December 21
Oak Park, Illinois
6 P.M.
Kevin McCallister, aged seven, wandered through his house, looking for something to do. He was a thin boy, still waiting for a significant growth spurt. He had brown hair and almost all of his adult teeth.
Just about every room in the big old three-story brick house was being used by one McCailister or another. Kevin had counted fifteen of them—seven in his family and six in his Uncle Frank's family, and two cousins. And at the moment none of them wanted Kevin around because they were too busy packing clothes and wrapping gifts. Tomorrow morning they were all flying to France to spend Christmas in Paris.
"Hey, Kevin!" he heard Uncle Frank shout from the study. Frank and his family had arrived from Ohio that afternoon.
"What?" Kevin shouted back.
"Come help me with. this VCR," Frank shouted.
Kevin wasn't sure he wanted to. Uncle Frank was the bald, chubby brother of Kevin's father, Peter McCallister. Sometimes Uncle Frank picked on Kevin. Still, Kevin had nothing better to do.
He went into the study and found Frank hunched over the VCR. Kevin's cousins Tracy and Heather were sitting on the couch, Tracy was Frank's daughter. She was blonde and had braces. Heather had brown hair and wore a Northwestern University sweatshirt. Her father and mother had moved to Paris the previous summer, which was why everyone was going there for Christmas. Tracy and Heather were
teenagers.
Kevin quickly identified the problem with the VCR. "You've messed up all the channels, Uncle Frank. How come you don't know how to use a VCR?"
Tracy and Heather giggled. Uncle Frank glanced at the girls and then turned back to Kevin.
"How come you don't know how to drive?" he asked back.
"I'm not old enough to drive," Kevin said. "You're old enough to use a VCR."
"Two points!" Tracy shouted. She and Heather giggled again. Uncle Frank frowned.
"Think you're pretty smart for a seven-year-old, don't you?" he muttered. "Just get this to work, okay?"
Kevin turned the VCR and the TV back to the right channels and a movie went on. It was an old black-and-white gangster movie Uncle Frank had brought. Uncle Frank settled back into the sofa with the girls. Kevin started to leave, but then stopped behind the sofa. He'd never seen black-and-white TV before.
"Why did they make movies in black and white?" he asked.
"You still here?" Uncle Frank seemed surprised. "Get goin'."
"Why can't I watch?" Kevin asked.
"You're not old enough," Uncle Frank said.
"How come I'm old enough to fix the VCR, but not old enough to watch what's on it?" Kevin asked.
"I said get out of here!" Uncle Frank yelled.
"I'm telling my mother," Kevin yelled back.
"Great, just go."
Kevin went. Uncle Frank was a jerk.
The McCallister house was on a quiet street lined with tall old trees in the fancy Chicago suburb of Oak Park. The people who lived there tended to be well-off. They liked to travel during holidays like Christmas. The two crooks who sat in the dark van across from the McCallister house were Counting on it.
"Just think," said Marv Murchens, gazing at the houses glimmering with colorful Christmas lights. "By tomorrow afternoon almost everyone on this block should be away." Marv was a tall, lanky man with a scruffy beard and a confused look on his face.
His partner, Harry Lyme, smiled and his gold tooth glinted. Harry was a short, heavyset man with cropped black hair and a mean scowl.
"See that house there?" Harry pointed at the McCallister house. "That's the one I really want. I bet it's loaded."
"You sure they're goin' away?" Marv asked.
"We better make sure," Harry said. He got up and went into the back of the van to change clothes.
"Yeah," Marv said. "No sense robbing the place if the people are home."
Back in the McCallister house, Kevin's mother Kate was in her bedroom, talking on the phone to her office while she packed a suitcase. With her dark wavy hair, black business suit, and glittering jewelry, she looked
Oak Park, Illinois
6 P.M.
Kevin McCallister, aged seven, wandered through his house, looking for something to do. He was a thin boy, still waiting for a significant growth spurt. He had brown hair and almost all of his adult teeth.
Just about every room in the big old three-story brick house was being used by one McCailister or another. Kevin had counted fifteen of them—seven in his family and six in his Uncle Frank's family, and two cousins. And at the moment none of them wanted Kevin around because they were too busy packing clothes and wrapping gifts. Tomorrow morning they were all flying to France to spend Christmas in Paris.
"Hey, Kevin!" he heard Uncle Frank shout from the study. Frank and his family had arrived from Ohio that afternoon.
"What?" Kevin shouted back.
"Come help me with. this VCR," Frank shouted.
Kevin wasn't sure he wanted to. Uncle Frank was the bald, chubby brother of Kevin's father, Peter McCallister. Sometimes Uncle Frank picked on Kevin. Still, Kevin had nothing better to do.
He went into the study and found Frank hunched over the VCR. Kevin's cousins Tracy and Heather were sitting on the couch, Tracy was Frank's daughter. She was blonde and had braces. Heather had brown hair and wore a Northwestern University sweatshirt. Her father and mother had moved to Paris the previous summer, which was why everyone was going there for Christmas. Tracy and Heather were
teenagers.
Kevin quickly identified the problem with the VCR. "You've messed up all the channels, Uncle Frank. How come you don't know how to use a VCR?"
Tracy and Heather giggled. Uncle Frank glanced at the girls and then turned back to Kevin.
"How come you don't know how to drive?" he asked back.
"I'm not old enough to drive," Kevin said. "You're old enough to use a VCR."
"Two points!" Tracy shouted. She and Heather giggled again. Uncle Frank frowned.
"Think you're pretty smart for a seven-year-old, don't you?" he muttered. "Just get this to work, okay?"
Kevin turned the VCR and the TV back to the right channels and a movie went on. It was an old black-and-white gangster movie Uncle Frank had brought. Uncle Frank settled back into the sofa with the girls. Kevin started to leave, but then stopped behind the sofa. He'd never seen black-and-white TV before.
"Why did they make movies in black and white?" he asked.
"You still here?" Uncle Frank seemed surprised. "Get goin'."
"Why can't I watch?" Kevin asked.
"You're not old enough," Uncle Frank said.
"How come I'm old enough to fix the VCR, but not old enough to watch what's on it?" Kevin asked.
"I said get out of here!" Uncle Frank yelled.
"I'm telling my mother," Kevin yelled back.
"Great, just go."
Kevin went. Uncle Frank was a jerk.
The McCallister house was on a quiet street lined with tall old trees in the fancy Chicago suburb of Oak Park. The people who lived there tended to be well-off. They liked to travel during holidays like Christmas. The two crooks who sat in the dark van across from the McCallister house were Counting on it.
"Just think," said Marv Murchens, gazing at the houses glimmering with colorful Christmas lights. "By tomorrow afternoon almost everyone on this block should be away." Marv was a tall, lanky man with a scruffy beard and a confused look on his face.
His partner, Harry Lyme, smiled and his gold tooth glinted. Harry was a short, heavyset man with cropped black hair and a mean scowl.
"See that house there?" Harry pointed at the McCallister house. "That's the one I really want. I bet it's loaded."
"You sure they're goin' away?" Marv asked.
"We better make sure," Harry said. He got up and went into the back of the van to change clothes.
"Yeah," Marv said. "No sense robbing the place if the people are home."
Back in the McCallister house, Kevin's mother Kate was in her bedroom, talking on the phone to her office while she packed a suitcase. With her dark wavy hair, black business suit, and glittering jewelry, she looked
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