Melinda’s Story
Since most of us had given up sweets for Lent, we skipped dessert and went straight to the castle. When Mr. Adam pulled into the parking lot, I was surprised to see the building really looked like a castle. Built of large gray stones, it was three stories tall and surrounded by a moat. We had to cross a drawbridge to enter.
On our right was a sales counter. Mr. Adam bought all-access wristbands for me and the boys, then paid for himself and Miss Kara to play minigolf. The girl behind the counter passed him a scorecard and five brightly colored balls. Pat took them and we went to pick our putters.
As we approached the first hole, Mr. Adam looked around. “Should we play teams?”
Miss Kara sent him a confused look. “How does that work with an odd number? And I want purple. Melinda, you should be pink to match your hair.”
“Is that okay with you?” Pat turned to me, his tone slightly patronizing. He held out the hand in which he held all five golf balls.
I smiled. “I like pink. That works fine.”
“We would go by team averages,” Mr. Adam explained.
Miss Kara groaned. “You’re going to ruin my score if we do that.”
Pat pointed to me. “Yeah, but we’ll have Melinda.”
I stared at him. “Ouch.”
“Oh, come on. Last time your score was like twice mine and Walter’s.”
“I was on crutches! I was lucky to hit the ball at all!”
Miss Kara shook her head. “No teams. Adam, you’re green.”
I saw Mr. Adam wink at me as he took his ball. “What if I want to be red?”
“Then be red.”
“No. I’ll be green. I just wanted to know what would happen if I wanted to be red.”
“Can we just play?” Walter whined.
Miss Kara pursed her lips. “Fine. I’ll go first.”
“Mom can be a little competitive,” Pat whispered in my ear.
“I heard that.” She pointed her club at Pat before placing her ball on the first tee. She stared at the course a moment, took a practice swing, then hit the ball. It bounced off the back wall and rolled far away from the hole. She swore as she went to stand by her husband. Walter turned to me.
“Go ahead. You can go next.”
My ball stopped right beside the hole. Walter hit after me, accidentally tapping mine in.
I jumped up and down. “Yes! That counts as one.”
Pat made a face. “It shouldn’t.”
Mr. Adam was on my side. “She only hit the ball once.”
“There’s got to be a rule against that.”
Walter hit Pat on the arm. “Just take your turn.”
“Mom! He hit me.”
Miss Kara narrowed her eyes at her sons. “Do you two want to sit in the car?”
Pat put his ball on the tee and took his turn. His ball ricocheted off Walter’s, stopping near the hole while Walter’s ended up rolling near his mother’s.
Despite my strong start, I ended up coming in second to Walter. Pat glared at his brother. “I challenge you to the maze.”
Walter looked at his father. “Dad?”
Mr. Adam shook his head. “I’m going to grab a snack. You kids go ahead.”
Pat took my hand as we followed Walter toward the front desk. After the attendant checked our wristbands, she gave us each a blank index card. “Do you know how to play?”
When I shook my head, the attendant gave me some brief instructions before I followed the boys to the entrance.
Walter took up a running stance. “On your mark.”
Pat quickly mirrored his brother’s stance. I looked between them.
“Oh. Are we not doing this together?”
Pat shook his head. “It’s a contest. I’ll come find you after I win.”
Walter smirked. “Get set. Go!”
I was pretty sure Walter took a step before actually shouting go, but I held my tongue. The boys immediately ran straight into the maze, turning in opposite directions at the fork. I took my time. For me, the challenge was simply collecting all eight stamps, one from each corner of each of the two levels. I didn’t care who did it first.
When I found a set of stairs, I climbed them, finding myself at a viewing station that allowed me to get an aerial view of the entire maze.
Each of the towers had a staircase to the upper level, but the upper stories were not connected to each other. I could see Pat and Walter both running frantically toward dead ends. Had either of them found a stamp yet? I stared at the maze for a moment or two, planning my route. When I knew where I wanted to go, I made my way back to the first level and headed to the first corner. I used the hole puncher to stamp a bunny onto my card, then decided to see where the path would lead me.
I enjoyed completing the maze, punching my card all eight times without having to visit the viewing station again. When I was done, I found my way back to the entrance, which was also the exit, and handed my card to the attendant.
She nodded toward the maze. “How was it?”
I smiled. “I had fun.”
“What’s next?”
“I think I’m going to go find my friends.”
“Good luck.” The attendant waved as I followed the signs to the second-floor food court. Where else would the boys be?
But they weren’t there. Their parents were sitting at a table overlooking the maze. Miss Kara smiled at me as I sat across from them.
“We were watching you. You did very well.”
I looked down. Pat was in one tower while Walter was at the station just below him. I turned back to Miss Kara. “Did Walter and Pat decide to go again?”
Mr. Adam shook his head with a smirk. “No. This is still their first time. If my calculations are correct, they each have four stamps and will be a while longer. Would you like a snack? My treat.”
I shook my head. “No. You paid for the games. I can get it myself.”
I had finished my large pretzel and was nearly done with my milkshake when Walter flopped down beside me. “Yes. I beat Pat. Did you decide not to play?”
I showed him my completed card. He gave me a confused look. “Where’d you get that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Walter, I finished the maze like twenty minutes ago.”
“No you didn’t.”
Pat swore as he reached the top of the stairs.
“Watch that mouth,” his mother warned.
Pat ignored her as he sat beside me. “Did you go with Walter?” He took a sip of my milkshake.
Walter shook his head. “No. She beat us all by herself.”
Mr. Adam smirked. “So, what’s next?”
Before anyone could respond, there was a scream from the snack bar. I glanced over to see a girl about my age pointing straight toward us.
“OMG! It’s Patrick McGregor!”
Pat gave a small wave at the girl, as he muttered under his breath. “Car. Now.”
I followed Walter toward the stairs and we briskly made our way to the car. Mr. Adam joined us a moment later. He pulled the car as close to the main entrance as possible so Pat and Miss Kara could climb in quickly. He didn’t even wait for them to fasten the seatbelts before tearing out of the parking lot. Miss Kara turned to the backseat.
“Everyone okay?”
Pat nodded. “Yeah. We’re good.”
“Melinda? You okay?”
I shrugged. “Is it weird I’m getting used to this?”
I had assumed that family fun night would end when we left the castle, but Miss Kara suggested we watch a family movie. After washing Mae out of my hair, I changed into pajamas and went to the theater. Mr. Adam and Miss Kara were sitting in a middle row. Walter was a couple of rows behind them. With a shrug, I sat beside him. Pat joined me a few minutes later.
Mr. Adam and Walter had picked the movie. It was some space opera I couldn’t understand. There were too many characters, and I got the impression the plot was something along the lines of how many aliens can the main character kill? I closed my eyes.
The next thing I knew, someone was tapping my shoulder. I opened my eyes. Miss Kara was standing between me and Pat.
“You two should go to bed.”
I sat up. It did not surprise me to see I had fallen asleep against Pat. He had been using my head as a pillow. As I got to my feet, I realized the screen was off and the room was dark. Walter and Mr. Adam were gone.
Miss Kara paused by the door, pointing at me and Pat. “Both of you. Go to bed.” She eyed us one more time before leaving.
Taking my hand, Pat led me out of the room and up both flights of stairs, stopping in front of his bedroom door. He turned to me, wrapping me in his arms. “I had a fun time with you today.”
I smiled. “Me, too.” I kissed him until my heart stopped beating. I was filled with a warmth that extended from my belly to the tips of my toes, and I never wanted to leave.
Eventually, Pat rested his forehead against mine. “Goodnight,” he murmured.
“Goodnight.” I kissed him lightly before heading to my bed.
Pat’s Story
Apparently, family night was more than just church and supper. It also included a night at the castle amusement center. Mom was in the mood for a round of mini-golf. Dad looked around as we approached the first hole.
“Should we play teams?”
Mom frowned. “How does that work with an odd number? And I want purple. Melinda, you should be pink to match your hair.”
She reached for the golf balls in my hand, but I offered them to my girlfriend instead. “Is that okay with you?”
Melinda shrugged. “I like pink.” She took it with a smile. “That works fine.”
Dad was still trying to push for teams. “We would go by team averages.”
Mom groaned. “You’re going to ruin my score if we do that.”
I pointed to my girlfriend. “Yeah, but we have Melinda.”
She glared at me. “Ouch.”
“Oh, come on. Last time, your score was like twice mine and Walter’s.”
“I was on crutches! I was lucky to hit the ball at all!”
Mom shook her head. “No teams. Adam, you’re green.”
Dad took his ball with a smirk. “What if I want to be red?”
“Then be red.”
“No, I’ll be green. I just wanted to know what would happen if I wanted to be red.”
I was getting sick of my parents acting like petulant children. Walter must have as well. He groaned.
“Can we just play?”
Mom pursed her lips. “Fine. I’ll go first.”
As Mom headed to the tee, I caught the amused look on Melinda’s face. I pulled her close, whispering in her ear. “Mom can be a little competitive.”
“I heard that.” Mom sent me a warning look before setting up her ball. She took a practice swing before taking her turn. She hit it too hard. It bounced off the back and rolled away from the hole. Swearing, Mom went to stand by Dad.
Melinda went next, her ball stopping right beside the hole. When Walter hit it in, she started celebrating.
“Yes! That counts as one!”
I frowned. “It shouldn’t.”
Dad pointed to the hole. “She only hit the ball once.”
“There’s got to be a rule against that.”
Walter punched my shoulder. “Just take your turn.”
I turned to my parents. “Mom! He hit me!”
Mom glared at us. “Do you two want to sit in the car?”
I had been fooling around, but Mom looked serious. With a sigh, I set up my ball. I knocked Walter’s away from the hole.
Walter and I spent most of the game vying for the lowest score. We made Dad keep a running tally, announcing the score at each hole. Unfortunately, I accidentally hit my ball off the course during the sixteenth hole and the penalty cost me my place. Melinda ended up sneaking past me to place second behind my brother.
But I didn’t want to go home a loser. I narrowed my eyes at my brother. “I challenge you to the maze.”
Mom and Dad elected to wait for us in the snack bar, but Melinda wanted to join us. At the front desk, the girl behind the counter gave us each a blank index card. While she went over the rules with Melinda, I considered my strategy. The last time I had done this, I turned right at every fork, unless I could see a dead end. It sounded illogical, but I had won the last three games with that strategy. I figured I would try that again today.
I followed Walter to the beginning of the maze, where he took up a running stance. “On your mark.”
As I got into position, Melinda frowned. “Oh. Are we not doing this together?”
I shook my head. “It’s a contest. I’ll come find you after I win.”
My brother took advantage of my girlfriend distracting me. “Get set. Go!”
He totally started running before shouting go. But arguing was fruitless. I chased him into the maze. At the fork, he turned to the right.
I went in the opposite direction. I would have to rethink my strategy. What if I alternated between right and left turns?
I placed my index card in my right hand to remind myself to turn that way next time. But doing so brought me to a dead end. I ran back to the last intersection.
If I turned left, that would bring me back to the entrance, so I kept going straight.
The maze branched off to the right. Without breaking my stride, I turned, passing the index card into my left hand. The path turned a few times, but it didn’t split or branch off. Eventually, I found myself in the lower level of the castle turret. With a smile, I used the hole puncher to stamp a rabbit onto my index card.
One down. Only seven more to go.
About ten minutes later, I reached my first second-story turret. After stamping a frog on my index card, I looked around. The upper levels weren’t connected to each other. But they did each have two staircases leading to them. If I took the other one down, then made a left-right-right, I should be able to get to the next turret.
Nodding to myself, I glanced around the rest of the maze. Melinda was strolling leisurely near the center of the maze. Had she found any stamps? Maybe I should have asked her to join me. The poor girl would probably be lost in here for hours.
I quickly scanned for my brother. He was in the bunny turret. How many stamps had he found?
I ran to the stairs. I couldn’t let my brother win.
Half an hour later, I punched a dog into my index card and ran back the way I had come. I ran straight past two branches before turning left. A moment later, I exited the maze.
“Yes!” I threw my hands above my head in celebration. The girl behind the counter sent me a look like she felt sorry for me. I kind of did, too. I wanted to celebrate my win.
My parents were upstairs. They would be happy for me. Maybe I could even sit by the window and watch my brother and girlfriend trying to navigate the maze.
When I reached the top of the stairs, however, I realized there was a major flaw in my plan. They were both sitting with my parents.
I placed an arm on Melinda’s chair as I sat beside her. “Did you go with Walter?”
I reached for her drink, taking a sip. I expected diet soda, but the chocolate milkshake wasn’t that bad, either.
Before Melinda could answer, however, my brother did. “No. She beat us all by herself.”
Dad glanced around. “So, what’s next?”
A screaming fan answered for him. “OMG! It’s Patrick McGregor!”
I glanced over my shoulder. The girl by the snack bar was fumbling with her phone, probably trying to snap some pictures. Two adults stood beside her, both wearing those garish Los Angeles t-shirts that only tourists ever wore.
I gave a polite wave, flashing her a quick smile before turning back to my table. I leaned in, keeping my voice low. “Car. Now.”
I had grown up dealing with situations like this. My family knew the drill. As I rose from the table, the screaming fan rushed to my side. “OMG! I can’t believe it’s really you! Can we take a selfie?”
As I posed with her, I saw Walter guiding Melinda down the stairs. Mom stayed with me, posing for photographs with the parents. Before I could make my escape, however, more fans flocked us. Not all of them were tourists. There was a group of kids about the same age as Melinda’s brother crowded around us as well.
Mom and I didn’t sign autographs. We posed for some pictures, slowly backing our way out of the snack bar and down the stairs. The fans followed us across the drawbridge, though they didn’t bombard the car.
As soon as Mom and I closed the doors behind us, Dad pulled away from the curb.
Mom turned around. “Everyone okay?”
I did a quick head count before nodding. “Yeah. We’re good.”
She turned to my girlfriend beside me. “Melinda? You okay?”
She smiled. “Is it weird I’m getting used to this?”
As Mom turned back to the front seat, I pulled Melinda close, kissing the top of her head. “Sorry about that.”
She gave a small laugh. “Pat, it’s not the first time that’s happened. I’m fine. Really.”
As she snuggled close, I realized she was telling the truth. She was completely unfazed by the scene in the snack bar. Knowing that made me love her just a little bit more.
As Dad pulled into the garage, Mom turned around. “It’s still early. Would anyone like to watch a family movie?”
Walter shrugged. “What’d you have in mind?”
“Nothing special. Whatever we can find.”
I glanced at Melinda as we climbed out of the car. “What do you think?”
She shrugged. “That sounds fun. But I need to a shower first.”
I followed her upstairs, giving her a quick kiss outside her door before going to my room. After changing into pajama pants and a shirt I could sleep in, I checked my social media feed. The photos with the tourists hadn’t gone viral yet. Hopefully, they never would.
I was the last one to the theater, settling in a seat beside my girlfriend. As Dad started the movie, I draped my arm around her, pulling her close. The theater wasn’t designed for snuggling, but we weren’t exactly uncomfortable either. I rested my head on hers as I settled into the movie.
Walter and Dad had picked a science fiction movie they both loved. I had seen it before and found it less entertaining the second time around. It was difficult to keep my eyes open.
Eventually, I felt someone shaking me awake. I opened my eyes to see Mom standing in front of me and Melinda.
“You two should go to bed.”
Melinda sat up. She had fallen asleep in my arms. I hated that Mom was making us move, but the theater really wasn’t a comfortable place to spend the night. As Melinda and I followed Mom to the exit, I realized the screen was off and Walter and Dad were long gone. Mom turned back around at the door, pointing at us with pursed lips.
“Both of you. Go to bed.”
She sent me a look of warning before leaving. Taking Melinda’s hand, I led her out of the theater, taking our time up the back staircase. I paused in front of my bedroom door, turning to her and pulling her close. “I had a fun time with you today.”
“Me, too.” With a smile, her lips met mine. My heart stopped beating normally, and I held her even tighter. I wished we could stay like that all night.
But we couldn’t. I rested my forehead against hers. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” After one more kiss, she headed toward her room. With a sigh, I went to bed.
Attention Hammerheads
Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.
Hartfield Chronicles 