Abby twisted her hair. “Maybe we should have lots of club meetings this week,” she said. “To keep us out of trouble.”
“Good idea,” Stacy said. “Let’s meet at my house after school.”
“First we have to visit Mr. Tressler,” Eric said.
“That’s true,” Abby said. “Who’s coming along?”
Nobody blinked an eye.
Eric looked at Abby. “Guess it’s you and me.”
Abby looked around. “Well, that’s settled. Eric and I are stuck with the dirty work.”
“Spread the word at morning recess,” Eric said. “We’ll have a club meeting at Stacy’s.”
“Jimmy and I could put on a play,” Carly suggested.
Abby grinned. “David kills Goliath, right?”
“Or the other way around,” Carly said.
The school bell rang.
“Bye!” they all called to one another.
Eric ran to the outside door. He was worried. He felt funny. Promise sheet or not.
Was it right to take away an old man’s TV?
TEN
Eric rang Mr. Tressler’s doorbell. “Are you nervous?” he asked Abby.
“A little,” she said.
“Who should do the talking?” he asked.
“You can,” she said.
That’s when the door opened.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Tressler,” they said.
“Hello there, kids,” he said. “Come in.”
Eric glanced at the TV. Good, he thought. It’s off.
“What can I do for you?” Mr. Tressler asked.
Eric got straight to the point. “Your TV was turned on this morning.”
“Oh?” Mr. Tressler said.
“Yes, I was delivering your newspaper. That’s when I heard it,” Eric said.
Mr. T frowned. “That’s funny. I don’t remember.”
“You don’t?” Eric was puzzled.
“Not at all.” The old man pulled on his ear. “That’s very strange.”
Eric looked at Abby. She shrugged back at him. She didn’t seem to know what to say, either.
“I saw something else,” Eric spoke up. “You were asleep on your couch.”
Mr. Tressler looked surprised. “Oh, that’s right. I fell asleep there. But I never turned on the TV.”
“How could it turn on itself?” Eric knew it sounded ridiculous. “Could you have bumped the remote?”
“Well, I don’t know,” replied Mr. T. He got up and walked the length of the room. He seemed to be thinking very hard.
“Are you okay?” Abby asked.
“Fine and dandy,” he replied. “Now, just a minute. It’s coming back to me.”
Eric waited. So did Abby.
“I woke up late last night. Needed some warm milk,” Mr. T explained. “I was a little under the weather. So I stayed downstairs on the couch. Must’ve fallen asleep.”
Eric wanted to hear how the TV got turned on.
“Yes, yes. I remember now,” said Mr. T. “When I awakened this morning, the TV was going. And I was lying on the couch.”
Eric and Abby stared at each other. They still didn’t know what to say.
“I turned it off immediately,” Mr. Tressler told them.
Eric scratched his head. He got up and stood at the window. He thought everything over. “Do you ever talk in your sleep?” he asked.
“Don’t know that I do” came the reply.
“Have you ever walked in your sleep?” Eric asked.
“How would I know?” Mr. T chuckled. “But you know, it’s very possible . . .” He paused.
What? Eric wondered. What’s he gonna say?
Eric waited, dying to know.
Mr. Tressler sighed. “I may have turned on the TV in my sleep. Out of pure habit.” He looked at Eric and Abby. “If so, I’m truly sorry.”
Eric felt sorry, too. “I guess we could give you a second chance,” he said.
Mr. Tressler shook his head. “Oh no! We play by the rules around here. I signed that sheet of yours. So that’s that!”
Eric felt odd. He didn’t want to follow through with this. Not when Mr. T had been asleep!
“It doesn’t seem fair,” he said.
Abby held the box. “Mr. Tressler’s a good sport,” she said.
“I insist,” said the old man. Then he motioned them into the kitchen. “There’s another little TV out here.”
Eric couldn’t believe it. Mr. Tressler was gonna make them box up both his TVs!
When the boxes were sealed and put away, Mr. Tressler smiled. “It’s fun living on this street,” he said. “You Cul-de-sac Kids are great.”
Abby gave Mr. Tressler a hug. “Only four days to go,” she whispered. “Will you be all right?”
“Absolutely,” Mr. T replied. “I’ll play my flute more. Maybe even at night!”
They laughed with him.
Eric shook his neighbor’s hand. “Sorry about all this,” he said.
“No need,” said Mr. T. “I got what was coming to me.”
Eric and Abby said good-bye and walked home. “Guess we oughta think things over next year,” Eric said.
“I know what you mean,” Abby said. “That was tough.”
“Sure was,” said Eric.
ELEVEN
Eric met Jason at Eric’s front door. “What’s up?” Eric asked.
“We have to talk,” Jason said.
“What about?” Eric said.
“The Great TV Turn-Off idea,” Jason said. “It’s . . . it’s, uh—”
“If you don’t like it, say so,” Eric said. He was sure Jason was having a hard time. His friend was probably bored silly.
“Listen, you were right about blacking out the tube,” Jason said. “I can’t believe how good I feel.”
Eric could hardly believe his ears!
“I have gobs more time to do stuff. I’ve started building Lego projects again,” he said. “My parents and I have time to talk to one another.”
“Cool,” said Eric.
Jason’s face looked like Christmas morning. “I’m glad you got us to turn off the TV, Eric,” said Jason. “It was the best idea you’ve ever had.”
Eric told him about eating supper with Mr. Tressler. He told about playing games and reading books out loud. “And Mr. Tressler’s gonna cook us supper,” he said. “Unreal, huh?”
“Wow, that’s cool!” replied Jason.
“Very cool,” said Eric. “And we’re only through the first half of the week. Just think what good friends we’re all gonna be!”
Jason pushed up his glasses. He clicked his fingers. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Let’s turn off the TV forever!”
“Get real,” Eric said.
“I’m serious! So . . . what do you think?” Jason was pushing it.
“Better wait till the end of this week. We should have a club meeting about it,” Eric said.
“Cool!” Jason dashed out the door.
“See ya,” Eric called.
His mother was doing sit-ups in the kitchen. “How was your day?” she asked.
“Better than ever.” He told her about Mr. Tressler’s two TVs. “He made us box both of them up.”
His mother stopped her exercises. “That’s amazing.”
“I think I got something started,” he explained. “Something Abby might call ‘double dabble good.’ ”
His mother did a thumbs up. “That’s my boy.”
Eric grinned. He was dying for his mystery book. And to hear his grandpa’s many different reading voices.
He walked past the living room. Didn’t even close his eyes this time.
Nope.
The TV didn’t stare back at him. Didn’t call to him. Didn’t even pull at him.
Not one bit!
THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS SERIES
Don’t miss #19!
PIGGY PARTY
Carly Hunter is chosen to take the class pet home for the weekend, in time for Groundhog’s Day. Tir
ed of winter, she decides to test the guinea pig’s eye for weather-telling.
Can “Piggy” guess the beginning of spring? Will he see his shadow like his famous cousin back east?
When the Cul-de-sac Kids hear of Carly’s outdoor experiment, they ask to join in. All the pets on Blossom Hill Lane show up (with their owners, of course!) at the Piggy Party, including Jason’s fussy frog and Dee Dee’s crabby cat.
About the Author
Beverly Lewis will never forget her own TV Turn-Off Week. It happened one summer in northern Minnesota. The family was spending a week in a cabin near Duluth. “All of us agreed to it,” she says. “We talked to each other more. Our kids did many creative things. We even discussed the birds and the bees!”
Beverly offers a challenge for her readers to turn off the tube. “You might decide to unplug it forever,” she says. “Remember, Jason Birchall wanted to!”
Do you like action and mystery? Plenty of humor? Then you’ll love the entire collection of The Cul-de-sac Kids!
Also by Beverly Lewis
Adult Nonfiction
Amish Prayers
The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook
Adult Fiction
Home to Hickory Hollow
The Fiddler • The Bridesmaid
Seasons of Grace
The Secret • The Missing • The Telling
Abram’s Daughters
The Covenant • The Betrayal • The Sacrifice • The Prodigal • The Revelation
Annie’s People
The Preacher’s Daughter • The Englisher • The Brethren
The Rose Trilogy
The Thorn • The Judgment • The Mercy
The Courtship of Nellie Fisher
The Parting • The Forbidden • The Longing
The Heritage of Lancaster County
The Shunning • The Confession • The Reckoning
Other Adult Fiction
The Postcard • The Crossroad • The Redemption of Sarah Cain • October Song • Sanctuary* • The Sunroom
Youth Fiction
Girls Only (GO!) Volume One and Volume Two†
SummerHill Secrets Volume One and Volume Two†
Holly’s Heart Collection One‡, Collection Two‡,
and Collection Three†
www.BeverlyLewis.com
*with David Lewis †4 books in each volume ‡5 books in each volume
From Bethany House Publishers
Fiction for Young Readers
(ages 7-10)
ASTROKIDS
by Robert Elmer
Space scooters? Floating robots? Jupiter ice cream? Blast into the future for out-of-this-world, zero-gravity fun with the AstroKids on space station CLEO-7.
THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS
by Beverly Lewis
Each story in this lighthearted series features the hilarious antics and predicaments of nine endearing boys and girls who live on Blossom Hill Lane.
JANETTE OKE’S ANIMAL FRIENDS
by Janette Oke
Endearing creatures from the farm, forest, and zoo discover their place in God’s world through various struggles, mishaps, and adventures.
The Great TV Turn-Off Page 3