by Mary Amato
“No, Dad! There’s a tornado coming. You can’t go outside!” He didn’t answer. “Dad? Dad?”
Things started happening all at once.
While Tom arranged on his phone for a news crew to head to Adler Park, the woman programmed the drone to fly there, too.
“Here’s the live video feed,” she told me, and nodded at the big screen in front of us.
“Dad,” I said. “We’re sending a drone to look for Leo. We’re watching it now.”
“I’m almost at the park,” my dad said. “What do you see?”
“The treetops are blowing like mad, and the sky is green. The wind is shaking the drone!” My stomach got a bad feeling. It was a big park with a pond and a basketball court and no sign of my brother.
The woman pulled the remote to make the drone fly higher, and the playground came into view.
“Go there!” I said, and she steered the drone over toward it.
A trash can near the swing set suddenly toppled over.
“Whoa! That’s a strong wind,” Tom said. “Tell your dad to turn back.”
“Dad?” I yelled into the phone. “Dad?”
No answer!
Now both Leo and my dad were in danger.
“Dad?” I pressed the phone to my ear. “Are you there?”
All I could hear was wind, and then my dad’s voice came. “I’m trying to find the playground now, Lucy.”
The drone flew toward a pirate ship on the playground where there were climbing ropes and a slide. The ropes were whipping against the sides of the ship.
“Nobody’s here,” Tom said. “Let’s check by the picnic area.”
“Wait!” I said. “Leo likes worms. I could imagine him crawling under that slide to be near the worms. Can you look under that?”
The drone flew over the top of the ship and started lowering. A shape came into view but then the drone was knocked away by the wind.
“Go back! I saw something!” I said, and the drone operator tried again.
The drone turned and dipped down under the slide, and Leo’s surprised face popped into view!
“That’s him!” I yelled. “Dad! He’s under the slide!”
“We’ve located the boy!” Tom said to the news crew. “Head to the pirate ship on the playground!” Then he called the director. “We’ve got a rescue. We need to go live on this.”
The drone flew up, and we could see the news van pulling up from one side and my dad running toward the pirate ship from the other side.
“There’s my dad!” I said, and pointed.
The news crew hopped out of the van with their cameras rolling.
“Leo!” my dad called out.
Leo crawled out from under the slide and ran toward my dad. The wind was whipping so hard, Leo was blown backward instead of forward. My dad ran and scooped him up in his arms. Leo squeezed tight and buried his face in my dad’s neck, looking just like a little koala bear.
There was a huge cheer, and I turned around. The door was open slightly and all my friends were in the hallway clapping.
I turned back to look at the video screen. The news crew was leading my dad back to the van, videoing the whole way. Holding Leo, my dad climbed into the backseat. The look on his face got me. My dad was gulping for breath and tears were streaming down his cheeks. He looked so happy to have Leo in his arms again that I started to cry. Then Leo finally let go and turned and the camera got a close-up of his face. A big, wet, goofy smile. Even though I was still crying, I laughed, too.
When you love your family, you just want them to be safe. And the emotions you feel are so big, they have to come out.
Tom gave me a tissue. “Good job, Lucy,” he said.
When we walked out, all my friends hugged me and patted me on the back, and I almost started crying again.
Tom stopped and listened to his headset. “Lucy, they want to run the rescue footage. Can you do a quick live interview?”
I nodded, and the next thing I knew I was sitting at the news desk next to the anchorwoman!
“Lucy McGee, we hear it was your idea to use one of the Channel Four weather drones to find your brother. How did you think of that?”
The camera turned to me. I blinked. “The idea just popped into my brain. My brother told me he wanted to play in that park with the worms. So I figured that was where he’d go. He loves worms.”
The anchorwoman smiled. “I’m sure your family will be very proud of you. Can you tell our viewing audience why you’re here today?”
I looked over at the Songwriting Club. Tom let them stand by the doorway as long as they didn’t make a sound.
“I’m here with my friends. We have a songwriting club, and we’ve been singing about the weather together.”
The anchorwoman looked into the camera. “That’s right. Lucy McGee and our young guests from Slido Creek Elementary’s Songwriting Club were going to sing live today, but the storm interrupted. We’ll record their songs and bring them to you throughout the month.”
I smiled. I’d forgotten that we were still going to make the recordings.
“Stay tuned to Channel Four,” the anchorwoman said.
“For weather updates, news, and more!” I said.
She looked at me and smiled. “Lucy McGee knows how to rhyme.”
I shrugged. “I make rhymes all the time!”
The storm passed and nobody was hurt. After that, we had fun. Tom took us to another room, where we recorded our weather songs. He said they’ll run our songs when it’s “appropriate.” Like, they’ll show the sunny-weather song when it’s sunny and the rainy-weather song when it’s raining.
Our parents came to pick us up, and when I saw Leo and Lily and my dad, we gave each other huge hugs.
My dad had bought bagels, so we made pizza bagels for dinner. Yum.
“You were a star, Lucy,” my mom said as we were finishing dinner. “We’re proud of your quick thinking.”
“I was a star, too,” Leo said. “I was on TV, too.”
“Me too,” Lily said, even though she wasn’t.
“Leo,” my dad said. “Getting on TV because you were in danger is not the good kind of star to be. Never leave Mom or me again, right?”
Leo nodded. “I won’t.” And then a funny look came over his face and a little shiver went through his body. “I was scared.”
“We were all scared, Leo,” my mom said, and hugged him. “That was a big storm.”
I took my last pizza-bagel bite. “I can’t wait to see one of our recordings on TV.”
My dad fist-bumped me. “We’re going to have to watch the weather on Channel Four all month. Go, Songwriting Club!”
“Can I be in your club, Lucy?” Leo asked.
I looked at my mom and dad. It was kind of awkward. I mean, I love Leo, but he’s just too little to be in my club.
“You can start a club of your own,” my dad said. He’s a quick thinker, too.
“No, I can’t,” Leo said. “I don’t know how to make a club.”
“Pick something you like to do,” I said. “And then invite people to come to your club and do it with you.”
Leo jumped up with a big grin. “I like to play worms! I’m making a Worm Club! Will you be in it?”
“Sure,” my dad said.
“I’m in,” my mom said.
“Me too,” Lily said.
Leo ran into the living room and started wriggling on the carpet. “Come on!”
We joined him and wiggled and wriggled and giggled together. Tons of fun!
That night, as I was getting ready for bed, I felt a song inside me. I picked up my uke and my songwriting notebook and crawled into bed. Through my window, I could see the moon and stars.
I played around with an idea. I wrote a draft and changed the words until I liked it. Then I picked up my uke and sang.
When
the wind has gone to sleep
and the moon above is smiling,
I can curl up in my bed
and feel the love that’s lighting
up the inside of my heart
even when it’s dark
outside.
Come and sing with me.
We’ll be so safe and warm.
Hold each other tight
through every scary storm.
Come and sing with me
tonight.
There was a huge cheer, and I turned to the door. It was open slightly and my mom and dad and Leo and Lily were in the hallway clapping.
There was a huge cheer, and I turned to the door. It was open slightly and my mom and dad and Leo and Lily were in the hallway clapping.
I laughed. “A new song from me, Lucy McGee!”
THE SONGWRITING CLUB SONGS
Have fun with the songs in this book. You can hear the songs and sing along by going to the special Lucy page on my site: www.maryamato.com/lucy-songs.
You can also find out more about making up your own songs and learning how to play songs on a ukulele, piano, or guitar.
THE RAIN SONG
It drizzled all night
and it’s pouring right now.
You think it’s raining cats and dogs?
I’d say it’s raining…cows!
Before you leave the house,
pack an extra pair of socks,
especially if you have to walk
a couple of blocks.
The puddles are so deep
they’re probably filled with fish.
When you step in a puddle
your shoes go squish.
So pack that extra pair
of socks for your feet.
Your toes will thank you
and think you’re sweet.
NO ONE CAN HEAR ME
Rain laughs against the glass.
The clock is ticking loud and fast.
My pencil shouts across this page
while other voices drown me out.
No one can hear me.
No one can hear me.
No one can hear me now.
Why can’t I evaporate and rise up from the ground,
become a cloud and float to Idaho
and let my rain come thundering down?
Then at least someone in Idaho would hear me falling down.
Hear me falling
Hear me falling
Hear me falling down.
THE FOG SONG
Life today turned upside down.
Clouds are drooping to the ground.
The sun got scared and stayed in bed.
Are those trees or ghosts ahead?
Grayish mists are deeply creeping.
Is the whole world wet and weeping?
Wolves and zombies—did I mention?—
love this weather. Pay attention!
As you walk alone, beware!
The fog can hide what’s lurking there.
THE GOOD NIGHT SONG
When the wind has gone to sleep
and the moon above is smiling,
I can curl up in my bed
and feel the love that’s lighting
up the inside of my heart
even when it’s dark
outside.
Come and sing with me.
We’ll be so safe and warm.
Hold each other tight
through every scary storm.
Come and sing with me
tonight.