Cathy's Creative Corner: The Domino Did It
“Verne and Valena, your mother and I are going over to the boathouse to fish. You two will be in charge of your brother and sisters ‘til we get back. Take your games out to the table on the screened-in porch so you can all stay together. Remember, we’ll be able to see over here while fishing. Just yell if you need anything.” Dad Peterson covered all the bases.
This tight-knit family of seven lives on a farm designated for the captain of the area detention camp. There is a sprawling garden that produces vegetables for the camp, a humongous strawberry patch, muscadine and grape vines and a barn. What the parents like most about the property is the boathouse that sits on one of the three ponds. A gated bridge leads over to the fenced-in pond area. The main attraction for the children is the driveway. This driveway is a semicircle that starts on one end of the yard going around the house to the other end. Although it branches off at three different points, they all reconnect. That’s one glorious bike ride!
The Peterson children range in age from six months to the 11-year-old twins. The twins are helpful with little Vivian, so there’s no apprehension about leaving them in charge. After playing a couple of games and eating all the snacks, the children start to yearn for a bike ride. Only problem is that Vivian has awakened from her nap.
“I guess we’ll have to wait until she goes back to sleep,” uttered Verne.
“No. You pull me. I can hold her and ride on the back of your bike. You’ve got a seat,” responds Valena.
“You think you can hold her?” Verne questions.
“Yeah. But don’t go fast,” warned Valena.
The girls carried the bike off the porch and positioned it out of view of the boathouse. Victor and toddler Vanessa are set to race the twins on foot.
“Hold the bike steady while I… Oh, my God!” gasped Valena. Verne turns in time to see her scoop the baby from the ground! “I told you to be steady, Verne. You wiggled her loose!”
“I wiggled her loose?” questioned Verne. “How was a six-month-old holding on?”
They all rush in the house to inspect little Vivian. Surprisingly, the baby is bouncing around and playing like nothing happened. Then to the twins’ horror, they notice a small spot of blood on the back of Vivian’s head. The twins work to wipe off the dirt and small bits of gravel. The scratch is hardly noticeable. Just in case it is seen, the children have to concoct a story as to what happened.
“Tell ‘em she fell on a domino,” suggested seven-year-old brother, Victor. He screams every time he walks through the playroom and steps on a domino left scattered on the floor.
“Who’s gonna say they dropped her? Not me,” blurted Valena.
“You know how the couches slide apart all the time?” motioned Verne. “We’ll say we were changing her, it slid apart and she fell between ‘em and hit her head on a domino under the couch.” It seems that everyone was on the same accord as to not tell the truth about Vivian’s fall from the bike.
Within the hour, the Peterson parents returned home with a bucket of fish and looking quite relaxed. Mom Peterson made a beeline to sweet Vivian gushing with smiles and baby talk. She was about to lay the baby down when she noticed a spot of blood on the crib mattress. She immediately found the scratch. The twins were rather convincing in their explanation of what happened. Surprisingly, after only a few raised eyebrows and questions, Mom and Dad Peterson went to the kitchen to start dinner.
Thinking everything was hunky-dory, the children settled in the playroom. Cherub Vanessa got up skipping towards the kitchen. She was then heard saying, “Mommy, if I tell you that Verne and ‘Lena dwopped Bibbian off the bike, will I get in trouble?” The three coconspirators locked eyes! At that moment, they felt the air being sucked out of the room as their mother gasped for air!
