A Weird and Scary Day

(This is an early reader picture story, for ages 4 to 8.)

Every day at exactly noon, Victor sits in his cubby corner in his family’s small living room, with his sad dad who reads in his armchair while his mom and sisters go to the shops. 

[picture of Victor’s dad in a small living room, his face in darkness, a book on his lap, sitting in an armchair, wearing dark trousers with suspenders, thin. Pills and a water jug sit high on a shelf. From the kitchen doorway comes a shaft of light and a swirl of steam. Victor sits on a large cushion in the corner where the wall slants up, a firetruck on the floor beside him and an action figure in his hand.]

This morning until exactly noon Victor is going tobogganing with Frankie, Dana, and Dennis at the park by the river that runs through the town. 

That’s the plan. But a weird and scary day is ahead. 

Dana and Dennis meet them at the park – that’s normal. They trudge up the hill, and fly down it, up and down, again and again. Frankie rolls off the toboggan and Dana rolls off behind him and Dennis and Victor chase snowflakes with their tongues. That’s all normal too. 

[picture of a gentle hill rolling down to a winding ice-covered river, with stone banks, lots of snow, four kids, two toboggans, two kids rolling in the snow, rosy cheeks]

After a while, Victor says it’s time to go home because Victor must be home to sit with his dad at noon. The four set off walking along the side of the icy river up towards the road. Frankie walks close to the edge. 

“You better not walk so close to the edge,” says Victor. Victor normally looks out for Frankie, because Frankie is only five.

But Frankie walks close to the edge. 

Suddenly, Frankie slips and tumbles onto the ice, and then shuuushhh, he falls through the ice into the freezing cold river! 

This is when the day turns into the weirdest scariest day ever!

[picture of Frankie fallen through the ice in the river that flows through the town. Three kids on the bank – Dennis taking off like ninety, Dana following, Victor standing so still looking at Frankie.]

Dennis runs away. Dana starts to run after him. 

Victor can’t find his voice in his chest. 

The world is moving in slooooooooooooow moooooooooooootion. 

His eyes see a long branch under a big tree. His legs run over. His hands pick up the long branch and his legs run back. His arms shove the branch across the ice into the river just as Frankie comes up to the surface. 

Victor’s cheeks fill up with his voice, and his words burst out of his chest: “HOLD ONTO THE BRANCH FRANKIE!”

[picture of Victor extending the branch to Frankie struggling in the water. Dana who has started walking away, has stopped and is watching Victor.]

Frankie’s little hands grab the branch. Victor pulls hard to bring Frankie to the shore, but Frankie keeps hitting the broken ice. 

“I’m too young to die!” Frankie cries. 

Victor finds his voice again. “Dana, come back! Help me pull Frankie out!” Victor shouts. 

The two of them pull and they pull and they pull, but they just can’t pull Frankie out of that icy water.

[picture of Victor and Dana pulling on the branch, Frankie’s hands holding it tight, a wee boot thrashing.]

“Hold the branch! I’ll get help!” Victor says. 

His legs run fast as a flash, across the park, past the gazebo, past the picnic table, past the big trees toward the houses. At the very first house, Victor bang-bang-bangs on the door. Mr. Dedrick looks down at six-year-old Victor. 

“MY FRIEND IS IN THE WATER!” Victor shouts, pointing. 

Victor and Mr. Dedrick run back across the park to the river.

Mr. Dedrick jumps down the bank and grabs Frankie’s little hand, lifts him out of the icy water into his arms. 

[picture of Mr. Dedrick pulling Frankie from the river whose face is blue-ish, his hat falling over one eye.]

“Follow me!” he calls to Victor and Dana. 

Victor has goosebumps but things sure feel a bit more normal now with a grown-up around. 

[picture of Victor’s bright eyes and face expressing hope.] 

Mrs. Dedrick and a police man are waiting at the door. Everyone pours into the house.   

“Lay him right on the chesterfield,” says Mrs. Dedrick. She and Constable Wheaton take off Frankie’s wet clothes, and cover him up with an electric blanket. 

[picture of Victor and Dana watching Mrs. Dedrick 

placing the blanket over Frankie laying on the chesterfield.]

Once Frankie is warm, the constable asks: “What’s your name, son?” 

Frankie says: “I’m Frank Madden. My dad’s name is Frank Madden too.” 

Things are definitely getting back to normal. Frankie always tells everybody he has the same name as his dad.  

Constable Wheaton takes Victor and Dana to the table where Mrs. Dedrick has placed hot chocolate. Victor and Dana tell Constable Wheaton what happened. 

All of a sudden, Victor gets up, scraping his chair. He’s just remembered his dad sitting in his chair, waiting for him at noon today. 

“I gotta go home!” 

[picture of Victor, standing at the table, his mouth open, 

and eyes wide, putting on his hat.]

As the constable and Victor arrive, Victor’s sister peeks out the front window. His mom opens the door. Victor’s dad is in his chair. Victor’s mom and sisters are speaking all at once. 

Victor knows that coming home with a policeman is not what you’d call normal. 

[picture of Victor’s face expressing: sorry, I know this isn’t normal.]

The constable says: “Well Mr. and Mrs. Yegorov, your son is a brave boy. He saved Frankie from the icy river today. Victor acted quickly, grabbing the stick and running to get Mr. Dedrick.” 

Victor stands in his cubby corner. His mom brings him a tea and gives him a hug and kiss. She whispers in his ear: “Such a good boy.” Victor likes it but it IS normal mom stuff. 

[picture of Victor’s embarrassed face expressing: O mom.]

Then Frankie’s dad arrives. He puts his hand on Victor’s shoulder. 

“Victor, you were very brave today. Thank you, Victor,” he says and wipes his eye.

He turns to Victor’s dad and says: “You must be very proud.”

[picture of Frankie’s dad shaking Victor’s hand, wiping a tear from his eye, Victor’s dad sitting in his chair, Victor’s mom smiling at Victor, Victor’s sisters hugging each other. 

Constable Wheaton watching Victor’s father, Victor’s face expressing: I’m kinda proud of me too.]  

Then, two people from the local newspaper arrive. Everyone is chatty and cheerful; tea cups are clinking and clattering. The small living room has never had so many happy grown-ups from the town in it. 

After everyone leaves, Victor’s dad pulls Victor onto his lap, and gives him a big hug. 

“Victor, you make me very happy, son.” 

All’s right with the world. Frankie is home and probably laughing as usual. Victor’s dad is smiling and not sad. The weirdest and scariest day ever turned out great. 

(But Victor hopes tomorrow will be just a bit more normal.) 

[picture of Victor cuddled on his dad’s lap in the arm chair. 

Victor’s dad’s smiling, Victor’s face expressing: tomorrow BETTER be more normal.]