“It’s not enough to live on. Still, we could buy food and save a little while I looked for work,” explained the man.
“Well, that seems fine. I guess you could keep living here. Now that we know you are people and not spooks,” exclaimed Sister Krumbles.
But she stopped talking when Mother Mercy gave her an angry look. She had forgotten that it was the Mother Superior’s job to make decisions about the convent.
“Am I going to get a chance to talk?” Mother Mercy burst out. “Or is everyone else in charge of this community now?”
Sister Krumbles nervously started to back up, without watching where she was going. She backed right into the kitchen wall and started to fall. To keep from falling, she grabbed the nearest object, a wall lamp.
When she grabbed it, it turned sideways with a loud noise, and the door to the apartment closed trapping everyone—the family, the nuns, and priest inside!
Mother Mercy ran across the room to the lamp and turned it back to its rightful position, fully expecting the door to open. It remained shut.
Sister Lovely tried to turn the knob of the door leading back to the chapel, but it didn’t budge.
“Oh…creepy confinement!” shouted Sister Lacey. “How do we get out of here?”
“Don’t worry! There’s a door that leads to the outside,” said the man.
Father McNulty and the nuns followed him into a bedroom, and the man opened the closet door.
When he pulled the handle, another hidden door opened, and they found themselves in the garden shed in the backyard. Amazed, the Sisters and the priest stepped outside.
“Well…I’ll be!” exclaimed Mother Mercy, “This house is full of surprises.”
Father McNulty was silent. He looked over at Mr. Lemon’s yard, lost in thought. Then he said, “I’ve got an idea! Suppose you pay for your rent in work. The first thing that you could do to help the Sisters is to fix Mr. Lemon’s yard!”
The man smiled. “I would be glad to repair Mr. Lemon’s yard. It seems to be quite a mess.”
“Why, that’s a wonderful idea!” shouted Sister Krumbles. “And couldn’t he help us in our yard, too? Could he build a stronger pen for our little goats?”
All the other Sisters liked the idea, and soon they were all chattering at once. Only Mother Mercy remained silent. She didn’t look happy. She looked like she was trying hard to remain calm.
Sister Krumbles was the first to notice. She was afraid that the Mother Superior was about to lose her temper again.
“Is everything all right?” she swallowed hard. “Do you think it is a good idea? They could help us out of trouble with Mr. Lemon, and we could help them have a home.”
For a few tense minutes, everyone looked at Mother Mercy, who seemed to be praying, or counting to ten.
Finally Mother Mercy spoke, “Why, thank you, Sister Krumbles! I am certainly glad that someone got around to asking me!”
Looking around, she cleared her throat, and then she smiled, “I think that it’s a wonderful idea. And we better fix Mr. Lemon’s lawn right away, before anything else happens!”
Chapter 8
Continuing Capers
All the nuns shouted, “Hooray!”
The family started to cry with happiness. That was more than Mother Mercy could stand.
“Enough, enough!” she called above the fray, “My goodness! Don’t we have some work to do around here?”
The other nuns calmed down, but not before they all hugged Mother Mercy with delight.
“Let’s go inside while Mr…by the way, what’s your name?” she asked the gardener.
“My name is Joseph, and this is my wife, Mary,” answered the man. Looking very happy, he gathered his tools and headed toward Mr. Lemon’s.
Father McNulty said goodbye to the nuns, and then went with Joseph to tell Mr. Lemon about the repairs the nuns would make.
“Come everyone! Let’s have a hearty dinner,” said Mother Mercy. “You, too,” she nodded at the family. “Please join us! I’ll bet you’re hungry!”
Everyone sat around the convent table, and soon they were enjoying the dinner that Sister Lovely served. All at once, Sister Lacey started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” asked Sister Shiny.
“Blessed blunders, don’t you see? Joseph and Mary looking for a home!” laughed the tiny nun.
All the nuns looked at each other and started to giggle. “Why, it’s just like the first Christmas when Joseph and Mary were searching for shelter to have little Jesus!” exclaimed Sister Krumbles.
“What are you talking about?” asked the young boy as he finished his glass of milk.
“Let me explain,” answered Sister Lovely, and she sat down next to the children.
She began to tell the story. “When our Lord was about to be born, Joseph and Mary had to travel to a strange town called Bethlehem. They searched, but they couldn’t find a place to stay. Finally, they found a stable—a place where the animals lived. Here, Baby Jesus was born, without a real home to sleep in.”
“Baby Jesus was homeless like us?” the little girl asked.
“Yes,” answered the pretty nun, “That’s why no one should be left out in the cold. When we give shelter to someone without a home, it’s as if we are giving shelter to the Jesus that lives within them.”
“You mean—Jesus lives in me?” asked the boy.
“Yes! Jesus lives in everyone. And giving a home to anyone is like giving a home to Him.”
Mother Mercy wiped a tear from her eye. She didn’t want the others to see how touched she was.
She sat back in her chair. “Well, at least the mystery is solved. I will be grateful for some peace and quiet!”
The moment she finished speaking, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” announced Sister Krumbles, as she hurried from the room.
The nuns had just gotten up to clean the dishes when they heard the commotion from the front hallway. “Amazing Grace, stop!” Sister Krumbles shouted.
There was the clicking sound of nails scurrying and skidding along the wooden floors. An unknown voice cried, “Stop, Gracie!”
As the sisters in the kitchen watched in astonishment, an excited yellow puppy ran through the kitchen door. His paws tracked mud across the spotless floor. As Sister Shiny stood in shock, too stunned to move, the pup ran right toward her, and jumping up, knocked her to the ground.
The puppy’s paws got mud all over Sister Shiny’s habit. As her eyes widened in dismay, the yellow Labrador furiously licked her face.
The loud slurping of the dog’s wet tongue covered the nun’s face with copious amounts of doggy saliva. The slurping sounds of the dog’s loving licks were nearly drowned out by the sound of Sister Shiny’s screams.
Before any of the nuns could respond, Sister Krumbles came flying into the kitchen. As she rounded the corner, she slipped on the muddy tracks that the dog had left behind.
“Whoooooooa!” she shouted as she slid on her feet across the kitchen. Trying to stop from falling, she grabbed a container of flour.
Sliding like a surfer on an ocean wave, she released a spray of white flour all over the kitchen and all over everyone!
The white storm finally stopped when Sister Krumbles hit the wall, and landed on the ground right next to Sister Shiny.
When the puppy saw the round nun sitting on the floor too, she gleefully divided her puppy love between the two nuns.
“Oh…slobbered-up Shiny!” shouted Sister Lacey as Sister Krumbles laughed at the puppy, and Sister Shiny cried. Then an unfamiliar young woman entered the kitchen.
“No, Gracie, no! Come here!” the young girl shouted. Finally the puppy seemed to listen. Running to the young woman, the puppy obediently sat at her feet and wagged her tail.
Poor Sister Shiny sat on the floor and wailed, “Oh, just look at me! I’m dirty!”
“It’s okay, Sister.” Sister Krumbles gave her a hug, covering the nun with white flour.
&nbs
p; The rest of the nuns couldn’t help it. They started to giggle. Then the giggles turned to laughter. They laughed so hard that they were soon in tears.
Sister Shiny tried to be angry, but she just couldn’t. Soon she was laughing, too.
When the merriment died down, Mother Mercy turned to Sister Krumbles and asked, “Who was at the door? Was it this young woman?”
“Oh, in all the excitement, I forgot! This is Kathy. She has come to stay with us. She wants to join our family of Sisters,” smiled Sister Krumbles. “But she just didn’t have the heart to leave Amazing Grace behind.”
Mother Mercy looked confused.
The young woman explained nervously, “Oh, Amazing Grace is my puppy, but I just call her Gracie for short. Would you let me bring her to the convent with me? The other orders I asked all said no.”
What a day! thought Mother Mercy, then she smiled. A day in our community of Sisters is never, ever dull!
“Welcome,” said Mother Mercy, as she held out her hand in welcome to the new visitor. “Certainly, Amazing Grace can come, too,” she said. “We are glad to have you both.”
She went on, “With the Bishop’s permission, you can stay as a novice for a year. After that time, if you like our community, you can take your vows to be a full Sister of the Last Straw. Come, and have some tea! You are welcome here!”
“Yes, welcome!” shouted all the other Sisters.
“Come and live with us,” cried the children. “You’re as welcome as Jesus!”
Please join
the Sisters of the Last Straw in
their next adventure:
The Case of the Missing Novice.
About the Author
Karen Kelly Boyce
Karen Kelly Boyce lives on a farm in New Jersey with her husband, Michael. She is a member of the Jackson Writer’s Group, The Catholic Writer’s Guild, and the Central New Jersey Catholic Writer’s Guild. With two grown children, Amanda and Michael, she and her retired husband like to travel and enjoy road trips across the country.
Karen is best known for her adult series of novels which are based on the graces of the Rosary. Her three published novels are According to thy Word, Into the Way of Peace, and Down Right Good. All three have received the Seal of Approval from the Catholic Writer’s Guild, and Down Right Good has won the Eric Hoffer Award for commercial fiction.
She has also published one non-fiction work on her experience with cancer. A Bend in the Road teaches cancer patients how to become cancer survivors with humor, understanding, and practical advice. All the proceeds from this book go to the research department of The Cancer Institute of NJ.
With the birth of her two grandchildren, Conner and Kaitlyn, Karen started a series of children’s books called the Sisters of the Last Straw. This is the first of the series.
All of Karen’s books can be found online on her website, www.queenofangelsfarm.com.
About the Illustrator
Sue Anderson Gioulis
Sue Anderson Gioulis completed her art training at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida.
She is the illustrator of the children’s books Off We Go and You’re Lovable to Me, and her drawings and graphic designs are displayed in several states on the East Coast.
Sue is a member of the Manasquan River Group of Artists in New Jersey. She enjoys life by the shore with her family in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Her work can be viewed online at: www.gioulisgraphics.com.
Sisters of the Last Straw: #1 The Case of the Haunted Chapel Page 4