Bubble Troubles

by Colleen Madden

  “Jah, please,” the twins said at the same time. They often did that when someone asked them a question. Mattie figured it was because they were twins and sometimes thought the same thing. Of course, even though they looked similar, with red hair and a few freckles, they were really not that much alike. Mattie liked dogs; Mark liked cats. Mark was a tease; Mattie wasn’t. Mark collected marbles and rocks; Mattie liked to decorate things with flowers. In many ways, they were as different as night and day.

  While Mom poured the milk, Mark and Mattie took seats at the table.

  “How was school today?” Mom asked. “Did you learn a lot?”

  Mark nodded eagerly. “After I finished my homework during recess, I looked for some new words in the dictionary.” He gave Mom a wide grin. “I found one I really like, too.”

  “What is it?” Mom questioned.

  “Obstinate,” Mark replied, looking over at Mattie. “It means stubborn.”

  Mattie rolled her eyes. “You should have been outside playin’ baseball during recess, not looking up big words.”

  “I agree with your sister,” Mom said. “You ought to go outside and play at recess like the other children do, not stay indoors. You really need the fresh air and exercise.”

  “I go outside sometimes and push the little kids on the swings.” Mark looked at Mattie and wrinkled his nose. “And for your information, I like big words. They’re fun to say, and I like finding out what they mean in the dictionary.” Mark thrust out his chin. “And ya know I don’t like playin’ ball.”

  Mattie made no reply. She finished her cookies and milk, put her dishes in the sink, and took today’s homework out of her backpack. While she worked on the spelling words, Mark went upstairs to change his clothes.

  When he came back down, he stopped to see how Mattie was doing. “It might help if ya break the spelling words down.” He pointed to her paper. “See … tooth and paste become toothpaste. And pop and corn become popcorn. If you take it a little at a time and write each word down several times, it might be easier for you,” he said with a grin.

  “Danki, Mark.” Mattie couldn’t believe how nice her brother was being. Sometimes he liked to tease her, but other times, like now, he was kind and helpful.

  “You’re welcome.” Mark went over to Mom, who stood at the kitchen sink, peeling potatoes. “I’m going outside to do my chores now. When I’m done, I’ll be in the barn playing with my katze,” he said, before hurrying out the back door.

  Mattie wished she could go outside and look for Twinkles right away, but she knew she’d be in trouble if she didn’t get her homework done, so she continued to write out the words the way Mark had suggested.

  “I’m going to see if Ada and Perry are up from their naps now,” Mom said. “As soon as you finish your homework, you can go outside and look for your hund.”

  Mattie smiled. “Okay, Mom.”

  After Mattie wrote the spelling words down, she decided to get her math questions done. She knew she should write each spelling word more than once, but she had until Friday to take the test. So when the math questions were finished, she put her homework away and went upstairs to change her clothes.

  Mattie also made a mental note to remember to ask Dad about paint for their bike fender so it wouldn’t get rusty. She’d study the words more later on. Right now, there were too many other things to think about, like where did Twinkles get to, and would she ever come home?

  As soon as she’d changed into her everyday dress, Mattie tromped down the stairs and hurried out the back door.

  “Here, Twinkles!” she called from the back porch, clapping her hands as loudly as she could. “Kumme—come here, girl!” Mattie looked toward the field where the hay had been harvested, knowing Twinkles often liked to play in there. She hoped to see the dog come bounding toward her. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Twinkles, not even a bark.

  Mattie checked Twinkles’s dog dish and noticed that only a little of the food had been eaten. “That’s strange,” she said, shaking her head. Normally Twinkles ate all of her food while Mattie was at school. She must not have been very hungry today. Either that or she hadn’t been here most of the day. Sure wish I’d put Twinkles in her kennel before we left for school this morning, Mattie thought with regret.

  Mattie searched all over the yard, but she couldn’t find Twinkles anywhere. Then she raced into the barn, where she found Mark sitting on a bale of straw, holding both of his cats in his lap.

  “Lucky and Boots missed me today,” he said, smiling at Mattie. “As soon as I sat down, they leaped right into my lap and started purring.” Lucky was the mother cat, and Boots was her baby. Lucky was fluffy and gray. Boots was black with four white paws.

  “That’s nice,” Mattie said. “Have you seen Twinkles out here in the barn?”

  Mark shook his head. “If she was here, she’d probably be chasin’ my katze. Then I wouldn’t get to pet them at all, because they’d be hissing, howling, and runnin’ all over the place, trying to get away from your mutt.”

  “Twinkles is not a mutt.” Mattie placed both hands on her hips. “She’s a cute little terrier, and I’m sad that she’s missing!”

  Mark flapped his hand like he was swatting at a pesky fly. “Don’t be so melodramatic, Mattie. I’m sure she’s not missing. Probably just doesn’t wanna be found.”

  Mattie squinted her eyes. “What does melodramatic mean?”

  “It means you’re exaggerating.”

  “I’m what?”

  “You’re makin’ too much out of Twinkles being gone,” Mark said. “She’s probably running around somewhere, havin’ a good ol’ time. Maybe she’s out in the field chasin’ some of those wild rabbits we’ve seen around our place.”

  “But I’ve called and called for her, and I didn’t see any sign of her in the field. Oh Mark, what if she doesn’t come home soon? It’ll be dark in a few hours, and she might freeze to death out there on her own.” Mattie shivered, just thinking about it.

  Mark groaned. “You’re being melodramatic again, Mattie. It is kind of chilly at night, but it’s not so cold that Twinkles would freeze to death. And I don’t think she’s scared of the dark.”

  Just then, Mattie spotted Twinkles’s dog collar lying next to some wooden boxes in one corner of the barn. When she picked it up, a lump formed in her throat. “Maybe Twinkles has been dognapped!”

  “What are you talkin’ about?” Mark tipped his head to one side and squinted at Mattie.

  “You’ve heard of people who’ve been kidnapped, right?”

  Mark gave a quick nod.

  “Well, I’m worried that someone may have stolen my dog, and they took off her collar so no one could identify her.”

  “That’s just plain lecherich,” Mark said. “Who’d want to take your dumm little hund?”

  Mattie shook her head. “It’s not ridiculous, and Twinkles isn’t a dumb little dog. I’m sure lots of people would want her. Stella said once that she wished she could have a dog like Twinkles. My hund’s not only sweet, but she’s a very schmaert dog.” Mattie sniffed and swiped at the tears running down her cheeks. “I—I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t come home. If anything happens to Twinkles, it will be my fault for letting her run loose today. Oh, I wish I had put her in the kennel before we left for school!”

  CHAPTER 2

  Muddy and Wet

  Mattie had a hard time going to school the next day. Twinkles was still missing, and Mattie was worried she might never see her cute little pet again. She wished she could stay home from school and search for Twinkles or at least be there if her dog returned home. But Mom had ushered Mark and Mattie, along with their brothers, Russell and Calvin, out the door as soon as breakfast was over.

  Now, as they trudged along toward the schoolhouse, Mattie kept an eye out for Twinkles. “Here, Twinkles!” she called. “Where are you, girl?” There was no sign of the dog—not even a bark or a yip.

  Normally, on the way to and from sch
ool, Mattie enjoyed looking at all the pretty wildflowers in the fields or listening to the birds that flew overhead. Except for the crows, the blue jays were about the only birds squawking from the trees today. Right now, even though it was late in the season, there were still some goldenrod and asters and also the purple ironweed flowers blooming. One thing about wildflowers—there was always something blooming from early spring until late fall. Mattie could only admire the goldenrod, though, since their little brother, Perry, was allergic to them. Mom really liked it whenever Mattie picked flowers for the table, but unfortunately, today Mattie wasn’t in the mood to pick any. All she could think about was her poor little dog out there someplace, but who knew where? Mattie had been so upset last night that she’d slept with Twinkles’s dog collar under her pillow. “Here, Twinkles! Here, Twinkles!” she called once more.

  “You’re gonna lose your voice if you keep hollerin’ like that,” Mark said. “And my ears will be ringing soon if you don’t cut it out.”

  “But I’ve got to find my hund.” Mattie sniffed and glanced all around, hoping and praying Twinkles would come bounding up to her, swishing her little tail.

  “She’ll come home when she’s ready.”

  “Not if someone took her.”

  “I don’t think anyone took her, Mattie. Just try not to worry so much.”

  Mattie frowned. That was easy for Mark to say. It wasn’t his pet who’d gone missing. She wished Dad had fixed their flat tire last night. She could have spent more time looking for Twinkles this morning if they’d been able to ride their bike, because it would have gotten them to school a lot quicker.

  When they arrived at the schoolhouse, Mattie told Mark she was going to ask some of the girls if they’d seen Twinkles anywhere.

  “That’s a good idea,” Mark said. “I’ll ask the boys. Maybe some of ’em will have information about your hund.”

  Mattie raced over to a group of girls who were playing on the swings. “My dog’s missing,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “Have any of you seen her lately?”

  “Not me,” Becky Hostetler said with a shake of her head.

  Mattie’s friend Stella brought her swing to a stop. “I haven’t seen Twinkles, either.”

  Mattie looked at the other two girls—Anna and Karen Troyer, who were sisters. They had also stopped swinging. “What about you? Have you seen my dog?”

  “No,” they both said.

  “How long has Twinkles been missing?” Stella questioned.

  “She disappeared sometime yesterday, while I was at school.” Mattie blinked several times, trying to hold back her tears. Talking about Twinkles and how much she missed her made Mattie feel sad. She was so worried that her stomach had begun to ache.

  Stella got off the swing and gave Mattie a hug, while the other girls went back to swinging. “I’m sorry, Mattie. I really like Twinkles, and I hope you find her real soon. I’d come over after school to help you look for her, but Mom’s taking me shopping for new shoes.”

  “That’s okay, Stella. I hope we find her soon, too. I miss Twinkles so much,” Mattie said, grateful for the support of her best friend.

  “Did you ask all the boys if they’d seen any sign of Twinkles?” Mattie asked Mark as they walked home from school that afternoon.

  “I did, and no one’s seen your hund,” he replied, wishing he didn’t have to give her that news. “Don’t worry, Mattie. If Twinkles isn’t there when we get home, I’ll help ya look for her.”

  “Danki, Mark. That means a lot to me.”

  Even though earlier Mark had told Mattie not to worry, he felt bad that Twinkles was missing. After talking to his friends and hearing that no one had seen the dog, Mark was nearly as disappointed as he knew Mattie must be. Truth was, he’d be worried, too, if one of his cats had disappeared. Even though Twinkles often got on his nerves, he was still concerned about the dog. It wasn’t like Twinkles to be gone this long—especially without food, because that playful dog sure liked to eat.

  “How’d you do on the math test we took today?” Mark asked, hoping to change the subject, as they neared their home. He knew the more they talked about Mattie’s missing dog, the worse she’d probably feel.

  “Not very well.” Mattie sighed. “All I could think about was poor Twinkles, out there somewhere on her own.”

  “Try to relax, Mattie. We’re almost home, and if she isn’t there, we can start looking for her.”

  “Probably not till our homework and chores are done,” Mattie said. “You know Mom always makes us do those things first.”

  “Well, I don’t have any homework, ’cause I got mine done during recess again.” Mark gave Mattie’s arm a pat. “As soon as I finish my chores, I’ll start lookin’ for Twinkles. When you’re done, you can join me.”

  “Okay.” Mattie looked grateful when she smiled at him, and Mark felt good about offering to help her find Twinkles. Deep down, he wished he could find the dog by himself. He’d love to see the look on Mattie’s face if that were to happen.

  When the twins went inside the house, Mom greeted them at the door with a cheery smile.

  “Did Twinkles come home today?” Mattie asked with a hopeful expression.

  Mom shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen any sign of your dog at all.”

  Mattie’s chin trembled. “Mark and I want to go looking for her. Is it all right if we go now?”

  “Of course you can search for her, but you need to get your chores and homework done first,” Mom reminded the twins. “If your little brother and sister wake up from their naps soon, maybe we can all go looking for Twinkles.”

  “I did my homework at school again today,” Mark said. “So all I have to do is my chores.”

  Mom nodded. “That’s fine. You can search for Twinkles as soon as you’re finished.”

  “If we don’t find Twinkles today, can we put some LOST Dog signs around Walnut Creek?” Mattie asked.

  “Sure, we can do that as soon as we’ve had our supper this evening,” Mom said.

  “Where are Calvin and Russell?” Mark asked. “I didn’t see their bikes outside. Thought maybe they could help us search for Mattie’s dog.”

  “They went to the store to get a few things I need for supper,” Mom replied. “They shouldn’t be gone too long.”

  Mark gave a nod, and then he bounded up the stairs to his room and hurriedly changed his clothes. When that was done, he went outside to muck out the barn while Mattie worked on her homework at the kitchen table. When he was finished with his chores, he headed for the house to see if Mattie was done with her homework so they could begin looking for Twinkles. He was halfway there when it started to rain. By the time his feet hit the porch, it was pouring.

  “You two had better stay inside for now,” Mom said when Mark came in the house and stood on the throw rug because his shoes were wet. “If you go outside to look for Twinkles right now, you’ll be soaking wet.”

  “But Mom,” Mattie said, her eyes filling with tears, “if Twinkles is out there in the rain, she’ll get wet, too.”

  “I’m sure she’ll take care of herself and find a place to get out of the weather.” Mom gave Mattie’s shoulder a squeeze. “Animals have an inner sense about things. Now please stop worrying and get your homework done.”

  That evening during supper, Mattie could hardly eat anything on her plate. Never mind that Mom had fixed chicken and dumplings, which were always so good. Mattie had no appetite for food at all. Her stomach felt like it was twisted into one big knot. It was still raining outside, and all she could think about was her poor little dog out there somewhere by herself, getting wet. Twinkles was probably cold and hungry. She might even be scared.

  “Where’s Twinkles?” Mattie’s three-year-old sister, Ada, suddenly asked. Ada had red hair like Mattie’s, and she got excited easily—especially when Mark made silly faces at her.

  Mattie looked at Ada, unable to answer her question. How could she explain that her dog had ru
n away? Ada liked Twinkles and was bound to cry if she found out the dog was missing. In fact, every time Ada saw Twinkles, she would get all excited and wave her hands, squealing with delight.

  Mark came to Mattie’s rescue and tickled Ada under her chin. She giggled and wiggled and waved her hands.

  “Twinkles is on an adventure and will come home when she gets tired,” Mark said when Mom told him to stop tickling Ada so she could eat the rest of her supper.

  That seemed to pacify Ada, for she quickly finished eating the chicken and dumplings on her plate. “All gone!” Ada said, lifting her arms and grinning at Mom.

  “I’m done, too,” Mattie’s five-year-old brother, Perry, announced as he rubbed his belly. Perry had thick blond hair like Dad’s.

  “Okay, you two,” Dad said, placing his hands on Perry and Ada’s heads. “Wipe your faces, and we’ll go into the living room and play for a bit, until it’s time to have our dessert.”

  Mattie forced herself to finish eating her chicken and dumplings. If it stopped raining and she was allowed to search for her dog after the dishes were done, she would need plenty of energy to help accomplish that task. Mattie knew that unless Twinkles came home, there would be no dessert for her tonight. The apple pie Mom had baked today didn’t sound appealing right now—not even the way Mattie liked to eat it, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

  When supper was over, Mattie helped Mom clear away the dishes. She dragged her feet slowly from the table to the sink, with the worry she felt about Twinkles making her feel tired.

  “Come on, Mattie. I can see that you’re really sad,” Mom said as she washed the dishes and stacked them for drying. “You need to remain positive and ask God to watch over your hund.”

  Mattie hoped Mom was right, and although it was difficult, she told herself that everything would turn out fine and that God would protect her cute little dog.

  Mattie had just put the last dirty dish in the sink and was going to start drying the ones Mom had already washed when she heard a scratching sound at the back door. I’d better see what that noise is, she thought. Maybe, just maybe, it’s Twinkles.