Sophie the Chatterbox

by Lara Bergen

  Sophie shook her head, but she stood up straighter. She still could not believe that George Washington had never—ever—cut down a cherry tree. But she bet he would have if he could have. And he would have told his dad, of course.

  “So, who wants to see the kitchen now?” Ranger Fawn asked.

  Sophie raised her hand. “Not me!” she said. She was getting tired of little buildings. “I’d rather go out to the pasture and pet the sheep. Or can we eat lunch now? I’d really like to do that. I have egg salad. And it’s kind of hot. And I don’t want it to

  go bad. One time I ate a tuna sandwich that was bad, and I got really sick. All over the place.”

  A few kids giggled.

  Ranger Fawn looked down at Sophie. “I see,” she said. “But all your lunches are in a cooler. So I think they’ll be okay. And I know you’ll like what we do next. Are there any questions before we move on?” she asked.

  Dean raised his hand.

  “Yes?” Ranger Fawn said.

  “What’s your favorite TV show?” Dean asked.

  The ranger smiled again. “I really meant are there history questions….”

  She looked at the class. They all looked back at her and shook their heads.

  “No? Then let’s go to the kitchen,” Ranger Fawn said. Her eyes twinkled as she turned to Dean. “And I really like dancing shows,” she added.

  Ranger Fawn led Sophie’s class down another brick path. They came to another little white house and walked in. It reminded Sophie of something….

  But what?

  Then it hit her. The Seven Dwarfs’ cottage!

  Inside was a big table. On it were jugs and wooden bowls. Along one wall was a big fireplace. An orange fire glowed inside.

  “Look!” Sophie told Kate. She pointed to a stick broom. “It’s just like the one that Snow White used.”

  “This is George Washington’s kitchen,” Ranger Fawn told the class. “As you can see, it is in a separate building. Do you know why the kitchen was so far from the main house?”

  Sophie bit her lip. Usually, she would have said something like “Because they forgot the kitchen when they built the house?” or “So when George Washington’s dad made egg salad, it didn’t stink up the house?”

  But Sophie had to be honest. So when Ranger Fawn pointed at her, she shook her head. “No, I don’t know at all!” she said.

  The ranger smiled and pointed to Kate next.

  “So when George’s babysitter made stuffed cabbage, it didn’t stink up the house?” Kate said.

  Ranger Fawn laughed. “I don’t think George’s babysitter made stuffed cabbage. But yes. To keep smells out of the house. That was one reason,” she said.

  Sophie could not believe it. “I almost said that!” she almost said.

  “But there is another reason, too. Can anyone guess?” Ranger Fawn went on.

  Sophie raised her hand. Yes. Sure! She could guess.

  But Ranger Fawn did not point at her again. She pointed at Mindy instead.

  “I know! I know!” Mindy said. “It was so the fire didn’t make the house too hot in the summer. Or burn it down.”

  “Right-o,” Ranger Fawn said.

  Mindy took a little bow. “I learned that the last time I was here,” she said.

  Sophie rolled her eyes. She wondered if Mindy was trying to make her sick.

  “What else do you see that’s different from the kitchen in your house?” Ranger Fawn asked the class.

  Twenty hands shot up at once. And twenty answers came out in a hurry.

  There was no dishwasher. Or fridge. Or stove. Or sink.

  There was no microwave for making popcorn. There was no blender for making milk shakes.

  All the water came in buckets, from a well outside.

  All the cooking was done in the fireplace, in big black pots and pans.

  It seemed like a lot of trouble to Sophie.

  “Did George Washington’s family eat out a lot?” she asked.

  Ranger Fawn grinned and shook her head. “Nope,” she said. “They made all of their meals right here — including George Washington’s favorite breakfast: hoecakes with butter and honey. Hey! Who would like to make George Washington’s favorite breakfast right now, right here?”

  “Me!” the whole class cheered. And that included Sophie, even though she did not know what a hoecake was. She did know that she liked butter and honey!

  “Great!” Ranger Fawn said. “Let’s split into two groups. One group will make the hoecakes, and the other group will make the butter.”

  She moved over to a tall wooden bucket. It had a lid with a hole in the middle and a long pole sticking out of the top.

  “Who has used a butter churn before?” Ranger Fawn asked.

  Mindy’s hand shot up. Of course. So did Lily’s. They waved their hands like they were experts. But Sophie was not so sure about that.

  Still, it was hard for Sophie to be honest right then. What if the ranger only picked the experts to churn the butter? Sophie really wanted to try it! It was not easy to keep her hand down.

  “Okeydokey,” Ranger Fawn said. She pointed to Mindy and Lily. “Since you two have done this before, you can make hoecakes. I want to let kids who have not churned butter have a chance.”

  Mindy’s face got pinchy mad. Lily’s face did, too. But Sophie was too busy pumping her fist to look at them.

  Being honest was awesome!

  Ranger Fawn picked Sophie for butter churning. Then — yay! — she picked Kate, too.

  Then she picked a bunch of their other friends.

  Then she picked Toby and Archie.

  Too bad.

  Their group gathered around the butter churn. Ranger Fawn poured a big jug of cream into it.

  She showed them how to move the stick up and down. That was easy.

  Then she told them to have fun and take turns. That was hard.

  Grace’s mom was in charge of their group. She tried to make it work, but she had never been in charge of Toby and Archie before.

  Toby and Archie were very bad at taking turns.

  “Me first!” Archie yelled.

  “No, me first!” Toby hollered.

  They both grabbed the butter churn handle — and they did not let go.

  “Boys, boys, boys,” Grace’s mom said gently.

  “Everyone will have a turn. Let your friend go first,” she told Toby. “Then you can go.”

  Sophie shared a look with Kate. Grace’s mom did not know Archie and Toby at all!

  Toby looked at her and shrugged. He let Archie grab the handle. Then Archie started churning the butter as fast as he could.

  “Okay, next,” Grace’s mom told him.

  But Archie did not stop. So Toby grabbed his arms to pull him away. The butter churn rocked….

  “Boys!” Grace’s mom yelled. She did not sound gentle anymore. “That’s it! You’re done!”

  A few other kids went. Then at last it was Sophie’s turn. She couldn’t wait! She gripped the handle tightly. And she churned and churned and churned….

  Then she stopped.

  Boy, were her arms tired! Churning butter was much harder than it looked.

  “What’s the matter, Sophie? Tired already?” Toby jeered.

  Sophie glared at him. She wanted to say no, but she could not lie. She was Sophie the Honest, after all.

  “Yes,” she muttered. Then she started to stick out her tongue.

  But before she could, Ranger Fawn was there.

  “The hoecakes are done,” she said. “How’s the butter coming?”

  Sophie wiped her forehead. “I think it’s ready,” she said.

  She stood back and let Ranger Fawn lift the lid. The ranger dipped a scoop into the churn, and Sophie grinned. She could not wait to see the homemade butter!

  But what came out did not look like butter. It looked like melted ice cream.

  “Aw …” Sophie sighed.

  So did Kate, and Grace, and some others.


  Then Mindy looked over.

  “She should have let the experts do it,” Mindy said, rolling her eyes.

  Not everybody heard Mindy. But Sophie sure did. She put her hands on her hips. “Mind your own beeswax, Mindy!” she said.

  Then she spun around fast. She’d churn that butter and show Mindy! The only thing was … she forgot that the butter churn was right there behind her.

  If only the lid had been on it. Then maybe all the white stuff would not have spilled out when Sophie knocked it over. But it did spill out. Everywhere. Even on Ranger Fawn’s black boots and Grace’s mom’s silvery shoes.

  Oops.

  Sophie had a rule. She did not cry at school. But Sophie was not at school. She was in George Washington’s kitchen.

  She could feel her throat get tight. Her eyes got hot and leaky.

  Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Ranger Fawn’s.

  “It’s okay. Don’t worry. Accidents happen,” Ranger Fawn told her.

  That’s the truth! Sophie thought.

  She sniffed and felt a little better.

  While Grace’s mom shook out her shoes, Ranger Fawn got a mop and a bucket. She dried the floor and her boots. Then she poured more cream into a jar.

  Everyone took a turn shaking it. By the time they were done, the cream had changed. A lot.

  “Is that butter?” Sophie asked.

  “Yes, sirree!” said Ranger Fawn.

  She set the hoecakes on the table. The other group had made them with cornmeal, water, and salt. They looked a little bit like pancakes. But they did not taste like them at all.

  Thank goodness for butter and honey! Sophie thought.

  “So, what do you think of the hoecakes?” Ranger Fawn asked the class.

  Sophie spoke up. “To be honest, they taste like they came from the workshop.”

  “Oh, Sophie …” Ms. Moffly shook her head.

  But Ranger Fawn grinned and nodded. “The truth is, I don’t like them much, either. How about we go out to the barn now?” she said. “We can see some animals. Then you guys can have lunch.”

  “Yay!” the class cheered.

  As they walked outside, Kate took Sophie’s arm.

  “The barn—that reminds me! I have to tell you something big, Sophie!” Kate whispered.

  Something big?

  Sophie looked at her. “What?” she asked at once.

  Kate started to speak. Then she looked around and closed her mouth.

  “I better tell you in private — so no one else hears. After school,” she said.

  Sophie waited for Kate to tell her the big news. But it was not easy.

  Sophie waited through the field trip.

  She waited on the bus back to school and the bus home.

  She waited until she got to Kate’s house.

  Then she could not wait anymore.

  “You have to tell me now!” she cried as they walked into Kate’s kitchen. “Honestly! I can’t wait anymore!”

  “I will, I will. In a second,” Kate told her. She had a giant smile on her face. “Hi, Mrs. Belle! We’re home!” she called out.

  A cheerful voice called back to them. “Hellooo! I’ll be right there!”

  Mrs. Belle lived in their neighborhood. She had three kids, but they were all grown up. She came over to Kate’s in the afternoon and stayed until Kate’s mom got home from work.

  Kate’s mom worked in a doctor’s office, but she was not a doctor or a nurse. Sophie was pretty sure her job was to keep people quiet in the waiting room.

  Sophie liked Mrs. Belle. She knew a million card games. And she let Sophie and Kate watch TV game shows with her.

  She also made stuffed cabbage. It smelled pretty bad. But it actually tasted good.

  Mrs. Belle walked into the kitchen. She was wearing her favorite tracksuit. It was bright yellow, like her hair. Sophie knew that it had to be her favorite, since she’d dyed her hair to match.

  Mrs. Belle gave Kate and Sophie a hug. “So, how was school today, girls? What did you do?” she asked them.

  Kate shrugged. She said the usual: “Okay,” and “Not much.”

  Sophie usually said the same thing. But now that she was Sophie the Honest, “Okay” and “Not much” were not enough.

  Sophie took a breath. She cleared her throat.

  “To be honest, Mrs. Belle, school was hard today. Before we went on a field trip, we had a spelling quiz first thing. And I thought I knew all the words. But guess what? I studied the words from last week by accident. But then the day got better, because we got to go on our trip. That meant we got to miss meat loaf for lunch. So that was very good. Then I scared Toby and Archie away, and Kate and I got the back seat of the bus. But then I opened my lunch bag. And my mom packed me egg salad. And it stunk up the whole bus….”

  Sophie stopped and took another breath. Then she went on.

  “Anyway, we walked all over the place where George Washington was born. And I guess we learned some stuff. Stuff like if you ever go on a field trip, do not wear fancy shoes. And that George Washington’s teeth probably fell out because he ate hoecakes that tasted like wood. And that he did not have a TV. But even if he did, I bet it would have gotten burned. And that even presidents can have the most boring jobs in the world.”

  Mrs. Belle’s eyes were wide. She looked surprised. So did Kate.

  “My goodness! Sophie, you’re a little chatterbox today!” Mrs. Belle exclaimed.

  Chatterbox? Again?

  Sophie stood up very straight. She proudly raised her chin.

  “I’m just being honest, Mrs. Belle. From now on, that is who I am,” Sophie said. She tugged on her shirt so her H showed better. “Sophie the Honest, at your service!”

  “I see! So tell me, and be honest! What can I get you girls to eat?” Mrs. Belle said.

  That was when Kate spoke up. “Cookies, please!”

  Mrs. Belle got out a box of cookies with fudge stripes on top. She poured two cups of milk and let the girls squeeze chocolate into them.

  “Whoa!” Mrs. Belle said. “I think that’s enough.”

  Sophie stopped squeezing and licked her fingers. Then she remembered what she had been waiting for all day.

  “Kate! You have to tell me your big news!” she said.

  “Oh, right!” Kate said. She took a sip of chocolate milk and grinned. “But first, do I have a mustache?”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Yes,” she said. She sipped her milk so she had one, too. “Now go on!” she told Kate.

  Kate turned to Mrs. Belle. “Mrs. Belle, tell Sophie about your daughter!”

  Mrs. Belle winked. “Well, she’s moved back to town. Finally!” she told Sophie.

  “Oh …, “ Sophie said. She guessed that was exciting … for Mrs. Belle.

  Kate leaned over. “That’s not all,” she said.

  Then Mrs. Belle told Sophie that her daughter had bought a horse farm.

  “Oh,” Sophie said. That was more exciting.

  Then Mrs. Belle told Sophie that her daughter had invited Kate to come ride horses. And that Kate could bring two friends. And sleep over. And they could do it all that weekend!

  “Oh!” Sophie said. That was not just exciting … it was the most fantastic, amazing, awesome thing ever, in the whole world!

  “Have you ever ridden a horse before?” Mrs. Belle asked.

  “No. Never.” Sophie shook her head. “But it has always been my lifelong dream,” she said very seriously.

  Kate looked at her funny. “It has?”

  “Yes, honest!” Sophie said. “I just didn’t know it until now.”

  Then Sophie looked at Kate. And Kate looked at Sophie.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Kate asked.

  “I think so!” Sophie said.

  They gulped down their milk and each grabbed a handful of cookies.

  “Thanks a lot, Mrs. Belle!” they said. “We have to go outside and practice!”

  Sophie and Kate ran strai
ght to Kate’s swing set. They straddled the swings like they were horses. They grabbed the chains and rocked and yelled, “Giddyup!” as loudly as they could.

  “Whoa!” Kate said at last. She patted the air where her horse’s head would be. “Easy now, Lightning. Not too fast.”

  Sophie pretended to pat her horse, too. “Good girl, Buttercup. Nice jumping!” she told her.

  Then Sophie suddenly thought of something. Something that made her horse stop. Was pretending to ride a horse honest?

  “What’s wrong, Sophie?” Kate asked. “You look like your horse threw you off.”

  Sophie sighed. She swung her leg over the swing so that she was facing forward.

  “What’s wrong is that I forgot to be honest. No more pretending for me,” Sophie said.

  “Huh?” Kate said. “But we like pretending.”

  “I know. But pretending isn’t honest,” Sophie said. “At least, I don’t think so.”

  Sophie sighed again. This time, Kate sighed with her.

  They were both quiet for a minute.

  “Can I still pretend?” Kate asked.

  Sophie nodded. “Sure. Why not?”

  Kate started to gallop on her horse. Then she stopped. “It’s not the same by myself.”

  “Sorry,” Sophie said glumly. She didn’t want to ruin Kate’s fun, but she had to be true to her new name!

  “That’s okay,” Kate said. “The only problem is that we pretend a lot.”

  They were both quiet again.

  “I know! Let’s talk instead,” Sophie said, swinging back and forth. “Tell me. Who else are you going to ask to come to the horse farm?”

  Sophie knew that was a tough question, since Kate could only bring two friends. Sophie was Kate’s number one best friend. But there was a four-way tie for number two. Grace and Sydney sat at their table in room 10. And Eve and Mia played the most with them at recess.

  Kate shrugged. “Grace is nice,” she said. “But she can be a little bossy. And Eve and Mia are fun. But Eve still can’t sleep over. She always has to call her mom. And Mia laughs really, really loud. She could scare the horses. So I guess I’ll ask Sydney. What do you think?” Kate asked.

  Sophie nodded. “I think that sounds good,” she said honestly.