Tales from the Antique Store.

The Carriage

 The hot summer sun beat down on a lazy suburban street. The sounds of cicadas and singing birds filled the air. A cool breeze blew through the open window of nine-year-old Henry Bishop. He pushed messy blond hair off his forehead as he played with his Erector Set.

Downstairs, his mother Sandra was setting up the house. She pulled photographs and knick-knacks from boxes on the floor. Her husband would be joining them in a few weeks, but still had business to finish before his transfer would be complete. Sandra placed her hands on her back and stretched. Her round belly held Henry's little brother or sister. She wheeled her beautiful baby carriage into a safe spot in the garage, and as she was walking back to the living room, someone rang the doorbell.

She opened the door and saw nobody. Then a small voice said:

"Does a kid live here?" Sandra looked down and smiled at a boy of around Henry's age.

"Yes, he's upstairs," she said in a kind voice. "Come inside and I'll get him for you."

The boy stepped inside and she had him sit on the sofa. His feet didn't quite touch the ground. Sandra climbed the stairs and walked through the open door of Henry's room.

"Come downstairs, Henry, there's a boy who wants to play."

"But I'm-"

"Now," Sandra said with a lilt to her voice, then she made a brisk turn and went back to work. Henry knew better than to try talking back to his mother. He ran down the stairs to meet the boy waiting for him.

"Hello," said the boy,"I'm Donald. What's your name?"

"I'm Henry. Wanna go play?" The two boys ran out the door and set off in search of fun. Donald led Henry over a shallow creek full of swimming minnows, and through a lightly wooded lot to a park on a hill.

Other children were swinging and running. They climbed over hot metal structures and slid down shining slides. This was grand, but it wasn't what caught Henry's attention. Beside the park were two pairs of older boys who seemed to be having the times of their lives. The boys took turns sitting on wooden carts; one boy would push for momentum, and the other was sent gliding down the hill. What fun that would be!

"I wanna do that!" said Henry with wide eyes and bounding excitement. Then he ran off, leaving Donald to catch up.

"Can I have a turn?" Henry asked one of the boys at the top of the hill.

"I don't know can you?"

"Um, yes?" Henry asked hopefully.

"Wrong," called the boy as he ran to help his friend pull the cart back up.

Henry's little face went red as he marched to meet Donald, who was dragging his feet.

"They're not very nice," Donald said.

"We'll show them. I have an idea and I need your help."

Henry made a reluctant Donald lead him all around the neighborhood. Henry refused to explain the point of what he was doing, but he seemed sure of himself and Donald was interested. They scavenged a crate from a market and using money from Henry's piggy bank, they bought some lumber. Donald borrowed his sister's jump rope and the boys put the items in a pile in the Bishops' garage. Mr. Bishop's toolbox provided the instruments of the scheme. The boys got to work building a large wooden 'T'. Henry drilled a hole for the axle with a bit and brace, then fixed it on with a bolt, so it would swivel. The boys had succeeded in making a six-foot letter 'I'. Next, Donald used a clove hitch (which he learned from the Cub Scouts) to tie the jump rope to the axle, so they could steer.

They were almost finished, but they were missing something important. How would a go-kart move without wheels? Henry looked through his new friend at his mother's baby carriage. She was gone. He could fix it before she even saw. She couldn't get mad at him for borrowing.

The boy had made up his mind. He recruited Donald to help him pilfer the wheels. The boys were careful not to leave a single scratch. They removed the wheels one by one and screwed them onto the go-kart. It was finished.

They pulled their creation around the back side of the hill so that they could make a dramatic entry. This was Donald's idea. The older boys didn't see them wheel their creation to the top.

"We'll race ya!" Henry shouted to the older boys. He grinned at their looks of shock. Donald pushed him into position beside the other racers.

"On your marks."

"Get set."

"Go!"

The boys sped down the hill. Henry swerved left and right before getting the hang of steering. He was in the back but gaining speed. His wheels turned at a furious pace. Parked cars were only streaks of color. The hot asphalt blurred under his wheels. He tied for second. A quarter of the way down and still gaining speed. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. Halfway down. He tied for first. The boys were neck and neck. The hill was about to end. Henry lagged a foot. He pulled ahead. He gained an inch. A foot. A yard.

"Finish!" yelled Donald, unable to contain his exuberance. Henry had passed the stop sign at the foot of the hill. In first place.

Henry smiled as he realized what happened. The smile faded when he reached for the brake and realized that he hadn't made one. He abandoned the speeding cart and rolled onto someone's freshly-mowed lawn. He didn't notice his skinned elbow. He lay in the grass laughing as Donald ran to meet him.

"We won!" the boys shouted at each other. They still had time to learn sportsmanship. The other boys weren't as impressed. They left the hill in shame.

The boys' celebration was cut short when a familiar station wagon pulled beside them. It was Mrs. Bishop. She looked angry. She slammed the car door as she got out. She didn't say a word to the boys as she pulled something from the back of the car. It was the carriage.

"Does this look familiar to you!" she shouted at her son, "Something seems to be missing. I wonder what it could be." She took a moment to compose herself before carrying the carriage to the boys and setting it down. Then, she took Henry's cart by the rope and loaded it into the car.

The boys had no idea why she was doing this until she drove beside them and said:

"I want that carriage home in twelve minutes. Without a scratch." Then she drove off, leaving the boys to carry the heavy thing all they way home.

Mrs. Bishop let Henry explain himself before she spanked him. He knew he deserved it, but he had the feeling that she'd gone easy on him. He would have time to wonder about it as he spent the next day in his room.

When Mr. Bishop came home, he said that he'd left a present for Henry in he garage. Henry raced downstairs to find a tall cylindrical package wrapped in brown paper. It looked like a tin of Tinker Toys, but it shifted in its packaging. In a frenzy, Henry tore at the paper to find four dingy, used, but still perfectly usable lawn mower wheels. After thanking his parents and promising to be careful, he ran out the door to see if Donald wanted to go play.