A look of disbelief was on Tommy’s face. “I think I was shot,” he said, wincing in pain. “But at least Little Liberty’s safe.”
I quickly examined the wound. “It only grazed the skin. You are extremely lucky, Tommy, you could have been really hurt or worse,” I said. “It is unacceptable that you didn’t do as I told you. You were supposed to stay with Hancock and Adams, away from the battle at the Hancock-Clarke House. What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t, Mr. Revere. I am so sorry,” Tommy said with his head down.
“Tommy, you almost made me wet my pants. You gotta be more careful,” Cam said while shaking his head.
“It’s just that when you guys didn’t come back I thought you had been captured and I got worried. I guess I forgot about our agreement and followed some of the neighbors to the loud sounds.”
“Tommy, I am angry with you right now because I care about you and your safety very much. From now on, you must listen to me, understood?”
Liberty snorted, “And so you decided to play Superman? For the record, you’re not faster than a speeding bullet.”
“I know, Liberty,” Tommy said, his head still down. “But when the British army arrived everything got crazy. I felt like I was lost in a huge mall filled with strangers. The British were yelling and the Americans were yelling and it got really scary. Then the first gunshot rang out and everyone just started running everywhere.”
“I am sorry I let this happen,” I said.
Little Liberty nickered and licked Tommy’s face.
“Did that pony just lick you?” said Liberty. “Seriously, someone has got to teach him proper pony etiquette.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I guess you have someone who is happy you were there in his hour of need.” Little Liberty was still licking Tommy’s smiling face.
Tommy lowered his voice and asked, “What’s up with Cam?”
I turned and noticed Cam staring out at the battlefield. His brow was furrowed, his eyes were dazed, and his lips were barely moving. He carried a deep sadness on his face.
I walked over to him and tenderly said, “Cam, I know this has been a crazy day. You were unbelievably brave. I am so proud of you.” I put my hand on his shoulder.
Reverently, Cam replied, “I count at least a half dozen Lexington men lying on the ground. They’re not moving.”
In the distance, families and loved ones cried as they stood above their fathers, husbands, and sons. Many soldiers were badly wounded and others looked beyond help.
“Cam, war is a horrible thing. I’m sorry you had to see this kind of suffering,” I said solemnly. It was one of those times when you don’t have the right words, and no matter what you say, it won’t make it easier.
The American Patriot soldiers were nicknamed Minutemen, among other nicknames. This is a statue of an American Minuteman at Lexington Green. Do you notice how his clothing is different from the Redcoats’ clothing?
“It is time for us to go home,” I said, taking Cam’s arm to turn him around.
It was now dawn and the sun had peeked over the rolling hills. We were all a bit stunned and exhausted after everything we had just seen. I knew the kids needed a good meal, a warm shower, and time to think about everything they had been through. This was a day they weren’t soon to forget.
After Liberty told Little Liberty he’d be back to visit him soon, the boys climbed up onto Liberty’s saddle and he quietly said, “Rush, rush, rushing from history.”
The portal opened and swirled. As we left I looked back to see Little Liberty chomping on some grass, unaware of the critical moment in history we had all just witnessed.
While Cam’s father is in Afghanistan, Cam’s mother, Danielle, and other spouses are working hard at home to support our troops. This is a flyer that was given to Rush Revere for an upcoming special event at Manchester Middle School.
Chapter 6
After our last adventure, I was relieved to be back in modern day. I wondered, though, what happened to Paul Revere. We had lost him after the Battle of Lexington. So, I looked through my history books and discovered that he made it back to Lexington and hid John Hancock’s secret trunk. Phew! I was happy with the news.
As I walked across the military base toward a large green field, Cam called over to me and said, “Thanks for coming, Mr. Revere.” He was standing with Tommy and Freedom at the edge of what looked like a large soccer field. The grass had been recently cut and there were spectators lined up on either side. I was wondering where they came from!
“I’m glad you invited me. I wouldn’t miss it,” I said as I walked across the lawn to greet them.
“Hi, Mr. Revere, is Liberty here?” Tommy asked. His eyes scanned left and right.
“No,” Freedom replied for me. “I don’t sense his, oh, wait, I found him.” Freedom smiled. “He says he’s at a horse spa recovering from his trip to Boston and Lexington.”
“He’s right about that,” I replied a little guiltily. “Liberty did all the running and jumping. His legs were pretty tired and sore after the trip.”
“Hey, losers,” said Billy, who stood with about a dozen other kids about ten yards away. His hands were on his hips with his big chest out. They all wore matching red T-shirts with the words FEAR THE BILLY printed in white. Ah, yes. I remembered Billy the Bully, and I must say I was not particularly happy to see him. First a fistfight, then taunting Cam in the gym. Not a pleasant young man. I was not exactly sure but it looked like the game was dodgeball.
“Is this all you’ve got on your team?” Billy scoffed. “Couldn’t you get any more losers to join you?”
The chubby boy named Edward, known as Ed, whom Cam had first protected ran onto the field toward Cam’s team. He tripped on his shoelaces and went down, face-first. Wobbling, he pushed himself to his knees. Awkwardly he stood up and rushed over to his three teammates.
“I made it, Cam,” said Ed. “Sorry I’m late. I had to finish my calculus homework.”
“Hey, great, you got fatty the nerd with you, good luck,” Billy taunted. The rest of the kids on Billy’s team laughed.
“Looks can be deceiving, Billy. We may look like underdogs but we’ll put up a fight.”
Billy grabbed his stomach and laughed. “More like the under . . . pants.” His team laughed again.
“Hey, Ed, glad you could make it,” Cam said, not very convincingly. He searched the rest of the field for other latecomers. Nope. It looked like it would only be the four of them against the bully and his large crew. Things were not looking good.
Billy kept trash-talking as he yelled, “I hope you have a team doctor. You’re gonna need one!”
Cam yelled back, “Yeah, we have a doctor, his name is Dr. Warren.” Cam and Freedom started laughing quietly. Ed asked, “Did I miss something?”
Billy shouted, “Never heard of him. Must be the guy who changes your diapers.” Billy laughed as if he were hilarious.
“Nope,” replied Cam, “the only diaper on this field is the one you’re wearing.” Cam high-fived his laughing teammates.
“You won’t be laughing for long,” Billy said. “Look at us! We’re bigger, stronger, and faster than you. And we totally have you outnumbered. Face it, you have zero chance of winning.”
Cam shot back, “Oh yeah? Dr. Warren thinks we have a chance. But you can call him Dr. Doom!”
That seemed to shut Billy up.
Freedom nudged Cam and whispered, “I thought you said you invited more friends to be on our team.”
“I did,” Cam said in a hushed voice. “Nobody showed. I guess they were too busy.”
“Or too scared,” said Freedom.
“Or too smart,” said Tommy.
“Hey, I’m smart,” said Ed. “Anyone need help with your homework? Chemistry is my specialty. But I’m also good at bioelectronics, quantum physics, and complex—”
Tommy interrupted and said, “How about human anatomy? We’ll probably need someone to reattach our limbs afte
r the game.”
If I remembered correctly from the last time I played dodgeball as a kid, the rules were simple. You throw balls at kids on the other team, and if you hit them with the ball they are out. But if they catch the ball you throw, you are out. The game ends when all kids on one side are out.
Cam tried to reassure his teammates. “Look, I’ll tell Billy that our whole team didn’t show and we’ll need to reschedule. It’s all good.”
Cam walked over to Billy, who stood nearly a head taller than him. “Hey, Billy, as you can see we’re shorthanded.”
“Nah, you’re just short,” said Billy as his fellow bullies laughed.
“I’m serious,” Cam said. “We only have four players. So we’re going to have to reschedule.”
“Nice try, doofus,” said Billy. “Just because I’m prepared and you’re not doesn’t mean I’m letting you forfeit! Game on!”
“No way!” Cam said firmly. “I’m all for competing against you, Billy. But winning like this doesn’t prove anything.”
Billy stared at Cam and smirked. “All right,” he said. “We’ll consider today’s game a first-round game. Now everyone will get to see you lose twice. Got it?” he exclaimed as he poked his finger into Cam’s shoulder blade. “If you lose this round, your team has to do twenty laps around the park, no matter how long it takes.”
“Got it,” Cam said. He turned around and walked across the centerline. When he returned he told his team what Billy agreed to and that this first game was only a scrimmage. The news didn’t put any smiles on his teammates’ faces.
Balls were lined up in the middle of the field.
“Good luck,” I said, giving them a thumbs-up. I tried to hide my real feeling that this was not going to end well. I jogged to the side of the field with the other spectators. Cam ran over to me and said, “Any last-minute bit of advice coach?”
“You have a small team but you have a bigger heart. Don’t forget that,” I said. “Remember, win or lose, I am proud of you all.”
Both teams took their positions ten yards from either side of the centerline.
“What exactly are we supposed to do? What’s our objective?” Ed asked.
Before Cam could explain, a whistle sounded. Cam, Tommy, and Freedom bolted toward the center to grab a rubber ball. Billy and his team did the same thing. Ed looked on in fascination like he was watching the splitting of an atom.
It happened so fast. I’m not even sure which side threw the first ball. Suddenly a flurry of blurs darted across the centerline, mostly coming from Billy’s team.
Ed was smart enough to realize that standing there was not to his advantage. He quickly ran forward and then backward and then to the left and to the right. I wasn’t sure if he had to go to the bathroom or if he was warming up to do the hokey-pokey. In the end it really didn’t matter because Ed never saw the melon-sized meteor hurtling toward his face. It slammed into the side of his head and sent his cheeks jiggling and his body wiggling until the vibration slowed and he finally fell backward onto a bed of grass.
Tommy and Cam had already thrown their balls and were now jumping and dodging the best they could. Freedom deflected a ball with her own and dodged another before she threw her ball at a red-shirted player. The field was just too big and Billy’s team had too many players and they were too spread out.
“Fire!” yelled Billy as a volley of shots sailed over the line toward Cam, Tommy, and Freedom. The number of incoming balls was just too high. Tommy got hit in the shoulder as he tried to jump over a low-flying ball. Freedom spun sideways only to be hit by two balls coming from opposite directions. Cam somersaulted to the side and inadvertently stepped out of bounds. He was automatically disqualified.
I looked on from the sidelines. The game was over almost as soon as it began. No matter how much I hoped they would win, the odds were just too stacked against them.
“Chin up!” I yelled at the team. “You’ll get ’em next time.”
“Don’t remind us,” mumbled Cam.
“Yeah, it might be easier if we took on a herd of stampeding elephants,” replied Freedom as she hobbled off the field.
Billy beat his chest like a gorilla and then pointed at the FEAR THE BILLY lettering. His team gave each other high fives and fist bumps. They towered over Cam’s team. The game was over. Some of the crowd clapped and whistled.
Billy yelled over to Cam, “Time to do some laps!” Billy pointed to a teammate and said, “My friend here is going to make sure you do all twenty. I’ll hear about it if you don’t! See you tomorrow, losers!” He walked off the field with the rest of his gloating team.
Cam punched his hand with his fist. He was clearly frustrated.
“Look, you may have lost this battle but you haven’t lost the war,” I said. “Remember the Battle of Lexington? What you didn’t see during your last visit was that the Americans didn’t give up after their devastating loss. My advice is for you all to go home and get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll learn about the Battle of Concord. It might give you some ideas on how to beat your bully opponent.”
“We don’t stand a chance,” Cam said. “Why even bother?”
“Because the bullies can’t always win,” Freedom said. “Sometimes the underdogs win. Next time that will be us.”
Tommy added, “Yes, we just need to beat them at their own game. We gotta figure a way.”
I chimed in, trying to cheer him up: “Don’t forget what Paul Revere said. Never give up, even if the odds are stacked against you. Let’s meet at Manchester Middle School tomorrow and get planning.”
The three students reluctantly nodded. It was time to do some laps.
Five yards away in the grass, Ed sat up from where he was lying and groggily asked, “Did we win?”
* * *
The next morning Freedom, Cam, and Tommy arrived at Manchester Middle School at ten o’clock. They each chose desks in the front row and slumped into their chairs. Cam looked particularly discouraged.
“Good morning,” I said. “Why all the sour faces?”
“Don’t you remember we got spanked yesterday?” Cam asked. “It was almost as bad as watching the battle. Plus our legs are falling off from all the running.”
“We just need a new plan,” said Freedom positively.
“Well, you came to the right place,” I said, beaming.
The sound of a desk sliding against the classroom floor got my attention. I turned to see Liberty trying to sit like the other kids and fit into a desk.
Cam and Tommy looked at each other and nearly burst out laughing.
“Liberty, you’re not going to fit into that desk,” I said. “It’s impossible.”
“Fine,” Liberty harrumphed. “Then I’ll just sit on top of it.”
Liberty positioned his rump in front of the small desk and then lowered his back legs. Instantly, Liberty flattened the desk like a car crusher at a junkyard.
Freedom jumped out of her desk and rushed over to help Liberty. As soon as Cam and Tommy realized that Liberty wasn’t hurt, they both started laughing hysterically.
“How about we all pretend that didn’t happen,” Liberty said, blushing.
Cam said, “Hey, Liberty, you know you’re not supposed to bring food into class.”
“Food?” Liberty asked, perking up. “I don’t see any food.”
“I do,” said Cam. “That desk is as flat as a pancake!”
The boys laughed so hard they nearly fell over.
“Just ignore them, Liberty,” said Freedom.
“You know what they say: what goes around comes around.”
“All right, enough of this horseplay,” I said. “I’m glad Liberty was able to cheer you up but we have a lot to discuss today. First things first. Yesterday’s dodgeball game with Billy is in the past. Yes, you were beaten badly. But moping about it isn’t going to help you win. Your friend Ed has the right idea. I understand he bounced back quickly and is studying dodgeball techniques. He’s determined to come b
etter prepared for this next game. What could you learn that will help you win your next battle? That’s why you’re here this morning. Liberty, are you ready to time-travel?”
“You bet,” said Liberty. “I’m rested and ready to rumble to the Battle of Concord.”
“Wait a minute,” Freedom said, worried. “I thought you said we wouldn’t have to time-travel.”
“Yeah, won’t the Battle of Concord be just as dangerous as the Battle of Lexington?” asked Tommy.
“Actually, yes,” I said. “And knowing the dangers I think it’s best that you stay here this morning. Liberty and I will be the only ones time-jumping.”
“What are we going to do?” Freedom asked.
“Yeah, you know it’s not very responsible for a teacher to leave his students without adult supervision,” Cam teased.
“Oh yeah, I learned that one the hard way,” Tommy said.
“I’m sorry about that again, Tommy. I shouldn’t have left you. Anyway, that’s the beauty of time travel,” I said with a smile. “You’ll barely know we’ve been gone since we’ll return within a second or two after we’ve left. Liberty and I will experience firsthand the Battle of Concord and then we’ll return and report the historical truth.”
“And you think that truth will help us win our next dodgeball game against Billy?” Tommy asked.
I nodded. “I want you to remember this. Smart people know American history. But the really sharp ones use it for their future success. History tells us that the Americans won the Battle of Concord. But we need to ask ourselves how that was possible if the British had a bigger army and were better prepared.”
“You really think we’ll find a strategy to win?” Cam asked hopefully.
“It’s worth a jump, don’t you think?” I replied.
They all nodded and we quickly moved the desks so there was a center aisle big enough for Liberty. I hoisted myself into Liberty’s saddle and said, “Liberty, we’re headed for April 19th, 1775, Concord, Massachusetts.”
Rush Revere and the American Revolution Page 9
