LIFE’S TREASURES

by Linda S Barth

Close friends are truly life’s treasures. Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves. With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter and our tears. Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone.

   

     ~ Vincent van Gogh

Catherine set aside a stack of childhood journals, a bulging scrapbook, and a pencil case missing its lid and most of its contents. But the splintery wooden crate still held one more item that had lain flattened and tattered beneath the rest.

“Vincent? What is this thing? And why have you saved it all these years?”

Before her husband could look up from the trunk he was rummaging through, the object was snatched away from her. “You kept it?!” Devin’s laugh started low and grew to a shout. “When I said I’d help you two today, I never thought we’d find this!”

Vincent grinned as he reached for the ragged cone of cardboard. Yellowed strips of dry-crinkled tape and hardened grey-blue blobs of glue still clung to the remnants of whatever it once had been. He turned it carefully in his hands as if it were a valuable antique, a delicate preserved relic to be carefully savored and admired.

The brothers chuckled at the puzzled expression on Catherine’s face. Clearly this wasn’t what she expected to find as they navigated through Vincent’s boyhood treasures, searching for things to bring up to the brownstone to share with their daughter and son. In less than an hour, they’d found several items to help fulfill the frequently proclaimed demand, Daddy, tell us about when you were little!

A storage tub had been filled almost to the top with a cracked lens telescope; well-worn, well-loved picture books; a miniature carousel whose horses still pranced in an endless, if somewhat squeaky, circle; and a scruffy, one-eyed bear called Mr. Ted. The children would be delighted with these precious keepsakes and the hours of shared stories they would inspire. But this…this…whatever it was…

“It’s one of my most cherished memories.” Vincent traced a careful finger along the object’s soft, thick edges, watching tiny chunks of faded paper and flutters of dust scatter onto his lap. “And it’s more than that. It’s a wonderful story. But I can’t tell it alone.”

“Yeah, this is definitely a story for two voices.” Devin winked at her. “So, would you like to hear it?”

They didn’t wait for an answer they didn’t need.

* * *

Devin felt like whistling but restricted himself to a satisfied grin. He hadn’t wanted to lie to Hazel, especially since she was a newcomer to the tunnel community, but he had his reasons, so he’d managed to convince himself it was okay just this once. Sure, she might find out he really hadn’t been asked to run an important errand for Mary, one that required him to miss the Saturday morning story hour, but he’d cross that bridge if he came to it.

And besides, his excuse must have worked. No one had questioned him, not even the other kids. At least not yet. He shrugged and continued his approach to the chamber he shared with Vincent. If the worst happened – in other words, if Father discovered what he’d been up to – he’d deal with it then, just like he always had…with varying degrees of success.

As he rounded the curve in the passageway just steps from his destination, he shook his head hard and felt his hair throw off lingering drops of water like a newly bathed dog. He huffed a sigh. He hadn’t wanted Vincent to figure out what he’d been doing. But wet hair combined with noticeably damp clothes would reveal his secret in a heartbeat, especially to a junior Sherlock Holmes like his little brother.

Chiming on the pipes signaled a second reminder for lunch, and a smile transformed his frowning face. Vincent would already be in the dining chamber – he was never late when William was serving the meal he liked best – so a quick mopping up with a towel, some dry clothes, a sprint down the passageway, and no one would be the wiser.

As he scampered into the chamber, he let himself enjoy the first few notes of the suppressed whistle, then suddenly clamped his lips shut. A sound – one he’d heard before – whimpered from a form curled up tightly on a bed in the shadows.

“What’s wrong, Vincent?” He felt a shiver of uneasiness as he came closer. “Are you sick?”

“I’m not sick and nothing’s wrong!”

A loud wet sniffle told a different story.

Devin bent to peer at the tiny bit of tear-stained face that wasn’t pressed against a pillow. “Something is too wrong, or you wouldn’t be in here crying, especially when you’re missing out on mac and cheese.”

A strangled wail wavered from the muffled mouth. “Not mac and cheese, too!”

“It’s not too late. If we run, we can still make it.” When not even the allure of his favorite food had any effect, Devin felt a deeper wave of concern. “Vincent, come on. Tell me what’s wrong. You know you can tell me anything. I won’t rat you out to the other kids.”

His face still squashed into the pillow, Vincent shook his head hard. “You’ll tell Father!”

“No, I won’t. I promise.” Devin waited as long as he could. “Just tell me what happened, and then we’ll work it out and go get some lunch.”

The only reply he received was another smothered sob, another shake of a tangled tawny head. He gripped his brother’s small, heaving shoulder and jiggled it gently. “Don’t you want me to help you?”

Vincent shook off all offers of comfort. “Go away! I don’t need your help! I don’t need anybody!” He raised his head for a moment, but the forceful scowl he tried to send toward his big brother was weakened by tears still streaming from his swollen eyes. “Just get out and leave me alone!”

“Okay! Okay!” Devin backed off. “Have it your way!” He stomped toward the chamber entrance, then hesitated and looked back. Vincent’s body shook with sobs, his gasps trembled on a shudder of sniffles. Devin caught his breath as he watched one small clenched fist pull a battered teddy bear from under the pile of pillows.

Uh-oh. Vincent had carefully packed away Mr. Ted a few months ago, having decided six-year-olds didn’t need stuffed toys anymore. This was worse than he had imagined. Much worse. But he’d get to the bottom of it, and then he’d help Vincent whether his brother wanted him to or not.

He knew just where to begin his investigation. He loped down the passageway toward the dining chamber and soon plopped his lunch tray onto a table, then squeezed into a spot on the bench between Pascal and Rebecca.

The little girl squealed and squirmed an inch or two away. “Why are you all wet?!”

For a moment Devin froze. In his concern for Vincent, he’d forgotten to stop at one of the communal bathing chambers to towel off his hair. “It’s raining uptop. Coming down pretty hard. I didn’t have time to change because I didn’t want to miss lunch.”

Winslow cast him a side-eye glance. “I thought you were going to Dr. Peter’s house to get a medical book Mary needed right away. You wouldn’t have to go outside for that.”

“Yeah, you’d just have to go up through the basement,” Pascal added. “So, how did you get so wet?”

Devin gave them his best stop-asking-questions glare. “I went outside for a few minutes …uh, to see something in Dr. Peter’s garden.” The looks on the two boys’ faces told him he’d need to embellish his excuse. ”I thought I heard a cat crying and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t hurt. Okay?”

Rebecca gasped and clutched the damp fabric of his sleeve. “Did you save the kitty, Dev? Was it all right?”

He managed a smile for her. “It was fine. Dr. Peter took it inside to dry it off and then I came back here.”

“That was a very nice thing to do!” Olivia beamed her approval. “Is Dr. Peter going to keep the kitty? Did he say we can go see it?”

Jeez! Now I know why we’re not supposed to tell lies!  “I’m pretty sure he said he was going to give it to one of his patients – later today – a little girl who really wants a cat for a pet.”

“Yeah, uh-huh.” Winslow shook his head and grinned. “And I bet –”

“Forget about it! What I want to know is what happened to Vincent. Why is he in our chamber crying?”

His friends all froze, then moved at once, resembling a collection of remote-controlled toys whose buttons had been simultaneously pushed. Winslow’s eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. Olivia stuck out her bottom lip as her cheeks turned bright red. Rebecca’s lips quivered a prelude to tears. And Pascal jerked his head toward a table several yards away. But no one said a word.

“Come on, guys, tell me! What happened?” Devin looked over his shoulder in the direction Pascal had indicated, and found his question answered. Mitch. A smug smirk on his sneering face, he elbowed Ian, a newcomer who had unwittingly become his latest pal, and then barked a satisfied laugh just loud enough for the others to get his message.

“What did he do to Vincent?” Devin’s voice was the low growl of thunder when a storm is about to break. “Tell me right now!”

Winslow shook his head. “No. Wait until lunch is over. That little jerk knows what we’re talking about and he’s already enjoying this way too much.”

Rebecca gasped through her tears. “You said a bad word!”

Pascal leaned past Devin to pat her on the hand. “It’s okay, Becca. Just this once.”

“Mitch is mean and he’s a bully and and–” Olivia squashed her hands into fists. “I’m gonna go over there and deck him right now!”

“I’ll go with you!” Pascal braced his palms on the table and started to rise.

Devin’s gaze ricochetted from one child to the next. For once, he couldn’t think of a word to say – but that didn’t last long. “I still don’t know what’s going on,” he took a deep breath, “but Winslow’s right. Mitch wants us to go after him right now so we’ll get in trouble. We’re gonna have to wait until after lunch.”

“We just have Saturday afternoon chores.” Pascal said. “We’ll be done in an hour or so. Then let’s meet somewhere so we can tell Devin what happened.”

“And make plans to flatten that –” Winslow glanced toward Rebecca – “Mitch. And his friend, too, if he’s in on it.” He waited until everyone – including Devin – nodded. “And nobody does anything until we agree on it, right?” Winslow glanced from face to face. “I said, right?”

“Yeah, right,” they grumbled, then scarfed down the remains of their lunches.

Devin glanced toward the table where Mary, Father, and Hazel, with her daughter Lorna pressed to her side, were just finishing their meal. “Father must have noticed Vincent’s not eating lunch. What did you tell him?”

“We had to tell a lie.” Rebecca’s eyes grew round, but this time she didn’t cry. “We said he was tired and he wanted to take a nap and we’d save some lunch for him.”

Devin pushed his tray aside. “Why didn’t you just tell Father what Mitch did so he could get punished right away?”

Pascal took a last gulp from his water glass. “We wanted to, but…well, we’re going to have to explain it to you later.”

“Dev, don’t worry,” Olivia added. “Vincent will be okay for now. We’ll figure out how to help him.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out something round and flat, wrapped in a napkin. “I saved him my chocolate chip cookies.”

Winslow smiled at her. “He’ll like that, Livvy.”

“I know! We should meet in the girls’ chamber,” Rebecca suggested. “Mitch won’t look for us there.”

“Good idea.” Devin watched her face light with his praise and felt a bit less guilty about lying to her with that cat story.

As they took their trays to the kitchen, Devin couldn’t resist shooting a glare toward Mitch. “I can’t wait to get even,” he muttered to the others, “make sure he gets what he deserves for whatever he did to Vincent!”

Olivia squinted her eyes in Mitch’s direction. “I’m still gonna deck him!”

“Best idea you’ve had in a long time, girl!” Winslow’s laughter inspired the chuckles of all the children as they headed off for afternoon chores.

By the time Devin finished helping William scour out what seemed like dozens of pots and pans, he had to run to make it to the girls’ chamber on time. Panting slightly, he careened around a bend and was startled to see his friends waiting for him in the passageway.

“Why didn’t you go inside? What if somebody sees you and asks what we’re doing?”

“Lorna is in there,” Olivia explained. “We can’t talk in front of her.”

“Yeah, she’d snitch on us ‘cause of her big brother.” Pascal frowned. “We’re going to have to find someplace else. How about the little beach near the Great Falls?”

“Where we’re not supposed to go without an adult?” Winslow grinned and clapped a hand on Pascal’s back. “Not like it’s ever stopped us before.”

With a quick unanimous vote, the group headed out. “Keep quiet when we go by our chamber,” Devin whispered. “If Vincent hears us, he’ll want to come along – and you haven’t even told me what happened yet!”

“We’ll tell you everything as soon as we get there,” Olivia promised.

“Yeah, and then we’ll make our plans to get even.” Devin glowered just thinking about it. “I don’t care how we do it, but Mitch is gonna pay for hurting Vincent!”

They had almost made it to the falls when a soft voice halted them in mid-step.

“Children, where are you going?”

* * *

“Oh, no! You got caught and you weren’t able to get back at Mitch?”

“Yeah, we got caught,” Devin told her with a grin. “But that didn’t stop our plans for revenge.”

“I’m glad to hear that!” Catherine’s face clouded. “He must have been as morally bereft as a child as he was by the time he became an adult.”

Devin’s face grew grim. “No doubt about that. Mitch was given every chance to change his ways, but no matter what anyone did to help him, he always reverted to who he truly was.” He glanced toward his brother. “Vincent – more than anyone – always tried to see the good in him…”

“But I was mistaken.” His voice was low and harsh. “By the time he became a man, there was nothing left in him of any light or goodness.” He reached for Catherine’s hand. “He proved it beyond any doubt when…”

She pressed a quick kiss to the back of his hand. “Let’s not talk about that now. In the end, Mitch got what he deserved, and he has no one to blame but himself for the choices he made.”

“Damn right!” Devin glared at the memory of the boy they’d once known, the man he’d become. “No one was surprised when he ended up back in prison on a murder conviction.”

Catherine nodded. “And dead two months later in a fight with another inmate. Probably someone else he’d tried to take advantage of.”

“He never understood the warning that he would reap what he had sown.” Vincent’s sigh was harsh but resigned. “At least he won’t be able to hurt anyone else now.”

A shadow had fallen over the three, but they were determined to replace it with light.

“So, tell me who caught you and how you managed to wriggle out of it. I know you came up with some excuse so you could still get back at Mitch.”

“We did, but the plan wasn’t entirely ours,” Devin said. “And I have a feeling you’re going to enjoy hearing about it as much as Vincent did when we told him.”

* * *

As one they spun toward the voice. Olivia managed to rally first. “Mary! We’re just going for a walk.”

Pascal nodded so hard it made his neck ache. “We’re finished with our chores, so now we have some free time.”

“And we did everything we were supposed to do!” Rebecca summoned her brightest smile. “Really!”

“Everything? Are you certain?” Mary’s gaze ticked from one face to the next. “You decided to just go off and play somewhere without checking on Vincent?”

Guilty glances ricocheted through the group. “When I was in our chamber before lunch,” Devin explained, “he said he wanted to be by himself.”

“So you left him there crying his eyes out and didn’t think to tell anyone?” She shook her head slowly. “None of you bothered to try to help him.”

“We’re sorry, Mary,” Winslow began. “We didn’t know what to do exactly –”

“And so you did nothing. I haven’t been a part of your community for very long, so maybe there are still some things I need to learn about all of you.” She sighed softly. “But I had thought better of you than this.”

“We didn’t mean it! We really do want to help Vincent.” Devin took a deep breath. “Did he tell you why he’s so upset?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, he did. And what I don’t understand is why you children didn’t tell Father or me or even Hazel right after it happened, especially you, Devin, of all people.”

“Devin doesn’t know either! He wasn’t there!” Pascal blurted. “We were going to tell him when we got to the beach – uh, to where we’re going. On our walk I mean…”

Olivia glared at her pal, then looked up at Mary. “We know we’re not supposed to go there without a grown-up, but we need to talk in private.” A hopeful smile began to glow. “Can you go with us – I mean, just far enough so we’re not exactly there alone?”

“So you can break the rules without really breaking them?” Mary chuckled. “I suppose I could do that.” She waited as sighs and looks of relief transformed their tense faces. “On one condition.”

Not a single child breathed as they awaited her next words.

“You tell me exactly what you’re planning to do to get even with Mitch.”

The children quickly confirmed their acceptance of Mary’s terms, and in moments they were on their way again. No one noticed a shadow flitting along behind them, and soon they were settled in a cross-legged circle on the sand. The plummeting waters of the falls in the near distance were just loud enough to cover their voices should someone intrude.

Which someone almost immediately did.

Rebecca pointed toward the path they’d followed. “Look!”

All heads swiveled to watch Lorna make her way across the sand toward them. Mary immediately held out her arms to the little girl who scampered forward and dropped onto her lap. “What are you doing here, Lorna?” she asked gently. “You know you’re not supposed to go wandering around the tunnels alone.”

The five-year-old looked up at her, wide-eyed. “I’m not alone. I’m with you! And all the kids!”

“Mary means you broke a rule.” Pascal’s voice was gentler than his frown. “You should know better, even though you’ve only been living here for a few weeks.”

She nodded solemnly. “Mom told me I’m not supposed to do things like that, but I saw you all going someplace and it looked like fun, and so even though it’s against the rules, I just…” She grinned at all of them. “I just did it anyway.”

Winslow grinned and ruffled the child’s auburn curls. “Which means you’ll probably get along with us just fine!”

Pascal stared back toward the path. “Where’s your brother? Where’s Ian?”

The little girl’s face scrunched and she stuck out her bottom lip. “I don’t know. He went somewhere with Mitch. Ian shouldn’t be friends with him! He’s mean and I don’t like him!”

“Has he done something to hurt you?” Mary’s voice was kind but firm. “You need to tell us if he has.”

Lorna shook her head. “Just once. He pulled my hair and called me a baby. But Ian said if he ever bothered me again, he wouldn’t be his friend anymore. So he stopped. But he’s still being mean to other people.”

“You’ll tell us if he ever bothers you again, won’t you?” Mary waited for her to agree, then she nudged Olivia to scoot over so she could settle the child on the sand. As she did, she caught the distraught look on Devin’s face. “This has gone on long enough. Vincent told me what happened, and now all of you need to tell Devin. And after that, if you’ve already come up with a scheme to get even, you’re going to explain exactly what it is.” She gave them her best teacher-type look. “With no lies or excuses and nothing left out.”

“We don’t exactly have a plan yet,” Pascal said. “But we’re going to think of one!”

“And this time we’ll tell you the whole truth,” Rebecca promised. “We really will.”

“I’ll start.” The grim look on Winslow’s face was contagious. “It happened after story hour this morning. Lorna’s mom was reading to us, and we were enjoying the story; at least most of it was pretty good.”

Rebecca and Lorna shared a shudder. “It was kind of scary, too, sometimes.”

“I’m sure Hazel had good reasons for her choice of book,” Mary said. “She didn’t mean to frighten you. It’s not always easy to find a story that you can enjoy together since you’re all different ages. Now, what book was it?”

“Pinocchio,” Olivia told her. “Hazel said it’s a really old story from Italy called The Story of a Puppet – that’s ‘cause Pinocchio was a puppet at first – but her book was kind of new – she got it Above – and it has really nice colorful pictures. She said they were from a movie, like the one we saw when Dr. Peter took us that time.”

All three boys rolled their eyes, but Rebecca smiled and clapped her hands. “Cinderella! I love that one!” She looked across the circle toward Lorna. “It’s not scary at all!”

“Yeah, and it’s also not what we’re talking about!” Devin’s voice was on edge. “Come on, you guys, tell me what happened to Vincent!”

“Sorry, Dev,” Winslow replied, “the book was basically about what happens when people tell lies. Pinocchio knew he wasn’t supposed to lie, but he did anyway, and there were prices to pay until he learned his lesson. And you know how we always talk about the story afterwards? Well, everyone agreed it’s wrong to lie unless you have no other choice, like if it’s a real emergency and you have to lie to help save someone else.”

Pascal snorted loudly. “Except Mitch lied when he told Hazel he’d never tell anyone a lie for any reason.”

“He’s the biggest liar of all!” The disgusted look on Olivia’s face spoke for everyone.

Rebecca shot a look in Mary’s direction. “Is liar a bad word?”

The young woman nodded. “It is a bad word but only because it describes someone who makes very bad choices that can hurt other people or sometimes even hurt themselves.”

“I don’t get it!” Devin shook his head. “How did Mitch lying about being a liar make Vincent so upset?” His eyes narrowed in a glare. “Did he call Vincent a liar?”

“No, that wasn’t it,” Pascal said quietly. The children exchanged glances as Pascal continued, “It was a different part of the book Mitch used so he could go after Vincent. It was… it was about Pinocchio being a puppet and what he wished for more than anything.”

Mary gasped, but before she could say a word, flames returned to Olivia’s eyes, quickly jumping to each child in the circle. “It was after story hour was over, and Mitch waited until Hazel was gone. He was whispering to Ian and then he said something really really bad.” Her eyes glistened with anger and tears. “I don’t even want to say what it was ‘cause it’s a big fat lie – the worst lie ever!”

“I’ll tell you.” Winslow’s voice was unusually low and harsh. “We were all about to leave for lunch when he called us stupid because we didn’t really get the point of the book. He said everybody knows it’s wrong to lie – even dopes like us – and no one has to teach us that.” He took a deep breath and spat it out. “Then he said the real meaning of the story is that Pinocchio was a freak because he wasn’t a real boy. He just wished he was. And that anyone who’s dumb enough to believe in wishes better wise up and face facts. Then he pointed at Vincent and said, “Look at him – he’s not a real boy either, but I bet he wishes he was!”

Devin leaped to his feet, fists clenched, mouth pulled back in a snarl. “I’m gonna find him and when I do, he’s gonna be sorrier than he ever was in his whole life!”

The steel in Mary’s voice was only slightly softened at the edges. “Sit back down, Devin. We need to talk about this. We’re not just going to run off and make things worse.”

He stared at her. “How can they get any worse?!”

“I think Mary’s right, Dev,” Winslow said. “If we tell Father, he’ll punish Mitch, but that little rat won’t care.”

“Yeah, he’ll just blow it off or get someone else to do it for him,” Pascal added. “That’s what he always does. It won’t make a difference to him at all.”

“And he’ll do something even meaner next time,” Olivia stated sadly. “You know he will.”

“And Vincent’s feelings will still be hurt,” Rebecca added.

“I don’t care!” Devin’s voice spiraled to a shout. “We need to do something and we need to do it right now!”

“We will do something,” Mary promised. “But first we need to decide what’s best, and we need to do it as a group.”

* * *

“So it was Mary who helped you get your revenge?” Catherine smiled. “You know, at one time I would have been shocked, but…”

“We had no idea at the time how deeply she’d learned what it was like to be bullied and hurt by someone like Mitch.” Devin’s voice was full of respect and admiration. “She helped us understand that there comes a time when we have to find the courage to speak up and stop the cruelty. If we don’t, then we’re complicit in letting evil continue.”

“Even though we were very young, she helped us learn a valuable lesson,” Vincent said, “one that has proved true time and again in all our lives.”

“Another thing Mary taught us,” Devin reminded them, “is the validity in that old saying, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“She has always been an amazing woman,” Vincent added. “She’s much stronger than  some people realize until they get to know her better.”

“I couldn’t agree more! She has a quiet courage she sometimes keeps hidden, but she shared it with all of you because she cared so much about you.” Catherine turned a soft smile to Vincent. “But what about you? Did the others ever tell you what was going on?”

“Yes, they did, but…”

* * *

For several moments stunned silence competed with the distant rumble of the falls. As Devin, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, dropped back onto his spot in the sand, Pascal voiced the question every child was silently asking. “You mean you’re going to help us get even with Mitch?”

Mary smiled. “Well, I’m not sure I’d put it that way, but yes, I guess I am. He needs to be taught a lesson, one he’s not going to forget.”

“But you’re – you’re a grown-up!” Devin stared at her as if he couldn’t believe a word he’d just heard. “Grown-ups don’t do stuff like that!”

“This one does.” She looked away for a moment, her face a shifting portrait of sadness and determination. “I’ve known bullies in my life, too, and I’ve seen the terrible damage they can do.” She turned to the faces gazing back at her. “Mitch knew what he was about to do was very wrong, but he did it anyway. That was his deliberate choice, and now he has to understand he’s not going to get away with it.”

The gleam of Winslow’s grin rivaled the inexplicable sunlight sparkling on the river’s rippling water. “So, what are we going to do?”

“And when are we going to do it?” Devin’s voice rose. “We can’t wait much longer!”

Mary hesitated – but only for a heartbeat. “We need a plan that’s easy enough to do but will still make a lasting impact. And we can’t break the rules of the community.” At the children’s crestfallen looks, she added, “But we can bend them a bit. Now, let’s see what we can come up with.”

“We can beat him up!”

All heads swiveled toward the highly unlikely speaker of a very appealing suggestion. “Rebecca!” Pascal’s shocked voice spoke for the others. “You know we can’t do that! Mary just said we can only bend the rules.”

“As much as I like Becca’s idea,” Winslow added, “nah, we can’t do that. He deserves it, but that would make us as bad as he is.”

“That’s exactly right,” Mary said. “What about the silence? I’ve been told that’s an accepted form of punishment here.”

“It didn’t work too great on him last time. But it’s a really bad punishment if no one is allowed to talk to you. So, maybe if we can’t think of anything else…” Devin’s voice trailed away.

“He’d find ways to make us talk to him, just like last time.” Olivia glared at the memory. “You know, like when he pushed me in line at breakfast and made me drop my oatmeal. I yelled at him and I got in trouble ‘cause he lied and said it was an accident!”

“Or he might steal something special that belongs to one of us and wait for us to blame him,” Pascal said, his voice low and bitter. “And then he’d only lie about it anyway. And we wouldn’t even get it back.”

“Or tell us that there’s a monster living in the tunnels that likes to eat little girls.” Rebecca’s bravado fled and gave way to another glistening of tears.

“Has he done things like that to you?” Mary watched as the children nodded.

“Yeah,” Devin said quietly. “And worse.”

Winslow held out his arm and rolled up his sleeve. “See this? He was bullying some of the younger kids – mostly girls like Rebecca and Livvy – and I lost my temper and took a swing at him.” He ran a finger along the scar. “He came back at me with a knife.”

“Why has the council allowed him to continue living Below?” Mary demanded. “He’s at least a year older than all of you. He could be placed in a school, somewhere he can get some help, or at least be kept away from people he might hurt.”

“It’s because his dad is one of our oldest Helpers,” Olivia told her. “He couldn’t take care of Mitch Above and he asked Father to let him live here. At first, it was okay…he seemed nice, but…”

“It didn’t take long until he showed you who he really is.” Mary shook her head sadly. “But I can’t understand why he’s still here.”

“I think it’s because Sam – that’s his dad – is a really good guy,” Devin explained. “He’s helped us out a lot, and I guess Father thinks he owes him because of that.”

“And because Father doesn’t want to give up on Mitch,” Pascal added. “He always tells us we need to do the right thing, believe the best about everyone, but –”

“But he’s wrong about Mitch!” Devin yelled. “He’s evil and nothing we do is ever gonna change that!”

Mary’s sigh was harsh and heavy. “I hate to say it, but Devin might be right. If living here and learning from all of you hasn’t made a difference in Mitch, I don’t know if anything can.”

“Are some people just bad no matter what?” Rebecca asked. “Like in fairytales?”

“Like Cinderella’s evil stepmother?” Lorna’s lips trembled. “She was bad all the time!”

“I’m afraid so. Most people who do bad things, well, it’s for a reason. They might be hurt or angry and they lash out. They attack others, often people they think are weaker, helpless, and they can get away with it because their victims can’t fight back.”

“Like the rat Mitch caught that time.” Pascal shuddered. “The one he –”

Olivia screamed and slapped her hands over her ears. “Don’t talk about that! Never talk about that!”

“Calm down, Livvy.” Winslow put an arm around her. “We don’t have to mention it ever again. Let’s just let Mary finish what she was saying.”

“What I was going to say is that most people – even ones who do very bad things – are really deep inside hoping someone can help them change, can help them feel better about themselves and their lives.”

Devin frowned. “You mean, like they’re doing bad things but they’re really asking for help? That’s pretty weird.”

“It does sound strange, but that’s it exactly.” Mary paused and made sure all eyes were looking at her. “But there are also some people – not many – who are beyond help. They can’t change because they don’t want to. Being bad makes them happy.”

“That’s like Mitch, right?” Lorna blinked back tears. “I don’t want him to make Ian be bad, too!”

“Ian seems like an okay guy,” Devin reassured her. “He just got fooled by Mitch. We all did before we knew better.”

“Some lessons are hard to understand, but what’s important is what we learn from them and figure out how they can help us make better choices.” Mary’s gaze soothed them like a ray of renewing sunshine. “Now let’s try to figure out the correct punishment for Mitch. He has his own chamber. Maybe that right should be taken away from him.”

Winslow shook his head. “It’s not exactly a right. He got it because no one else will share with him. Not even his stooge Rennie.”

“And if grown-ups yell at him or scold him or even try to talk to him, it doesn’t do a bit of good.” Devin waved his hands in frustration. “Nothing works!”

“And you said the silence has had no effect in the past, but he’s older now. Maybe it’s worth another try.”

“He couldn’t care less about that! He doesn’t care about anything except being mean!” Pascal’s voice quivered. “And if Father lectures him, he just pretends he’s listening, but he mocks him later and never does what he’s told.”

“And he makes fun of his own father, too,” Rebecca added. “He’s really awful!”

“I see.” Mary breathed out a harsh sigh. “So, the usual punishments haven’t done a thing to change his terrible behavior.”

“He’s one of those people like you said.” Olivia shook her head sadly. “The ones who like being bad.”

“That may well be true, but we need to remember, children, that deep inside Mitch might be very unhappy, and someone needs to find the right way to help him.” She raised a hand to forestall their protests. “But we don’t know that for sure, and anyway it can wait. Right now we need to make sure he knows the horrible lies he told about Vincent are not going to be tolerated.”

Devin spoke for the group. “So, we’re still gonna come up with a plan?”

“We are – no doubt about that.” Mary smiled at her eager participants. “Now, have you ever heard of the old saying let the punishment fit the crime?”

* * *

“We might not have known that concept before, but we certainly took it to heart.” Vincent still cradled the odd little keepsake in his hands. “It really was a perfect plan.”

Devin reached for the object, but his brother quickly held it out of reach. “Come on! I was just going to give Catherine a hint.”

“I know.”

Their laughter blended in a shared memory, a promise long ago fulfilled.

“Well, one of you two had better tell me!” Catherine looked from one storyteller to the other. “You’re not going to leave me wondering what happened next – and trying to guess what that thing is, are you? I need to know!”

“And we’ll tell you,” her husband assured her. “After dinner the children told me what they’d planned. And then it all played out later that night…”

* * *

“Come on, Vincent!” Olivia looked over her shoulder at the child lagging behind on their way out of the dining chamber. “Catch up with us!”

“Where are you going?” Vincent frowned at his friends. “I don’t feel like playing a game or anything tonight. I’m going to go to Father’s study and look at some books or draw some pictures for a while by myself.”

Devin grinned at him. “When you hear what we’ve got planned, I bet you’ll change your mind.” As Vincent began to voice what was sure to be an argument in favor of his own choices, Devin stopped him. “Just give us a chance, okay?”

“Yeah…okay, I guess.”

“Everybody got what they were supposed to get?” Winslow surveyed the group. “Okay, then we need to bring everything to Devin and Vincent’s chamber right now.”

As the other children scattered, Vincent looked up at his big brother. “What’s going on, Devin?”

The only answer he got was a satisfied smirk and a few short words. “Just wait – you’ll see!”

Minutes later Vincent stared at an assortment of objects tumbled onto his bed. A sheet of cardboard, steel-bladed scissors, a bottle of white glue, pencils, cellophane tape, a wide-tipped black marker. “Are we making something?” He picked up a roll of thick, beige cloth tape. “What is this and what’s all this stuff for?”

A battalion of grins framed Winslow’s reply. “It’s surgical tape and all this stuff is for getting even with Mitch!”

“To make him sorry for what he did to you!” Olivia threw herself at Vincent for a hug.

“To pay him back,” Devin continued. “And teach him a lesson!”

Vincent squirmed out of Olivia’s embrace. “What do you mean – teach him a lesson? What lesson?”

“To stop hurting our feelings!” Rebecca declared.

“To stop doing bad things to us!” Lorna shouted.

Pascal’s gaze caught Vincent’s. “And to stop telling lies.”

For a moment, the little boy started to smile, then he bent his head to hide a rush of tears. “What if…” he mumbled almost to himself, “…they weren’t lies?”

“Look at me, Vincent.” Devin waited until the child raised his face. “Of course, they were lies! Everybody knows that.”

“No one believed him for a minute.” Pascal patted Vincent on the arm. “He just said it to be mean to you.”

“And when he did it, he was mean to the rest of us, too.” Winslow saw the unspoken question in Vincent’s eyes. “Because he knows we’re all friends – we care about each other – so, when he hurts one of us, he hurts all of us. He could have told that stupid lie about anybody.”

Vincent tried to find the smile he’d almost lost. “But…but…you all are real boys and girls. What if…what if I am like Pinocchio and I’m not a real boy?”

“You’re as real as the rest of us, little bro.” Devin punched him lightly on the arm. “Sure you look kinda different, but who cares?”

“I don’t care!” Rebecca stated, hands on hips. “None of us looks the same either.”

Lorna’s curls bobbed as she bounced on her toes. “See – I got red hair and Becca has blonde hair and Livvy has brown hair!”

Winslow tapped his face. “And no one is the same color as me.”

“And none of the other boys are as short as me.” Pascal stretched his spine even as he knew the attempt wouldn’t change things.

They all looked to Devin for a turn to chime in. He grinned at them. “And no one is as smart as me!”

“You mean as good at getting out of trouble, don’t you?” Winslow laughed at his pal’s shrugging acknowledgement of the truth. “That’s for sure!”

Devin gently grasped Vincent’s shoulder. “You don’t believe Mitch anymore, do you?”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t believe him.” The smile he’d searched for finally returned to his face. “But I believe you guys!”

The pipes in the passageway announced the time. “Seven-thirty! We’ve only got half an hour ‘til lights out!” Pascal warned them. “We’ve gotta get moving!”

Vincent frowned. “I still don’t know what we’re doing, though.”

“Just watch,” Winslow said, “and you’ll figure it out!”

Like well-trained workers on an assembly line, six pairs of hands transformed the assortment of materials in mere minutes. Rebecca handed the finished product to Vincent. “Do you get what it is?”

He examined the cone-shaped object, turning it in his hands. “Not really.” He touched a careful fingertip to its pointy end. “It kind of looks like a cardboard ice cream cone.”

Lorna giggled. “That’s not it!” She shared a grin with the others. “Let’s give him three guesses.”

“He already had one,” Pascal pointed out, “so what’s your next guess?”

“A party hat? But it isn’t anyone’s birthday.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Whoever heard of a plain, grey party hat? Guess again!”

“Only one more chance,” Devin warned. “Make it a good one.”

“Hmmm…I think I need a hint.”

Before anyone could object to that, Rebecca provided one. “It’s from Pinocchio! It’s – “

The glow of Vincent’s grin matched the light in his eyes. “It’s a nose!”

“It’s not just a nose,” Winslow clarified. “It’s a liar’s nose!”

“And tonight when Mitch is asleep, we’re gonna use this,” Devin flourished the surgical tape, “to attach it to his face so everyone knows he’s a liar!”

“Yeah, we’re gonna sneak in and do it so fast, he won’t know what hit him!” Pascal punched a fist in the air.

“Maybe we should write LIAR on it, just in case someone doesn’t know about Pinocchio,” Olivia suggested.

“Good idea, Livvy! I think the marker rolled over here.” Devin turned toward the chamber entrance and froze. “What are you doing here?!”

Ian entered, then hesitated. “Is it okay if I come in?”

“You’re already in, aren’t ya?” Winslow glared at him. “How long have you been spying on us?”

“Long enough.” Ian pulled off the baseball cap that half-concealed his face.

Lorna’s loud gasp spoke for everyone. “What happened to you?”

Ian winced as he touched a finger to the darkening bruise on his cheek. “Mitch happened to me.”

“Why?” Pascal’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you guys were pals.”

“Not anymore.” Ian cast them a guilt-ridden glance. “Not after I found out what he’s been doing to all of you. Especially what happened today. I couldn’t keep being his friend after those lies he told just to be cruel. And when I told him that – and that I think he’s a real loser – he hit me.”

Lorna ran to hug her brother. “Does it hurt, Ian?”

“Yeah, a little, but I don’t really care because he knows I meant what I said.” He pulled a hand free from Lorna’s hug and reached out toward Vincent. “I know you ran off right away – and I don’t blame you – but I’m sorry I didn’t stick up for you when it happened. Can we still be friends?”

Vincent didn’t hesitate. “Sure.” He grasped the boy’s hand and shook it firmly. “I think you’ll be a lot happier being friends with us.”

Ian managed a smile. “I’m sure you’re right.” He glanced toward the others and sighed with relief at the looks on their faces. “Now, tell me more about the plan ‘cause I’m definitely in!”

* * *

“I’m so glad it worked out like it did for Ian,” Catherine said. “He’s always seemed like a really nice, decent man. I had no idea he’d gotten off to such a rocky start.”

“He is a good man,” Vincent told her, “and he’s been a valued member of the community and a loyal friend, just like Hazel and Lorna.”

“It was great to see them again when I finally returned home.” Devin stood and stretched. “Like you said, they’re good people.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Catherine demanded. “This story isn’t over yet!”

He laughed as he plopped back down on a floor cushion. “Still doesn’t take much to get you riled up, does it?”

She summoned her sweetest smile. “I guess you’ll find out if you don’t tell me the rest of the story, won’t you?”

Devin knew he was many things, but foolish wasn’t one of them. “You win!”

* * *

“Let’s go over it one last time,” Pascal suggested, “just to make triple sure everybody knows what they have to do.”

“Okay,” Winslow sighed. “But then we’ve gotta get to bed and pretend like everything’s the same as it always is, so we can sneak out at midnight. Dev, you want to review the plan?”

“Sure. At least one person in each chamber has to stay awake – we decided on Ian, Livvy, and me – and wake up the others as soon as we hear the midnight chime on the pipes. Then we meet outside Mitch’s chamber. Olivia is in charge of bringing the nose and the tape.”

“We got lucky that Rennie’s really sick with a cold and stuck in the hospital chamber,” Pascal said. “I saw he was still there when I went to get the surgical tape. He was asleep so he never saw me, and it was right where Mary said it would be.”

Devin frowned. “We’ve got to remember to put it back in the morning. We don’t want Mary to get into trouble.”

“I’ll do it,” Olivia volunteered. “And if Rennie’s awake, I’ll just make something up.”

“Good idea, Livvy. I’ll go with you if you want, just in case,” Pascal offered.

“So, after we meet,” Devin continued, “Rebecca and Lorna will stand watch outside, while the rest of us go in. Mitch is such a heavy sleeper, he won’t know what hit him until it’s too late.”

“Winslow and I will hold him down,” Ian added, “while Devin and Pascal tape the nose to his face. And we make sure Vincent gets a turn!”

“And then we march him down to the dining chamber when breakfast starts and make him tell everyone what he did to Vincent!” Devin turned to the others. “Any questions?”

Vincent had been listening eagerly, then his face scrunched in a frown. “Breakfast isn’t until 6:30 or even 7 o’clock. What are we going to do with Mitch until then?”

Silence blanketed the waves of vengeful enthusiasm. “He’s right,” Winslow said. “We need to think this through better.”

“We can tie him up,” Pascal suggested. “There’s some rope in the storage chambers.”

“We can all sit on him!” Rebecca laughed at the thought. “Keep him trapped until it’s breakfast time!”

Ian echoed her laugh and then winced. “I wouldn’t mind landing a few punches on him while we’re at it.”

“Me either,” Devin agreed. “And if he yells, we can stuff something in his mouth to shut him up.”

“Like one of Ian’s dirty socks.” Lorna grimaced and waved a hand in front of her nose. “They’re really stinky!”

“Okay, that gives us plenty of options,” Winslow said. “So, we’re all good on this?”

Among loud proclamations of ‘yes’, there was one quiet ‘no’.

All eyes focused on Vincent. “What do you mean ‘no’?” Devin demanded. “This plan is perfect!”

“Yeah, Vincent, what’s wrong with it?” Pascal asked. “We’ve got it all figured out!”

Vincent bit his lip and looked from one friend to the next. “It’s wrong.”

“No, it’s not!” Several children yelled all at once, then one spoke up.

“He’s right again.” Winslow sighed heavily. “It’s like I said before, if we do something bad to Mitch – even though he deserves every bit of it – then we’re no better than he is.” He smiled at Vincent. “That’s what you meant, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s what I meant.” His worried gaze leapt from one friend to the next. “I really like the plan a lot and I really want to get even with Mitch, but –”

“But we can’t do it like this.” Devin finished on behalf of everyone. “We’re not like him.”

“And we never will be!” Olivia proclaimed. “Right?”

The vow was immediate. “Never!”

Pascal handed the surgical tape to Olivia and piled the rest of their supplies into a canvas bag. “I’ll put all this stuff back where it belongs in the morning.”

Devin retrieved the liar’s nose and handed it to Vincent. “You should keep this as a souvenir.”

He cradled it in his hands like the precious gift it was. “I’ll keep it forever!”

The eight o’clock chime echoed on the pipes. “We’d better get to our chambers before someone comes to check on us,” Winslow warned.

“I think Mom’s on duty tonight – right, Lorna? We should go right now.”

The children, save for Vincent and Devin, trudged toward the chamber entrance, then stopped short, their disappointed resolve breaking like a wave over rocks. “We’re doing the right thing,” Winslow stated, “but it’s not right enough.”

Devin nodded firmly. “I was just thinking the same thing. Mitch is still going to get away with it!”

“And we can’t let that happen,” Ian said. “We just need a better plan!”

“If we think fast, we can come up with one!” Olivia’s smile returned. “Right now!”

Rebecca brightened immediately. “Who has a good idea?”

“I think I do.” Vincent grinned at his friends. “It’s nowhere near as good as the first one, but it might work.”

* * *

“Do you think Mary always knew you’d do the right thing after all?”

Devin nodded. “I’m certain of it. What she did was give us choices, and I think she knew we’d make the right one, or if we didn’t, then at least we’d learn from our mistakes.”

Catherine smiled at her husband. “I’m not surprised you were the one to come up with a better plan. You always manage to be the voice of reason.” She winked at Devin. “Except for when I can convince him otherwise.”

Vincent felt the warm glow of his wife’s words. “Well, even though it worked, I don’t know if it was a better plan. I still wish we might have gone through with the original.”

“Now you tell me!” Devin rolled his eyes. “Even if – when – we’d gotten in deep trouble, I still think it would have been worth it.”

Vincent cast a fond look at the cardboard nose. “I think you’re right.”

“But what did happen? How was Mitch finally punished for his despicable behavior?”

“It was all Vincent’s idea, and I have to admit it made the most sense. After breakfast we asked for a meeting with Father. We told him everything Mitch had done and gotten away with and how he’d lied about all of it. We explained how his behavior was affecting all of us and the whole community and we wanted it to stop.”

“At first, Father was reluctant to impose harsher penalties on Mitch, but when he’d heard us out,” Vincent said, “he agreed drastic action needed to be taken. So he called an emergency council meeting that night. The decision was made to confine Mitch to his chamber for three weeks with no visitors, no activities except his school assignments, and he had to write and sign a statement promising to change his ways.”

“Did it work?”

“For a while,” Devin shrugged, “but after a month or two, he was back to the old Mitch. Father made arrangements for a Helper to take him on as an apprentice on the docks, thinking maybe hard work and learning a trade would make a difference.”

“But that wasn’t effective either, was it?” Catherine sighed. “It’s really a shame he couldn’t see the value in the help that was offered to him.”

“He was sent back to us, but after only a few months, he packed up his things and left for good. We heard about him once or twice from Sam, but then he disappeared until…that last time…”

“Like Mary told us all those years ago, it’s hard to accept, but some people are irredeemable, and he was one of them,” Devin said. “So, let’s be honest, it’s no loss. The only good thing he ever did was help us realize how much we mean to each other.”

The brothers shared a smile. “Especially that one time,” Vincent said. “And even if we might have wished for a different outcome, I think it ended for the best.”

“That it did, little bro, that it did.”

“And it will make a wonderful story for our children. It’s a beautiful lesson about the value of true friendship.” Catherine’s smile grew misty. “And love.”

Vincent carefully placed his keepsake on top of the other treasures they’d selected, securing it under one of Mr. Ted’s threadbare paws.

Devin hoisted himself to his feet. “Anyone else need something to eat? All this treasure hunting and reminiscing has made me hungry!”

As Vincent started to rise, Catherine stretched out her arm to hold him back. “Not so fast, you two. This story isn’t exactly over! There are a few key details you’ve left out.”

Devin hurled himself back to his cushion and moaned dramatically. “How do you live with a lawyer?”

“It’s…interesting. And I’ve learned there’s no point in denying her strategic requests.” He grinned at his wife. “So, what are they?”

She tapped a single finger on her lips as if deep in thought, then grinned back. “Upon careful consideration, I just have one this time.” She turned to Devin. “Why were you soaking wet?”

* * *

The pipes echoed a muted message, passed in turn from one sentry to the next. “Midnight and all’s well.” Few tunnel dwellers were still awake to hear it unless they had good reason to resist sleep for just a bit longer.

“Dev? Are you still awake?”

“No.” A rumbling snore nearly rattled the chamber walls.

“Yes, you are! You’re just faking!” Vincent jumped out of bed and pulled the covers from his brother’s head. “I knew it!”

Devin sat up and scooted over. “What do you want? Haven’t we had enough excitement for one day?”

“I was just wondering about something,” Vincent began as he hopped up and made himself comfortable. “When you came back from pretending you were running the errand for Mary – you know, when you saw I was crying and everything – how come you were all wet?”

Devin puffed a loud sigh. “Jeez, you don’t miss anything do you? Not that I’m one bit surprised.”

Vincent grinned. “Nope. I’m very – what’s the word Father said – observant!”

“And you’re very stubborn and I’m not gonna get a minute of sleep until I tell you, right?”

“Right!”

“Okay, but it was supposed to be a surprise.”

Vincent’s smile slipped slightly. “I don’t want to spoil a surprise, Dev. You don’t have to tell me.”

Devin hesitated for a moment, then smiled back at his brother. “Yeah, I do. It’ll be the happy ending to this whole crazy day.”

Shoulder to shoulder, they settled back against a mound of pillows, and Vincent pulled a quilt up against the chilly air. “Okay, I’m ready!”

“Remember the plan we made after Father read us Huckleberry Finn?” He waited for the expected eager nod. “I found some old boards when I was up top the other day, and it took a while but I got them down to the riverbank.”

“How did you do that?! Are there enough?”

“That’s what I’ve been doing when I’ve been late for chores all week. And yeah, there’s enough wood to build it, maybe even some extra left over if we make a mistake.”

Vincent sat up straight, his eyes gleaming. “And Pascal said there’s some rope in one of the storage chambers! We’ve got everything we need! We can do it!”

“We sure can!” Devin yawned, triggering its twin in his brother. “But not tonight. We need to get some sleep.”

Vincent scampered back to his own bed. “I’m going to dream about our raft! And all the places we’ll go and the things we’ll see and the stuff we’ll do!”

Devin nestled into his pile of quilts and comforters. “Well, there’s one thing we’re not gonna do and that’s slip and fall in the river. Once was enough for me!”

Vincent laughed as he pulled his favorite quilt up to his chin. “You’re the best brother ever, Dev!”

“You’re pretty good yourself, Vincent. Now get some sleep, okay?”

A final good night wish murmured in the darkened chamber as two brothers drifted away on dreams.