Trina was used to the silence that followed any mention of her mother She figured her dad missed her so much he couldn’t talk about her But the more postcards she got the more curious about her mother Trina became She hadn’t seen her mother in nearly eight years and she had no idea what her mother looked like now or how she dressed and wore her hair And if she liked sports Someday her mother would have to run out of places to visit and then she’d come home As the truck crested a hill Trina could see a big red barn in the shallow valley below There’s a red barn she said With silos She leaned forward in her seat One two three And when they reached the bottom of the hill there was the dirt road They took a left-hand turn and bounced off the main road onto nothing more than a rutted dirt path that cut through a field of cornstalks taller than the truck They were almost there now Trina could feel it With an urge to jump out of the truck and run the rest of the way she rolled down her window and stuck her head into the steamy August air watching for any sign of a house at the end of the tunnel of dirt road and corn The truck bounced over a large bump with a loud ca thunk and Trina bounced with the truck The old cargo trailer heaved behind them sounding like it was ready to snap off Ca-thunk The truck jolted again I guess that’s the double bump her dad said Trina checked the trailer in the rearview mirror glad to see it was still attached 44
Look Trina cried Up there I see the bridge The truck shuddered over the wooden bridge and headed straight for a wall of corn That was the creek Turn right Poppo Turn right Her dad placed one big calm hand over the other and turned the wheel What else would we do but turn right All of a sudden Trina had a funny feeling the house was waiting for them and they were running late She kept her eyes glued to the windshield as the truck rolled on and on through the cornfield Her dad’s cell phone rang just once before it went silent He glanced at its blank screen So much for cell service way out here At that moment the cornfields gave way to a meadow of tall yellow flowers and then a big gray house with gables and chimneys emerged as if it were growing straight out of the ground Her dad put his foot on the brake and let the truck inch its way to a tall black wrought iron gate Trina could feel her mouth hanging open as she stared through the bars of the gate at the enormous house The house was not what she had expected It didn’t need to be fixed up It needed to be torn down Boards cov ered all the windows and the few shutters that remained dangled from their hinges Pillars that would have held up a porch roof if the porch had still been there lay in the weeds like fallen trees Trina blinked and blinked hoping she would open her eyes to the palace she had imagined But with each blink the house just looked worse There wasn’t a fleck of paint on the wind-beaten siding or a crumb of gingerbread 55
anywhere If the house was supposed to look like a wed ding cake the bride had to be an evil witch Poppo I know what you’re thinking he said shifting the truck into park just before he let out a sweeping whistle Isn’t she a beauty No their next project wasn’t a beauty It was a hope less old house sitting in the middle of a yellow sea like a dried-up island We aren’t really going to live here are we Trina asked Trina her dad said in surprise You know I signed a contract Besides I think it’s going to be a lot of fun work ing on this place Fun Fun was playing softball Fun was going to the movies Fun was not fixing up a decrepit old house in the middle of nowhere Trina sat helplessly in the truck as her dad got out and waded through the sea of yellow flow ers He pushed open one side of the big black gate which squealed in protest and then the other side which was just as rusty He hopped back into the driver’s seat without closing the door and let his foot drag through the snapping overgrowth as they crawled to a stop beneath a gnarled arm of a giant oak tree What if I make you a swing and hang it from that big branch Trina sighed disappointed by the house and even more disappointed by her dad for still thinking of her as a little girl He should know that almost fifth graders were too old for swings Reluctantly Trina got out of the truck She felt as limp 66
as the tall flowers all around her until the eerie feeling that someone was watching her from the highest window a window that was all boarded up snapped her to atten tion She shivered despite the heat Poppo do you think it’s haunted You and your imagination he said shaking his head If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times There’s no such thing as a haunted house He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and looked up at the house Try seeing her for the masterpiece she really is Pointing up at the roof he said See the fancy corbels under the eaves Trina had no idea what a corbel was but she knew she saw nothing but gray weathered wood Sure she said And just think about sitting on the porch and sipping lemonade all afternoon Or sliding down the porch railing into the front yard Almost fifth graders were also too old for sliding down railings and there was no porch and the front yard was an overgrown mass of weeds but Trina nodded anyway Arguing with Poppo at a time like this would be as hope less as the old house And that turret The what Trina said feeling her voice getting sad der and sadder That little tower with the pointed roof He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted Rapunzel Rapunzel Right then as if answering his call a small bird darted from its nest in the eaves which made Trina wonder what else might be living in the big abandoned house 777
