The Falcon Street Club

Chapter 1: A Pleasant Surprise

The wind began to pick up as the boys headed for home. "Let me see the ticket!" said Tim with excitement. Riley handed it to him carefully as if it were a fragile flower. It was like gold in his hands. "Can you believe it? Ten THOUSAND dollars right here in my hand!" "Lemme see," said Jordie, taking the ticket from Tim. He, too, gazed at the little card -this little card that could change all of their lives for the better, or perhaps, the worse.

"I'll put it away for safekeeping, thank you," Riley said, plucking it from Jordie's hand and shoving it into his back pocket. "I can't wait to tell my mom and dad," Jordie said gleefully.

They all chatted about how they would divide the cash and what they would do with it. When the boys reached Falcon Street, Drew instructed, "Okay, make sure you don't lose that ticket!" "Oh, I won't," replied Riley, taking it out of his pocket again. "This is goin' in my secret hiding place!" He touched the ticket to his lips as if to kiss it when suddenly, a strong gust of wind whisked it out of his hand and carried it across the street. It blew into the baseball field behind the chain link fence.

"Hurry!" yelled Jordie. They all dashed to the end of the fence and ran through the opening. They could see the ticket in the grass. "Get it!" yelled Drew. All at once, the boys dove for the treasured card like a football team scrambling for the ball. Tim was about to pick it up when the wind grabbed it again. "Nooo!" yelled Jordie. They chased it until it blew up against the fence on the opposite side of the field.

Drew reached it first and snatched it up quickly. "Man, we just about lost it," he said, catching his breath. He gripped it tight in his hand. "Okay, lemme have it," said Riley. "I dunno. Can I trust you to keep it safe?" asked Drew, holding it above his head. "It's MINE!" yelled Riley. "Don't forget, I found it!" "Wait, isn't it all of ours?" asked Tim, his soulful eyes turning to Riley. "Now guys, c'mon," Jordie said. "Riley did find it, but you did say you were gonna share with us, right, Riley?" Riley laughed. "Yeah, I'm sharin'. There's plenty of money for all of us! Now GIMME that ticket!" he said with a grin, snatching it from Drew. "Watch it! You almost ripped it," Drew yelled.

Chapter 2: An Unexpected Twist

When they reached Falcon Street, Jordie said goodbye to them and ran down to his house, barely able to contain his excitement. The rest of the boys departed hastily, each eager to break the news to their families.

Riley lived with his mother and stepfather, whom he called dad. His real father had died when he was only two, so he'd always called his stepfather 'dad' for as long as he could remember. Drew's mother and father were divorced, and although he lived with his dad in Colby, he visited his mother and two brothers at least three times a month. Jordie's family consisted of his mother, dad, and sister Julie and Tim had a large, close-knit family of four siblings.

Riley ran into his house. "Mom! Mom!" he yelled out. His mother came running in from the kitchen. "What's the matter?" she cried. Riley pulled the ticket from his pocket and began to jump up and down. "Look!" She scanned it briefly, her eyes and mouth opening in surprise. "Where did you get THIS?" "It's mine! I found it on the ground, and we scratched it!"

"One hundred thousand dollars!" she exclaimed as she sank into the couch. "No, ten thousand," said Riley, correcting her. She looked at the ticket again. "No, see here?" she cried happily, pointing to the numbers. "You got this symbol. It gives you ten times your winning amount!"

How on earth could ALL the boys have missed that? Even with them looking at it over and over again, not one of them noticed the symbol (but then again, nine and ten-year-olds don't usually play the lottery.)

"YAY!!" screamed Riley, jumping up and down and clapping his hands. "I gotta tell the guys!" he squealed as he ran to his room for his walkie-talkie. "Where are we gonna put it, ya know, for safekeeping, mom?" asked Riley, but his mother wasn't listening. She was in a daze.

Chapter 3: Big Plans

Meanwhile, Jordie had rushed into his house and blurted out the news. His sister, who had been watching television, came in from the den. "What? You guys found a lottery ticket? You're too young to have a lottery ticket. You can't keep it, ya know." Jordie explained that they had given it to Riley's mother. "...and just for that, YOU'RE not getting any of it!" Jordie said to Julie, wagging his finger in her face.

Jordie's father sat down at the kitchen table. He put on his glasses and took a pen and small notepad from his shirt pocket. "Now, lemme see here," he began. He wrote $10,000.00 on the pad. He began to write out the boys' names and included percentages, subtractions, and divisions. He smiled as he murmured to himself. "Now, with all the taxes and fees deducted and splitting it between all four of you boys, I estimate your share to be around seventeen hundred dollars." Seventeen hundred dollars, Jordie said to himself. That was a far cry from ten thousand, but he was happy to be getting that much. He was going to be one of the richest kids in Colby.

Back at Tim's house, his family was abuzz with the wonderful news. "What are ya gonna do with your share," asked his sister Samantha. "I don't know yet," replied Tim with a big smile. "I think I might get one of those new game systems and a skateboard. Then, I'll take some and" - his mother stopped him. "I think you should take that money and put it into a savings account." "Savings account?" the children all whined together. "Oh, mother, you're no fun," his sister complained.

Tim's father lectured him on how fortunate he was to have such a good friend who would share his winnings with him and how he needed to invest the money wisely. "Oh, I will," said Tim eagerly. He was planning on getting a new lawn mower for his yard business, a business in which he was the sole owner, CEO, and president. Of course, that wasn't hard to achieve, considering he was the only employee.

Chapter 4: Drew's Father, the Inventor

Drew's father was already making suggestions to him about his share. "Sometimes we have to help our family out," he said as he popped open a can of root beer. He had already asked Drew if he could borrow the money and pay him back a little each month. Drew wasn't very happy with that arrangement. He knew his father had been working on yet another invention, and he needed money to pay for the patent. His father had told Drew that his opportunity to move forward on his project was now. He made it clear that it was a 'sure thing,' but he had to get that patent before anything else.

As Drew, Tim and Jordie discussed the money with their families, their walkie-talkies began to go off all at once….

"Hey everybody. Come in. It's Riley. Come in, over."

Each boy got on their walkie-talkies and joined in the conversation. There was a lot of chatter about how everyone's families took the news.

"Well, I have even greater news!" shouted Riley. "We're even richer than we thought!" He told the boys that the ticket was for one hundred thousand dollars instead of ten thousand. When they heard that, everyone whooped and hollered so loudly that they nearly broke the walkie-talkies.

Chapter 5: The Borrowing Begins

Not even a week had passed before the whole town of Colby knew about the winning ticket. Riley’s family was invited to a celebration at the little town hall on Saturday where their photos would be taken for the Town Tattler and a potluck would be served in their honor. Of course, everyone thought it was Riley’s stepfather who found the ticket since Riley and the boys would not be able to claim the money because of their ages. Jordie couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. After all, he would have liked to have had a potluck and photo shoot for his family too.

Tim, meanwhile, was being bombarded by all of his sisters and brothers. His big sister Samantha was already asking if she could borrow some money and his twin brothers were begging him for a cute little puppy, they saw for sale over on Culver Street. (Luckily, his little baby brother was too young to even talk yet.)

Drew grappled with the request from his father. He really wanted to spend his money like his friends were going to do, but his father kept asking him nearly every day for the money. As soon as he found out there was to be more than he originally thought, he decided he needed that cash too. “It will be a great investment for you,” Drew’s father said. “You just leave it to me. I have an idea that will make millionaires out of both of us by the time you’re thirty! You’ll see.”

Drew’s mother always called Drew’s father a dreamer. He had big plans and ideas ever since Drew could remember but they never seemed to work out. He wondered why his dad wasn’t a millionaire himself if he had so many good ideas.

Chapter 6: The Celebration

Soon it was Saturday, and everyone went over to the town hall for the celebration. Riley’s family sat at the "table of honor." Flowers and glitter adorned the seating areas, along with a banner that read Congratulations to the Boyer Family. There was a long table, laden with hot dogs and hamburgers, donuts, and cakes, as well as potato salads, chips, and pickles. The mayor of the town stood up and gave a speech. Then it was time for a reporter from the paper to talk to Riley’s family.

They asked how Riley’s stepfather felt about the money and how he came to get the winning ticket. Even though the boys found it and gave it to Mrs. Boyer, he simply said “it was found outside the grocery store by the trash can.” Everyone clapped and congratulated the Boyers. They came up and shook hands with them, and even patted Riley on the head. Everyone seemed happy for them - all except one.

An old man sat at the back of the hall with his arms crossed and a horrible frown on his face. He refused to clap, let alone come forward and congratulate Riley’s family. As the hall began to clear, the man stood up and headed for Riley’s stepfather. “You say the ticket was found by the trash can, was it?” “Yes, uh-huh,” smiled Mr. Boyer. “Was it with some other tickets?” the man snarled. “Why yes, as a matter of fact,” said Riley’s stepfather. He remembered the boys telling him about the other tickets attached to it. “Well, that was MINE,” the man snarled. “I was at the grocery store, and I remember tossing a bunch of tickets out the same day you found that one.” Of course, there was no proof that the man had indeed thrown out the tickets, and even if he had, they were no longer his to claim.

Chapter 7: Where's the Ticket?

Nearly three weeks had passed, and it was almost time to pick up the check from the state lottery office. Riley awoke with a sense of joy in his heart. The sun just seemed a lot brighter, and the birds were loud and cheerful in the trees as if they were singing a song of congratulations to him.

His mother had put the ticket in a cabinet in the living room. He wanted to check it one more time just to make sure it was safe. He went to the cabinet and opened the drawer, but the ticket was nowhere to be found. He stood frozen for a moment, then frantically began running through the house, yelling for his mother. “Mom! MOM!!” He ran into her room, but she wasn’t there. He searched every square inch of the house. He couldn’t find his stepfather either. Where had they gone? He ran out to the garage. The car was there, but there was no sign of them.

“Riley, Riley, come in, Riley, over” the walkie-talkie came alive. Riley got on. “I can’t find the ticket,” he said frantically. “WHAT?” yelled Drew. “You gotta be joking,” said Jordie. Tim was silent. “Is this a joke, Riley?” asked Jordie. “No, I’m serious. My mom put it in the cabinet and now it’s gone! I can’t find my mom and dad either.”

As the boys continued to question him, he spied his stepfather coming from behind the garage. He had been out returning the garbage cans from the street. Riley ran out and asked where his mother had gone. “She’s at the bank,” his stepfather said. He was relieved to find out his mom had taken the ticket and put it in a safety deposit box and was now picking it up. “Whew!” Riley breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s okay, boys,” he announced, “the ticket is safe.”

The next day, Riley and his parents drove to the lottery office. It was indeed an exciting moment! After presenting the ticket, there was a stack of paperwork Mr. Boyer had to fill out. A woman stood behind a glass window and spoke through a little microphone. “Congratulations,” she said, sliding an envelope under the glass. Riley’s folks thanked her, and they all headed back to Colby. Riley’s stepdad took the check the following morning and put it in his bank. It would need to be on hold for several days because it was such a large amount. The boys could hardly contain themselves, and neither could their families.

Chapter 8: Distribution of Wealth

At last, the day came for the money to be distributed amongst the boys. Riley’s family offered to host a barbecue at their house so Tim, Jordie and Drew’s families could all attend too. The boys sat eagerly at one table. Riley’s stepfather came out and handed them each an envelope. They opened them eagerly, only to find a paper check. “What is this?” asked Drew. “Why, it’s your share of the money,” replied Mr. Boyer. It was hard for them to hide their disappointment. “I thought we were getting money. Actual money,” said Tim, sliding the check back into the envelope. “Well, you can’t be carryin’ around all that cash,” said Julie. Jordie just rolled his eyes. They had each received a cashier’s check for seventeen thousand dollars and some odd change after all the taxes and fees had been deducted. Since they were too young to have their own accounts, the checks were made out to their parents.

Riley’s mother said they would go the next afternoon and withdraw some money for him from his mother’s account, so he could have a little while he was waiting for the check to clear. The bulk of it had to remain in a savings account. “You’ll be happy you did this,” Riley’s stepfather assured him, though Riley himself wasn’t so sure.

Jordie held his check tightly on the walk home. He knew he would soon have all the cash he wanted, and he already had big plans for it.

Tim was too impatient to wait for the actual money to be in his hands, so his father agreed to let him have forty dollars from his own pocket in advance. “Let’s see how well you can budget that,” he said, sticking his wallet back in his pocket. Tim was determined to show his family that he could make his money last.

As for Drew, he wasn’t sure if his father was going to give him any of his money.

Chapter 9: The Long-Lost Uncle

One morning, the phone rang at Tim’s house. It was an uncle on his father’s side, Uncle Frank, who hadn’t been heard from in years. “I just called to congratulate the family on the lucky lottery win,” he said happily. He had seen it on the six o’clock news. Tim’s dad talked to him for a while, asking where and how he’d been.

Soon, the conversation turned dark as Uncle Frank began to discuss a financial problem he was having. It seems he had suffered a fire at his auto mechanic's shop. He’d lost everything. “Didn’t you have insurance to cover your loss?” asked Tim’s father. Frank had planned to get it but didn’t get his application submitted before the fire occurred. “The funny thing is, that very application burned in the fire,” laughed Frank awkwardly.

“Well, Frank,” said Tim’s father, “I’d love to help you, but that money isn’t actually mine.” “What do you mean it isn’t yours? You found the ticket, didn’t you?” Frank snapped. His voice became gruff and aggressive. Tim's father explained, “A friend of Tim’s found the ticket and gave it to his mother. Their family shared with the rest of the boys, so the money we have is Tim’s.”

Suddenly, Frank was no longer interested in talking to Tim’s father. As the days rolled by, several other long-lost friends and family members seemed to appear out of nowhere to ask for money too.

Chapter 10: The Ransom Note

The boys decided to have a meeting of the Falcon Street Club to decide what they wanted to get for their clubhouse. They all agreed to meet that day after school. When Jordie arrived, Tim and Drew were already in the treehouse. “Comin’ up,” announced Jordie.

They sat around, talking about the ideas they had for their club. “I say we get a better ladder,” said Tim. “Heck, we could build a whole NEW clubhouse now!” Other suggestions included a tire swing, a lookout tower with a telescope and a big flag displaying the symbol of their club.

As they discussed the ideas, Riley called out on the walkie-talkie. “Hey guys, ya on? Over”. “We’re all here. Where are ya? Over.” “Almost there,” he said. He climbed the makeshift ladder and as he entered, he had a look of worry on his face. “What’s wrong, Riley," asked Jordie. “Look what was taped to my mailbox.” He handed the boys a handwritten note that said: “We have your dog! If you want to see him again, leave $100.00 in the bushes by your mailbox! Don’t tell the cops!”

“Pepper’s gone,” muttered Riley, trying not to cry. Jordie noticed the note had to have been written by a child because the writing was crooked, and some of the letters were backward. “This was just some kid! Let’s go find Pepper and teach this kid a lesson!” Drew said angrily. The boys all descended the ladder with determination in their steps and walkie-talkies at the ready.

Chapter 11: The Confrontation

“You guys go down Falcon Street that way,” directed Drew, “and Tim and I will go this way. Report anything you find. We’ll all meet back at the clubhouse in a bit.”

The boys began walking and calling for Pepper. The little brown and white beagle was cute and friendly, and always came when called. “He must have been taken by someone who knew him,” Jordie said. As the boys walked, they checked out all the houses they knew that had children living in them - and there were a lot in Colby.

After about an hour of walking, Riley began to get tired. “I don’t think we’re going to find him this way,” he said sadly. Just then, Jordie let out a whistle. “Wee-uu-wheet - here Pepper, here boy!” They heard the sound of a dog barking. “That’s him! That’s Pepper! I know his bark,” cried Riley. They ran towards a little house and found Pepper in the backyard. Jordie radioed into Drew and Tim...

“Dog found! Corner of Elm and Ford Street. Over”

“Be right there. Over and out,” called Drew on the other end.

Jordie and Riley approached the gate. Pepper barked and leapt for joy, his tail wagging fiercely. “Pepper! Hi boy. It’s okay, we gotcha now,” said Riley, petting him over the gate.

Some children were gathered around a sandbox at the back of the yard. “Hey, what are doin’ with my dog?” yelled one of the boys. “This is MY dog! You stole him from ME!” Riley yelled, opening the gate. Pepper ran and jumped into Riley’s arms. The kids all came running towards them. “Hey, you gimme my dog and get outta here, or cough up the money” yelled the biggest boy. Jordie and Riley had never seen him before. He must have been new in town and had heard about their sudden fortunes.

As the argument continued, Drew and Tim arrived from down the street. “Hey, what’s goin’ on?” Drew called out. “You guys better get out of here before I call the cops,” one of the boys yelled. “Oh yeah?” screamed Drew, “Who’s gonna make us?” Just then a lady came out of the house. “What’s going on here?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. “They stole my dog, ma’am,” said Riley, trying to be polite. “Who stole your dog?” “They did,” said all the boys, pointing to the group in the yard.

“How could they have your dog?” He’s right there.” The boys explained to the woman that they had just rescued Pepper from the yard. The group of kids were now silent. “Show her the note,” whispered Drew. “This was on my mailbox, ma’am” Riley said, handing the note to the lady.

She read it and stared intently at the group of kids. “Was this your doing, Shane?” she asked. “It was Mark,” the other kids said, pointing to the smallest boy. “Get in the house - all of you! I’m sorry boys, I will take care of this,” she said politely. The boys left and as they walked away, they could hear Mark’s “punishment” all the way down the block.

Chapter 12: Halloween

It was almost Halloween. The boys couldn't wait to Trick or Treat in the neighborhood as there were always plenty of kids to go with.

Jordie's mother had made him a pirate's costume. It had a white cotton shirt with puffy sleeves, an eyepatch, and dark blue pants, which Jordie tucked into a pair of shiny, black boots. He held a silver sword made of aluminum foil, and a stuffed parrot sat perched on his shoulder.

Riley was an alien. His mom had made his costume too. He wore a silver colander on his head with silver wire hangers that pushed through the holes like little antennas. His face was painted green, and he wore a green turtleneck with dark green tights and black boots. He carried a toy ray gun and made the boys laugh with his made-up "alien" language.

Tim was a zombie. His costume was simple. He dressed in some torn clothes he had found in the ragbag and painted his face with dark, black circles under each eye and fake blood coming from the side of his mouth. He carried a sickle and walked slowly, dragging one foot behind him.

Drew thought the boys were silly for wearing homemade costumes when they now had lots of money to buy real ones. He was going to be a robot from the future, and Tim thought Drew's costume was the neatest one of all. It was made of shiny plastic, painted bright red, silver and black. It had a breastplate with knobs and buttons, and even had one that lit up and buzzed. Drew's father had given him some of his money to use.

Mr. Wasco was happy for Halloween himself because now he could introduce his long-awaited invention, just in time for the holiday.

Chapter 13. The Clubhouse Gets a Makeover

Drew's father was eager to show off his invention. He told Drew he had used some of the money to get a patent and a mock-up of his idea. He had invented a metal detector strip for the plastic Halloween candy buckets. That way, if anyone had a sinister motive to put razor blades or pins in the candy or apples, the edge of the bucket would glow a bright red whenever the item was dropped into it. He was able to distribute a few of the strips to the local grocery store. Now, he just needed to wait for feedback.

As the weeks went by, the boys were allowed a small amount of money to buy whatever they desired. They had each pitched in and bought everything they wanted for their clubhouse.

There was now a spanking new ladder that made it easier to climb (much better than the steep slats of wood nailed into the tree.) A large flag attached to a pole stood proudly at the door, displaying the symbol of their beloved Falcon Street Club. It was a large silhouette of a falcon on a tree branch against an aqua background with the letters FSC at the top in bold, red letters.

The lookout tower was nearly done and held a brand-new telescope. It was great for those starry nights and the occasional hunt for UFOs. The only thing missing was a tire swing.

Chapter 14: Christmas Shopping

The boys sat around the clubhouse one Saturday afternoon, thinking about Christmas and the gifts they wanted to get and give. "I want to give my parents something really nice," said Jordie. "Me too," said Riley, biting into a pretzel. "I don't know how much of my money I can get, though," he said. His parents were keeping a tight watch on his spending. Even though it was the boys' money, they still had to go through their parents to get any of it. They all decided to find out how much they could get; then, they would go shopping together.

Riley hurried home and asked his stepfather if he could check his bank account. He still had nearly all of his money because he agreed to keep most of it in his savings. Although he wasn't crazy about that idea, Riley was content to get money on occasion to spend on whatever he liked.

Jordie's parents had the same idea. Whenever he wanted some cash, he had to make a request, and his parents had to agree. Unfortunately, he didn't always spend his money wisely. For example, he once blew his entire birthday money on a giant stuffed panda bear, a years' supply of bubble gum and a smelly pet rat! Needless to say, his parents turned down more requests than not.

Tim was pretty good about watching his spending. He had always been thrifty and was probably the most resourceful of all the boys. He considered himself a businessman since he earned steady money doing yard work during the summers.

Chapter 15: All Gone?

When Drew went home that evening to check his money, he found his father had used all but a hundred and thirty-four dollars. "Dad, how could you?" yelled Drew. His dad responded, "I told you I had to get the mock-up done on my invention, plus purchase the supplies; then there was the labor, design and marketing. I'm going to make it all back, and then I'll replace it. I promise."

Drew didn't know how many times he had heard that same thing from his dad when his mother would complain about the money. He felt the anger rising in him to the point that he couldn't control it any longer. "Dad! Stop! Please," he hollered. "This isn't going anywhere. You've spent all my money on another dream. It's not going to work. IT NEVER HAS."

He grabbed his jacket and ran outside to the clubhouse. He was finally able to tell his father what his mother never could all those years, but he felt bad because he knew he had hurt his feelings.

He climbed the ladder and grabbed the telescope, aiming it towards the sky. The stars were bright, and the moon shone through the large tree. How he wished he were somewhere out in space, away from the pain and sadness he was feeling at that moment.

Christmas was just around the corner. Everyone was excited for the holidays, especially this year. Drew's mother was coming to pick him up as he spent every other Christmas with her and his brothers, Jeff and Brian. He didn't know if he would even have gifts to take to them since his father had spent nearly all of his money.

With his parent's permission, Jordie would get his family an awesome present. He was going to buy a brand-new microwave oven. That would certainly be a luxury item in Colby, as not many families had them. Tim was getting his parents a brand-new color television set, his sister a hair dryer with three heat settings, and he was even able to talk his parents into letting him buy a puppy for his brothers. That was going to be the best gift of all.

Riley was still deciding on what to get his family. His parents reminded him that Christmas wasn't just about presents and food as much as it was about family and the ultimate Christmas gift, he had learned about in Sunday School. Still, he couldn't help feeling a tinge of excitement because this year, in particular, allowed him more gift choices than he had ever had before.

Chapter 16: Merry Christmas

It was Christmas morning. Every house in Colby seemed to be alive with the spirit of the season. It had even snowed! "Merry Christmas," announced Jordie over the walkie-talkie. "Merry Christmas - over," added Riley. Tim wished them all a Merry Christmas too. Drew was at his mother's, so his walkie-talkie was silent.

Tim's brothers went bounding down the stairs to open their gifts. "Open this one first!" shouted Tim. The boys both pulled the green satin ribbon away and lifted the box lid to reveal a tiny, white ball of fur. "Aww," everyone said in unison. The little puppy scrambled to get out of the box, but its short legs couldn't even reach the top. The twins both tried picking it up together. "Careful," Tim's dad said.

Jordie's mother and father loved their new microwave, even if they had already been using it for a few days. Jordie wanted his mother to pick it out herself, and his dad needed to take it in and set it up for them, so he gave it to them a few days early.

Jordie got a pair of rollerblades, a new jacket, some gloves, a scarf and a new game console. Now he was gonna have to buy back some of the games he had sold to the video store!

Riley's family was enjoying the day as well. He was surprised with a brand-new bicycle, cool posters for his room, a sled, and some bright, colorful foam chairs for the clubhouse. They each got a few small things, too; some candy, baseball cards and art supplies. All in all, it turned out to be a very nice Christmas.

Chapter 17: A Happy Ending

A week later, Drew returned to his dad's. Riley was excited to take the foam chairs up to the clubhouse. "Drew. Come in, over," said Riley. Drew was there and told them all they could come down after he finished his chores. Jordie and Tim met with Riley and helped him carry the chairs to the clubhouse. They were able to form a human chain and hoist the chairs above their heads until they reached the top of the ladder.

They all sat down in the soft, comfy chairs. "What did you get for Christmas, Drew?" asked Tim. "Ahh, just a few things; some clothes and stuff for my action figure collection." "What did your dad give ya?" asked Jordie. Drew shrugged and looked down at the floor. "Well, nothin'. -yet," he said as he squirmed.

As they all talked about their holiday, they agreed to go sledding the next day if the snow didn't melt. Suddenly, they heard Drew's dad heading towards the clubhouse. "Hey, Drew? Ya up there?" he asked. "I got somethin' for ya." Drew stood at the entrance of the clubhouse. His dad climbed the ladder with an envelope in his teeth. "Here ya go," he said, handing it to Drew. "Merry Christmas" "What is it?" asked Drew as he began to smile. "Open it!"

Drew opened the envelope and unfolded the pages. "What is it?" he asked, puzzled. "Just read it!" said his dad, laughing. As Drew began to read, his body began to shake, and his knees started to buckle. "What is it?" the boys asked together. Drew folded the document and ran to his father, throwing his arms around him. "What? Tell us!!" the boys all yelled. Drew looked at them with tears in his eyes. "He did it, guys. My dad did it! He sold his invention! They are buying his patent for ONE MILLION dollars!"

The boys all stood, speechless. Drew's father looked at them with tears streaming down his face. "I know you didn't believe in me, Drew. There were times I didn't believe in myself, but I had to keep going. I couldn't give up. If you want something bad enough, you must keep fighting for it, even if the only one in your corner is YOU!"

The boys all clapped, and Drew hugged and kissed his dad. "I'm sorry I didn't believe in you at first, dad. I'm sorry." He was sobbing now. "I love you, son," his dad said, giving Drew a big kiss on the forehead.

"Hey, I got an idea," shouted Tim, "'last one out of the treehouse has to buy lunch!" The boys scrambled down the ladder leaving Drew's father to come down last. "Well, I guess that means I buy lunch," he said, laughing out loud. "Don't worry, guys," chuckled Drew, "he can afford it!"

the end~

© Copyright 2023 mari' emeraude . All rights reserved.

© Copyright 2023 mari' emeraude . All rights reserved.