the rescue

the silver glow of dusk had sunk in around the trees by the time we got to jimmy's. all three of us together had decided that we wasnt gunna give up on savin jimmy even though aunt verna went missin. plus, i knew she was probably out makin some sort 'a preparations for some sort 'a change in the fabric of this or that, which is what she'd carry on about right before being gone without exactly annoucin it. and aside from that i wasnt too sure about her plan with the cherry change or whatever it was she was wantin to be fair about. so me and sis and louie got our coats and slipped out the back door without mother even noticin. figured best not tell her we was bringin jimmy back 'till jimmy himself was with us.

so like i said, round about the time the trees and their leaves started to darken, we found ourselves staring in the window of jimmy's kitchen, which was just dimmly lit by a candle on the counter. we could see a sliver of the living room just beyond the kitchen, which had a light on, and i reckoned jimmy's pa was sittin in there watchin t.v.

i remembered there being a window into that livin' room just around the back, and i suggested we find our way to it, just to get a peak at jimmy's pa, and start figuring out the details of our plan. sis and louie agreed and we all snuck our quietly from the front of the house to the side. just high enough to reach with my hands was the window sill i wanted to be eye level with. so, not unlike times we've needed some height before, louie and sis became a little steppin stool with their knees, and i got right up like i was a natural, and i tell you what, in that moment, i truly was. i was careful to be slow in my progression to eye level, clearly not wantin' jimmy's pa to see me, or to hear nothing. i felt a slight quiver under my left foot, which was standin' on louie's knee, and for a small pinch of time i saw myself fallin right down to the grass below. well sis and louie must have sensed it cuz louie let out a quiet little sorry and sis squeezed my ankle and whispered, but with force, "go on sandy, this is no time to hold back." at that i let my eyes drift into the first inch of the window and peared in. i saw jimmy's pa from the side, he was watchin somethin on the t.v and spittin somethin round and hard into a bowl he had on his lap. i wondered if they was cherry pits, and the thought of aunt verna gave me a little burst of strength and without even realizin it i leaned in to see if they was indeed cherry pits and my forehead hit the window with a small thud. luckily jimmy's pa didnt budge an inch. "ok," i whispered, "let me down." they grabbed my hands and i hopped down from their knees. "give it to us," said sis with intensity. "ok, here's the situation. Jimmy's pa is watchin t.v and spittin what looks to be cherry pits into a bowl. the bowl is half full, the light is dim, and whatever he is watchin has got him hooked.