Read Online Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf by Wendelin Van Draanen - Free Book Online
Authors: Wendelin Van Draanen
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looking for Mrs. Keltner.
Elyssa tugged me past the reception desk and down the hall, saying, “C’mon! She’s probably down here.”
Now, I’d never been in a nursing home before, and really, I’d never given much thought to what they were like. But the minute we turned down the hall, it hit me that I didn’t like the place. Not at all. And it wasn’t because the walls were green or the plastic flowers were faded. It wasn’t even the woman in the hallway with tubes in her arms yelling” at a cart of bedpans. It was the smell. Like antiseptic and chlorine sprayed over with lilacs.
I followed Elyssa down the hall, but I wasn’t keeping up. Every time we passed an open room I had to stop and stare. I tried not to, but I couldn’t seem to help it. Some of the patients were napping; some were staring out a window. Some of them were fat; some of them were skin over bones. But all of them looked kind of gray—like they hadn’t actually felt the sun in years.
All of a sudden I wanted out of there. Fast. But Elyssa called, “C’mon, Sammy, she’s right down here!” so I kept following her. And my brain was telling me, Hurry up so you can say good-bye and get out of here! but my eyes kept slowing me down, looking in the rooms.
And that’s when I saw her.
At first I didn’t believe it. I just stopped and stood in the hallway for a minute telling myself, Nah … it can’t be! but then I took two steps back and looked in the room again.Sure enough, there she was, half asleep, with a little stream of drool running down her cheek—Mrs. Graybill.
Her hair was matted, as usual, but her mouth wasn’t smeared with lipstick and her eyes weren’t on fire like they usually are when she sees me. They were just dull. I whispered, “Mrs. Graybill?” because I still wasn’t really sure.
She licked her lips and blinked at me once, and then she closed her eyes. “Sammy.”
I just stood there, staring.
Finally her eyes opened again, and for the first time since I met her she smiled at me. “It’s nice of you to visit.”
I felt like I was having a very strange dream. I took a step inside and whispered, “What are you doing here? I thought you broke your arm.”
She pulled her cast from beneath the sheets and grumbled, “Doctors.”
I took another step and said, “But I don’t understand. Why are you here?”
Just then Mrs. Keltner walked in. She straightened Mrs. Graybill’s covers and poured her some water. “Well, Daisy, look at this. It seems you
do
know somebody in town.”
Mrs. Graybill sighed and said, “Just leave me be, would you?”
Mrs. Keltner patted her hand, then whispered to me, “It worked out well with Elyssa?”
I nodded.
“See me before you go, okay?”
She left, and I looked back at Mrs. Graybill. “Grams called over at the hospital trying to find out how you were doing. They wouldn’t tell her anything because she’s not family.”
Mrs. Graybill nodded. “Well, that was nice of her.”
“She’ll be glad to know you’re all right. You
are
all right, aren’t you?”
She shrugged and sort of nodded, and then just looked at me.
I looked back, not knowing what to say. And it’s funny, for all the trouble Mrs. Graybill has caused me you’d think I’d be glad she was stuck in a nursing home breathing in sterile lilacs, but I wasn’t. Finally I asked, “Do you want Grams to pick up your mail or water your plants or something?”
Mrs. Graybill closed her eyes and shook her head. And after a couple of minutes of watching her lie there, I whispered, “Well, I’d better be going.…”
An eye opened and she gave me half a smile. “Don’t want to worry that grandmother of yours?”
I just toed the linoleum with my high-top, and when I turned to leave she said, “Oh, Samantha? There is something. Would you mind bringing me my robe sometime? These gowns are so scratchy.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
She sat up and pulled her apartment key off a ring and handed it to me.
Elyssa tugged me past the reception desk and down the hall, saying, “C’mon! She’s probably down here.”
Now, I’d never been in a nursing home before, and really, I’d never given much thought to what they were like. But the minute we turned down the hall, it hit me that I didn’t like the place. Not at all. And it wasn’t because the walls were green or the plastic flowers were faded. It wasn’t even the woman in the hallway with tubes in her arms yelling” at a cart of bedpans. It was the smell. Like antiseptic and chlorine sprayed over with lilacs.
I followed Elyssa down the hall, but I wasn’t keeping up. Every time we passed an open room I had to stop and stare. I tried not to, but I couldn’t seem to help it. Some of the patients were napping; some were staring out a window. Some of them were fat; some of them were skin over bones. But all of them looked kind of gray—like they hadn’t actually felt the sun in years.
All of a sudden I wanted out of there. Fast. But Elyssa called, “C’mon, Sammy, she’s right down here!” so I kept following her. And my brain was telling me, Hurry up so you can say good-bye and get out of here! but my eyes kept slowing me down, looking in the rooms.
And that’s when I saw her.
At first I didn’t believe it. I just stopped and stood in the hallway for a minute telling myself, Nah … it can’t be! but then I took two steps back and looked in the room again.Sure enough, there she was, half asleep, with a little stream of drool running down her cheek—Mrs. Graybill.
Her hair was matted, as usual, but her mouth wasn’t smeared with lipstick and her eyes weren’t on fire like they usually are when she sees me. They were just dull. I whispered, “Mrs. Graybill?” because I still wasn’t really sure.
She licked her lips and blinked at me once, and then she closed her eyes. “Sammy.”
I just stood there, staring.
Finally her eyes opened again, and for the first time since I met her she smiled at me. “It’s nice of you to visit.”
I felt like I was having a very strange dream. I took a step inside and whispered, “What are you doing here? I thought you broke your arm.”
She pulled her cast from beneath the sheets and grumbled, “Doctors.”
I took another step and said, “But I don’t understand. Why are you here?”
Just then Mrs. Keltner walked in. She straightened Mrs. Graybill’s covers and poured her some water. “Well, Daisy, look at this. It seems you
do
know somebody in town.”
Mrs. Graybill sighed and said, “Just leave me be, would you?”
Mrs. Keltner patted her hand, then whispered to me, “It worked out well with Elyssa?”
I nodded.
“See me before you go, okay?”
She left, and I looked back at Mrs. Graybill. “Grams called over at the hospital trying to find out how you were doing. They wouldn’t tell her anything because she’s not family.”
Mrs. Graybill nodded. “Well, that was nice of her.”
“She’ll be glad to know you’re all right. You
are
all right, aren’t you?”
She shrugged and sort of nodded, and then just looked at me.
I looked back, not knowing what to say. And it’s funny, for all the trouble Mrs. Graybill has caused me you’d think I’d be glad she was stuck in a nursing home breathing in sterile lilacs, but I wasn’t. Finally I asked, “Do you want Grams to pick up your mail or water your plants or something?”
Mrs. Graybill closed her eyes and shook her head. And after a couple of minutes of watching her lie there, I whispered, “Well, I’d better be going.…”
An eye opened and she gave me half a smile. “Don’t want to worry that grandmother of yours?”
I just toed the linoleum with my high-top, and when I turned to leave she said, “Oh, Samantha? There is something. Would you mind bringing me my robe sometime? These gowns are so scratchy.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
She sat up and pulled her apartment key off a ring and handed it to me.
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