by Laura Dragon
“Race you,” Jonas said.
Hollis nodded and struck out to swim across the street. He remembered the obstacles he’d encountered on his original swim and avoided them. He hoped Jonas didn’t remember as well as he so that he’d win the race.
Leta waited at the edge of the roof to help him up. She grabbed his hand and said, “Where’s Jonas?”
Hollis jerked his hand away and turned around in the water. His brother was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter 9
Rescuers? What Rescuers?
“Guess he went back to help those people,” Hollis said to his fuming grandmother, propped up by her elbows. He’d just finished telling her about his ordeal. “He had the axe. I gave it to him while he was getting me unhooked from the car.”
“I saw him next to Hollis in the water, but then I had to grab Algie,” said Leta. “When I checked again, he wasn’t there anymore. I hope he doesn’t get stuck.”
“I’m thirsty!” Algie whined, kicking his legs on the roof. “I wanna go in the water. Hollis an’ Jonas both got to go. I wanna go, too.”
Leta glanced at Hollis. “He’s been sayin’ that all morning. He won’t stop.”
“If he doesn’t quit soon,” Gee said, “I’m gonna let Hollis go in the water one more time to get his dad’s old belt. Gonna need it for Jonas when he gets back, anyway.” She lay back on the roof again. “Can’t stay in that position long. I do miss my chair, I tell you.”
The belt was the only thing their dad had left them. No one much appreciated the keepsake, though, and it hadn’t been used on them since their dad had gone. Gee didn’t believe in spankings. Hollis contemplated her angry face. At least, not usually.
“I don’t even know where it . . . ” Hollis began.
Gee glared at him, and Hollis realized she wasn’t serious. Algie sniffled but quieted down.
“Wouldn’t mind goin’ in for a couple of cans of food and an opener,” he joked.
“Talkin’ about food only makes it worse, Hollis,” Gee said, squinting at him.
Hollis also quieted down.
“That’s better,” Gee said after a moment. “Now Algie, you can’t go in the water. Hollis and Jonas weren’t supposed to go in either. It’s dangerous an’ it stinks more than ever. I’m thinkin’ there’s a dead animal around here somewhere. But you can go down and look at the water again if you want. You promise to just sit and look?”
Algie nodded.
“And you can’t drink it either, Algie,” Hollis said. “It’s dirty and gross. You’ll get sick.”
Algie rolled his eyes. “I know that.”
Leta took his hand and led him to sit at the edge of the roof. “Let’s try to guess what all is under the water, Algie. I’m thinking of something that starts with a ‘c.’”
“Cars!” Algie yelled.
“Hollis,” Gee said, pulling his attention away from the other two. “If he goes in, you go after him.”
“Algie swims good.”
“You swim better. Besides, this ain’t pool water. Keep an eye on him.”
“Okay.”
“It’s good he’s got shoes on. How’d you find them in all that water?”
“He slept in them. Just in case, he said. Great, huh? Or else he’d be barefoot. There was no way to find anythin’ in there.”
Gee nodded but sent him an irritated glance. “Should’ve known you and Jonas wouldn’t listen to me.”
Hollis opened his mouth to apologize once again, but Gee interrupted him. “How I could have stopped you, though, I can’t imagine. There’ve been too many things in this mess I should’ve known.”
Hollis waited. “Like what?” he asked at last.
Gee didn’t answer. She seemed to be talking to herself. She appeared pale and shaky, the wrinkles on her face deeper than ever.
“Still early,” she went on, glancing at the sky. “Jonas ain’t been gone that long. Needs to show up, though. Needs to show up soon.” She rubbed her forehead. “Have to admit, I’m a little proud.” She peered up at him. “Of both of you.”
The blood rushed to Hollis’s face. “I didn’t get it done.”
“You tried. Gettin’ to be grown, makin’ decisions on your own like that. Good thing you didn’t get hurt, or I’d’ve killed you.”
Hollis smiled, but inside him grew a helpless feeling of lost opportunity. If only he’d been able to finish the job. Might have worked out just the way he’d hoped. Anything you want, Hollis, sounded again in his head.
“Nothin’ better happen to your brother, either,” Gee went on. Her smile faded. “I’ll never forgive myself.” She shook her head. “My fault we’re in this.”
Hollis gazed at Gee with amazement. He rarely heard her admit to being wrong.
“Shoulda got out,” she said. “I know that now. Shoulda spent money we didn’t have, trusted a car that needed work, begged, borrowed, or stolen to get out. Feel like a fool. A blind, stupid fool.”
“But your back, Gee,” Leta said, walking up with Algie, who sat down and began smacking his feet on the roof. “You’d have been a wreck after hours in the car.”
Gee snorted. “These shingles ain’t doin’ my back much good. And at least in the car I wouldn’t have had to deal with this horrible stench! The smell out here is gettin’ worse by the hour.”
“I stink, too,” Algie added.
Gee coughed out a laugh. “I’m sure I do, too. Miss my gardenia powder today, I tell you! Only thing that makes me feel less of a fool is we ain’t the only ones up here.”
Hollis surveyed the people on the neighboring houses. “You’re right about that.”
Gee slapped the roof. “Those weather idiots! It’s their fault, too!”
Leta rolled her eyes.
“Came to this city after Betsy hit,” she continued. “Everybody said Betsy was different. A ‘hundred year storm,’ they said. ‘Won’t get another for a century,’ they said.
“Then, year after year, we got hurricanes that weather idiots wailed and warned were Betsys. Worse than Betsy. The Big One. We’ve lived through thirty-eight years of ‘Big Ones.’ And none of them turned out to be all that bad.
“Closed our eyes for us, they did.” She closed her eyes. “Got used to the overreaction. And it was luck, that’s all. Who woulda thought that?”
“Um,” Leta said, “there was that one scientist.”
“The one they quoted every year on TV? Ivor . . . somethin’?” Gee snorted. “The guy that said New Orleans was a bowl and that the levees were gonna break and the bowl’s gonna fill up? That guy?”
“Yeah.”
“Well. Who knew a stupid doomsday scientist actually knew what he was talkin’ about?” Gee laughed.
Leta and Hollis laughed with her. Algie crawled over to her and sat back, clapping his hands. Suddenly, Gee began to cough and wretch, and the three children exchanged worried glances.
“Gee?” Leta asked. “Do you have your medicine? I know you keep it in your pocket. Did you get out with it?”
Gee didn’t answer.
“Gee,” Leta repeated.
“I got what I need, Leta,” Gee said, waving a hand at her. “Don’t worry about me. Worry about Jonas.”
Hollis stood up. “Hey!” he called out to the people across the street. “Can you call and see if my brother’s still down there? We’re worried.”
The man waved and disappeared over the peak of his roof to start the message going.
“Maybe that’ll hurry him up,” Hollis said to Gee.
Algie tugged at Leta’s shirt, and she took him back to look at the water. Hollis watched them, wishing he had something to do. His stomach rumbled. Nothing to do but be hungry.
“The water’s gone down,” Leta said. “It was over the eaves. Now it’s about a foot lower. And there’s so much stuff in . . . ” Leta gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. Getting up, she pulled at Algie’s arm, walked him to Gee, and whispered in her ear.
Gee put a hand to he
r chest. “Jonas?”
Leta shook her head.
“Praise Jesus,” Gee said. “Well, now we know what the smell is. You and Algie stay here, Leta.”
What’s that about? Hollis wondered. He stood up and stretched.
“Hollis,” Gee warned. “Don’t go over there.”
Man, I knew she wouldn’t let me see.
“I’m not. I’m going over here, Gee,” he said and walked to the hole in the roof. Pretending interest, he glanced inside. What he saw made him excited. Finally! A way he could help!
“Hollis!” Gee called. “Be careful over there, too.”
“Gee, the attic’s dry. We can get you out of the sun.”
“Hm. Maybe. Leta, go help him.”
Leta ran over, and she and Hollis climbed down into the attic.
“Whew!” Leta said and then yelled, “It’s awful hot in here. I think it’s better outside with the breeze.”
“See if anythin’s down there we can use for shade,” Gee called.
A quick search with the lantern through the sweltering attic did yield some prizes. Hollis discovered a stack of dry sheets on a high shelf and a short ladder deep in the back. He brought them to the opening and found Leta with some paint and brushes.
“What’s with the paint?” he asked Leta.
“You’ll find out. What’s with the ladder?”
Hollis grinned. “You’ll find out.”
Leta shrugged and climbed out on the roof. After handing up their loot, Hollis joined her. They brought one of the sheets over and spread it open. Hollis placed the ladder above Gee’s face and draped the sheet over it so that Gee’s face and upper body were shaded.
Leta clapped her hands. “A tent pole!”
“That’s good,” Gee said. “Thank you, Hollis. Helps to have the sun off.”
“There’s a couple of stools down there if anyone else wants shade,” Hollis said, puffing out his chest. “As soon as I saw ’em, I knew how I could use ’em.”
A loud snap, like pieces of wood being torn apart, erupted from underneath them and sounded through the air. Gee, Hollis, and Leta stared at one another.
“I don’t think we’ll get those stools, Hollis,” Gee said. “Might not be safe down there after all.”
Hollis and Leta nodded, wide-eyed.
Chapter 10
Insulin
“Leta, what did you find?” Gee asked, covering the pause after the ominous sound.
“Paint!” Leta announced. “We can use it to paint ‘help’ on the roof!”
Hollis stared. She’s brilliant! We’ll definitely get rescued when people see we have a sign!
Just then, a voice came from across the street. “Your boy got the baby out!” the man hollered. “He’s a hero!”
Hollis gritted his teeth but then responded, “He heading back then?”
“Dunno. Jumped back in the water a while ago. He’ll show up soon.”
“Thanks,” Hollis yelled. He turned to Gee.
“Well, I hope he does,” Gee said. “Not help, Leta, paint insulin.”
“But Gee,” Hollis said, “why would we put your medicine on there?”
“When people see insulin, they’ll know someone on this roof has diabetes. They’ll know someone might be dyin’.”
The bottom dropped out of Hollis’s stomach. “Are you dyin’?”
Gee snorted. “’Course not. But they don’t know that. Might hurry them up if they think I’m worse off than I am.”
Hollis smiled in relief. “Great idea! C’mon, Leta! Let’s get started!”
“Algie too,” Gee added.
“Algie?” Hollis said in disbelief. “Algie can’t—”
“Algie’ll do fine. Keep him from whinin’. I hope!”
Hollis didn’t have an argument for that. He opened the paint.
Early on, Algie discovered that painting letters wasn’t as much fun as making polka dots.
“Gee!” Leta said. “Algie’s making a mess.”
“Long as he doesn’t start paintin’ himself, Leta, I don’t care. He’s happy. Just get that sign done.”
“Hollis,” Leta said a few minutes later, irritation in her voice, “you’re making your letter too big. We’re not going to have room for the whole word.”
“Gee said to make it big,” he said, dipping his brush in the paint.
“But it has to fit. Gee! If we make it that big, we’ll have room for insul but no room for the ‘IN.’”
“Put it underneath, Leta. They’ll figure it out.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Leta said, still frowning.
It took an hour to spell out insulin. “There,” Hollis said at last. “That’s not too bad.”
“I’m sure it’ll get us attention.” Gee paused, surveying the fading light. “Hope Jonas gets back before dark.”
Hollis and Leta lay on the roof staring up at the night sky. On Monday night, storm clouds had covered the moon and stars. Tonight was clear, and a radiant, star-filled sky with a sliver of moon gave faint light to their surroundings.
“Look at all the stars,” Leta said. “The sky’s so crowded I can hardly find the Big Dipper. Guess the power being out makes them easier to see.”
“Duh,” said Hollis.
Leta frowned. “Why you being mean?”
“I’m not being mean,” Hollis said. “You’re being stupid.”
“How am I being stupid?” Leta sat up. “You’re being stupid if you can’t tell me how I’m being stupid.”
“Fine,” Hollis said without moving. “You’re being stupid because Jonas is missing, Gee is dying, I’m so thirsty I can’t even think, we’re never getting off this rotten roof, and all you can say is,” he mimicked her voice, “‘look at the stars.’”
Leta opened her mouth to retort, but another helicopter flew over. Hollis hadn’t heard it coming, because he’d gotten so used to them flying over without a pause. Startled, he watched as this one slowed and turned back toward them. He surged to his feet.
“They’re coming back!” he yelled. “They’re coming to get us! The sign worked! Gee! It worked!”
The helicopter hovered over them, and a bright light shot down from beneath it. Hollis went crazy. He waved, jogged, and danced with excitement. The light shone for a while longer before shutting off. After that, the helicopter flew away.
“Wait!” Hollis screamed. He turned to his grandmother. “What was that? Why don’t they help us? What’s the deal?”
“It was a news helicopter,” Leta said.
“What?” Hollis glared at her, panting. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re gonna be on TV. I could see ‘Channel Six News’ on the side and a guy with a camera hanging out of the door. That’s why they had a light. For the camera.”
Hollis flopped down on the shingles, feeling like a fool. Disappointment overwhelmed him.
“Hollis,” Gee said.
“What?” he grumbled. Everyone needs to leave me alone.
“It’ll help. When people see it on TV and they see there are stranded children and people who need medicine, more people will come and we’ll get out of here. That’s why they’re doin’ this.”
Hollis turned. “They couldn’t throw us a bottle of water? A sandwich? You know they ate.”
He lay back on the roof, curled himself around his anger, and tried to go to sleep.
Chapter 11
Oh, Gee
A pair of loud snaps heralded a Wednesday with intense blue skies, fluffy clouds, and the white-hot glare of a relentless sun. Hollis opened his eyes and frowned at the re-occurrence of the noise.
Leta bolted awake. “Hollis?”
Algie stirred and interrupted her. “I’m thirsty, Hollis! I wanna drink!”
Hollis stared at the little boy, whose cracked, white-flecked lips stuck together in places. A gray gook had gathered in the corners of his mouth. Mine are probably like that, too. They feel all gummy.
“Was that another one of those cra
cking sounds?” Leta asked.
Hollis nodded. “Two.”
“I don’t like that,” Leta said, rubbing her neck and twisting her back. “I want to know what it is.” She turned to check on Gee, who was lying under her tent with her eyes closed. “She doesn’t look good.”
“She’s fine!” Hollis hissed. “Keep your voice down. She’s just sleepin’.”
Leta turned away.
“Where is everybody, Leta?” Algie asked. “What’s takin’ so long?”
“I don’t know, Algie. I wish people’d get here. Or Jonas.”
We’re dyin’ of thirst and we can’t do a thing. If someone doesn’t do something soon we’ll be dead. I gotta do something—I feel dead already. “I could swim for help,” Hollis said.
“Yeah. Like that worked before.”
“You don’t know anything, Leta! I got really far the last time.” He stared at the water. Truth be told, he really didn’t want to go into that mess again.
Leta’s face crumpled, and tears ran down her cheeks. Hollis stared at her in surprise.
“You need to stay here!” she said. “You can’t leave me with both Algie and Gee to take care of. You can’t!”
Hollis felt ashamed. “I was just going for help. I wouldn’t leave for good.”
Leta wiped her eyes, a sudden expression of hope in them. “Maybe that’s where Jonas is? Getting us help. He saved those people, and now he’s going to save us.”
Hollis sat down on the roof with a thump. Leta was probably right. Jonas was the hero in this family. Why was he even trying? He pulled his knees up to his chest, laid his forehead on them, and retreated into himself. He withdrew so much that he didn’t hear the boat putting down Flood Street about twenty minutes later until it was almost to them.
All around, stranded people stirred and called out. Although it reduced its speed as though in response, the boat—a police cruiser—was stopping for no one. Two officers piloted it, but it was already overloaded with other people.
