on your pillows and listen.”
Everyone settled down on the bed and listened as Carole told the legend of Pegasus and Bellerophon. She told of King Iobates, the Chimera, the Amazons, and finally Pegasus’ gift of immortality from Zeus. When she finished, Jamie clapped his hands.
“That’s the neatest story I’ve ever heard!” he cried.
“Then let me show you something else,” Carole said. She dug in her purse and pulled out the thick bundle of bubble wrap. Slowly she unwrapped it and placed the crystal Pegasus right on Jamie’s lap.
“Wow!” he breathed, stroking Pegasus’ wings with one finger. “That’s a whole lot neater than the pony on the merry-go-round!”
Suddenly Carole realized that today Pegasus was far more important to Jamie than he was to her. Jamie needed Pegasus to feel better right now, while she only needed Pegasus for inspiration on a school project that wasn’t due for three months.
“Tell you what, Jamie,” she said with a smile. “I bought Pegasus for me, but why don’t I lend him to you to help you feel better? You can keep him until your last chicken pox is gone, and then you can give him back.”
“Gosh.” Jamie’s eyes grew wide. “Thanks! I’ll take good care of him.”
Just then the door opened. Mrs. Bacon stood there. The tired lines on her face had magically disappeared, and her pretty blue eyes looked bright again.
“How’s everybody doing in here? I can’t believe I’ve been asleep for almost two hours!”
“We’ve been having a great time!” Jamie said excitedly, cupping Pegasus in his hand.
“Well, Jamie, I think we need to let these girls get home now. Why don’t you say good-bye? And maybe they can come back some other time.”
“Okay.” Jamie grinned up at Lisa, Stevie, and Carole. “Bye,” he said. “Thanks for coming by and playing with me.”
“We enjoyed it, Jamie,” Lisa replied. “You just concentrate on getting better.”
Carole waved and Stevie gave him a wink. They followed Mrs. Bacon back out into the living room.
“I really can’t thank you girls enough,” she said. “I feel like a new person. It’s amazing what two hours of sleep will do.” She reached for her purse. “Lisa, I want to pay you what I owe you for baby-sitting the first half of this week, and since you were so nice to drop by today, I’ll pay you what you would have earned Thursday and Friday.”
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Bacon.” Lisa was so happy she leaned over and gave Mrs. Bacon a hug. With this money, she now had the fifty dollars she’d promised her parents. Her riding lessons would not end!
Mrs. Bacon gave a little laugh. “Gosh, Lisa, I had no idea you were this interested in baby-sitting. Would you like to come some more next week?”
“Oh, absolutely!” Lisa said. She realized it would be a perfect trade-off for her—the more she baby-sat, the more she could ride. “I could even come tomorrow afternoon if you’d like to take another nice long nap.”
“Actually, I’m hoping Jamie will sleep well enough tonight so that I won’t need a nap tomorrow, but it would be wonderful if you could come by Monday afternoon.”
“Sure,” agreed Lisa.
Mrs. Bacon frowned quizzically at the girls. “Say, I want to ask you something. What exactly happened Wednesday at the fair? I know Jamie came home cranky and sick, but ever since then all he’s talked about is what a wonderful time he had. What did you three do?”
Lisa smiled, pleased that Jamie had enjoyed himself in spite of being sick. “Well, we thought he was really upset about the merry-go-round being broken, so we tried everything we knew to distract him from that and make him feel good. You know, lots of rides, games, candy and popcorn and stuff.”
Mrs. Bacon laughed. “Oh, so it was good old-fashioned bribery!”
“Well, sort of, I guess,” Lisa said, embarrassed that Mrs. Bacon had caught on to their tactic so fast.
“Listen, Jamie’s dad and I have often resorted to
Everyone settled down on the bed and listened as Carole told the legend of Pegasus and Bellerophon. She told of King Iobates, the Chimera, the Amazons, and finally Pegasus’ gift of immortality from Zeus. When she finished, Jamie clapped his hands.
“That’s the neatest story I’ve ever heard!” he cried.
“Then let me show you something else,” Carole said. She dug in her purse and pulled out the thick bundle of bubble wrap. Slowly she unwrapped it and placed the crystal Pegasus right on Jamie’s lap.
“Wow!” he breathed, stroking Pegasus’ wings with one finger. “That’s a whole lot neater than the pony on the merry-go-round!”
Suddenly Carole realized that today Pegasus was far more important to Jamie than he was to her. Jamie needed Pegasus to feel better right now, while she only needed Pegasus for inspiration on a school project that wasn’t due for three months.
“Tell you what, Jamie,” she said with a smile. “I bought Pegasus for me, but why don’t I lend him to you to help you feel better? You can keep him until your last chicken pox is gone, and then you can give him back.”
“Gosh.” Jamie’s eyes grew wide. “Thanks! I’ll take good care of him.”
Just then the door opened. Mrs. Bacon stood there. The tired lines on her face had magically disappeared, and her pretty blue eyes looked bright again.
“How’s everybody doing in here? I can’t believe I’ve been asleep for almost two hours!”
“We’ve been having a great time!” Jamie said excitedly, cupping Pegasus in his hand.
“Well, Jamie, I think we need to let these girls get home now. Why don’t you say good-bye? And maybe they can come back some other time.”
“Okay.” Jamie grinned up at Lisa, Stevie, and Carole. “Bye,” he said. “Thanks for coming by and playing with me.”
“We enjoyed it, Jamie,” Lisa replied. “You just concentrate on getting better.”
Carole waved and Stevie gave him a wink. They followed Mrs. Bacon back out into the living room.
“I really can’t thank you girls enough,” she said. “I feel like a new person. It’s amazing what two hours of sleep will do.” She reached for her purse. “Lisa, I want to pay you what I owe you for baby-sitting the first half of this week, and since you were so nice to drop by today, I’ll pay you what you would have earned Thursday and Friday.”
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Bacon.” Lisa was so happy she leaned over and gave Mrs. Bacon a hug. With this money, she now had the fifty dollars she’d promised her parents. Her riding lessons would not end!
Mrs. Bacon gave a little laugh. “Gosh, Lisa, I had no idea you were this interested in baby-sitting. Would you like to come some more next week?”
“Oh, absolutely!” Lisa said. She realized it would be a perfect trade-off for her—the more she baby-sat, the more she could ride. “I could even come tomorrow afternoon if you’d like to take another nice long nap.”
“Actually, I’m hoping Jamie will sleep well enough tonight so that I won’t need a nap tomorrow, but it would be wonderful if you could come by Monday afternoon.”
“Sure,” agreed Lisa.
Mrs. Bacon frowned quizzically at the girls. “Say, I want to ask you something. What exactly happened Wednesday at the fair? I know Jamie came home cranky and sick, but ever since then all he’s talked about is what a wonderful time he had. What did you three do?”
Lisa smiled, pleased that Jamie had enjoyed himself in spite of being sick. “Well, we thought he was really upset about the merry-go-round being broken, so we tried everything we knew to distract him from that and make him feel good. You know, lots of rides, games, candy and popcorn and stuff.”
Mrs. Bacon laughed. “Oh, so it was good old-fashioned bribery!”
“Well, sort of, I guess,” Lisa said, embarrassed that Mrs. Bacon had caught on to their tactic so fast.
“Listen, Jamie’s dad and I have often resorted to
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