Read Online Ruby's Slippers by Leanna Ellis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Leanna Ellis
Ads: Link
barely-there tail twitching in anticipation.
I push open the door that leads to the courtyard and Otto bolts forward. He races between the shuffling feet of a group of women who are on their way to the shuttle bus for an excursion to a nearby mall. It’s a warm summer day, a California day, with blue skies and warm breezes. Along the path delicate pink flowers are blooming. The courtyard is lush and green and reminds me of the fields back home.
“You should go shopping with us, Dottie!” someone calls out.
I sit on the nearest bench to catch my breath. “Next time.”
The sunshine feels good on my upturned face. When Otto finally plops down in the grass, panting beside me, I’m reminded that he needs water. I push to my feet and begin the long trek back to my room. The runway … hallway … is empty as everyone has gathered in the lobby to hear a singing group. The children, seven of them, sing and dance on a makeshift stage, sectioned off by potted plants. The residentsclap their hands in rhythm (and not), nodding their heads, smiling.
Now where did Otto go? I glance around my feet. A UPS delivery guy turns down a hallway near the main desk. Behind him, a flash of a tiny gray tail. I follow at a much slower pace, pausing to listen for Otto’s nails against linoleum.
Soon, my heart pounding from exertion, I approach a tiny alcove. I pause at the doorway and lean against the frame, somewhat disoriented, as if I’ve been playing pin-the-tailon-the-donkey and my mask was whisked off suddenly. The hallways and rooms all look so similar. Then I catch a whiff of roasted corn. It’s dark inside the room, but as my eyes adjust I notice a jumble of books crammed into shelves. A sign reads, Take your chance … no, choice … but please return .
“Otto!” I whisper, hoping he’ll hear me and come of his own accord. With a huff, I shove my too-long bangs away from my forehead and peek behind a sturdy reading chair. Something crunches beneath my tennis shoe. I squint down at a smattering of popcorn.
“Who are you looking for?” A splintered voice comes out of the gray shadows and startles me.
I whirl around and see in the murky light a figure, tall and lanky, standing on a stepladder. Her arms are long and as skinny as twigs. She wears a wide grin beneath a mop of straw-like hair that sticks out in all directions.
“My dog. He went this way, I think. But I’m not sure.”
“Like most folks these days. Everybody wants to go their own way.” Her funny expression makes me want to laugh.
“I’m Dottie.”
“I’m a bit confused myself.” She offers a hand for me to shake, squeezing the tips of my fingers rather than my whole hand. “Sophia. How do?”
“Fine, thank you.”
“You can’t be too fine or you wouldn’t be here. And I’m certainly not fine. I’m, well …” She turns slightly away from me. She’s wearing a long blue chambray shirt belted around a full crinkled skirt that’s elevated a few inches in the back. Following the slant of the flowing material, I notice the real problem. The gauzy skirt is pinched in the ladder joint and she’s stuck.
“Can I help you?”
“I don’t know.” She twists, trying to get a better view of her predicament.
“Should I call an attendant?”
“Oh, no. I’ll just get in trouble again.”
“Again?”
“You don’t want to know.” She grabs a crinkly sack of popcorn off the shelf, pops a couple of kernels in her mouth and offers the bag to me. “Hungry?”
“No thanks. Were you looking for a book?” I edge around the ladder and tug on the material.
She holds up a gray lightbulb. “Trying to be helpful.”
I reach out, and she places the burned-out bulb in the palm of my hand. I set it on a lower shelf and flip on the light switch by the door. Light scatters the dark. The colors pop out at me as if they’re playing peek-a-boo. Sophia blinks down at me.
“Let’s see what we can do about this. I don’t want to rip your
I push open the door that leads to the courtyard and Otto bolts forward. He races between the shuffling feet of a group of women who are on their way to the shuttle bus for an excursion to a nearby mall. It’s a warm summer day, a California day, with blue skies and warm breezes. Along the path delicate pink flowers are blooming. The courtyard is lush and green and reminds me of the fields back home.
“You should go shopping with us, Dottie!” someone calls out.
I sit on the nearest bench to catch my breath. “Next time.”
The sunshine feels good on my upturned face. When Otto finally plops down in the grass, panting beside me, I’m reminded that he needs water. I push to my feet and begin the long trek back to my room. The runway … hallway … is empty as everyone has gathered in the lobby to hear a singing group. The children, seven of them, sing and dance on a makeshift stage, sectioned off by potted plants. The residentsclap their hands in rhythm (and not), nodding their heads, smiling.
Now where did Otto go? I glance around my feet. A UPS delivery guy turns down a hallway near the main desk. Behind him, a flash of a tiny gray tail. I follow at a much slower pace, pausing to listen for Otto’s nails against linoleum.
Soon, my heart pounding from exertion, I approach a tiny alcove. I pause at the doorway and lean against the frame, somewhat disoriented, as if I’ve been playing pin-the-tailon-the-donkey and my mask was whisked off suddenly. The hallways and rooms all look so similar. Then I catch a whiff of roasted corn. It’s dark inside the room, but as my eyes adjust I notice a jumble of books crammed into shelves. A sign reads, Take your chance … no, choice … but please return .
“Otto!” I whisper, hoping he’ll hear me and come of his own accord. With a huff, I shove my too-long bangs away from my forehead and peek behind a sturdy reading chair. Something crunches beneath my tennis shoe. I squint down at a smattering of popcorn.
“Who are you looking for?” A splintered voice comes out of the gray shadows and startles me.
I whirl around and see in the murky light a figure, tall and lanky, standing on a stepladder. Her arms are long and as skinny as twigs. She wears a wide grin beneath a mop of straw-like hair that sticks out in all directions.
“My dog. He went this way, I think. But I’m not sure.”
“Like most folks these days. Everybody wants to go their own way.” Her funny expression makes me want to laugh.
“I’m Dottie.”
“I’m a bit confused myself.” She offers a hand for me to shake, squeezing the tips of my fingers rather than my whole hand. “Sophia. How do?”
“Fine, thank you.”
“You can’t be too fine or you wouldn’t be here. And I’m certainly not fine. I’m, well …” She turns slightly away from me. She’s wearing a long blue chambray shirt belted around a full crinkled skirt that’s elevated a few inches in the back. Following the slant of the flowing material, I notice the real problem. The gauzy skirt is pinched in the ladder joint and she’s stuck.
“Can I help you?”
“I don’t know.” She twists, trying to get a better view of her predicament.
“Should I call an attendant?”
“Oh, no. I’ll just get in trouble again.”
“Again?”
“You don’t want to know.” She grabs a crinkly sack of popcorn off the shelf, pops a couple of kernels in her mouth and offers the bag to me. “Hungry?”
“No thanks. Were you looking for a book?” I edge around the ladder and tug on the material.
She holds up a gray lightbulb. “Trying to be helpful.”
I reach out, and she places the burned-out bulb in the palm of my hand. I set it on a lower shelf and flip on the light switch by the door. Light scatters the dark. The colors pop out at me as if they’re playing peek-a-boo. Sophia blinks down at me.
“Let’s see what we can do about this. I don’t want to rip your
Similar Books
