The Girl Who Owned a City Read Free Page A

that gave them all the wonderful things. Now that grown-ups were gone, she had to start thinking every day. Her thinking would let them keep on living.
    Obviously, finding food would be a constant and frustrating problem. But at least now she had some good ideas. She could—yes, she
would
—figure something out.
    Lisa glanced at the wind-up clock. It was almost ten. “I’d better go to sleep,” she decided. But her mind was racing with many new ideas. Some of them made her laugh, but others were actually workable. It seemed that she had a million things to do tomorrow, and she couldn’t wait to get started.
    It was midnight when she next noticed the face of the clock. Lisa smiled in the dark. For the first time in a long time, she was ready for the morning.

CHAPTER THREE
    M
    onday used to be Girl Scout day. Her old scout uniform caught Lisa’s eye as she scanned her closet for something to wear. It was just a useless piece of clothing now, because Troop 719 no longer existed. The uniform still belonged to her, but she belonged to very little.
    Once she had been a Girl Scout, a fifth-grader, a daughter, a ballet dancer, a friend, and so many other kinds of “belonging” that she couldn’t name them all. Now she belonged only to herself and to Todd.
    She tried on the uniform anyway. Somehow it made her feel good.
    Anxious to start her trip to the farm, Lisa did the morning chores as fast as she could. She made the bed, wound the clocks, dressed, checked the doors and windows, and prepared breakfast in less then 20 minutes.
    Todd asked his regular breakfast question: “What are we going to do today, Lisa?”
    She started to tell him that he should try fishing, but she hesitated. She had been too bossy lately. Young as he was, Todd was her partner, and Lisa knew that it would be better if they acted as a team.
    A suggestion would be better than an order. “Do you think you could catch some fish at Perry’s Pond?” she asked.
    â€œSure, Lisa.” He was confident.
    â€œGood. I’ll help you get the stuff together.”
    â€œI’ll find some worms,” Todd volunteered, putting on his coat. “Where’s the shovel?”
    She helped him find it and then watched as he dragged the huge shovel toward the Triangle. She smiled, feeling certain that she would be the one finally digging up the worms.
    Todd returned from the woods a few minutes later. He’s given up already, thought Lisa—but she was wrong. There was a giant smile on his face and a collection of worms, twigs, and leaves in his coat pocket. They picked out the biggest worms and put them in a coffee can. After she strung the bamboo pole, Todd started out for the pond.
    â€œCome back by ten and don’t fall in the water,” she said. Oops! she thought. I’m giving orders again.
    â€œOkay, Lisa.”
    After he left, she eagerly set out on her own adventure. On Chidester Street she found a red, high-sided wagon. In it were a few small cars and a toy truck that she would bring home for Todd. The wagon itself would be perfect for carrying whatever she might find at the farms.
    At home, she tied the wagon securely to the back of her bicycle. If she did find a chicken, she would need a cage of some kind. The wicker clothes hamper that she loaded into the wagon would work.
    She would be gone for several hours, so she pocketed the last candy bar to keep the hunger away. She prepared Todd’s snack—soda crackers and a packet of low-cal instant breakfast mixed with water. She hated the taste of this diet stuff, but she was very glad to have it.
    Todd returned at ten without any fish. He hid his disappointment behind talk about tomorrow’s fishing trip, about how he needed more time, and about how he was sure he could catch fish for them. “Fishing takes patience,” he said, in a tone of voice that reminded Lisa of Uncle Pete.
    â€œTomorrow you’ll catch