Boxed Set: Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood: [The 12 book 1st adventure + the series prequel]

by Robert Iannone

  Startled, Egg’s eyes flew open and for a moment, she just laid there trying to remember where she was. The dream began to fade and Storm smiled at her one last time . . . and disappeared. She tried to get him and the princess back so they could talk but it was no use. Losing them made her feel so bad that she thought she might cry.

  For some reason the buzzzzzzzz kept on buzzing even though Storm had gone away . . . and she finally realized why. “Oh my gosh” she said as she reached over to turn off her alarm clock. It was time to get up. And just like that, the memory of the dream, as they are wont to do, was gone and forgotten.

  She had told her family that she wanted to sleep in until 9 o’clock because she wasn’t due at Ham’s until ten. Both her parents enjoyed their lazy Saturday mornings and had absolutely no objection. Ashley always slept in on weekends and today would be no exception. But Egg had told a small white lie. She wanted to go flying and this was the only way she could think to do it. She was going to fly to Sylvia’s old house and watch as they finished packing the moving van and drive away . . . to Strato Drive . . . to Egg’s neighborhood.

  She had once asked her grandmother how she had found the means to sneak away from her parents to go flying. “Well, sweetheart,” she had answered, “that was a real problem until I convinced my best friend to cover for me.”

  “Didn’t your girlfriend want to know where you went?”

  “Oh, my, yes. I told her I had a job working in a sewing factory. But even though my parents needed the money, they didn’t want me to work . . . especially not there. So I had to sneak away.”

  “What’s a sewing factory?”

  “A place where they made clothes. But they usually only hired young girls so they could pay them very little.”

  As she remembered this conversation, Egg smiled to herself. Now that Ham was moving practically next door, she would get her to do the same thing. But she would need a reason and right now, none came to mind.

  Putting that thought aside for now, Egg got out of bed, washed up and went to the closet. She pulled down the little chest and took out the flying suit. She slipped it on then turned and looked back at the three pieces of jewelry. “Hmmm,” she thought, “should I put them on?” Deciding against it, she closed the box and slipped it under the bed. Flying Girl was ready.

  Walking to her balcony, she did a quick look around then leapt into the air. And as always, the first thing she did was to smile. No matter how many times she did this, the thought that entered her mind was always the same “I can fly.”

  As she soared straight up she glanced down to watch the houses and trees shrink to the size of her thumb. She continued higher until she eventually flew through a cloud. That was always a thrill. If they were particularly heavy with moisture, they would envelope her in a blanket of grey and white that was so thick she couldn’t see her own hand right in front of her face. It was kind of like becoming invisible. Now that would be a neat super power.

  After enjoying the clouds for a few minutes, she headed back down so she could get a better look at the roads and other familiar landmarks. To find her friend’s house would be a challenge; it was something she had never done. When she had decided to make this flight, she had gone on the internet and found a map. At first it was pretty confusing…

  But after studying it for about forever, she realized it might not be so hard. All she had to do was follow the main highway until it became a “Y.” Then she would go left, and follow the first exit. From there she would go two blocks, make a right and look for the third house on the left. Not so bad. Well, not so easy, but not impossible.

  So she looked about and there was the main highway . . . from this height it was easy to see. She headed east . . . directly towards the rising sun. And in a matter of minutes, she found herself hovering over a house with a big moving truck in the driveway. She landed across the street and hid behind a big tree.

  After watching for about ten minutes, Egg got bored. She didn’t see her friend; all she saw were two big men carrying a table. She really didn’t know what she was expecting; but this certainly wasn’t it.

  So, with a loud, frustrated sigh, she leaped up and sailed skyward. At least this part was fun. This time she flew just above treetop level. Maybe she would be able to do a good deed but she had to be close to where the people were to do that.

  But this early in the morning, there was hardly anyone about. It sure was tough to do good deeds in the winter, she thought to herself. Below her, she saw only one car and it seemed to be headed back to the highway she had followed to get here.

  Egg trailed the car as it made the final turn on to the ramp and began to speed up. Then something flew out of the rear window. Curious, she flew down to road level to see what it was. The object had come to rest against a curb. To her surprise, it was a rag doll . . .

  What was really strange was that the doll looked like she was mad. She had an upset look on her face and her arms were spread wide as if to say “Hey, that wasn’t very nice. I could have hurt myself.” Well, maybe Egg’s imagination was getting the better of her.

  She picked up the doll, brushed off some dirt then leaped into the air. The car that had dropped it was a bright red one and should be easy to see - especially with so few on the road. Egg flew down the highway and finally spotted it. As she flew closer, she saw a young girl in the backseat who looked very upset . . . probably because of the doll she had just lost.

  Not wanting to scare her dad who was driving, Egg approached the automobile from above and out of sight of the driver. As she got even with the car, she flew just above the roof. Then she put her head down and peered into the side rear window. The little girl’s eyes flew wide in wonderment. She was about to say something when Egg put her fingers to her lips and shook her head NO. Then she held out the rag doll and the little girl’s face lit up in a great big smile. She let the window down about half way and Egg handed her the doll.

  The girl was about to speak again, but Egg stopped her once more. Then she blew her a kiss and flew straight up and out of sight. She looked down at the car and could just see the little girl’s face in the rear window. But she couldn’t hear her father ask her “What are you looking at, Angie?”

  The little girl turned to her dad and said “Nothing much . . . just a girl flying.” Her father glanced in the rear view mirror and just smiled. His daughter was happily hugging her dolly. “Well, next time you see a flying girl, ask her if she’ll go up on our roof and get your brother’s model airplane down.”

  *****

  Egg was so happy to have helped that little girl that she did a series of loop de-loops. After the last loop she said, “I just love it when I can help people” to a passing bird. The bird looked at her for a long ten seconds . . . then it screeched and flew away. “Well, I do” Egg yelled at the bird.

  She got home, changed out of her suit and into some jeans. Looking at the clock she was disappointed it was only five minutes after eight . . . two more hours before she could go to Ham’s. Still feeling happy about her good deed, she decided to go downstairs and cook breakfast for her family. She thought about what she could make and then laughed. Ham and Eggs – of course.

  *****

  When they arrived at ten minutes past ten the blue moving van was parked in the driveway. And the same two big men that Egg had seen three hours earlier were taking the very same table back into the house. For some reason, that made her giggle.

  Then she saw Sylvia and the giggle turned into a squeal. It is one of the great mysteries of life why every young girl reacts in this fashion. But it must be a good thing because it makes their parents smile.

  So Egg jumped out of the car and ran to Ham who was running to her and they collided and fell in a big heap in the snow. They hugged each other, and threw snow up in the air and tried to catch it in their mouth. Then they hugged each other again.

  Egg’s parents walked to the house and greeted the Hampton’s who were waiting at the door. Egg’s m
om had brought a basket of cookies and bread that she had baked for the new neighbors. Then all four grown-ups did a quick tour of the house while the two girls went straight to Sylvia’s bedroom.

  “See how awful the color is?”

  “Yikes. I once saw this shade of blue on an Easter egg. It didn’t look good either” and they both laughed.

  *****

  Later that night, the girls were lying in Sylvia’s bed. They were exhausted from all the unpacking they had to do. But, even with all that work, they couldn’t have been happier.

  “It’s like a dream come true, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, Ham, it would all be perfect if you get into my class.”

  They talked about this and that for another twenty minutes. But soon they were so tired that they had to go to sleep. Ham turned off the light and they said their goodnights. But just before she closed her eyes, Egg asked, “Ham, would you like to fly to France with me someday?” But Ham was already asleep.

  Chapter 4 – Egg on Their Face

  “Can I please? Please, please, pretty please.”

  Sylvia’s dad looked at his daughter and pretended to think about her request. In truth, there was almost nothing in this world he wouldn’t give his little girl to make her happy. But it always seemed to surprise her and she was always genuinely appreciative. “Well, okay.”

  And, as you can probably guess, she and Egg began to squeal in delight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you” and gave her father a big hug and a kiss. “Can we start fixing it up right now?”

  “Sure. There are a few things already up there. Just move them to one side and I’ll find another home for them.”

  What they were talking about was the attic. When the girls got up Sunday morning, they had gone up there to explore. And it was love at first sight. In their very active imaginations, they saw it as just the coolest place for the new club they were going to start.

  “What should we call it?” Egg asked her friend.

  “I’m not sure, but it has to be something really clever.”

  “I don’t want to call it a club; that sounds boring. So let’s call it a . . . um . . . sisterhood.”

  “Great idea. How about The Ham and Egg Sisterhood” and both girls laughed.

  “Sounds more like a breakfast club.”

  “Yeah. Let me think,” which was something Sylvia was very good at. After a moment, her face lit up . . .

  . . . “How about the Hameggattic Sisterhood?” It has everything . . . your name, my name and this attic where it all begins.”

  “Hameg-gattic, Hameg-gattic” Egg repeated as if she was tasting the word on her lips. “It’s brilliant. I love it.”

  So, they climbed back up after they had received permission, stood under the single light bulb, held each other’s hand and made a vow – “We are the Sisters of Mystery and will protect each other from danger and keep each other’s secrets for as long as the sun shines and the stars twinkle.” Then they locked pinkies and shook their hands up and down three times.

  And in so doing, the Hameggattic Sisterhood was officially born.

  *****

  On Monday morning, Egg was sitting at her desk in Mrs. Sparks’ class anxiously looking at the door. If Sylvia had been assigned to her class, she should be coming in any minute. Her teacher was asking everyone about their weekend, but Egg wasn’t paying attention. She had more important things to think about.

  “I said Eloise, how was your weekend?”

  Egg looked up when she heard her name, and to her embarrassment, everyone was staring at her. She turned a lovely shade of pink. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Sparks, what did you say?”

  But before she could answer, the classroom door opened up and in walked Sylvia and the Principal, Miss Grumple. “Excuse me, Mrs. Sparks, but I have the new student we talked about. Everyone, this is Sylvia Hampton.”

  Mrs. Sparks said “Well, good morning, Sylvia and welcome to our third grade class. Let me introduce everyone” and she went around the room naming all the kids. When she got to Egg, the girl stood up and said, “Actually, Mrs. Sparks, Ham and I are best friends.”

  “Ham?” All the kids giggled.

  “It’s my nickname . . . as in the first three letters of my last name. And, since Egg is my best friend, it kind of fits.”

  “Oh, I see. Hmm . . . Ham and Egg. That’s very clever. But would you mind if I called you Sylvia?”

  “Oh, that’s okay. My mom and dad call me that.”

  “Well, then, if you would take a seat over there, we can get started with today’s lesson.”

  *****

  At noon, Egg and Sylvia took their lunch boxes and found a table in the corner of the cafeteria. Both girls felt like they were in a dream . . . life couldn’t have been any more perfect. And no one tried to sit with them . . . not even Angela and Presley.

  For the next twenty minutes, the two friends had a wonderful girl-to-girl conversation . . .

  “So, what do you think of Mrs. Sparks?”

  “I like her. She seems very nice and she’s definitely a good teacher.”

  “How about Miss Grumple?” asked Egg, trying very hard not to giggle.

  Sylvia looked around to make sure no one could hear her “Isn’t she too weird?” And they both laughed until milk came out of Sylvia’s nose, then they laughed even harder.

  “So what’s your favorite subject?”

  “Oh, I like most everything. But if I had to choose one, I’d say it was math.”

  “Ugg. I hate math.”

  “You do? Why?”

  “There’s just too many numbers.”

  “That’s true. What about English?”

  “Too many words.”

  “Then what do you like?”

  Egg pondered that for a few seconds. For a very intelligent young lady, hardly any subject really sparked her interest. “Well, if I had to choose, I would say history. I like to read about other countries.”

  “Have you ever been?”

  “Been? You mean have I ever visited another country?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, my parents once took me to Canada.”

  “How about other states? I’ve never left this one.”

  “What about Washington, D.C.?” Egg asked before she realized her mistake. She had flown her friend there as Flying Girl. But, of course, Ham didn’t remember it.

  “Why did you ask me that?”

  “Umm, I don’t know. I just thought you said you’ve been there.”

  “I have.”

  “You have?” asked a shocked Egg.

  “Kind of. I had this dream that I flew there. It was at night and everything was all lit up. It was beautiful.”

  “But it was just a dream?”

  “Yes, but it was so real.”

  “Do you ever want to go to France? I’m just dying to fly there.”

  “Well, of course you have to fly to get there, silly.”

  Egg turned a light shade of pink over yet another slip of the tongue. If she kept this up, sooner or later she was going to get Flying Girl in trouble. “You know what I mean. Anyway, if I ever get the chance to go, would you like to go with me?”

  “No. Not really. There’s so much of America that I would like to see first.”

  “Oh” said a very disappointed Egg.

  “Wouldn’t you like to see Mount Rushmore?”

  “Why?”

  “Well . . . to see four gigantic faces carved into a mountain. I think that would be so interesting.”

  Before Egg could respond, she was saved by the bell. Lunch was over.

  “Let’s go,” she said to her friend. “We have to get to the MPR for P.E.”

  “What do you think we’ll be doing today?”

  “I would have to say . . . dodge ball.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because everything else today has been perfect . . . and I love dodge ball.”

  *****

  “. . . and this variation is called
butt-in-the-way. So you have three ways to stay alive and in the game. You can catch the ball, you can dodge out of the way or you can block it with your butt. To make it more fun I’m going to give each side five balls. Last person standing wins the game for his or her team. Any questions?”

  Mr. Doohickey, the P.E. teacher, was very tall and skinny. Somebody said he used to play professional basketball until he hurt his leg. The kids all loved him because he was always changing the rules of the games to make them more fun . . . or at least funny. Today, like every Monday and Thursday, Mrs. Sparks’ third graders were battling Miss Peakabu’s class. And there was no love lost between the two groups . . . when it came to P.E. competitions.

  “See, I told you.” Sylvia stuck her tongue out at her friend, and then smiled.

  “Okay, here are the balls . . . but don’t start throwing until you hear my whistle.” He tossed five balls to each side. Egg caught one of them. Then the whistle blew and the balls went flying in every direction.

  Within two minutes, half of each class had been eliminated including Angela and Presley. Though there were two teams, there was no teamwork. Everyone played for themselves except Ham and Egg. They stood shoulder to shoulder, protecting one another from balls thrown from the sides.

  “Ham . . . lookout” and Egg caught a ball that almost took her friends head off. She threw it back then stumbled and fell down. Someone from the other team . . . a big kid name Nasty Nick . . . fired one right at Egg. Ham saw it coming and stepped in front of her friend, turned around, and the ball bounced off her butt.