Charly Dances 'til It Drops

Charly Dances 'til It Drops

Another picture-perfect Saturday shined down on Brewster Hill; not a cloud in sight-unfortunately.Normally, I would have joined the other kids at the park in a game of tag.But today I had work to do.

"Rain, rain, come and stay. Pour and soak the day away,"I sang as Ethan Jordan, a boy in my class, came running by.

"That's not how the song goes," Ethan said. "You've got it backward."

"I know," I said. "That's why I am standing on my head to say it."

"You sure are weird sometimes, Charly," said Ethan."Or should I call you by your real name - Char-the-Pain."

Did I mention that Ethan is also my number one enemy?

"It would be just like you to spoil everyone's fun," Ethan continued.

"I'm not trying to spoil anything!I just don't want Mr. Rooney to get that plaque!" I explained.

If Mr. Rooney got that plaque, it meant the special garden I planted on Brewster Hill didn't grow.It meant that my New Year's resolution to put a smile on everyone's face didn't happen.(That's right, it's resolution, or resolving to do something;not revolution, or turning circles around something.Or so Gattie explained, saying I was getting more "ma-toor" and needed to know the difference.)It meant that my Aunt Dee paid for two gardens, that plaque, and the new playground it went on.

It meant that I did it, again. But I didn't mean to do it!I didn't know I needed permission from Mr. Rooney,who is head of the Parks Department, to plant on public property.I thought public property meant it was for the public; and, after all, I'm a part of the public.

My only chance of undoing what I did was to get my garden of wild oats, watermelons, and apples to grow.But gardens need water and it had not rained for two months.My town was on drought watch.It was against the law to use water on nonessential things, like gardens, lawns, and cars.I offered to give up showering, but my dad nixed that idea.

My rain song wasn't working, plus my arms hurt from being used as legs,so I got off my hands and went to the library.I looked up clouds, which I knew I needed before I could get rain.I learned that clouds form when cold air smacks into warm air.Great! Now where would I get cold air on a warm spring day?

I couldn't carry an air conditioner to the park,so I loaded up my old red wagon with ice cubes and a portable fan.On the way out, Dad stopped me.Uh-oh! Did I do something again that I didn't know I did?(I knew I had refilled the ice cube trays and put them back in the freezer.)

"Where are you going?" he asked.I explained about my rain song failing and about Ethan teasing meand how I was going to make rain clouds so my garden could grow.He gave me one of his "Charly!" looks.But his eyes glistened, like when he makes me a special dessert."That won't work, Charly." "Why not?" I asked.

"That fan needs fresh batteries," he chuckled as he went off to the kitchen to get some new batteries.

Then I heard a "Yoodle-hoo, what's new!"Aunt Dee was back from piloting a plane to Schenectady.As a pilot, she goes to all kinds of exotic-sounding places.

"Rain clouds ..." she murmured after I explained what I was doing."That gives me an idea." She went to Dad's study and made some phone calls.

I told Dad my plan. "First off, I will make clouds appear over the garden.Secondly, I will sing my rain song.The third thing is to do a rain dance.But I need other people to join me."

"I'd love to help, Charly, but I have to go to the store now to get some things for the street fair.The Swing Into Spring Parade starts at two this afternoon.I thought you were going to march with your baseball team."

"I will. I'll be there," I said.

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