Baartock

by Laura Dent Crane

  Chapter 10

  When the 'all clear' bell sounded, which was just one very short ringof the bell, Mrs. Pangle led the class back inside. But they didn'tstay inside for long. As soon as they had finished the worksheets,Mrs. Stogbuchner stood at the front of the room and announced, "This isa fire drill. Everyone line up quickly at the back door."

  They all lined up and practiced the fire drill, and because BobbyMiller was talking, they had to practice it another time.

  This time, except for the noise the chairs made, scraping the floor asthe 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 firedrill," she said.

  The class had a very short recess, because they had taken so longpracticing the fire drill. They didn't get to play dodge ball, andthey mostly sat around talking. Except no-one would talk to BobbyMiller, and he sat by himself on a swing, not even swinging.

  "What's dodge ball?" asked Baartock. He wanted to know, even if theyweren't going to do it.

  "You've never played dodge ball?" Jason exclaimed. "It's sort-of liketag, except it takes a lot of kids. Some kids make a circle and throwthe 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 beenunhappy 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 toland 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 surprisedhim and made him jump.

  When recess was over, they all went back into the classroom andBaartock finally got to use his crayons on the new worksheets. Itdidn'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. ButBaartock didn't put his pencil box in with them. He held on to ittightly 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 schoolbus 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 schoolbusses waiting in a line.

  "You'll be riding bus number 62," she said as they went down thesidewalk. They stopped at one of the busses. "This is the bus you'llbe riding. See, number 62. Mr. Barnes is the driver, and when you'reon 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 insidepulled 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'mtaking him home today, because I need to talk to his mother. He'll beriding with you, starting tomorrow morning. He'll be just down fromwhere the Howards used to live."

  "OK. That would put you between Bobby Gill and Laura Robinson. Noproblem."

  "Thank you," said Mrs. Jackson. Baartock hadn't seen Mr. Barnes giveher 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. Baartockhad wanted to stay and look at the school bus, but he followed her backinside the school.

  "Please wait here," she said, when they were in the office, and shewent behind the counter and into another room. Ms. Laurence was busyat 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 athim. "I'm talking on the phone."

  He watched her carefully. She was sitting in a chair and she keptlooking at some papers on the desk, and it seemed as though she wastalking to the thing she was holding in her hand.

  Baartock walked over to the door and looked out. There wasn't anyonein the hall, and he could look out the open front doors at the line ofschool busses.

  "Now, what can I do for you?" asked Ms. Laurence.

  Baartock turned around. Ms. Laurence was standing at the counter. Hewas about to ask what a phone was, when the bell went off and Baartockjumped. Ms. Laurence smiled at him. "I used to hate that bell," shesaid, "but you do get used to it."

  Suddenly, there was a lot of noise in the hall, and cries of 'Norunning!' The hall was rapidly filling with talking, pushing, hurryingchildren. Lots of them were bigger than Baartock. Some were carryingbooks. 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 withyou Baartock," she said as she hurried out of the office and down thehall to the front of the building. He could hear her voice calling, "Norunning, Carlos!" and "The bus won't leave without you, Helen."

  Baartock watched some of the kids from his class go out the door. Thenthere was Jason, going right past the office door.

  "Hey Baartock! You'll miss the bus!" he said as he kept hurrying downthe 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 outof the doorway, because several teachers were pushing past him to getinto 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?" Hedidn't wait for an answer, but went behind the counter, and startedgetting more papers out of a cubby.

  In a little while, Mrs. Jackson came back into the office. "We'll begoing in just a minute," she said, as she went back into the otherroom. Baartock sat and watched the teachers and Mrs. Jackson wasn'tgone 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 andgot into her car. She checked to make sure he had fastened hisseat-belt properly, and then started the engine.

  "Is there anything you'd like to see?" she asked, as she backed the carout 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 thathe was a troll. "We were almost there this morning."

  "Where bridge?" Baartock asked excitedly. He had decided there justweren't any bridges near-by.

  "There's one right her in the middle of town. It's a little ways pastthe clinic, on Main Street. It's not too far. Would you like to lookat it?"

  "Yes." Then he remembered. "Thank you," he said.

  "You're welcome, Baartock."

  They drove along Main Street, and he recognized the little house wherethey had been that morning and pointed to it.

  "Yes," said Mrs. Jackson, "that's the clinic. We're almost to thebridge now."

  After a few more blocks, she turned a corner onto a side street andstopped 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 canlook at it."

  They got out of the car and walked across at the corner. Then Baartocksaw the bridge. It was a simple span going over a wide stream bed, butthere wasn't very much water in the stream bed below. And the bridge was built of concrete, just like the culvert he'dhidden in on his first day. Part of the town was on one side of thebridge, and there was more of the town on the other side. The roadcro
ssed the bridge for cars and trucks, and busses. And there was asidewalk on the bridge for people to go across. He didn't know justwhat to say. He was happy because there was a bridge, but it was ahuman-made bridge and nothing like as good as a troll-built bridge. Helooked at it carefully. After a while, he said, "Go home now." He'dfound a bridge.