got interested in making the marks on the paper, when Jason +helped him color the worksheet. There were so many bright colors. He +got so interested in coloring that he didn't pay any attention to +anything else. It didn't seem very long before Mrs. Stogbuchner said, +"It's time to get everything put away now." + +Jason whispered to him, "Where do you live?" + +"That way," said Baartock, pointing. That was the way a troll would +give directions. Just point in the direction you were supposed to go, +and then walk until you got there. In spite of everything that had +happened today, he knew just exactly where his home was. He had been +so busy, he hadn't thought about it until now. + "Want to go home," he said. + +"We all get to go home in just a few minutes, Baartock," said Mrs. +Stogbuchner, who had been walking around making sure that everything +was put away. "Everybody sits down quietly and waits for the bell." + +Baartock started to ask Jason, "What's bell?" But he only got to say +"What's . . .." + +Mrs. Stogbuchner was still standing behind him. "Baartock, in this +classroom, 'wait quietly' means 'no talking'." + +Mrs. Jackson came into the classroom and walked over to them. "Mrs. +Stogbuchner, if you're finished with Baartock for today, I'd like him +to come to the office now." + +"Yes. We're all through. Baartock, please go with Mrs. Jackson, and +we'll see you tomorrow." + +When they got into the hall, Mrs. Jackson said, "Baartock, we couldn't +find your file, and I do need to talk to your mother. Instead of riding +on the school bus, I'm going to drive you home." + +"Go home now?" asked Baartock quietly. He remembered how angry this +person could sound. + +"Yes. I'm going to drive you home." Just then the bell rang, and +Baartock jumped three feet in the air. + + + + +Chapter 4 + + +When Baartock and Mrs. Jackson walked out to the parking lot, Mr. +Fennis was waiting beside his car. + +"Ready to go home, Baartock?" asked Mr. Fennis. + +"Go home now," answered Baartock, and he started to walk away. + +"Baartock! Come back here!" Mrs. Jackson's voice stopped him and he +turned around. + +"Not go home now?" asked Baartock. + +"We're going to take you home, but we're not going to walk. We are +going to drive in the car." + +Walking home was exactly what Baartock had planned to do. Then he had +an idea. "Don't like car. You drive. I walk," he said. + +"No. Now please get in." + +"You'd think he'd never ridden in car until today," commented Mr. +Fennis as he got in and closed the door. "He became positively wild +when I drove him to school." + +"Well, he'll behave this time, won't you Baartock. You just sit +quietly while we take you home." + +"Sit," said Baartock unhappily. + +Mr. Fennis started the car, and Baartock started to jump, but he saw +Mrs. Jackson watching him. So he just sat and looked even unhappier. + +The ride this time seemed much quicker for Mr. Fennis, since Baartock +wasn't jumping around in the car. + +"They must live in Donald and Phyllis Howard's old house," he said as +they drove down the country road. "I found him just down the road from +their driveway." + +"I didn't know anyone had moved in there," said Mrs. Jackson. + +Just then Baartock exclaimed "Home!" pointing up the hill. + +"Can we use the driveway instead, Baartock?" said Mr. Fennis. "I don't +want to walk up the hill, even if you do have a shortcut." He drove on +down the road a little further, then slowed even more as they came to a +mailbox and a dirt driveway. + +"That's funny. The 'For Sale' sign's still there," said Mrs. Jackson. +Out in the middle of the corn-stalk stubbled field was a weathered +sign, 'Farm For Sale - Crow Real Estate'. "This is the only house up +here. They must have just not taken the sign down yet." + +Baartock sat in the back seat and didn't say anything. Mr. Fennis +turned the car onto the driveway and started up the hill. This dirt +road did go near his family's cave, but he never used it. Trolls almost +never use roads unless there are bridges, and the bridges are to live +under or hide under. + +The driveway went up the hill, between the field and the woods. It +didn't look as though a car had been on it for a long time. The grass +growing in the middle was quite tall, and the bushes growing next to +the road needed to be cut back. They scraped the side of the car as +they went up the driveway. And there were a lot of holes that needed +filling. Mr. Fennis was driving slowly, but the car still raised a +cloud of dust behind them. + +Up near the top of the hill, the road turned away from the woods, +toward a grove of trees and the old frame house almost hidden in the +trees. + +"Home over there," said Baartock, pointing back into the woods, as Mr. +Fennis was about to turn toward the house. + +"But there aren't any houses in the woods," said Mrs. Jackson. + +"Can we look at the house first, Baartock?" asked Mr. Fennis. + +"Home over there!" said Baartock again, still pointing toward the +woods, but he sat quietly as they drove up to the house. There was a +smaller sign on the porch by the front door, 'House & Farm For Sale - +Crow Real Estate' with a phone number to call. + +"It certainly doesn't look like anyone lives here," said Mr. Fennis, as +he turned the car around in the driveway. "All right, Baartock. Which +way is your home?" + +"Home that way," said Baartock, still pointing into the woods. + +"Mr. Fennis, do you think he's lost?" asked Mrs. Jackson quietly. + +"Not lost. Never get lost. Home over there!" said Baartock firmly. +Trolls can also hear very well. + +Mr. Fennis drove the car back to where the driveway turned down hill +and stopped it. "Baartock, just how far is your home?" + +"Home over there. Not far. Easy walk," said Baartock. If these humans +weren't with him, he could easily run home. + +"Mrs. Jackson, if we are going to meet Baartock's parents, I guess we +have to walk through the woods. Baartock, will your mother or father be +home now?" asked Mr. Fennis. + +"Mother home now," answered Baartock. He was suddenly hungry, thinking +about the lizard and poison ivy dinner she said she would fix. + +Mr. Fennis got out and went around and opened the door for Mrs. Jackson +and Baartock. "Baartock, will you please show us the way to your home?" + +They walked into the woods, Baartock in front, walking easily and +quietly between trees and bushes. Next came Mr. Fennis, pushing his +way through, and holding branches out of the way for Mrs. Jackson. She +came last, carrying her briefcase full of important school papers. + +"Slow down, Baartock," called Mr. Fennis, when Baartock got too far +ahead of them. "We can't go that fast. How much further is it?" + +"Home soon," answered Baartock. + +"I really don't believe this," said Mrs. Jackson, more to herself than +to Mr. Fennis. "Could he live out here in the woods?" + +"He acts like he knows where he's going," was Mr. Fennis' reply. + +Baartock was waiting for them at the dry stream bed. When they caught +up with him, he pointed up the hill. "Home there," he said, starting +again. + +This was easier walking, without all of the branches. But there were a +lot of loose rocks underfoot, and a few pools of muddy water from the +last rain. A little way further, Baartock turned into the woods and +stopped in a clearing by the mouth of a cave. + +"Home!" he yelled, and went inside. + +"But he can't live in a cave," said Mr. Fennis, panting. It had been +more of a hike in the woods than he had been expecting. + +Just then, Baartock came back out of the cave, followed by his mother. + +"Oh!" gasped Mrs. Jackson. + +Baartock's mother, Whinnurf Slinurp, was an adult troll. She was almost +seven feet tall, with a slightly gray-green skin, which is very +attractive for a troll. She was dressed in something like a robe, made +of odd bits of cloth sewn patchwork fashion. She was a gentle troll, +not mean or nasty like some trolls. Of course, neither Mrs. Jackson +nor Mr. Fennis knew that she was a gentle troll. She had a basket of +acorns and toadstools in her hand, which she had been fixing for dinner. + +"Who you?" she asked in a booming voice. + +Trolls, being larger than most humans, have louder, deeper voices. +Compared to the way trolls normally are, she was being very polite. +These must be humans from the nearby village. She hadn't seen humans +in quite a long time. She had almost forgotten how little and ugly +humans were. + +Mr. Fennis and Mrs. Jackson looked at Baartock's mother and then at +each other. Mr. Fennis was ready to run away right now and forget the +whole thing. He was wondering if Mrs. Jackson could run fast enough to +keep up. For just a moment, Mrs. Jackson was wondering the same +thing. Then something made her change her mind. She had come to meet +Baartock's mother or father and that was what she was going to do. So, +while Mr. Fennis watched wide-eyed, she said, "I'm Mrs. Jackson, the +principal of the Marvis T. Johnson Elementary School. This is Mr. +Fennis, who teaches third grade there." + +"So," said Whinnurf Slinurp. That was like saying 'okay', only no +troll, even a very polite troll, would say 'okay'. + +"Are you Baartock's mother?" asked Mrs. Jackson. + +"Yes," said Whinnurf Slinurp. Proudly she added, "He good troll." + + + + +Chapter 5 + + +"A troll! I've been driving around all day with a troll!" thought Mr. +Fennis. "I didn't even think there were trolls. Aren't they supposed +to be mean? Aren't they supposed to eat people?" Mr. Fennis tried to +remember everything that he had ever read about trolls in stories and +fairy tales. The only things he could remember were scary. + +But, somehow, if Mrs. Jackson was having the same thoughts, they didn't +seem to bother her. All she saw was a seven-year-old child who should +be in school. + +"Have you enrolled Baartock in school?" she asked. + +"What? What school?" asked Whinnurf Slinurp. + +Mrs. Jackson had it all figured out now. Troll or not, this was +another parent who had to be told about the importance of education, +the state laws requiring school attendance, and all the other things +about school. "All children are supposed to go to school," she said. +"Baartock is supposed to go to school." + +"Go school today," Baartock told his mother. + +"Baartock," said Mrs. Jackson, "why don't you show Mr. Fennis around? +I need to talk to your mother for a few minutes." Both Baartock and Mr. +Fennis started to say something, but she cut them both off. + +"We'll only be a few minutes," she said again. "We'll call you. + +"Come on, Baartock. Why don't you show me around?" Mr. Fennis decided +that one young troll was probably better than two trolls and a school +principal. + +Baartock led the way back toward the dry stream bed. He wasn't sure +what he would be able to show. All the noise this human, Mr. Fennis, +was making was scaring everything away. Even the squirrels and mice +were all hiding. He pointed through the trees at a head-knocking bird. + +"It's a red-headed woodpecker," said Mr. Fennis, when he finally saw it. + +Then Baartock got an idea. He knew just what to show. He started up +the hill along the stream bed. + +"We shouldn't go too far. We have to be able to hear when they call." + +"Can hear. Not far," said Baartock as he kept scrambling up the hill. +This was something that no amount of noise could scare away. + +"Please slow down," asked Mr. Fennis after a few minutes. He wasn't +used to racing up hills, and he was getting hot. + +"Not far," repeated Baartock, but he did slow down to let Mr. Fennis +catch up. + +At one time there must have been a lot of water coming down from a +spring, because the stream bed was wide in some places and deep in +others as it cut a path down the hill. But now it was dry most of the +time, except when it rained, when the water would come churning down +the hill, bubbling past the rocks and washing the leaves down hill. +Then after the rain ended, it would stop flowing, just leaving pools to +dry up in the sunlight. + +Mr. Fennis caught up with Baartock at a bend in the stream bed, just +where it went around a clump of trees. Baartock just pointed up the +hill. + +"Mine," he said. + +Mr. Fennis stopped to see what he was pointing at. Just a little way up +the hill was a stone bridge over the stream bed. Mr. Fennis stared at +it. + +The bridge looked just like a picture out of a story book. It was a +low, wide, stone arch crossing over the stream. Big, heavy stones made +up the pillars on each end and the curved bottom of the bridge. Lots +of smaller flat stones filled in the walls, and some bigger ones topped +off the walls. There were trees and bushes going up to the bridge on +either side. Under the arch, there was the glitter of sunlight on a +pool on the other side. It was a very pretty sight, but Mr. Fennis +couldn't think why anyone would build a bridge here, so far away from +everything. + +Baartock ran to the bridge and stood under it, and looked back at Mr. +Fennis with a big grin. "Mine," he said again. + +Mr. Fennis hurried to the bridge too. He had never seen a real stone +bridge like this before. "Baartock," he said, "you shouldn't stand +under there. It might not be safe." + +"Not safe?" asked Baartock. + +"One of those stones might fall down." + +"Not fall down," said Baartock, not grinning any more. "I make. Good +bridge. Trolls make good bridge. I show you good bridge." + +He came out from under the bridge, and went scrambling up the side of +the stream bed. Mr. Fennis looked for a better place to climb up, but +finally climbed where Baartock had. When he got up to the end of the +bridge, Baartock was in the middle. And he wasn't just standing there. +He was jumping up and down. + +"I make good bridge," he said again. "Not fall down. + +"Yes. It's a good bridge," agreed Mr. Fennis. He stopped watching +Baartock and examined the bridge. It did seem safe. It really did +look like someone had just built it. The path on each side only went +about ten feet into the woods and stopped. There didn't seem to be any +reason for anyone to build a bridge in the middle of the woods. He +didn't even consider what Baartock had said, that he had built it. + +Baartock stood watching Mr. Fennis for a minute, then he had an idea. +He went over and took his hand. "Come," he said, leading him to the +end of the path. "I call. You come cross bridge." Baartock ran back +across the bridge and into the woods on the other side. + +Mr. Fennis stood waiting for a minute, then he faintly heard Baartock +call "Now!" It sounded like he had run way off in the woods. Not sure +what the game was, Mr. Fennis walked back to the bridge and started to +cross it. + +Just then there was the most awful noise he had ever heard. He stopped +to look around. And Baartock came running and screaming up from under +the bridge. Mr. Fennis stood there for a moment with his mouth wide +open, then he found himself running off the bridge, and running away +into the woods. He was quite a long way into the woods when he +realized that the noise had been made by Baartock. It had been +terrifying. He stopped beside a big tree and leaned on it while he +caught his breath. He wasn't used to running, or to being scared like +that. He was still standing there panting, when Baartock came walking +up to him. Mr. Fennis didn't know what to say. + +"Good bridge," was what Baartock said, with a huge grin on his face. He +had done it. On his first day. He really had scared someone. + +Mr. Fennis stood, leaning up against the tree, and thought of some +things he could say, but "Shouldn't we go back now?" was what he said. + +With Baartock leading the way, they walked back toward the stream bed. +Not far below the bridge there was a place where they could get down +easily. They were starting down when Baartock suddenly stopped. + +"Mother call," he said and raced off down the hill. + + Mr. Fennis hadn't heard anything, but he was too out of +breath to call for Baartock to wait. When he could have called, +Baartock was out of sight, so he just slowly walked down the hill after +him. When he got to the clearing in front of the cave, Mrs. Jackson +and Baartock's mother were coming out of the cave. + +"We were starting to wonder where you were," said Mrs. Jackson. + +"Baartock was showing me his bridge," said Mr. Fennis. "Though he told +me he built it." + +"Baartock good troll. Build good bridge," said his mother. + +"You mean he really did build it?" + +"I'm sure he did," said Mrs. Jackson. "I've been learning some amazing +things about trolls, but we must be going now. It was very nice talking +with you, Mrs. Slinurp. I'll see you both in the morning," she said, +seeing Baartock come back out of the cave. With Mr. Fennis following, +she led the way back down the hill. + +Baartock watched them leave and listened to them talk, or at least Mrs. +Jackson. "I could hear that scream all the way down here," she said. +Then, "Well, he is a troll, you know." He didn't hear anything else +after that, and went in the cave to help his mother fix dinner. He was +very hungry. + +When his father got home, Baartock had told him all about what had +happen to him, including riding in the car and about the school. His +father hadn't said anything about that, but he didn't look too pleased. +Then Baartock told about showing Mr. Fennis his bridge and about how he +had scared him. That had made his father laugh long and loud, and he'd +patted Baartock on the head and told him what a good troll he was. +After dinner, Baartock went to bed. Later, he heard his mother and +father talking quietly, or at least quietly for trolls who were quite +loud sometimes, but he was tired and happy and went back to sleep. + + + + +Chapter 6 + + +The next morning, after his father had gone off, Baartock and his +mother left the cave. They went through the woods toward the old empty +house, the one Mr. Fennis had called the 'old Howard house'. + +They were crossing the stream bed when Baartock saw a muddy pool he +could splash in. He was just about to dive into it when his mother +said "No!" When he caught up with her all she said was "Not today." +It was puzzling to him. She always let him get muddy. + +When they got to the empty house, there was a car in the driveway, and +Mrs. Jackson was standing beside it. + +"Good morning," she said. "Are you ready to go to school, Baartock?" + +Baartock wasn't sure about that, so he didn't say anything. He had +almost forgotten about school. That was part of his first day, but not +the important part. He had forgotten about Mrs. Jackson saying she +would see them in the morning. + +Mrs. Jackson opened the car doors, and when Baartock and his mother got +in, she showed them how to fasten their seat belts. Mrs. Jackson +explained that while she was a good driver, some other drivers weren't, +and that they were probably safer wearing the seat belts. His mother +listened carefully to what Mrs. Jackson was saying. She didn't seem to +mind being in a car, until Mrs. Jackson started the engine. Whinnurf +Slinurp was a troll, so she wasn't about to get scared, but she did +grip the edge of the seat very firmly. When Mrs. Jackson asked if she +was all right, she just closed her eyes tightly and said "Go." But as +they drove toward town, Baartock's mother finally opened her eyes to +see where they were going. + +This time Baartock watched out the window as they drove into town. +There were lots of buildings like the old empty house that he knew. +There were humans walking and lots of cars, and some big cars called +trucks. Some of them came right at them, but they always just missed +Mrs. Jackson's car. + +He was learning a lot about humans. Mrs. Jackson had been talking +almost all the time while she had been driving. He learned about +streets, and blocks, which were between streets, and about houses and +stores. Only he hadn't seen a single bridge. Suddenly he said, +"School that way," and pointed. + +"Yes, you're right, Baartock. The school is that way. You certainly do +know just where you are. But we've got to go some place else first. +We're almost there." + +In just a few blocks, Mrs. Jackson turned the car into a driveway and +parked in a space in front of a brick building. She showed them how to +unbuckle the seat belts. Baartock practiced putting his on and taking +it off, while she walked around to open the doors. There was a sign on +the front of the building, 'Public Health Services', but that didn't +mean much to Baartock. As they walked to the house, he asked about it. + +"I'll tell you about it in just a minute," Mrs. Jackson said. + +Baartock didn't know what a minute was, but he decided to wait and see +what this house was. And if there were any children here. He had been +thinking about Jason, and wanted to race him again. He was sure that +he could run faster, even though Jason was a little bigger. + +Inside there was a woman at a desk, who looked up as they came in. She +seemed surprised when she looked up at Baartock's mother, but she +didn't look scared. "Nurse Dodge is expecting you, Mrs. Jackson," she +said. "You can go right in." + +"Thank you," said Mrs. Jackson, and she led them down a hallway. There +were several doors, and she knocked on one and was opening it when a +voice said, "Come in." + +There were chairs and a desk in this room, as well as a woman dressed +all in white clothes, who stood up and came around her desk as they +went in. "Norma, thank you for seeing us so early," said Mrs. Jackson. +"Mrs. Slinurp, this is Nurse Norma Dodge. And this is Baartock." + +"I'm glad to meet you," said Nurse Dodge in a cheerful voice. "Please +come in and sit down." After she shut the door and went back behind +her desk, she said, "I understand Baartock is to start going to our +school." + +Baartock didn't know anything about that, but his mother said, "Yes." + +"Let me tell you about what I do here," said Nurse Dodge. + +"I explained about medical records and shots," said Mrs. Jackson. + +"I'm sure that you did, but I would like telling about it anyway," said +Nurse Dodge. To Baartock's mother she said, "I see most of the school +children here and many of the adults too, and I try to keep them +healthy. I give the shots that will keep them from getting sick. But +I understand that Baartock has never been sick." "Yes," said his mother +proudly. "Baartock never sick. Little trolls never get sick. Big +trolls not get sick, too." + +That wasn't really quite true. Many young trolls get sore throats when +they first start to practice their screaming. That was because they +would shriek instead of yelling or screaming. Their mothers would make +them gargle with warm salty water and that would usually make them +better right away. But other than that, young trolls never got colds +or fevers or were ever sick. + +"But if you never get sick," asked the nurse, "how do you know about +being sick?" + +"I see humans sick before," answered his mother. "Not same for trolls. +Maybe break arm, break leg same as humans. There are troll ways to fix +trolls. Trolls never get human sick." + +Baartock didn't like to remember about breaking things. During the +summer, when he was building his bridge, an arch stone had fallen on +his hand and it broke two of his fingers. It had really hurt. His +mother had put some salve on his fingers so they wouldn't hurt and +would heal faster, then she had straightened them and wrapped them. +When she unwrapped them two days later, they weren't broken any more, +and he went back and finished his bridge. But he remembered how much +it hurt, and he was more careful after that. + +He stopped listening to what the adults were saying. He was getting +tired of just sitting. There wasn't anything in the room to interest +him, but there was an open door to another room, so he got up to look +at it. + +There wasn't much in that room either. Just a little bed and a lot of +little doors under a counter. They were too small for an adult to go +through, but he thought that he might fit through some of them. He was +just about to go look behind those doors when his mother said, +"Baartock sit!" + +Baartock went back and sat down and waited some more. He waited for +what he thought was quite a long time. The adults just kept talking. +Talking about him. He knew that they would keep on talking and then +either he would have to do something now, or else he couldn't do +something until he was bigger. And he was right. After all the +talking, they agreed that he had to have a shot. Nurse Dodge went in +the other room and came back with a tiny bottle and something she +called a 'needle'. Baartock's mother did a lot of sewing, but this +wasn't like any needle that Baartock had ever seen before. She put +something from the bottle into the needle, then came over to Baartock. +He was watching her carefully. + +"This may hurt a little, Baartock," she said. "You might want to look +over at your mother." Then she wiped his arm with something that +smelled awful and made his arm wet, and she stuck the needle in his +arm. It did hurt, a little like getting stuck by a thorn on a bush in +the woods. Then she pulled the needle out and said, "That wasn't too +bad, was it?" + +"Not hurt," said Baartock, though it did hurt some. + +Nurse Dodge put the needle in a metal trash can and put the little +bottle back in the other room. Then she went back behind her desk and +wrote something on a piece of paper. "The school needs this to show +that Baartock has had his required shots," she said, "and I'll keep a +copy here." + +"Well, Baartock," said Mrs. Jackson, "shall we go to school now?" + +"Go see Mississtog-Buchnersklass? Go see Jason?" asked Baartock. + +"Yes. We should hurry, so we'll be there before lunch." + +They left the house and got back in the car. Mrs. Jackson let Baartock +put on his seat belt himself, but she checked to make sure it was +fastened. + + + + +Chapter 7 + + +They got out of the car after the short drive to the school. + +"Go home now," Baartock's mother announced, and started walking down +the sidewalk, leaving Baartock and Mrs. Jackson standing by the car. + +"But," Mrs. Jackson called hurriedly, "I'll drive you home." + +"No," was Whinnurf Slinurp's answer. She didn't look back or even +slow down, but walked off quickly toward home. She had had enough of +humans and their strange ways for one day. + +"How strange," Mrs. Jackson thought also. "I certainly hope it wasn't +something that I said. I wonder if that's just the way trolls are?" +They watched as Baartock's mother walking quickly down the sidewalk and +around the corner of the school building and out of sight. + +She said, "All right, Baartock, let's get into school. Before you go to +your class, we have to stop by the office." The went in the front door +and down the hall to the office. Baartock knew this room now. It was +near the front door and it was the only door with a big glass window in +it. All the doors either had no window at all or only a little one, up +high, that he wasn't tall enough to look through. + +"Mrs. Jackson, I'm glad you're here," Ms. Laurence said all in a rush. +"There were some wasps in Mrs. Breckenridge's class and they couldn't +get them out. Some of the children got frightened. She took her class +out to the playground and Mr. Blevis is trying to get rid of the wasps." + +"Good. For a moment I thought that I was supposed to catch the wasps," +Mrs. Jackson said laughing. "I'm sure that Mr. Blevis can take care of +it. Would you get a new student kit for Baartock? There should still +be some left in the supply room." + +Ms. Laurence came out from behind her desk and went out the door. Mrs. +Jackson said, "She's getting some things you'll need for school; +tablets of paper, scissors, crayons, and pencils. When they're used up +you can buy more from the school store. Mrs. Stogbuchner can tell you +about it." + +Baartock was about to ask what Mrs. Jackson was talking about, because +there were so many words she used that he didn't know. + She had talked about stores when he was in her car. +Mississtog-Buchnersklass had let him have some crayons to use, those +little sticks that made wonderful, colorful marks on the paper. He +wanted to know if some of the other things were just as great as +crayons, when Ms. Laurence came back in the office and gave him a box +and some pads of paper. + +"These are for you, Baartock," she said. + +"You give me?" he asked. He hadn't expected someone to give him +anything. He was embarrassed, because he didn't have anything to give +her. + +"Yes, I'm giving them to you. These are yours." + +"We usually say "thank you" when someone gives us something," said Mrs. +Jackson. + +"Thank you," said Baartock. He thought about it and then decided that +it was just the human way of giving things. + + "You're welcome, Baartock," said Ms. Laurence, as she went +back to her desk. + +He opened the box and looked inside. There were a lot of things in it. +Most of them he didn't understand, but there was a box full of crayons, +just like the ones he had used the day before. + +"There's a place on the box for your name," said Mrs. Jackson. "Why +don't I write Baartock on this one, so that we'll know that it's yours. +All the new students have a pencil box just like this. We have to be +able to tell them apart." She got a pen from the counter and wrote +'BAARTOCK' in big letters on the top of the box. + +Baartock looked at the marks she had made on it. "This say my box?" he +asked. + +"Yes," said Mrs. Jackson. "This word is 'Baartock'." + +He looked at the marks some more, then got the pen from the counter. +On one end of the box, he made another mark. It was a mark his mother +had shown him how to make, his special mark. He had practiced making +it and put it on all his things. He even had cut it into one of the +stones of his bridge, working carefully, the way his father had shown +him. + +"This say my box, too," he said, holding it up for Mrs. Jackson to see. +"Now I know my box." + +What Mrs. Jackson saw was not a scribbled mark that she might have +expected, but carefully printed letters. They were letters of an +alphabet she didn't recognize, but still clearly letters. + It was just one more new thing that she now knew about trolls. She +already knew more about trolls than anyone else in town. There were +only three people who even knew that there were trolls. + +"Good. We all know that it's Baartock's pencil box. Now, it's almost +lunch time," she said, looking up at the clock high up on the wall. +"We'd better be getting you to your class, before they go to lunch +without you. Aren't you getting hungry?" + +Baartock hadn't thought about food, until Mrs. Jackson mentioned it. +Suddenly he was hungry, very hungry. It had been a long time since his +breakfast bowl of porridge and some left-over acorns and toadstools +from dinner. + +"Yes. Hungry," he said. + + + + +Chapter 8 + + +It wasn't quite time for lunch, when Mrs. Jackson and Baartock got to +his classroom. Mrs. Stogbuchner was in the back of the room, reading +to the class from a big storybook. The children had gathered their +chairs in a circle around her, and had been listening to the story, +until Baartock came in. Then there was a flurry of activity. Jason +jumped up and brought a chair over, right next to his, for Baartock to +sit on. Several of the children started talking and some more had to +move their chairs around. Jason had to ask Baartock where he had been +and then started to tell him about the story they were listening to. +It was a few minutes before the class was all settled again and ready +to get back to the story. + +The rest of the story didn't make much sense to Baartock, and he was +tired of listening to grown-ups talk. He'd been listening to talking +all morning. He was hungry and wanted something to eat. Finally the +story was over and Mrs. Stogbuchner had them put their chairs back at +the tables and then line up to go to lunch. As soon as they were +waiting quietly, she opened the door and led her class down the hall to +the cafeteria. This was a big room that Baartock hadn't seen before. +There were lots of tables and chairs and all along one side there were +humans fixing food. The smell of food made him even hungrier. Baartock +wanted to rush over and get something, but he had to stay in line. He +had time to look around. He saw Mrs. Jackson talking to some other +adults sitting at a table in the back of the room. + +"All right, dear, here's your tray." + +One of the women handed him a big flat thing. Then Baartock saw that +all the children in front of him were sliding their trays along, and +adults were putting plates of food on the trays. So he slid his along +too. One woman handed him a plate of food. Another gave him a little +dish with some yellow pieces that smelled a little like fruit. Jason +stopped him and gave him a funny shaped box with something cold inside. + +"If you don't want your milk, I'll drink it," he said grinning. + +As they got to the end of the line, Baartock was just about to take his +tray to a table just as everyone else had. + +"Where's your lunch money, dear?" asked the woman at the end of the +line. + +"What's money?" + +"Come on Baartock, give her your lunch money." Jason reached over and +gave the woman some metal pieces. Then Baartock remembered. His mother +had given him some metal pieces, telling him that humans used them. He +reached in his pocket and gave some of them to the woman. He picked up +his tray and followed Jason to a table. + +"You're supposed to get a fork and spoon when you get your tray," Jason +said, looking at Baartock's tray as he opened his milk carton. "You +can use my spoon." + +He took the spoon from Jason, and started to eat. The food was awful. + +"What's this?" he asked Jason with his mouth full. He pointed at the +brown stuff on his plate. + +"Meatloaf," Jason answered, putting another forkful in his mouth. + +Baartock tried the white lumpy stuff that had something brown poured +over it. It tasted so bad that he wanted to spit it out, but he was so +hungry that he swallowed it instead. The slice of bread he recognized, +and it wasn't too bad. At least he could eat it, anyway. He tried a +little bit of the yellow fruit. It tasted as though it had been +soaking in honey, it was that sweet. It didn't even really taste like +fruit. Baartock looked over across the table. + Jason's plate was empty already. He looked around the cafeteria. +All the children were eating the food. The others at their table were +eating it. + +"Don't you like it?" Jason asked. + +Baartock couldn't think of anything to say. It was that awful. He +just shook his head 'no'. Didn't humans eat anything that he could +eat? He was still very hungry. + +"If you're not going to eat it, can I have it?" Jason was just about +to take Baartock's plate, when he saw Mrs. Jackson walking right toward +their table. Instead, he said, "I'll meet you out on the playground," +and picked up his tray and got up. Baartock saw the empty trays were +being taken over to a window in the wall, and were left there. He was +about to get up and follow Jason, when Mrs. Jackson called to him. +"Baartock, did you give these to the cashier?" She was holding the +metal pieces he had given the woman. + +He nodded. "Mother give me." + +"Well, you can't pay for your lunch with them," she told him. "They're +much too valuable. These are gold coins." She held out the smallest +yellow metal one. "This is worth more than the price of a whole year +of school lunches. Do your mother give you any other coins?" + +He reached into his pocket and got out the rest of the coins and handed +them to Mrs. Jackson. + +"These are all old coins," she said, examining them. "Most of these +coins are made of silver. There isn't a new coin here." She reached +into her pocket and pulled out a coin to show him. + +"These are the new coins," she said, showing him the ones she had. +"Yours might look the same, but they're much older and worth much more. +I'll have to talk to your mother about these. You really shouldn't +bring something so valuable to school. You might lose them." + +Baartock didn't know what 'valuable' was, and was going to tell her +that his mother had a jar full of these coins, but Mrs. Jackson noticed +his plate still full of food. + +"I thought you were hungry." "Am hungry," he said, then pointed at +the plate. He remembered the word that meant just how awful the food +was. "Terrible," he said. + +"You don't like it? I thought our lunch was pretty good today." + +"Terrible," he said again. "Can't eat." + +Mrs. Jackson thought for a moment. "There's no reason you can't bring +your lunch to school, instead of buying it," she said. "and I want to +talk to your mother about these coins. I'll drive you home after +school, so I can talk to her. May I keep these coins to give back to +her?" + +"Yes," Baartock said + +Mrs. Jackson walked away, thinking about how little she really knew +about trolls. + +Baartock got up from the table and took his tray over to the window in +the wall. Looking inside, he saw that there was someone to take the +trays and wash the plates and forks and spoons. Leaving his tray, he +went out the door to the playground to find Jason. + + + + +Chapter 9 + + +By the time Mrs. Stogbuchner came out to the playground to call her +class, Baartock had almost forgotten how hungry he was. He had found +Jason and they had raced four times, and Baartock had won three times. +Then several other boys had joined in, and they'd played tag. That was +a whole new game for Baartock. He liked being 'it', then he could do +the chasing. When he was 'not it', he could run faster than any of the +other boys, so they didn't try to chase him at all. + +They went back into the classroom, and all the children went to their +seats and got out their pencil boxes. Baartock was horrified to +discover that his pencil box was missing. It wasn't on the table where +he'd left it. It wasn't in the drawer at his place at the table. It +was his brand-new pencil box and he hadn't even used the crayons yet, +and now it was gone. He didn't see it anywhere. + +"Hello. You must be Baartock." + +He looked around to see an adult standing right behind him. + +"I'm Mrs. Pangle, Timmy's mother." She pointed at one of the boys at +the next table. "I come in two afternoons a week. I'm the aide for +this class." + +Baartock might have asked what an 'aide' was, but he was worried about +his pencil box. "If you're looking for your box, I put it in your +cubby." + +"Where cubby?" He didn't know that he had a cubby, but if that was +where his box was, he wanted to find it. + +"It's right over here." Mrs. Pangle led him to the back of the room, +and stopped near the door going outside. "Here you are," she said +pointing. "This is your cubby." + +There, just as she had said, was his missing pencil box. He picked it +up and held it, almost afraid that he might lose it again. + +"My cubby?" he asked. + +"That's right. See, right here, 'Baartock'." At the top of his cubby +was a little card with marks on it. He thought they looked like the +marks Mrs. Jackson had made on his pencil box. He looked at his box. +The marks were just the same. "I fixed it for you while you were at +lunch." + +He remembered what Mrs. Jackson said that humans say when only one +gives something. "Thank you," he said. + +"You're welcome, Baartock. You shouldn't leave your things on the +table, unless Mrs. Stogbuchner tells you to. It makes the room messy +and you might lose something. Either put them in here, or in your +drawer in the table." + +He didn't to tell her that he wasn't going to lose his box again. He +held on to it tightly. "And over here is where you can hang a coat," +Mrs. Pangle said, pointing to some hooks in the wall. "This one is +yours." + +There were cards over each hook, and there was a mark on one that he +recognized. That must be his hook. + +"You'd better get back to your seat now. But I'll be here if you need +help." + +He went back to the table and found that someone had given him some +sheets of paper with marks all over them. They didn't look like the +ones he and Jason had used the crayons on before. And they weren't. + +"It's a writing worksheet," Jason said. "You're supposed to make +letters on the lines that look just like the ones they've made." + +Baartock looked at the papers, then opened his box and got out his +crayons. + +"No, you're supposed to use your pencil," Jason said, seeing what +Baartock was holding. + +Baartock looked around and saw than none of them were using crayons. +He had wanted to make colored marks, but they were all using long +yellow sticks instead. He hadn't used one of those before. He put +away his box of crayons, and got out his yellow stick. He tried to use +his the way all the children were, but it wouldn't make any marks on +the paper. The girl sitting across the table started giggling. She had +been watching him. + +"You have to sharpen it," she said. "The pencil sharpener is on Mrs. +Stogbuchner's desk." + +Baartock got up and walked up to the desk. He looked all over the +desk, but he didn't see anything to sharpen the stick with. There +wasn't a knife, or any kind of blade. Mississtog-Buchner was helping a +girl at one table and Mississpangel was helping a boy in the back of +the classroom. He just stood there looking at the desk and waited. + +"Yes, Baartock, what do you need?" Mrs. Stogbuchner had finished with +the girl and saw him just standing at her desk. Baartock wasn't sure +just what to say, so he held up the pencil instead. + +"Do you need some help with the pencil sharpener?" she asked. Several +children in the front of the class started snickering. "All right, get +back to your work," she said to them as she came over to help him. + +"This is the pencil sharpener," she said, and taking the pencil from +his hand, "and this is how to use it." She put the pencil in a hole in +a little box and started working the little crank on the side. She +pulled the pencil out of the box, and it had a point. "That's how you +do it. You don't want to sharpen it too much, or you'd grind it all +away. Is that all you need?" + +Baartock nodded and took the pencil from her and went back to his seat. +The pencil now made marks on the paper, but they weren't pretty, like +the marks the crayons made. Just little black lines. He looked over at +Jason. He had already done two pages and was just starting on the +third. The girl across the table was still working on the second page. +Baartock hurried to catch up. The marks weren't hard to make. Some of +them were very like the ones his mother had shown him. + +He was working hard, and had just finished the first page, when the +bell rang. He started to jump up, but the table was in the way, and he +fell over backwards. The bell just went on ringing. + +"Boys and girls. Line up at the back door," Mrs. Stogbuchner called to +the laughing children. Mrs. Pangle rushed over to help Baartock up off +the floor. He wasn't hurt, only surprised. And the bell just kept on +ringing. + +"Children!" Mrs. Stogbuchner had to shout. "Pay attention. This is a +fire drill. Just leave everything and line up. Now! Mrs. Pangle, is +he all right? Good. Then will you lead the class out onto the +playground? Over by the fence. I'll be right along." She went over +to turn off the lights and make sure that the door and windows were +closed. + +The children were still laughing as they went out the door. Baartock +and Mrs. Stogbuchner were the last ones out. + +"Are you all right, Baartock? You didn't hurt yourself?" she asked. + +"Not hurt," he said. The bell was still ringing, even though all the +children in the school seemed to be lined up in the playground. "What +you call this?" + +"When the bell rings like that it is a fire alarm. If someone +discovers a fire, they sound that bell. Then you are supposed to get +out of the building as quickly and safely as possible. You aren't +supposed to run or fall down. Then the firemen would come to put out +the fire. It's called a fire drill." + +It didn't seem like a fire drill to him. "Where fire?" he asked. +Right then the school bell finally stopped ringing. + +"There wasn't a real fire," she answered. "It's so you would know what +to do if there were a real fire." + +The whole thing seemed a little silly to Baartock. He knew all about +fire. His mother cooked over a fire. He had to help bring in kindling +and small logs for the fire. There wasn't very much in the school to +burn. It wasn't much of a fire drill. There wasn't any fire. + +Mrs. Stogbuchner had walked over to the middle of the class and held up +her hand. When they were quiet she started talking. + +"Children. I'm very unhappy about what you did in there. What happened +to Baartock could have been very serious. He could have been hurt +badly. It wasn't funny. A fire alarm is very serious. Because you were +laughing, you couldn't hear me, and I had to shout. When there's a fire +alarm, I shouldn't have to shout, just as you shouldn't run. We are +going to have to practice this again." + + + + +Chapter 10 + + +When the 'all clear' bell sounded, which was just one very short ring +of the bell, Mrs. Pangle led the class back inside. But they didn't +stay inside for long. As soon as they had finished the worksheets, +Mrs. Stogbuchner stood at the front of the room and announced, "This is +a fire drill. Everyone line up quickly at the back door." + +They all lined up and practiced the fire drill, and because Bobby +Miller was talking, they had to practice it another time. + +This time, except for the noise the chairs made, scraping the floor as +the children got up, there wasn't a sound in the classroom. Mrs. +Stogbuchner was finally satisfied. + +"Now that's the way I want you to behave the next time we have a fire +drill," she said. + +The class had a very short recess, because they had taken so long +practicing the fire drill. They didn't get to play dodge ball, and +they mostly sat around talking. Except no-one would talk to Bobby +Miller, and he sat by himself on a swing, not even swinging. + +"What's dodge ball?" asked Baartock. He wanted to know, even if they +weren't going to do it. + +"You've never played dodge ball?" Jason exclaimed. "It's sort-of like +tag, except it takes a lot of kids. Some kids make a circle and throw +the ball at the kids in the middle. And if they hit you, you're out. +You're fast, so you should be good at it." + +Jason's saying that made Baartock feel really good. He had been +unhappy ever since he had fallen over when the fire drill bell sounded. +When he fell in the woods, there were always rocks or sharp sticks to +land on and that hurt. He hadn't hurt himself, but the floor was hard. +He decided that he didn't like the school bell. It always surprised +him and made him jump. + +When recess was over, they all went back into the classroom and +Baartock finally got to use his crayons on the new worksheets. It +didn't seem very long before Mrs. Jackson was at the door. + +"Mrs. Stogbuchner, can I have Baartock now?" she asked. + +"Baartock, would you please put away your things and go with Mrs. +Jackson." + +Jason helped him put his papers in the drawer of the table. But +Baartock didn't put his pencil box in with them. He held on to it +tightly as he and Mrs. Jackson walked out of the classroom. + +"You're taking your pencil box home?" she asked. + +"Show mother," was his answer. + +"Just remember to bring it back tomorrow. You'll be riding the school +bus tomorrow, so I want you to meet your school bus driver." + +They went out to the parking lot and there were a lot of yellow school +busses waiting in a line. + +"You'll be riding bus number 62," she said as they went down the +sidewalk. They stopped at one of the busses. "This is the bus you'll +be riding. See, number 62. Mr. Barnes is the driver, and when you're +on his bus, you have to sit quietly and do just what he tells you." + +They walked over to the door of the bus and the man sitting inside +pulled on a lever and the door opened. + +"Hi," he said with a big grin. "What can I do for you, Mrs. Jackson?" + +"Mr. Barnes, this is Baartock." + +"Hi Baartock. Are you going to be on my bus?" + +"Yes," Mrs. Jackson answered, before Baartock could say anything. "I'm +taking him home today, because I need to talk to his mother. He'll be +riding with you, starting tomorrow morning. He'll be just down from +where the Howards used to live." + +"OK. That would put you between Bobby Gill and Laura Robinson. No +problem." + +"Thank you," said Mrs. Jackson. Baartock hadn't seen Mr. Barnes give +her anything, and he wondered why she said 'thank you'. + +"I have to gather up a few things before I take you home," said Mrs. +Jackson. "Let's go back to the office." + +"See you tomorrow," called Mr. Barnes, as they walked away. Baartock +had wanted to stay and look at the school bus, but he followed her back +inside the school. + +"Please wait here," she said, when they were in the office, and she +went behind the counter and into another room. Ms. Laurence was busy +at her desk. He heard her say something, but she wasn't looking at him. + +"What?" he asked. + +"I'll be with you in a minute, Baartock," she said, looking over at +him. "I'm talking on the phone." + +He watched her carefully. She was sitting in a chair and she kept +looking at some papers on the desk, and it seemed as though she was +talking to the thing she was holding in her hand. + +Baartock walked over to the door and looked out. There wasn't anyone +in the hall, and he could look out the open front doors at the line of +school busses. + +"Now, what can I do for you?" asked Ms. Laurence. + +Baartock turned around. Ms. Laurence was standing at the counter. He +was about to ask what a phone was, when the bell went off and Baartock +jumped. Ms. Laurence smiled at him. "I used to hate that bell," she +said, "but you do get used to it." + +Suddenly, there was a lot of noise in the hall, and cries of 'No +running!' The hall was rapidly filling with talking, pushing, hurrying +children. Lots of them were bigger than Baartock. Some were carrying +books. And all of them were trying to get out the front doors. + +Mrs. Jackson came rushing out of the other room. "I'll be right with +you Baartock," she said as she hurried out of the office and down the +hall to the front of the building. He could hear her voice calling, "No +running, Carlos!" and "The bus won't leave without you, Helen." + +Baartock watched some of the kids from his class go out the door. Then +there was Jason, going right past the office door. + +"Hey Baartock! You'll miss the bus!" he said as he kept hurrying down +the hall. + +"Bus tomorrow," Baartock said. "Mrs. Jackson drive today." + +"OK. See you tomorrow," he yelled as he turned and ran out the door. + +"Slow down, Jason," he heard Mrs. Jackson call. Then he had to get out +of the doorway, because several teachers were pushing past him to get +into the office. He went over to the bench and sat down to wait. + +"Hello Baartock." Mr. Fennis was standing just inside the doorway, +with an arm-load of books and papers. "How do you like school?" He +didn't wait for an answer, but went behind the counter, and started +getting more papers out of a cubby. + +In a little while, Mrs. Jackson came back into the office. "We'll be +going in just a minute," she said, as she went back into the other +room. Baartock sat and watched the teachers and Mrs. Jackson wasn't +gone very long this time. She came out with her briefcase in her hand. + +"I'm ready to go now," she said. They went out to the parking lot and +got into her car. She checked to make sure he had fastened his +seat-belt properly, and then started the engine. + +"Is there anything you'd like to see?" she asked, as she backed the car +out of the parking place. + +Baartock didn't have to think about it. "Bridge," he said. + +"Of course you'd want to see a bridge." She had almost forgotten that +he was a troll. "We were almost there this morning." + +"Where bridge?" Baartock asked excitedly. He had decided there just +weren't any bridges near-by. + +"There's one right her in the middle of town. It's a little ways past +the clinic, on Main Street. It's not too far. Would you like to look +at it?" + +"Yes." Then he remembered. "Thank you," he said. + +"You're welcome, Baartock." + +They drove along Main Street, and he recognized the little house where +they had been that morning and pointed to it. + +"Yes," said Mrs. Jackson, "that's the clinic. We're almost to the +bridge now." + +After a few more blocks, she turned a corner onto a side street and +stopped the car. "Well, we're here." + +"Where bridge?" Baartock asked as he looked all around. + +"It's right over there," she said pointing. "Let's get out so you can +look at it." + +They got out of the car and walked across at the corner. Then Baartock +saw the bridge. It was a simple span going over a wide stream bed, but +there wasn't very much water in the stream bed below. + And the bridge was built of concrete, just like the culvert he'd +hidden in on his first day. Part of the town was on one side of the +bridge, and there was more of the town on the other side. The road +crossed the bridge for cars and trucks, and busses. And there was a +sidewalk on the bridge for people to go across. He didn't know just +what to say. He was happy because there was a bridge, but it was a +human-made bridge and nothing like as good as a troll-built bridge. He +looked at it carefully. After a while, he said, "Go home now." He'd +found a bridge. + + + + +Chapter 11 + + +Mrs. Jackson had a lot to talk about with his mother, when they got to +his home. They had talked all morning and now they were talking some +more. He had wanted to tell his father about the bridge, but he wasn't +home yet. So he had to sit and listen to Mrs. Jackson and his mother. +When they started talking about lunch money, he remembered how very +hungry he was, and went to get something to eat. They were still +talking about money when he finished eating. They agreed on a price and +Mrs. Jackson got one of the small silver coins with some of her 'new' +coins, and he could use some of those 'new' coins to buy milk and fruit +at lunch time. And he could bring his own lunch. He was glad of that, +because he didn't like the humans' food. Then they talked about the +school bus. He wasn't very sure that he was going to like being on the +school bus. Mrs. Jackson had explained the 'Rules for Riding the +School Bus', which was the name on a piece of paper she gave to his +mother. There were so many things he couldn't do on the bus. One of +the rules was 'No whistling'. When he asked her what whistling was, +she puckered up her mouth and made a strange sound. 'No bird noises', +Baartock decided. + +"Just behave like you did in my car today," she said, "and you won't +have any problem. You'll like Mr. Barnes." + +Very early next morning, Baartock was standing by the side of the road +when the yellow school bus drove up. He was holding his pencil box and +a bag with his lunch. Mrs. Jackson had shown him a place that she +thought would be a safe spot to stand and wait for the bus. It wasn't +right by the driveway to the 'old Howard house', but it wasn't right by +the stream bed and the path he used to come down to the road, either. + +The bus made a screeching noise as it came to a stop right in front of +him. + +"OK. Come on up. Thought I'd you'd be closer to the house," Mr. +Barnes said in a loud voice, when he opened the bus door. Then he +shouted, "OK. New customer today. Which seat can I sell him. I think +this one," he said, pointing at a seat for just one person right in the +front of the bus. There was one very big boy sitting in the seat. +"Gabe, you've been pretty good this week. Find yourself a new seat." + +"Aw, Mr. Barnes, do I have to?" + +"Go on now. Find a seat, before we're late getting to school." Gabe +gathered up his books and moved back to the middle of the bus and sat +next to another big boy, and Baartock sat on the empty front seat. He +looked around for the seat belt, as he started driving down the road. + +"What's the matter? Got ants in your pants?" Mr. Barnes asked, when +he saw Baartock squirming. + +"No," Baartock said. He didn't have ants anywhere. He asked, "No seat +belt?" Mr. Barnes was using one. + +"No," was the answer. "They say that they're going to put seat belts +in the all the busses. Maybe by the time you're in high school. You +just stay in your seat, and I'll drive carefully." + +The bus went on down the road, stopping to pick up children waiting by +the road. Soon there were a lot of kids on the bus. Mr. Barnes kept +talking to Baartock all the time he was driving. In fact, he was +talking to everyone on the bus, he was talking so loudly. Much of what +he said didn't make any sense to Baartock, but the kids laughed at some +of the things he said. Soon, Mr. Barnes turned the bus onto another +road. + +"School that way," Baartock said loudly, pointing down the other road. +"Nice try, kid. I know you're in a hurry to get to school, but we've +got to go to the high school first." + +"We can go to the grade school first!" came a shout from the back of +the bus. + +"The mall! A field trip to the mall," someone else shouted. + +"Some other day," Mr. Barnes shouted back. They went on down this road +for quite a while. They went right past some children standing by the +side of the road. + +"They're waiting for a different bus," Mr. Barnes explained to +Baartock. "It'll be along soon." + +Very soon after that, the bus pulled off the road into a parking lot, +in front of a building much larger than the school Baartock was going +to. The parking lot was filled with cars, and humans were walking to +the building. There were six or seven big yellow school busses lined +up in front of the building and lots of big kids were getting off. + +"OK, high school, you students of higher education. Off!" called Mr. +Barnes, as he pulled up really closely behind the last bus. All the +big kids got out of their seats and came up to the front of the bus to +get off. There were more busses lining up behind Mr. Barnes' bus, but +they weren't letting anyone off. + +There were still a lot of smaller children on the bus, when Mr. Barnes +closed the door. + +"Next stop, Marvis T. Johnson Elementary School," announced Mr. Barnes. +But they didn't go anywhere. They had to wait for the bus in front of +them to pull off. Baartock could see inside the bus in front of them. +The big kids were getting off very slowly. The woman driving that bus +seemed to be talking to each of them as they got off. + +"She must have had some trouble with them," Mr. Barnes said. + "We never have any trouble on this bus, do we?" he said very loudly. + + "No!" several kids shouted back. + + Most of the busses in the front of the school building had +driven off. Several more busses from behind them pulled around, and +parked up ahead. They waited a little longer, then finally the bus in +front drove off. And they drove off too. + +They didn't go back the way they had come. They turned onto another +road, and drove for a long way, past a lot of houses, until they +finally turned toward the school. Baartock asked Mr. Barnes why they +were going such a long way. + +"It's shorter this way," was his reply. "I've been coming this way for +years." + +"No," said Baartock. "Other way shorter. We be school, go this far." + +They drove for a little while longer, then they finally got to school. +There were other busses lined up in front when Mr. Barnes stopped the +bus and they got off. + +"See you all this afternoon," Mr. Barnes said, as they were getting off. + +This was the first time Baartock had gotten to school in the morning +before it started. No-one seemed to be going inside. Jerry, a +black-haired kid who had played tag, was getting off the next bus in +front. He saw Baartock and came running over. + +"Want to go to the playground?" he asked. + +They went around the building to the playground. Jason was already +there, and they raced a couple of times, then they went over and +climbed on the jungle gym. They were just sitting at the top when the +bell rang. A lot of the children ran to the building and went inside. + +"That's only the first bell," said Jerry. "We've got lots of time." +So they sat for a while longer, until Jason started to get down. + +"I'm going in," he said. And all three of them went into the +classroom, just as the bell rang again. + + + + +Chapter 12 + + +School in the morning wasn't very different from school in the +afternoon, Baartock decided. There were some of the work-sheets that +had to be colored, but these were of shapes of things and numbers. +They got to work with a lot of pieces of paper with numbers on both +sides that Jason said were called flash-cards. He said that you were +to add the numbers on the front of a flash card, and your answer was +the same as the one on the back of the card. The morning went by very +quickly for Baartock. + +Then, right before lunch time, Mrs. Stogbuchner read another story. +This time, he understood most of the story. It was about a boy taking +care of sheep, and when he got lonely, he would yell 'Wolf!' and all +the villagers would come. They got angry at the boy, when they didn't +find a wolf. But the boy got lonely and did it again, and the +villagers got angry again. Finally, when the wolf did come, and the +boy yelled 'Wolf!' the villagers didn't come. + +When Mrs. Stogbuchner finished reading the story, Baartock asked, "Why +boy not scare wolf?" + +"Well, wolves are big mean, animals," she said, "and the boy was +probably scared of this wolf." + +"Wolf scare easy," said Baartock. + +"You'd just yell at it and it would run away," said one of the girls. + +"Wolf scare easy," said Baartock again. He'd never seen a wolf, +because there weren't any around there. But his father had talked +about them. They were just like foxes, only bigger. Most of the +animals in the woods were very scared of humans and of trolls, and +would usually run way. There were two foxes that lived near Baartock's +home, and it had been very hard to watch them. At first, they were +very scared of him. It had taken a lot of food, and many nights of +quiet waiting, before the foxes would come near him. Even now that +they were used to him, if he made any sudden movement or loud noise, +they would still run away. Anyway, Baartock was sure that he could +scare a wolf. + +"You couldn't scare anything," said the girl. + + Baartock was really insulted. He was just about ready to +do some scaring right then, when Mrs. Stogbuchner said, "All right, +that's enough. It's time to get ready for lunch." + +Most of the children went to line up at the door and Baartock and a few +children went over to their cubbies to get their lunches. Then they +went to line up also. The girl was right in front of Baartock in the +line. She looked back at him and said, "You couldn't scare anything." + + Baartock could see Mrs. Stogbuchner looking right at them, +but he said very quietly, "Can scare you." + +"Janice, Baartock, stop it right now. That's enough," Mrs. Stogbuchner +said, and the girl turned around. + +The class went down the hall to the cafeteria and Baartock waited in +lunch line to get a container of milk and an apple. When he got to the +end of the line, he held out some of the coins his mother had gotten +from Mrs. Jackson, and the woman took two of them. He went over to the +table where Jason was and sat down and started getting his lunch out. +Janice had been waiting to see where he would sit, and she came over +and sat at the same table. + +"Baartock, you couldn't scare anything," she said. Baartock started to +say something, but Mrs. Stogbuchner was standing near the table and she +said something first. + +"Janice. I told you to stop it," she said. + +"But he said," Janice started to say. + +"He didn't say anything. I've been standing right here. Now, just eat +your lunch quietly, or I'll move you to another table." + +"Yes, Mrs. Stogbuchner," Janice said, and Mrs. Stogbuchner walked off +to another part of the cafeteria. Baartock had been listening, but he +was hungry and had started eating his lunch. His mother had packed a +good lunch. + +"Oh yuch! What's that you're eating?" Janice shrieked. All the talking +in the cafeteria stopped and Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Stogbuchner came +hurrying over to the table. Baartock looked over and saw she was +pointing right at him. + +"What are you eating?" she shrilled again. Everybody in the cafeteria +was looking at their table. + +Baartock kept on chewing, but he opened up his sandwich to show her. + +"Snake," he said, "very good." On the slice of bread was a row of +little green snakes. Some were a little bigger than others and the +heads and tails were hanging down over the edge of the bread. + It had been a good summer and there were lots of snakes and lizards. + +"That looks really good," said Jason. "Can I have a bite?" Jason +didn't really think it looked good, but he was enjoying teasing Janice. + +"Oh! Mrs. Stogbuchner, can I move?" Janice asked looking up at the +teacher. + +"I think you should," she answered, "and let Baartock eat his lunch in +peace." She picked up Janice's lunch tray and she and Janice went over +to the other side of the cafeteria. Mrs. Jackson walked off too, and +everyone started eating their lunches and talking again. + +After they were gone, Jason asked, "You really eat that?" + +"Good," said Baartock. "You try." He held out his sandwich to Jason. + +Jason took the sandwich, and looked at it as if it were going to eat +him. Then, carefully avoiding the snake heads, took a tiny bite and +started chewing. "It's ok," he said as he handed it back to Baartock, +then he quickly took a drink of milk. + +After finishing his lunch, Baartock took his lunch bag, which still had +some acorns left in it, and he and Jason went out to the playground. +They were standing near the door when Janice came out. + +"You should have had some of Baartock's sandwich," Jason yelled to her. +"It was really yummy." + +Janice hurried off toward the swings and Jason and Baartock went over +to the jungle gym and climbed to the top. + +Soon, Mrs. Stogbuchner came out to get the class back inside. The rest +of the afternoon went by quickly. There weren't any fire drills, and +they got to play dodge ball at recess. Baartock thought it was a fun +game. He liked being in the middle. The children in the circle had to +throw a big ball, and it was easy to keep away from it. Even though +Baartock wasn't the last one left inside the circle any of the times, +he still had fun. + +They went back to the classroom and did some more worksheets. Baartock +was surprised when Mrs. Stogbuchner said that it was time to put +everything away. "Now don't forget about show-and-tell on Monday," she +said. + +Baartock raised his hand, like he had seen the children do when they +wanted to ask something. + +"Yes, Baartock?" + +"What showandtell?" he asked. + +"You can bring in something to show the rest of the class and tell +about it. Something you like or you think is unusual. I'm sure that +you have something you would like to share with the class." + +Baartock had an idea right away about something to bring, but he didn't +say what it was. + +"Now leave your tables straight and put your chairs in their places, +then line up at the door." + +There was a lot of rushing around and putting things away, and soon +they were all lined up. + +"All right. I want you to have a nice weekend. I'll see you on +Monday," Mrs. Stogbuchner said just as the bell rang. Baartock didn't +jump this time. He had guessed that the bell was about to ring. They +hurried down the hall to get to the school busses. + +"See you Monday," Jason called as he ran off to his bus. Baartock +walked along the sidewalk until he came to bus 62. + +"You were right," Mr. Barnes said as Baartock go on the bus. + "The other road is shorter." He kept on talking all the way to the +high school. He kept talking all the time until he stopped to let +Baartock off the bus. Baartock wasn't listening to him. He was +thinking about showandtell. + + + + +Chapter 13 + + +Monday morning, Baartock was down by the side of the road, waiting +anxiously for the school bus to arrive. When he had asked his mother +what 'weekend' and 'Monday' were, she had explained that many people +didn't work everyday, and took two days every week to do other things. +While trolls like to work everyday until the job is done and then rest; +humans like to take little rests every week, she told him. He would +have to wait two extra days, until Monday, for school and showandtell. +She decided that he would need to know, so she taught him the human +names for the days of the week. + +There were dark clouds overhead when Baartock went down the hill to +wait for the bus, but it wasn't raining yet. It had gotten really +cloudy the day before. Baartock remembered the human name for that day +was Sunday. His father had said that they were going to have a lot of +rain. Baartock liked it when there was a lot of rain, like there had +been during the summer. Then there were lots of pools and mud to go +splashing in, and there was water running down hill under his bridge. +He liked to hide under it then, because it was even more like a real +troll bridge. + +He was happy to see the school bus drive up. He wanted to get to +school for showandtell. He climbed into the school bus and sat on the +front seat. + +"Hey, Baartock. Do you know where the high school is? From right +here?" Mr. Barnes asked, looking at him. + +Baartock just pointed and said "That way." + +Mr. Barnes stopped to think about it, then he said, "You're right. How +about to your school?" + +Baartock pointed again, in a different direction. + "You know, you're a regular little compass," Mr. Barnes said as +he started to drive off. + +Baartock didn't know what a compass was, but any troll could give +directions. It was easy. + +They got to school earlier than they had on Friday, and Baartock went +around to the playground. Jason wasn't there, so Baartock went over to +the swings to wait for him. Soon both Jason and Jerry were coming +around the corner of the school to the playground. They were talking +about what they had done over the weekend. Jerry said that he had been +to see a movie. That didn't sound very exciting to Baartock, though he +wasn't sure what a 'movie' was. Jason seemed interested though and +asked all about it. + +Soon the first bell rang and Baartock went into the classroom. He +wanted to get ready for showandtell. Mrs. Stogbuchner was at her desk +and she called him over. + +"I had a talk with Mrs. Jackson, and I think I should go talk to your +mother," she said. "Maybe you could bring something a little less +trollish for lunch." + +Baartock didn't understand what she wanted to talk to his mother about, +but he said, "Mother home now." + +"I can't go right now," said Mrs. Stogbuchner, "but maybe sometime +later this week. Did you bring something for show-and-tell?" + +"Yes," said Baartock. + +"Will you tell me what you brought?" + +Baartock had wanted it to be a surprise, but he told her. Mrs. +Stogbuchner listened carefully as Baartock explained. Finally she +asked, "Do you know how to use it?" + +Baartock nodded. + +Then she said, "I'll have to ask Mrs. Jackson if it's all right. You +put your things away and I'll go talk to her about it now." She got up +from her desk and went out the door. + +All the children had come in when the second bell rang. Mrs. +Stogbuchner came hurrying into the classroom. + +"All right. Take your seats and settle down," she said to the class. +She came over to Baartock. "Mrs. Jackson said that you could show it +to the class, but it has to be outside on the playground. And she wants +to be there." + +The morning went by so slowly for Baartock. He couldn't keep his +thoughts on what they were doing. He wanted it to be time for +showandtell. Finally, Mrs. Jackson came into the classroom. + +"Class," Mrs. Stogbuchner said, "It's time for show-and-tell. Baartock +has brought something that I think you'll all want to see, but he will +have to show you outside. Since it looks like rain, I think he should +be first. Everybody please line up by the door and we'll go out and +see what Baartock brought." + +Mrs. Jackson came over to Baartock and said, "I've never seen this. +Can you really make it work?" + +Baartock nodded, and went over to his cubby to get his bag with his +surprise for showandtell. + +When they were all outside gathered around Mrs. Stogbuchner on part of +the playground where there wasn't any grass, she said, "Baartock, show +the class what you brought and tell them about it." + +He came into the middle of the class. "You show me fire drill," he +said. "But no fire. I show you fire drill that make fire." He held +out a little bow, a straight stick, and two small blocks of wood. + +"Will you show the class how it works?" asked Mrs. Jackson. + +Baartock knelt down and put one of the blocks on the ground and put +some tree bark next to it. Then he put the straight stick in a small +hole in that block, wrapped the bowstring around the stick, and holding +the second block in his hand put it on top of the stick. Then he +started to work the bow back and forth. + +"This fire drill make fire," he said again. + +"Does this really work?" somebody asked. + +"We were supposed to learn how to use these in scouts," said Mrs. +Stogbuchner, as Baartock worked the bow back and forth. "But none of +us could make them work." + +Before she could say anything else, the bark that Baartock had put next +to the block was starting to smoke. Then it was smoking a lot, and +Baartock dropped the fire drill and picked up the bark and started to +blow on it. And it burst into flame. + +He dropped the burning bark on the ground, and picked up the bow and +stick. "Fire drill," he said. + +"But how does it work?" somebody wanted to know. + +"Wood get hot. Make fire," Baartock explained. He held out the bottom +wood block, which was still hot. The class gathered in closely to feel +how hot it was. Mrs. Jackson was making sure that the burning bark was +all put out. + +Just then it started to rain, big heavy drops. + +"Everybody back inside," called Mrs. Stogbuchner. "Don't line up. Just +get inside quickly." + +Everybody ran for the classroom door. Baartock quickly gathered up his +fire drill and he and Mrs. Jackson hurried after the class. + +When they were all settled in the classroom again, Mrs. Stogbuchner +said, "Thank you Baartock, for showing us another kind of fire drill. +Now, does anyone else have anything for show-and-tell?" + + + + +Chapter 14 + + +It was raining harder than ever when they went to lunch. Looking out +the classroom windows, Baartock couldn't see the trees or the houses +across the wide grass strip next to the school. He couldn't see the +street. He could just barely see the grass outside the window. It was +a blowing, dark gray rainstorm. At times, the wind would blow the +raindrops right at the windows. Just a little while later, the rain +was pouring straight down. Everybody seemed to be thinking of other +things. Even Mrs. Stogbuchner kept losing her place in the story she +was reading, whenever the rain would come crashing against the windows. +Finally it was lunchtime. + +Baartock bought milk in the lunch line, but the fruit they had were +some long yellow things that he hadn't seen before, so he didn't get +any. When he sat at the table across from Jason, the red-haired boy +asked, "Why do you call that a fire drill?" + "Drill. Make holes same way," Baartock answered, and made a +back and forth motion with his hand. + +"I guess you could get through wood. But it must take a long time." + +"Wood. Stone too," replied Baartock. + +"You can drill through stone like that?" + +"Use many shafts," said Baartock, making an up and down motion, meaning +the straight stick he had used. "Make hole." + +Jason was about to say something when there was a sudden flash of light +and a tremendous thunderblast right outside the cafeteria. The people +sitting by the windows jumped up, and someone knocked a lunch tray onto +the floor. One of the women who worked in the cafeteria brought over a +mop to clean up the spilled food, and everybody who had been sitting +next to the windows moved to different seats. The rain was now +squirting against the windows, and some water was coming in under the +door to the playground. The woman with the mop went over to clean that +up too. + +Everybody ate very quietly, as if they were waiting for the next +thunderbolt to strike. While they were eating a man came in with a mop +and a bucket and some tools to try to stop the leak around the door. +Baartock was watching the man working, when Jason said, "Let's go back +to the classroom." + +"Not go outside?" asked Baartock. + +"They wouldn't let us. Not in this much rain. Who'd want to go out in +this anyway?" + +Baartock had been thinking about going out. It was only rain. +Instead, when he finished his lunch, he went with Jason back to the +classroom. + +Some others were already back in the classroom, in groups talking, or +just staring out the windows at the rain. Mrs. Stogbuchner was sitting +at her desk, with a lunch tray from the cafeteria, eating, when they +got there. + +"Mrs. Stogbuchner, can we get out the games?" asked Jason. + +"All right. But you'll have to put them away when lunch time is over." + +"All right!" Jason whooped. "Come on, Baartock." + +"And please be quiet," she said, as she went back to her lunch. + +"Yes, Mrs. Stogbuchner," Jason said. + +They went into the back of the classroom, and near the cubbies was a +shelf with some large flat boxes and some smaller ones. + +"You want to play checkers?" asked Jason. + +"Don't know checkers. Show me," said Baartock. + +They sat in the back of the classroom, and Jason taught him how to play +checkers. When some other children saw them playing, they got out +other games, and soon there were lots of people playing all kinds of +games. + +It kept on raining very hard, and there were occasional lightning +flashes and crashes of thunder. + +Lunch time seemed to be going on longer than usual. Baartock had just +lost another game of checkers, and he let Jerry play. He didn't like +checkers very much. None of the other games seemed too interesting +either, so he walked over and looked out the window at the rain. He +saw Ms. Laurence hurry in and go over to talk to Mrs. Stogbuchner. + +"Children." Ms. Laurence had hurried out again and Mrs. Stogbuchner +was walking to the middle of the classroom. "Quiet please." + +There was a lot of stirring around by the children to listen to her. + +"They are going to close school early today, because of all this rain." +She held up her hand for quiet. Some children had started to cheer and +talk as soon as they heard the news. + +"They say that this could be a bad storm, and there could be some +flooding. Since so many of you live on small roads, they decided you +should go home very soon. They're trying to reach the bus drivers now. +If it keeps raining like this, there might not be school tomorrow." + +The children were still quiet, but they were all smiling and poking at +each other. + +"You may go on with your recess now, and I'll have you straighten up +the games just before the busses get here. Now please be very quiet, +while I go to the office." She turned and went out the door. + +Suddenly, none of the children were interested in the games. + They all wanted to talk about getting out of school early, and no +school tomorrow, and what they were going to do. They started talking +quietly, but soon the talk got louder. Then, one of the boys threw a +ball of paper at another boy. There was a lot of loud talking, and +throwing things, and running around, when Mrs. Stogbuchner came back +into the room. + +"Get in your seats! Right now!" She was standing just inside the +door, glaring at the class. + +The children hurried to their chairs and sat down. + +"I told you to be quiet while I went to the office." + +The children looked at each other, as if to find out who had been +making all the noise. "Barbara, Norma, Robert, and Jason, go back and +straighten up the games and put them away. Do it quietly and quickly. +Timmy, hand out these worksheets. Since you don't want recess now, I +have some other work you can do, until the busses get here." + +Timmy walked around the room with the stack of papers she gave him, +putting four worksheets on each table. + +Mrs. Stogbuchner walked to the back of the classroom to watch the +straightening up. The room was very quiet, except for the noises from +the back of the room. + +Baartock started working, and soon Jason sat down and started working +too. + +Mrs. Stogbuchner walked around the room for a while, then she went over +and stood in the doorway, looking down the hall. Soon she said, "Put +your things away now. If you brought raincoats, or have anything else +to take home, get it, then line up." + +Baartock hadn't brought a raincoat, but he went to his cubby to get the +fire drill and his lunchbag. He decided to take his pencil box home, +too. + +The class was all lined up, waiting for the bell. Mrs. Stogbuchner +said, "If it keeps raining like this, watch the news on TV to see if +we're having school tomorrow." Then the bell did ring, and they were +all hurrying to get to the school busses. + +"See you," called Jason, as they went down the hall. They got to the +front door and the wind was blowing the rain right in at them. The +floor was wet and someone had put down rubber mats so they wouldn't +slip or fall. + +When they went outside, everybody ran to the busses. Baartock was +soaked as he got on Mr. Barnes's bus, from just that short run. There +were lights on the front of each bus, and there were sticks wiping back +and forth to get the rain off the front windows. But Mr. Barnes still +drove very slowly to the high school. He wasn't talking all the time, +this afternoon. + +When Baartock got off the bus, he ran to his path to get home. The +creekbed was filled with water rushing and splashing down hill. There +was a lot of water going through the culvert. Baartock hurried up the +hill, next to the stream. He wanted to see what it was like at his +bridge. + + + + +Chapter 15 + + +It had rained all the rest of the day. Baartock had a great time up at +his bridge. The water was racing under the bridge, making a wonderful +gurgling sound. It made hiding under the arch like being in one of the +stories his father told. The only thing missing was someone walking +over the bridge. He would come out from under the bridge screaming his +loudest and run up the side of the stream bed. He could just see them +running away. + +Right then it really didn't matter that there wasn't anyone crossing +his bridge. Baartock now knew so many humans and so much about them, +that was easy to pretend who was walking up to cross the bridge. There +was Mr. Fennis, of course. He had run away so wonderfully. Then there +was Ms. Laurence. Baartock could scare her easily. He didn't pretend +to scare Mrs. Jackson or Mrs. Stogbuchner. + Somehow they didn't seem like people to scare. But that girl in his +class, Janice, Baartock scared her again and again. And some of the +other children in the class. They were all so easy to scare. He was +having a great time. + +He even pretended that Jason was helping him scare people. Not that +Jason was anything like a troll, but Baartock liked him and he thought +Jason would have fun scaring people. + +After a while, when it started to get dark, Baartock went back home in +the rain. He was glad that his father had known it was going to rain. +They had gathered in extra firewood. Even though it wasn't cold, the +fire warmed the cave and helped him to dry off. + +Though it had been raining all day, his mother had fixed an extra good +meal. Baartock really liked the cricket and green bean salad. Later +they all sat around the fire and his mother patched his pants and sewed +on the new winter coat she was making, and his father told stories. He +stayed up late, and it was still raining hard when he finally went to +bed. + +The next morning it was still raining, and his mother told him to go +wait for the bus, but if it didn't come when it should, to come back +home. And his father surprised him by saying he would be staying home +if it kept on raining. The room he was working on in the cavern would +probably be flooded, and he wouldn't be able to work. + +So, while it was still raining quite hard, Baartock went down to stand +by the side of the road and wait for the school bus. Actually, he +wasn't waiting right beside the road in the rain, but back a little +way, under some trees that still had lots of leaves. He thought he +could see the bus in time to come out and catch it. He waited and +waited, but he didn't see a bus or a car or anything coming down the +road. He went over to look at the culvert. Rain water was coming +roaring down the stream bed right at the culvert, but there was so much +that it couldn't all get through. There were branches and rocks that +had come down with the water that were blocking the opening. It was +beginning to make a pool on that side of the road. On the other side, +it was shooting out of the culvert, but it was beginning to make a pool +there too. + +When Baartock felt he had waited long enough, he went back home. His +father was carving out some extra shelves in the kitchen. He went to +watch his father work, and started handing him tools. They worked most +of the morning. His mother came back home and saw the mess they were +making, and started making some sandwiches. They all finished about +the same time, and his mother chased them both out of the cave so she +could clean up. There were rock chips all over the kitchen. + +Then Baartock and his father went up and sat under his bridge and ate +their sandwiches. For a while, his father told stories, about when he +had been a young troll, before he'd earned his name. Then they looked +at some places that Baartock had had trouble with building his bridge. +They stood in the stream and the pouring rain, and his father showed +him some better ways to do the stone-work. They even took a few of the +stones out, and his father worked on them, then they put them back. +Baartock was much happier about the way the bridge looked now. Then +his father showed him places where the water might weaken the bridge if +they weren't fixed, not today, but later when the rain stopped and the +water went down. + +While they were working the rain eased up as if it were going to stop, +then it started coming down again as hard as before. They had quite a +busy afternoon, and his father said that it was time to go home, even +if there was still a mess in the kitchen for them to clean up. + +It rained all the next day, too. Not as hard as before, just a steady +rain that went on and on. Baartock went down in the morning to see if +the bus would come, but it didn't. He waited a long time, playing +beside the stream, but nothing came along the road. + +The culvert that he had hidden in was completely blocked now, with +branches and rocks. The water had made a big pool, and it was flowing +over the road. He went up the hill a little way and sat there, +dropping small branches into the stream, and watching them float down, +across the pool and across the road. + +After a while, he went back home. It was such fun to splash his way up +the stream. He got thoroughly soaked. When he got home and dry, he +helped his father make one of the closets larger. His father chipped +and dug at the rock wall, and Baartock swept and picked-up, and carried +all of the trash outside in a bucket. They worked most of the +afternoon. Dinner was a simple meal. It had been too wet to go get +anything, so it was mostly left-overs. + +The rain stopped just after dinnertime, and Baartock went out to look +around. It was getting dark, but he walked up to his bridge. He was +worried about the spots his father had pointed out. When he got there, +his bridge was all right. An opossum was hiding under the arch, trying +to stay dry, and it growled at him. It wanted to be left alone and +Baartock was able to see what he wanted to, without chasing it off. + +Going home in the dark, he slipped and fell into the stream a couple of +times. He was glad to sit by the fire and get dry, now that he knew +that his bridge was safe. + +The nest morning it wasn't raining, though there were still a lot of +clouds overhead. But they were blowing away, and it might be sunny +later. Baartock walked down to wait for the bus. He went down the +path beside the stream. Even though the rain had stopped the night +before, the stream was just as full as it had been when it was raining. +It was still rushing and splashing its way down the hill. + +Baartock couldn't get all the way to the road. The water had risen +even higher. It wasn't a pool, it was a lake. The road was completely +under water. It was almost as deep as he was tall. During the night, +two of the trees beside the stream had fallen over, and were lying +across the road. The holes, where the roots had been were filled with +water. And there was still more water coming down the stream. He +walked along the edge of water for a long way. Finally, near the +driveway to the 'old Howard house', there was no more water covering +the road. + +Baartock played by the side of this new lake for a while, skipping +stones. When he grew tired of that, he went up the driveway, and home. +He left his lunch bag, and went up to check on his bridge again. The +opossum was gone, but there was still too much water for him to work on +his bridge, and he went back home. + +His father had decided that he couldn't go to work again, so he was +sleeping late. His mother was busy in the kitchen, so Baartock got out +his pencil box and some worksheets he had brought home from school and +sat near the mouth of the cave and did them again. + + + + +Chapter 16 + + +The sun started to come through the clouds, and Baartock moved his +stool outside the cave. He was just about to get back to work, when he +heard someone coming up the hill. He put his pencil box and worksheets +on the stool and went inside to tell his mother. They were just coming +out of the cave when Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Stogbuchner came into the +clearing. + +"Hello, Mrs. Slinurp. Hello, Baartock," called Mrs. Jackson. To +Baartock's mother, she said, "This is Baartock's teacher, Mrs. +Stogbuchner." + +"I'm pleased to meet you," said Mrs. Stogbuchner. "I told Baartock +that I wanted to meet you this week." + +No-one asked if Baartock had remembered to tell his mother, but the way +she looked at him said that he had forgotten. + +"I hope we're not coming at a bad time," Mrs. Jackson said. + "No," said his mother. "You want to talk?" + +"Baartock, I see you've been doing some school work. I think that's a +very good," said Mrs. Stogbuchner, looking at the worksheets. Then she +followed his mother and Mrs. Jackson into the cave. + +Baartock thought about checking his bridge again, but it was nearly +lunch time, and after lunch maybe his father could help him work on it. +So he sat back down in the sun, and kept working on the papers. He +could hear the adults' voices, but he couldn't hear what they were +saying. + +After a while he decided he was hungry and went to look for his lunch +bag. He remembered putting it in the kitchen, so he went to get it. +The adults were still talking, and he didn't think they had even +noticed him, until Mrs. Jackson said, "Baartock, something happened to +the bridge we looked at." + +Suddenly, there was a booming voice, coming from the back of the cave. +"What happen bridge?" Baartock's father was awake, and coming out of +the bedroom. The word 'bridge' would wake most trolls from a sound +sleep. + +Meeting just one adult troll for the first time had been a surprise for +Mrs. Stogbuchner, and even Mrs. Jackson hadn't met his father. And +Baartock's father was bigger and angrier looking than most trolls, even +though he wasn't any meaner than Baartock's mother. + But they didn't know whether to stay or run. Before they could +decide, Baartock's father was in the living room saying, "What happen +bridge?" again. + +His mother saw just how scared the humans were, and said, "Wait. She +tell." + +"There was just too much water," began Mrs. Jackson, not sure what he +wanted to know. "It collapsed. It fell down. There's no more bridge +in town." + +Baartock had told his father about the bridge, of course. And what he +had thought of a human-built bridge. He wasn't really surprised that it +had fallen down. + +"Where bridge?" asked his father. + +Baartock was just about to tell him, when Mrs. Jackson asked, "You want +to see the bridge?" + +"You show me bridge," replied his father. "You show me bridge now?" + +Just as suddenly as his father had appeared, they were going out of the +cave. Baartock grabbed his lunch bag and followed them out. They went +down the hill toward the 'old Howard house'. + +"We'll have to go the long way around," said Mrs. Jackson. "Your road +is flooded too." + +That didn't matter to his father and they kept walking down the hill. +When they got to the car, there was a problem trying to figure out +where they were all to sit. Mrs. Jackson had to slide the front seat +up, so the three trolls could sit in the back. If they hadn't been +trolls, they wouldn't have been able to squeeze in. But trolls can +bend to fit into tight places. Soon they were all inside and Mrs. +Jackson was driving. + +Baartock opened his lunch bag to get something to eat. His father had +some too, but his mother said she wasn't hungry. Neither Mrs. Jackson +or Mrs. Stogbuchner wanted any either. + +Riding in a car for the first time didn't seem to bother Baartock's +father. Maybe it was because he was going to see the bridge, or maybe +it just didn't bother him. + +They did have to go the long way around, but eventually they got to +where the bridge had been. There were lots of kids standing around and +some adults too. There were big orange painted barrels blocking the +road, so people wouldn't drive their cars too close. Mrs. Jackson had +to park her car down the block. They got out of the car and went over +to look. Baartock thought he saw Jason, but he wasn't sure. Besides, +seeing the bridge was more important, right then. + +The water hadn't really gotten that high, though the stream was moving +very quickly. It was easy to see what had happened. The water had +washed away the dirt around the supports, and then the supports had +started to move, and the span had fallen down. It was lying, broken +and twisted, in the rushing water. + +Baartock's mother was interested, but she could see what she wanted +from where she was standing. Baartock and his father walked right to +the edge to examine the wreckage. + +"Don't get so close to the edge!" a man in uniform shouted at them. He +started to come over to tell them to move back. + +"I look at bridge," Baartock's father growled at the man. + +"Yes sir," said the man, backing away. Most of the other humans nearby +backed away also. + +His father looked at the way the bridge had been built from where he +was standing, then suddenly, he jumped into the stream. + +"Hey! Help him! Get a rope, somebody!" the man in uniform was +shouting. He came rushing to the edge to find Baartock's father +standing, quite calmly, waist deep in the rushing water, examining +where the supports had been. + +"Hey! Catch this," the man shouted, starting to throw the rope. + +"Stop!" Baartock's mother had come over. "He working. You stop or he +get angry." + +"But he's going to . . ." the man started to say, looking up at her. + +"You stop," his mother said again. + +"Yes ma'am," the man said, and he took the rope and went back where he +had been standing. He just stood there watching, and not knowing what +to do. + +Mrs. Jackson went over to talk to him. Soon the man walked over to his +car and got out a blanket and gave it to Mrs. Jackson. + +When he had seen enough, Baartock's father climbed up on the broken +bridge span and calmly stepped up onto the road. Several people in the +crowd cheered when he came up, but he didn't seem to notice. + +"Where she?" he asked. + +Baartock pointed out Mrs. Jackson, still standing next to the man in +uniform. They all walked over to her. Mrs. Jackson handed him the +blanket, and he used it to dry off. + +"Can fix," his father said. "Build right this time. Not fall down +again." + +"You can build a new bridge?" asked Mrs. Jackson. + +Baartock thought that was a silly question. He had been sure that he +could have built a better bridge, and he wasn't even old enough to have +a name. "Hey! Baartock!" came a shout from the crowd. Jason was +standing there waving at him. + +Baartock waved back. The adults were talking about things that didn't +seem to have anything to do with building bridges, so he went over to +talk to Jason. + +"Isn't this really something. Are those your folks? Everybody was sure +surprised when your dad jumped in like that," Jason just went on in a +rush. "Your dad knows about bridges?" + +"Can build better bridge," Baartock answered. + +Soon, Baartock's mother called him over and they got back in the car +and went home. + + + + +Chapter 17 + + +The next day was Friday, but there wasn't any school. Mrs. Stogbuchner +had said that a lot of the roads were under water, just like the road +near Baartock's home. But even though there wasn't any school, the +next morning Baartock was going to town. + +Early in the morning, his father got him up, and they had something to +eat. Baartock got the big lunch bag and his father picked up his bag +of tools and they left and walked down to the 'old Howard house' and +waited. The sun wasn't up very high when Mrs. Jackson came driving up +the hill. + +"Good morning," she called, as she stopped the car. + +"Go bridge now," said his father. + +Mrs. Jackson had decided that was just the way trolls were. With +bridges, they were all business. + +"Good morning," said Baartock. He thought any morning he could go help +work on a bridge was a good morning. + +They got into the car. Baartock sat in the front and put on the seat +belt. His father stretched out along the back seat. He wasn't +squeezed into the back, like he had been the day before. They still +had to drive the long way around, but it wasn't too long before Mrs. +Jackson was parking the car. + +There wasn't a crowd at the bridge, it was too early in the morning. +The man in uniform was there again. He didn't say anything to +Baartock's father, but he did wave to Mrs. Jackson, and she waved back. + +His father didn't want to waste any time getting started replacing the +old bridge. As soon as they got there, he climbed out of the car and +carrying his bag of tools, went to the edge of the road. He jumped +down into the water, and Baartock started handing him hammers and +chisels, as he called for them. He would dry and put away the ones +that his father was finished with and threw back to him. + +While they were working, people came to watch, but the man in uniform +kept them back. Jason came down too, but the man wouldn't let him come +over. + +At lunch time, his father climbed back up and dried himself off with +the blanket, and they sat under a tree to eat. Baartock was hungry, +but his father ate four sandwiches to his one. Lunch was quickly over, +and they were ready to go back to work. + +This time, after his father jumped down, he told Baartock to hand him +the bag of tools. Then he walked carefully through the rushing stream, +across the wrecked bridge to the other side and tossed the bag up on +the road. Then he came back and told Baartock to climb onto his +shoulders. He crossed the stream again, and Baartock scrambled up the +other side. Then just as before, he handed down tools or put them away. + +During the afternoon, a man came to talk to Baartock's father. He was +on the other side, and Baartock couldn't hear what they were talking +about. After a while, the man left and his father came back to work. + +"Stone," his father said. That was enough. Baartock knew they had been +talking about how much stone would be needed to rebuild the bridge. +His father was going to rebuild the bridge the right way, the troll +way, with stone and not concrete. + +It wasn't dark when Baartock was carried back across the stream. They +were finished for the day. + +The next day, Mrs. Jackson couldn't come to get them. When they got +down to the house, Mr. Fennis was waiting for them. He didn't say a +word, but he stared at Baartock's father. He looked as if his eyes +were going to pop out. + +There were a few people already there, when they got to the bridge. +And the man in uniform was there too. + +The water had gone down a lot, and they worked on something new. This +time, they didn't work where the supports had been, but spent the day +breaking up the old bridge. Some pieces his father piled up, to keep +the stream from washing away his new supports. The rest of the pieces +he tossed up to Baartock, who piled them beside the road. It was a long +hard day, and Baartock fell asleep in the car on the way home. + +The next day, both of Baartock's parents went off with Mrs. Jackson to +look at the stone they were going to build with. Baartock didn't go +along. He wanted to work on his bridge. Now that the stream had gone +down, he could fix it the way he wanted to. It was fun, but now that +he was working on a real bridge, his own seemed very small. + +He went to school the next morning, but after school, instead of riding +home on Mr. Barnes' bus, he went to help his parents work on the new +bridge. He spent the rest of the afternoon helping pile up the broken +pieces of the old bridge. + +For the rest of that week and for several weeks after, Baartock spent +his days in school and his afternoons and weekends working on the +bridge. For a while, trucks came, bringing blocks of stone, and big +timbers they would use for supports, building the bridge. They brought +enough stone to make a hill of stone, until his father said that was +enough. + +In those weeks, the crowd that came to watch the bridge being built +grew bigger, and there were more men in uniform to keep them back. The +pile of stone got smaller and the bridge got closer to being finished. +Somehow, word had gotten out that trolls were building a bridge. A lot +of people didn't believe it, and others didn't care. Other people +heard that a man, a woman, and a boy were building a bridge by +themselves, and came to watch. A few people tried to push their way +past the men in uniform to talk to Baartock's parents while they were +working. + +Then one afternoon, right after lunch, Mrs. Jackson came to get +Baartock from class. He was surprised when she said that they were +going to the bridge. He usually didn't go until school was over. As +they went out to the parking lot, they went past several school busses +parked in front of the school. He thought one of the busses was Mr. +Barnes's, but they didn't go to it. They went to her car and drove to +the bridge. + +When they got there, there was a big crowd just standing around one end +of the bridge. Baartock's parents were standing in the middle of the +bridge, but they weren't working. Baartock looked at the bridge. It +looked finished, but as he walked over, he saw that there was one block +missing from one side, and that block was lying on the sidewalk. + +He walked over to his parents to find out why they hadn't finished the +bridge. His mother just said, "wait," and kept watching Mrs. Jackson. +Soon the school busses drove up and a lot of kids got out. There was +all of Mrs. Stogbuchner's class, and a lot of other kids besides. They +came over to the bridge, but they didn't come across it, they just +stood there with the rest of the crowd. They were all talking quietly, +and watching Baartock and his parents. After a while a man got up on a +little wooden platform and started talking. He talked for a long time, +but Baartock wasn't listening to him. He had gotten an idea. A +wonderful idea. + +Baartock's mother had been watching the man on the platform. When he +finished taking, she said, "Put stone in." + +Baartock went over and picked up the last stone to put in the wall. He +slid it into place, and the crowd started to cheer. When he stepped +back, he saw the writing on the block. It was his special mark, and +the letters 'BAARTOCK'S BRIDGE'. + +The crowd kept on cheering, and Baartock felt embarrassed. Then he +looked at his father. And his father looked at him. His father must +have had the same idea, for suddenly they both started yelling at the +top of their lungs, screaming, bellowing as loud as they could, as they +ran at the crowd standing at the end of the bridge. + + At the first sound, the crowd was frozen in place, and as +Baartock and his father kept yelling and running at them, the crowd +turned and ran away from the bridge as fast as they could. All the +humans kept on running until they were out of sight. Baartock and his +father stopped at the end of the bridge and they turned and walked +back, laughing, to his mother in the middle of the bridge. She looked +at them. + +"Good bridge," she said. "Good troll bridge." + + + + + +Here is a short message from the author of Baartock: + +This book is directed at children, up to about third grade, though it +should be read to them by an adult. + + + + + +End of Baartock, by Lewis Roth (C)1989 + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Baartock, by Lewis Roth + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BAARTOCK *** + +***** This file should be named 1087.txt or 1087.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/0/8/1087/ + +Produced by an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer. + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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