The Road, the Fairy, and the Boxcar

Summer Breeze

Summer was almost over, and this year it had brought more change to four siblings than any other year. They had gone from being homeless to making a house for themselves in the woods, to finding out their grandpa was actually a wonderful man and went to live with him. Now, after such an adventure-filled summer, they were looking for a way to send it out with a bang before school started. But they couldn't think of anything. They decided to put the idea on the side for a day or two, maybe it would come to them when they least expected it. That, or their grandfather would have an idea.

"Henry! Henry! Henry!" Henry Alden looked up from the work table where he was carving a piece of wood. A boy of about six years old was running up to him, waving his arms, with a dog running after him.

Henry placed his tools down as the boy came to a stop at the table. "What is it, Benny?"

Benny placed his hands on the table and got on his tippy-toes. "What if we camped out in the boxcar for the last few days of summer? It would be kind of like we were living there when we first found it!"

Henry rubbed his chin. "That is an idea. Have you talked to Jessie and Violet about it?"

"No," said Benny with a shake of his head. "I can't find them anywhere!"

"Maybe they went shopping with one of the maids," suggested Henry.

Benny scrunched up his nose. "I don't know, they didn't tell me, and I wanted to go!"

Henry chuckled as he reached down and ruffled his brother's hair. "Well, maybe Jessie and Violet wanted to make a surprise for you and didn't want you to know."

Benny thought for a moment before his face lit up. "That could be it!"

"See?"

Benny pursed his lips. "But I want to surprise them with something too."

Henry arched his eyebrow. "Like what?"

Benny's eyes widened. "Oh! I know! Jessie and Violet asked grandfather if they could move some of the wildflowers near the boxcar so they could pluck them to put in the boxcar, like we used to."

Henry nodded slowly. "And you want to move them to surprise them."

Benny grinned and rocked on his feet. "Yes!" He paused for a moment. "Can you help me, please?"

Henry grinned as he ruffled Benny's hair again. "Sure! How about you go pick the wildflowers and I'll go get the gardening tools."

"Oh, but Watch can dig up the flowers!" exclaimed Benny as he knelt beside the dog and picked up his paw.

"He could, and destroy them while he's doing it. No, I think you and I better dig up the flowers. But Watch can start making the holes for where we're going to put the flowers."

"All right!" Benny turned to the dog. "You hear that Watch? We have a job for you!" The dog barked and wagged his tail. "Come on!" Benny jumped up and, followed by Watch, ran towards the boxcar.

Henry quickly set about cleaning and putting his tools away. He picked up the wood he had been working on. The shape was beginning to form the way he wanted it to, but it still needed some work. He didn't like leaving a project undone, but he was glad for the interruption. He huffed as he glanced at the piles of wood shavings scattered around the table. It had been harder to work with this piece than most, but he was finally starting to get somewhere. He rubbed his fingernail on a stray piece of wood shaving, flicking it off before setting it down on the table and walking away.

He walked briskly to the garden shed and opened up one half of the double doors. He hoped he could find the tools he needed fairly quickly, but that was only if the gardener put the tools in the same place as yesterday. There was no real spot to put all the tools, something Henry was working on to fix, so Henry and the gardener just put them wherever they wanted. They did try to put them in the same place, but that didn't always work. Henry pursed his lips and let out a soft huff when he got to the spot he had found them yesterday. He rubbed the back of his head at the bare floor before glancing around the shed. Where would the gardener have put them this time? Letting out a longer huff, Henry went to one side to begin looking.