by Ron Roy
“Awesome!” Nate said.
The four kids worked fast, weaving weeds into the net. Soon it was a thick blanket of stems and leaves.
“Drag it to the scarecrow,” Lucy said. “We’ll throw it over his head.”
It was heavy, but they managed to hoist the camouflaged net over the scarecrow’s head. The net made a sort of tent where they could crouch and hide.
The kids sat on the ground behind the net. They each poked a hole so they could peek out at the strawberry patch.
“At least this thing blocks the sun,” Brian said.
“And the breeze,” Nate complained. “I’m roasting.”
“Just think about ice cream,” Bradley said.
“That’s all I’ve been doing,” Nate said.
“We should be quiet,” Lucy whispered. “The creature can probably hear us.”
The kids sat silently behind the net. Flies and mosquitoes buzzed around them. A tiny bird landed on the net and pecked at a blossom. They heard an airplane fly over.
Bradley closed his eyes. He thought he might lie down and take a nap. He thought about chocolate ice cream.…
Suddenly Lucy grabbed his arm. “I hear something,” she said.
Bradley opened his eyes. He peered through his peephole. “Oh no!” he said. He crawled out from behind the net.
Pal was standing in the middle of the strawberry patch.
“Pal, what are you doing?” Bradley asked his dog.
Brian, Nate, and Lucy stood next to Bradley.
“Pal is our mystery creature?” Brian asked.
“Bad dog!” Bradley said.
But Pal wasn’t paying attention. He was digging a hole and barking. Dirt flew up behind him as he dug.
Bradley ran over and grabbed Pal’s collar. “Stop!” he said.
Pal stopped digging, but he kept barking.
Bradley looked into the hole Pal had dug. He saw a smooth rock in the bottom of the hole. Then he saw something else. The rock had four legs and a head.
9
Pal Is Pretty Smart, Too
“Guys, come and see what Pal dug up!” Bradley said.
Brian, Nate, and Lucy joined Bradley. They all peered into the hole Pal had dug.
“It’s a turtle!” Nate said.
The turtle pulled its head and legs inside its shell.
Bradley lifted the turtle out of the hole. He set it on the ground.
The turtle was round on top and about eight inches long. Its shell was dark brown with bright yellow markings. Pal was quivering and whimpering.
“Where’s the head?” Brian asked.
“Inside the shell,” Lucy said. “This is a box turtle. Part of the stomach shell can open and close, with a hinge like on a door. It pulls its head inside to hide.”
“Did it eat our strawberries?” Bradley asked.
“I think so,” Lucy said. “We had one in school back home. We fed it berries all the time. They have very long necks!”
“And they live underground sometimes,” Nate said. “I saw a movie about them on TV.”
“Why is he hiding his head?” Brian asked.
“He’s scared,” Lucy said. “If we leave him alone, he’ll stick his head out and start to walk.”
The kids sat silently and watched the box turtle. Bradley put his arm around Pal. After a few minutes the front of the turtle’s chest shell began to open. First the nose peeked out. The shell opened more, and the head came out.
“That is so cool!” Brian whispered.
“Look what he has in his mouth,” Lucy said.
The kids scooted closer to the turtle, causing it to hide its head again.
“I saw a piece of strawberry,” Bradley said. “This guy is our mystery berry biter!”
“What should we do with him?” Nate asked.
“We can’t leave him here!” Brian said. “He’ll eat everything!”
“And if it’s a mama turtle, she’ll have babies and they’ll eat everything, too!” Nate said.
“Box turtles like to be near wet places like bogs or swamps,” Lucy said.
“Let’s take it to the river,” Bradley suggested.
Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy left the garden. They headed across the field behind the Pintos’ property. Lucy carried the box turtle. Pal trotted in front of them, sniffing the ground.
Five minutes later they came to the river. Sunlight reflected off the surface, making the water look like golden coins.
“Should we put him in the water?” Bradley asked.
“Let’s let the turtle decide,” Lucy said. “We’ll just leave him and see where he goes.”
Lucy set the turtle on the muddy riverbank. After a moment, the turtle’s head and legs appeared. It slowly walked away from the water and disappeared into a pile of leaves under an oak tree.
“I hope he doesn’t come back to eat more strawberries,” Bradley said.
“If he does, at least we’ll know where to look for him,” his brother said.
“Now you can tell your father you saved his garden!” Lucy said.
“I still want to make him strawberry jam,” Bradley said. He sighed. “I guess we’ll have to think of something else, though.”
The kids went back to the garden. They filled in the hole they had dug for the trap. They did the same with the one Pal had dug. Just then Bradley’s dad pulled into the driveway. He came over to see what they were doing.
Bradley told him about the box turtle that had been eating the strawberries. “We took him down by the river,” he added.
“I’m proud of you kids,” Mr. Pinto said. “You did a great job on the weeding, too. How about some ice cream?”
“Yay!” Nate yelled. “My stomach loves you, Mr. Pinto.”
10
One More Job to Do
Bradley’s parents and all seven kids ate ice cream on the back porch. When they were finished, Bradley’s mom handed her husband a list. “Honey, would you mind picking up these things in town?” she asked.
Mr. Pinto looked at the list. “There are four different stores here,” he said. “I’ll bring the kids with me, and we can split up the shopping.”
“No, I need the kids here!” Mrs. Pinto said. She smiled. “I have a special job for them.”
“Another job!” Brian wailed. “I’ve been catching wild animals all day!”
Mr. Pinto got into his car and drove away.
“Okay, kids, into the kitchen!” Bradley’s mother said.
“What’s going on, Mom?” Bradley asked.
“You’ll see,” she said. “All of you follow me!”
The seven kids trooped into the kitchen. The first thing Bradley noticed was about eight baskets of strawberries on the counter. Then he saw mixing bowls, sugar, and lemons.
“What’s up with this, Mom?” Josh asked.
“We’re going to make strawberry jam for Daddy,” his mother said, tying on an apron. “And we have to be finished by the time he gets home.”
Bradley beamed. “That’s why you sent him shopping!” he said.
“Yes, and when he gets to the hardware store, Mr. Carmady is going to keep him busy,” his mother said. “I think we have almost two hours!”
“This is cool, Mom,” Brian said.
“How did you know we wanted to make strawberry jam for Dad?” Bradley asked.
“A little bird told me,” his mother said. “Actually, it was Josh. He overheard you talking about making strawberry jam. I think it’s a wonderful present, and Dad will love knowing we made it from his mother’s recipe. I bought the strawberries from Perry’s Farm this morning.”
Bradley’s mother had Grandma Pinto’s jam recipe in her hand. “Now each of us will have a job,” she said. “If we work together, we’ll be done before Dad gets back.”
She handed the recipe card to Lucy. “Lucy, your job is to read us the recipe. Make sure we follow all of Grandma Pinto’s instructions. Okay, now let’s get busy!”
• • •
/> The next morning when Bradley and Brian came down to the kitchen, their father was sitting at the table. He was getting ready to spread butter on his toast.
“Wait a second, Dad,” Bradley said. He ran out of the room, then came back with Josh and their mom. They each placed a small jar on the table. Every jar had a label that read:
“HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!” they all yelled.
“Where did this come from?” their father asked. He had a big grin on his face.
“We made it,” Brian said. “We all helped, but it was Bradley’s idea.”
Bradley’s father twisted the lid off one of the jars. He picked up a spoon and dipped it in. He put a lump of jam in his mouth.
Everyone else stood and watched.
Bradley had his fingers crossed.
Mr. Pinto closed his eyes as he tasted the jam.
Then he opened his eyes. Bradley thought he saw tears.
“Is it as good as your mom’s jam?” Josh asked.
His father grinned. “It’s perfect,” he said. “This is the best present ever!”