The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection Read Free Page B

already?”
    Two hands rose.
    “ Okay, let’s listen while I
play a recording of it. Follow the words on the screen, and when
you get the hang of the melody, join in.” She clicked the icon on
her presentation slide, cuing the music. Some of the older girls
started singing along, but the slower tempo made several of the
younger students restless. As the song came to an end, she noted
only a handful of students were singing.
    “ Isn’t that a pretty
song?”
    One of the first graders raised her hand.
“It’s okay, but I don’t know the words.”
    “ I didn’t think most of you
would,” Sophie replied. “So that’s why I put the words on the
screen. Did you have trouble seeing it?”
    “ I can see it, but I can’t
read it,” the girl answered.
    “ Why not?”
    “ I haven’t learned those
words yet.”
    Oops. Note to self. First graders are still
learning to read. Back to the drawing board.
    “ Miss Sophie, can I sit
down now?” Jordan asked from his corner.
    She checked her watch. Four minutes had gone
by. Close enough. “Sure. Just be careful—”
    Footsteps thundered from both corners as the
boys raced toward the chairs. Unfortunately they both targeted the
same chair and crashed into each other, headfirst. The crack had
Sophie gasping in horror. To make matters worse, Joshua’s head hit
the seat of the chair on his way down.
    The boys, however, didn’t share her horror.
They both sat on the floor, holding their heads, wearing identical
grins. “That was funny!” One of them laughed. But then the laughter
turned into a howl of pain. “Owie,” he wailed. As he cried, a steam
of red ran out of the side of his mouth.
    Visions of concussions and lawsuits leapt
into Sophie’s mind. She needed to have them looked at, preferably
by someone who could hold them down. She took out her cell phone to
call an ambulance then thought again. A blaring ambulance might
scare the rest of the kids. She opened the door to see Harriet
Eckman, the church secretary, walking by.
    “ Harriet, I think we’re
going to need a doctor. Or maybe an ambulance. I’m not
sure.”
    Harriet’s eyes widened, but she remained
remarkably calm. “What happened, dear?”
    “ Jordan and Josh Longton
ran headfirst into each other—”
    She didn’t need to say anything else. The
Longton twins and their antics were well known in Zutphen. Harriet
nodded knowingly. “Of course. Doc VanEss just walked in. I’ll get
him to look at them.” She took two steps then turned back. “And
another pair of hands to hold them down while he looks.” The lady
disappeared into the office. A few seconds later, her voice rang
out over the intercom, requesting Doc VanEss to come to the choir
room.
    Sophie took a deep breath and steeled
herself for the next part of the rehearsal. How had she lost
control? She’d never had it, of course. Then she noted the silence.
No one spoke, not even the gossipy third grade girls. Even the
twins sat in stunned silence from their spots on the floor.
    “ Okay, kids, let’s try the
next song. I hope you like this one a little better.” She clicked
over to the next screen, which featured a song with a Latin beat.
Before she could cue up the music, the door opened, and Doc VanEss
entered, along with another man. The doctor was a jovial gentleman
who greeted Sophie with a smile, but the tall man with him wore a
stern expression. Milton Longton was the twins’ grandfather. He was
also the president of the consistory, and the man had no qualms
about sharing his disappointment in his grandsons. “Jordan and
Joshua, you need to come with us right now.”
    Both boys obeyed wordlessly.
    Without the twins there, the rest of the
rehearsal went smoothly. Sophie made a note of which songs worked
and which ones didn’t. Unfortunately the Won’t Work list far
outnumbered the Will Work one.
    She was just about to dismiss the students
when a thunderous crash echoed through the church. Sophie wondered
if she needed to get the