Karen's Toys

by Ann M. Martin

  Mommy helped me fill out the application. We signed up for the ten years old and under age group. I told Mommy who was going to be in the group and she wrote down the names. We gave the application to a construction worker named Joe.

  “Congratulations,” he said. “You are the first one to sign up. We will give you panel number six. It is one of the ones in the center of the wall. That way everyone will be sure to see it.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  When I got home, my friends were outside. They were playing with their Space Game toys again.

  “We are signed up for the contest!” I announced. “We have to decide what to paint. Who wants to have a meeting?”

  Everyone put down their weapons and gathered around. I told them that we had a center panel.

  “So it has to be extra special,” I said.

  Alicia wanted to paint farm animals on the panel. Willie and Andrew wanted to paint cars and trucks.

  “I know!” said Bobby. “We should paint a Space Game wall.”

  Oh, wow! In two seconds everyone agreed to that. We talked some more and decided to paint pictures of the Tryops and Gorgones.

  “We will need lots of paints and brushes,” said Nancy. “I think there is some paint in my basement.”

  “I know we have paints and brushes in our house,” said Kathryn. “Our parents just painted the kitchen.”

  “We will need rags and buckets, too,” I said.

  It was Thursday. We decided to start painting on Monday after school. That gave us plenty of time to get the things we needed.

  Big House Overnight

  When I woke up Friday morning, Mommy came into my room to talk to me.

  “Remember, you will be taking the schoolbus to the big house this afternoon,” she said. “Seth and I are going to New York City overnight, and you will stay at Daddy’s.”

  “Oh, boy. I almost forgot,” I replied. “But I will not forget again.”

  Being a two-two, I did not have to pack anything. Everything I needed would already be at Daddy’s.

  It was fun to stay at the big house in the middle of a little-house month. I did not have to wait so long to see my big-house family. And something exciting was sure to be going on.

  I was glad for another reason. I could probably find lots of paint and brushes at the big house. I was certain Daddy would let Andrew and me raid the garage.

  On the bus to school, I told Nancy I would not be riding home with her.

  Blam! Wham-blam! The kids were playing with their Space Game toys on the bus. They played all the way to school, then on the playground. When Hannie arrived, she joined the game with her zapper. Everyone was having fun running around. Wham! Blam! Zap! Zap!

  I stood off to the side, watching. I was not having fun. While I was watching, I was thinking. I was thinking of a plan. It was a wonderful, sneaky plan. By the time I finished, I had one more reason to be happy I was going to the big house.

  The day at school passed quickly. Before I knew it, I was on my way home.

  “See you tomorrow,” I said to Hannie when I reached the big house.

  Nannie opened the door for me. She gave me a big hug. So did Daddy. (He works at home.) Then Emily ran to greet me.

  “Hi, Emily. I am happy to see you!” I said.

  Andrew was there, too. (Nannie had picked him up earlier from preschool.)

  We had a snack of peanut butter on crackers, with apple juice. While we were eating, David Michael came home. A little while later, Kristy arrived. Then Sam and Charlie showed up. Finally Elizabeth came home. Everyone was happy to see Andrew and me. It felt like a party.

  “Who would like pizza and salad for dinner?” asked Elizabeth.

  Everyone did. We took votes on what kind of pizza to order. Broccoli and mushroom with extra cheese won.

  Kristy and I helped make the salad. Then I excused myself and ran upstairs. I needed to check on something.

  I opened my big-house piggy bank. I counted the money inside. I had plenty for my plan.

  Next, I talked to Daddy.

  “Daddy, would you take Andrew and me to the toy store after dinner?” I asked. “It is open late and I would like to buy some things. I am going to spend my own money.”

  “I will be happy to take you,” said Daddy.

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  All right! My plan was working. So far, so good.

  The Toy Store

  “Hi, Mr. Mellon!” I said. Mr. Mellon is the owner of the Unicorn Toy Store.

  “What brings you here today?” asked Mr. Mellon.

  “I am going to buy Space Game toys for my brother and me,” I replied.

  “Oh, yes. Those toys are very popular,” said Mr. Mellon.

  I looked at Daddy. He did not say one word. That was good. It meant he did not know that the toys were against the rules at the little house.

  Andrew gave me a funny look. I squeezed his hand to make sure he did not say anything.

  We walked across the store to the Space Game display. Daddy stayed at the counter talking with Mr. Mellon.

  “I do not understand,” said Andrew. “How can you buy these toys for us? We are not allowed to have them.”

  “It will be okay as long as we leave them at the big house,” I replied. “You just have to promise not to tell Mommy or Seth about them. The toys will be our secret.”

  Andrew did not look too happy about keeping a secret from Mommy and Seth. Then his eyes fell on the ray-sprayer. I knew he wanted it.

  “Okay,” he said. “I promise not to tell.”

  I checked out the toys and prices. I could buy one mini-ray-sprayer for Andrew and one mini-zapper for me.

  I took them to the cash register and paid for them.

  “Thank you for taking us to the store, Daddy,” I said on the way out.

  “You are welcome,” Daddy replied. “Enjoy your new toys.”

  “Oh, we will.”

  We started to enjoy them as soon as we returned home.

  Blam! Wham-blam!

  Zap! Zap-zap!

  We chased each other around the house. Then David Michael brought out his ray-sprayer.

  “One for all, and all for the Gorgones!” I said. Zap! Zap!

  “Tryops are tops!” cried David Michael. Wham! Blam!

  “Time for bed, kids,” said Daddy.

  Wham. Blam. Zap. It was time to put our toys away.

  I changed into my pajamas. Then I went to Andrew’s room to say good night.

  “That was fun, wasn’t it?” I said.

  “Really fun!” Andrew replied.

  “Remember that the toys have to stay here. And we cannot mention them to Mommy and Seth,” I said.

  “I know,” replied Andrew. “Good night, Karen.”

  “Sleep tight.”

  I felt bad about making Andrew keep a secret from Mommy and Seth. But he had had a very good time playing with his new ray-sprayer. I decided it was worth keeping one little secret.

  I returned to my room and climbed into bed. Then I whispered in the dark, “Good night, Gorgones. Good night, Tryops. Sleep tight, wherever you are.”

  Caught!

  After breakfast on Saturday, Andrew and I went to the front yard to play with our new Space Game toys. David Michael came outside, too. Then Hannie ran over.

  Hannie and I both had Gorgone zappers. So we decided to make up a new ending to the movie. The Gorgones capture two Tryops and take them back to their planet to show them that they are really nice space creatures after all.

  “Then the Tryops and the Gorgones unite to fight injustices throughout the universe!” I said.

  We made up an imaginary enemy.

  “All red and yellow leaves on the lawn must be captured,” said Hannie. “Let’s go!”

  Wham! Blam! Zap!

  Hannie and I zapped those leaves with bubbles from our zappers. David Michael and Andrew sprayed them with water from their ray-sprayers. We were having a gigundoly fun morning!

&nb
sp; Just then a car pulled into the driveway. Oh, no! It was Mommy. She was early. I had not expected her for at least another hour. I had been sure we would have time to put our new toys away before she arrived.

  “Karen and Andrew, what are you doing?” asked Mommy when she stepped out of the car. “You know very well you are not allowed to play with toy guns. Where did you get them?”

  Gulp. Maybe I could say we had found them in the backyard. Maybe I could say the Gorgones and Tryops gave them to us as presents. But I was already in trouble. Anyway, Daddy would tell her the truth.

  “Well, you see, I had some money of my own saved up. So I bought the toys for Andrew and me. I did not think you would mind if we played with them here,” I said.

  “How did you get to the store?” asked Mommy.

  “Daddy drove us,” I replied.

  “Would you please ask Daddy if he would come outside? I think we should talk about this together,” said Mommy.

  I did not want Mommy and Daddy to have a fight. Not because of me. I ran inside and found Daddy. I told him Mommy was upset. But I did not tell him why.

  When Daddy came outside, Mommy explained the no-guns rule to him.

  “I am sorry, Lisa. I did not know,” said Daddy. He turned to me. “Karen, that was not right. I would never have let you buy these toys if they were against Mommy’s rules. I do not like being put in the middle this way.”

  “I am sorry,” I said. I really was, too. I had almost started a fight between Mommy and Daddy. That would have been awful.

  “And Andrew, why didn’t you say anything? asked Mommy.

  “Karen made me promise. And I wanted a toy,” Andrew replied.

  “Helping your little brother break the rules is not what a big sister is supposed to do,” said Daddy.

  “I am very angry with you, Karen,” added Mommy. “We will decide on your punishment when we get home. Please go inside and get your things. I will wait for you in the car. But first, may I have those toys?”

  “What are you going to do with them?” I asked. “You cannot just throw them away. They are brand-new toys.”

  “I am not sure what I will do with them yet. All I know is that you and Andrew may not have them,” said Mommy.

  Andrew and I went inside to get our things and say good-bye to our big-house family. Then we slid into the car. I was in a very bad mood. Daddy stood on the front lawn and watched us drive away. I could see he was in a very bad mood, too.

  Used Toys

  After dinner, Mommy told me what my punishment would be.

  “You will not be allowed to play with your friends after school for a week,” she said.

  One whole week? Usually this would be awful. But it was no fun playing with them anyway when they had Space Game toys and I did not. Then I remembered something important. The contest.

  “Will I still be allowed to paint the panel with my friends?” I asked.

  Mommy thought for a minute. Then she said, “Yes, you may. That is a worthwhile project to improve the neighborhood.”

  My conversation with Mommy was going pretty well. So I decided to ask another question.

  “Did you decide what to do with our toys?”

  Mommy had tossed the toys into the car when we were at the big house. They were still there.

  “No. I have not decided,” Mommy replied. “I will let you know when I do.”

  Then I got a gigundoly good idea.

  “Can I sell them back to the store?” I asked.

  “Mr. Mellon cannot take back used toys, Karen. Once a package is opened he cannot sell the toys to anyone else,” Mommy said.

  “Why not? The toys are practically new. We hardly used them.”

  “Would you want to play with a toy that had been opened?” asked Mommy.

  “If there were no other toys left I would not mind. Please let me try. Please,” I begged.

  “All right. I do not think it will work. But you can try,” Mommy replied.

  On Monday, Mommy drove Andrew and me to the toy store after school. Mommy and Andrew waited while I talked to Mr. Mellon.

  “Hi, Mr. Mellon,” I said. “I am back with the toys.”

  “Is something wrong with them?” he asked. He sounded worried.

  “No. The toys are fine. But we are not allowed to have them. I would like to sell them back to you,” I said.

  “I am very sorry, Karen, but I cannot take back used toys. No one will buy a toy once the package has been opened.”

  Hmm. This sounded familiar. Mommy had said the very same thing.

  “The toys work fine. It would be a shame to waste them,” I said.

  Mr. Mellon pointed to a sign over the cash register. It said, “Returns must be accompanied by sales receipt. Only unopened or defective merchandise will be accepted.”

  This was bad news. I did not have my receipt. My merchandise had been opened. And nothing was wrong with it.

  “Could you put the toys back on the shelf? If you sell them, then you could give me my money back,” I said.

  “I am afraid I have to say no to you,” said Mr. Mellon. “I cannot put opened toys on my shelf.”

  I was disappointed. But I remembered to be polite.

  “Thank you, anyway,” I said.

  I left the store with the toys. When we got outside I handed them to Mommy.

  “What are you going to do with them?” I asked.

  “I am not sure. I will put them in the garage while I am deciding,” replied Mommy. “And Karen, you and Andrew may not touch them.”

  “I promise I will not touch them, Mommy. I will not even look at them,” I said.

  Good Work

  I kept my promise. I did not touch the toys. I did not look at them. I did not even think about them. I had other things on my mind.

  It was Monday. It was the first day my friends and I could work on our panel. We met outside the little house at four o’clock with our supplies. We brought wagons to put everything in. There was no way we could carry all the paint, buckets, and brushes we had collected.

  We pulled our wagons down the street and headed for the construction site. When we arrived, some other kids were already at work. They were older kids, so we would not be competing with them.

  The panel we were painting was in the center of the wall, where Joe had promised it would be. We knew it was our panel because our names were posted in the center. I was proud that my name was at the top of the list for everyone to see.

  “This panel is a lot bigger than I thought it would be,” said Bobby. “How are we going to reach the top?”

  One of the older kids must have heard us because she called, “You can borrow our stepladder. We are finished using it for now.”

  “Thanks!” we replied.

  We started out using colored chalk because it was easy to wipe off if we made a mistake. First we drew the outlines. Then we went to work drawing the faces.

  “Have you heard what they are saying on TV and on the radio about The Space Game?” asked Nancy. “They are saying some bad things. Some people think it is too violent.”

  “I heard that, too,” said Bobby. “They do not think it is a good movie for kids to see. They say there are too many weapons in it.”

  “I liked it,” said Alicia. “Tryops are funny.”

  “It is only make-believe,” I pointed out. “Sometimes grown-ups worry too much.”

  And some grown-ups worry more than others, I thought. I wished Mommy and Seth were not such big worriers.

  We talked a lot while we were working. We talked about our favorite parts of the movie, who we thought was going to move into the Jessups’ house, and things that happened to us at school that day.

  “When we are finished with our panel, we should take a picture of it,” said Nancy.

  “I will bring my picture to school for Show and Tell,” said Willie.

  We worked until the sun started going down. Before we left, my friends and I stepped back to look at our panel. We had drawn t
wo Tryops and two Gorgones on each side. We had done a good day’s work.

  “Somebody grab the end of this sheet,” I called. “We need to cover our panel in case it rains.”

  We covered the panel with a plastic sheet. Then we walked home humming The Space Game theme song as loudly as we could.

  New Neighbors

  It was Saturday. We had worked on our panel all morning. It was looking better and better.

  On the way home for lunch we passed the Jessups’ house. It was not the Jessups’ house anymore, though. A new family was moving in. I saw some kids. Five of them!

  My friends and I stood around with our wagons, watching everyone run in and out of the house. The three youngest kids were girls. They looked about four, seven, and eight years old. The boys were about ten and twelve.

  Finally the kids stopped running back and forth long enough to notice us. They stood and looked at us. We looked back at them. It was time for someone to say something. I decided that someone should be me.

  “Hi,” I said. “I am Karen Brewer. Who are you?”

  The girl who looked about seven stepped forward and said, “I am Jackie Barton. These are my brothers and sisters.”

  “I am Lynda,” said the older girl. “This is our sister, Meghan.”

  She pointed to her little sister. Meghan was holding a toy bear by the ear and swinging him back and forth. I did not think this was a very nice way to treat a bear even if he was a toy.

  The boys were still just standing there.

  “What are your names?” Bobby asked.

  “I am Mark,” said the older boy. “Do you have older brothers and sisters?”

  I told him I did, but they lived somewhere else.

  “See you later, then,” he said. He turned and went back to the house. His younger brother followed him.

  “Wait. You did not tell us your name,” said Andrew.

  “My name is Eric,” the boy called over his shoulder.

  I guess Mark and Eric did not want to hang around with little kids like us.

  “Do you live around here?” asked Lynda.

  “We all live on this block,” replied Kathryn.