A Big Surprise for Easter, Part 3

The next day, the boys all got together at the tree Fort.  Robert had the name and the phone number of the person who rented the warehouse from his father. Butch said, “Let’s give them a prank phone call and see what they say.” Ronald was elected because he was the youngest in the group, and whoever answered the phone would think it was the wrong number dialed by a youngster.  Robert’s house was one of the few phones in the neighborhood, and it was an old candlestick phone that didn’t have a party line attached to it. So in the office of Mrs. Strawn, the boys made their call. Ronald put the receiving peace to his left ear and was ready to speak into the mouthpiece in front of him, when someone answered the phone.  A cranky voice came on the phone and said. “Yeah, what do ya want?”  Ronald froze for a minute, then came up with an idea.  “Is Leo there?”  The cranky voice came back again, “There ain’t no Leo here,” and hung up.  The boys waited for about 15 minutes to pass.  Then each of the boys took turns calling the same number and asking if Leo was there.  Finally, after waiting another half hour, Ronald called the same number again.  This time the grouchy man just said “yeah” when he answered.  “Hello, this is Leo – any calls for me?” Ronald said as he hung up the phone almost immediately.  But the grouchy man was still able to hear the boys begin to roar in the background, laughing hysterically!  After the joke had run its course, the boys decided they needed to work out a plan.  “Robert, do you think we could get a key to the warehouse building?” asked Lester.  “Why do you ask?” asked Robert.  “Well,” said Lester, “if we could get a key and hide inside the building, after it gets dark we would look around and maybe find something of interest.”  “I’m sure my father has a spare warehouse key hanging on his key rack, but I’m not sure there’s a good room inside the building for all of us to hide in.” said Robert.  “How about if we all hide in the attic?” asked Butch.  Lester thought for a moment and concluded, “We would need a stepladder, a rope, and some flashlights.”  “Why do we need all that?” asked Ronald.  “The stepladder would get us to the attic opening somewhere in the ceiling. We would use the rope to pull the last person once they put the ladder back in place. Of course, the flashlights would help us through the dark attic and around the inside of the building,” Lester explained.  “My dad always keeps a ladder in the storage room to change light bulbs in the ceiling,” Robert offered.  “Okay, let’s go home and see if we can get a couple of flashlights apiece and maybe a few snacks to munch on while we’re waiting. Robert, if you can’t find the key to the warehouse, let me know as soon as you can.” said Lester.

So off the boys went, back to their houses to pick up their supplies.  They had all agreed to meet back at Norwood Elementary School before dark. Everything had gone as planned, when Ronald was the last to show up at the school.  Robert had the key; all the boys checked their flashlights to make sure the batteries were still good.  Robert brought his frog headlight that he wore around his head like a baseball hat.  He explained to the group his frog headlight would allow his hands to be free, and the beam of the light is more direct, shining a lot farther than most flashlights.  They all agreed it was a good idea.  When all the cars had left the parking area, the boys decided it was time to enter the building.  It was still light enough for the boys to find their way around inside the building without using any flashlights.  Robert knew his way inside the building and found the stepladder without any trouble.  He then showed the boys where to place the ladder directly underneath the attic opening.  Robert climbed up the ladder, pushed up the attic panel, and placed it to one side in the attic.  He turned on his frog light and looked around in the attic.  There were electric wires running through the floor of the rafters, but there were a couple big sheets of plywood for storage in the attic.  He climbed down the ladder and warned the guys to avoid the electric wires and not step between the rafters, or they might fall through the ceiling or just punch a hole in it.  When each of the boys said they understood what Robert was telling them, one-by-one they went up the ladder and waited on the plywood platform.  Robert was the last to come up after putting the ladder back in place.  Butch had tied the rope over a cross tie in the attic and it was long enough to reach the floor.  Robert then tied a big knot in the rope so he could sit on it while the other boys pulled him up into the attic.  Robert replaced the attic door and the boys sat in the dark, waiting for their eyes to adjust.  After about a half-hour wait, the boys could hear people talking inside the building. When they moved the attic door just a little to hear better, they could see a dim green light on the far wall of the building.  An image appeared on the wall like a huge drive-in movie screen.  A woman was shown on the screen, giving details like a weather station, showing a large detailed map of Florida.  Using a pointer stick, she pointed to the map of Florida and a detail location was shown almost life-size. “My message to my comrades is, “The dwarf drone will be arriving at your station within the next ten minutes of your Earth time. Please make the necessary preparations for the craft to arrive.”  An overhead garage door opened at the back of the building.  A beeping sound was audible on the screen showing the location of the incoming drone.  When the beeping stopped, a saucer-shape craft flew through the open door and landed on the floor in the middle of the building.  A coded message was being broadcast from the outside perimeter of the craft.  A series of colored lights blinked on and off in sync with a musical tone.  “Hand me the code interpreter,” said one of the men standing over the clone.  The code interpreter began to synchronize in sequence with the clone.  The blinking colors were converted into text that could be read on the handheld code interpreter.  The message was interpreted out loud for the rest of the workers to hear.  “We are sending you some seeds from the mother ship to distribute throughout your area.  The seeds are from a sable palm; they will later become sentinels to communicate with the mother ship via coded messages.  In the near future, your handheld code interpreter will enable two-way communication with these trees wherever they grow.  We plan to have the whole state covered with sable palms in the near future. Enclosed is a printed map of the information specialists Elvus has been looking for.  Her undercover work in the disguise as the little old Lady has been very successful.  Now all over the state, people report sightings of all kinds of unusual objects in the sky.  There are two other objects we are sending that you should be aware of.”

A small door opened in the top of the craft.  A small cage appeared, holding two small birds that were almost identical in color.  One was a male, the other a female.  They both were gray and black with a touch of white. “These birds are clones from one of our species called myna bird that can talk better than a South American parrot.  However, these birds have been genetically programmed to mimic the sounds of almost any bird that they hear.  “In the bottom of their cage, you will find a small box. Inside the box is a special wristwatch. When you place it on your wrist, it will program itself. Once it is programmed, it will decode the sounds of the bird into a language you can understand.  These birds will interpret the conversations of all the other birds that they mimic, so you will have a primitive form of satellite decoding information from all over the state. Do you copy?”  “Yes, oh Great One!” was the response.  “We will be in touch. Oh, one more thing! Please program the monitor to enlarge the Easter basket packages so we may beam them aboard at a future date. Whatever you do, do not lose the data on the monitor, or it will go into a default stage and send all the Easter baskets by way of teleportation back to their original owners!”  A small hum was heard as the drone reversed its direction, flew out the overhead door, and vanished in the night sky.

(Part Three of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

For the rest of the story, order your copy of A Big Surprise for Easter, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.

A Big Surprise for Easter, Part 2

After the boys left, Freddie began to cannibalize parts from broken radios he had in his garage.  He found a tube from one radio, a transformer from another, and a few radio dials from an old shortwave set he had made a couple years ago.  It only took him a day to complete the shortwave set.  He called Allan and told him the set was ready, and he would go with him to the tree Fort to hook it up.  When Allan had relayed the message to the other club members, they eagerly brought their money to him, and Allan paid Freddie the $15 owed to him.  The other four boys had met at the tree Fort by the time Allan and Freddie arrived.  Freddie set up the shortwave radio inside the floor of the tree fort.  Two dry-cell batteries were connected to supply the necessary power for operating the radio.  When the set was connected, it had a weak signal.  “Just as I thought,” said Freddie.  “I need to put up an antenna to boost the signal.”  A long copper wire was wrapped around an old Cyprus pole. When the pole was complete with a stand to hold it up, the antenna was secured to the top of the roof of the tree Fort.  When Freddie finally fine-tuned the shortwave set, a clear voice was heard coming from the direction of the Cypress Swamp.  The boys heard the voice of the little old Lady saying something about her capturing the Easter baskets and putting her final plan into action!  “I have the Easter baskets in the warehouse; I shrunk them down so they all fit in the building. When I get the information I’m seeking about the boys’ addresses, I’ll consider returning the Easter baskets to the neighborhood.  “Very good,” a man’s voice transmitted.  “Now contact me when you are ready.”  “Yes, Sir,” replied the little old Lady.  “Did you hear that, Freddie?” asked Butch.  “Sure, I heard it,” said Freddie, “so I guess I can go home now that the system works.”  When Freddie had left for home, Lester held one of the leaflets up towards the sun.  “What are you looking for?” asked Butch.  “I’m looking for clues in the words on this leaflet,” Lester replied.  He detected a faint watermark on the paper that could barely be seen when it was held up to the light.  “What do you see?” asked Allan.  “All of the leaflets have a watermark on them,” explained Lester, “which means the paper that was used to print these leaflets must have come from the same source … which probably means if we can find out where the little old lady gets her paper, we might find a printing press in the same building.” surmised Ronald in an excited voice.  “Then if we find the printing press, I bet you a dollar the Easter baskets are in the same building,” replied Ronald.  “Who would have access to that kind of information?” asked Ronald.  After thinking for a few minutes, Allan came up with the answer.  “I know who might be able to help us!” he said excitedly.  “Who?” Robert asked.  “Mr. Thompson – that’s who!”  “Who is Mr. Thompson?” asked Allan.  “He’s the mailman who delivers mail to everybody in town; so he would probably know who gets printing supplies,” explained Allan.  “You’re right!” said Butch.  “Where do you think we could find him now?”  “What time is it?” asked Robert.  “I don’t know,” answered Butch, “but there’s a big clock hanging on the wall over my Dad store said Butch with great enthusiasm in his voice. So off the boys went to Mr. Ward’s grocery store.” Hey Butch, “ask your dad what time the mailman delivers to him,” said Lester.  Butch disappeared for a few minutes and came back with the information.  “Dad usually gets his mail between nine and ten o’clock,” Butch reported.  The boys’ eyes all looked up at the clock at the same time. “It’s 9:30,” said Ronald.  “The mailman should be coming at any moment.” said Ronald for all to hear.

The boys drank soda pop while they waited for the mailman.  They had barely finished their drinks when the mailman came into view down the street. “Here comes Mr. Thompson!” shouted Allan.  It seemed like it took the mailman forever to get to Ward’s store.  He drove a three wheeled vehicle with blue and red stripes painted over a white background.  When he parked his vehicle in Ward’s parking lot and got out of the vehicle, the boys were surprised at how tall and thin he was.  Mr. Thompson had a stern look on his face.  His salt-and-pepper colored hair could be seen around the edges of a military hat that he wore tilted on his head.  He had on light-blue work clothes with the words” US mail” embroidered above his shirt pocket.  Carrying a mailbag over his shoulder, he walked straight into the store.  He delivered Mr. Ward’s mail and was beginning to leave when Lester approached him.”  Mr. Thompson, could we ask you a couple questions? It will only take a minute,” said Lester.  “Well, I’m running a little early today; I guess I could take a few moments. What can I do for you?”  Lester showed him one of the leaflets, and while Mr. Thompson was reading the leaflet, Lester signaled the other guys to come join him.  “What do you want to know about these leaflets?” Mr. Thompson asked.  “We were wondering if you could tell us where these leaflets were printed.” explained Lester.  “Right offhand, I would have to guess the answer to that question,” replied Mr. Thompson.  “But if I had to make a guess, it would probably be in one of those small warehouses across the street from Norwood Elementary School. That area was just rezoned for small business.”  The boys thanked Mr. Thompson for his time and the information.  “Let’s go home, get our bicycles, and meet in front of the school,” said Butch.  So off the boys went to get their bicycles.

In fifteen minutes time, all the boys were assembled in front of Norwood Elementary School, standing next to their bicycles.  Lester said, “Let’s sit on the steps and see if we can come up with a plan before we ride our bicycles around that warehouse area.”  “Good idea,” agreed Ronald.  Analyzing the situation, Butch suggested, “I think the first thing we should do is look for a printing sign or a place that sells this kind of paper.”  He was pointing to a leaflet as he continued, “If we can locate the building, then maybe we can go inside and look around.”  “Do you mean break in?” asked Allan in a surprised voice.  “Of course not,” said Lester.  “We can send someone in to ask if they can make a logo for our T-shirts … as an excuse to get inside the building,” Lester said with a smirk on his face.  “The first thing I think we should do,” said Butch, “is to look in the dumpster behind each building in that rezoned area.”  “That’s a great idea,” said Allan.  “Let’s spread out and each of us do one dumpster,” suggested Allan.  Of course, this was a favorite thing for the boys to do, because there were all kinds of treasures to be found in small-business garbage. 

Riding their bicycles around, they found one dumpster full of scrap leather that was used to make watch bands.  Another dumpster yielded valuable pieces of scrap lumber for building all kinds of things, like birdhouses, forts, and other wood projects.  The trashed wood could also be used to burn in wood stoves for fuel in their house instead of chopping it from a wood pile.  Almost all the houses in the neighborhood were heated by wood stoves.  This was a convenient way to get wood already the right size to burn in a wood stove. The wood factory made all kinds of baby furniture that they sold up north, so there was an endless supply of scrap wood in the dumpsters at all times.  Another dumpster yielded paint cans – some more than half-full with different colors of paint.  So it was exciting for the boys to discover what new treasures could be found outside the factories.  Robert was the first to yell out, “I think I found something!”  So all the other boys rode their bicycles to where Robert was.  On arrival, they found Robert diving in a dumpster, going through a mound of paper.  “Take a look at this,” he said, bringing up a fistful of paper.  As he handed it to his friends, they noticed coffee stains all over the papers. The coffee stains made the watermarks on the paper clearly visible with the words “To study mankind” clearly marked below the letterhead as a company motto.

Robert climbed out of the dumpster and walked over to his bike that was leaning against the back of the can.  “Let’s ride around these buildings for a while and see if we can find one that has a printing press,” said Robert.  “We should be able to hear the machines running if we’re real quiet.” said Allan. Just when the boys were getting ready to leave on their bicycles, the back door of the building opened.  A short, muscular man was carrying a big bag of something over his shoulder.  He set the bag down on the ground and started yelling angrily at the boys.  “Get away from those dumpsters!”  The boys took off, racing their bicycles in different directions.  Butch and Lester were headed in the direction of the school when Lester shouted, “Let’s go back and see what the sign says on the building.”  As they rode around to the front of the building, they saw a little sign hanging from the building: “Not open for business.”  The boys all headed back to Norwood Elementary School.  Exhausted, they parked their bikes and sat on the front entrance steps.  “We’ve got to come up with a plan.” said Lester.  “Yeah,” said Butch in agreement. “Let’s do another surveillance run with our bicycles.” suggested Robert. “This time we could each take turns, riding around the building to see who goes in and out of the building.” said Butch.  “Or we could send one of us into the building to look around to see what is inside,” said Robert.  “Suppose we do both,” urged Lester.”  “That way, one of us can go inside and have a look around, while the rest of us sort of circle the wagons with our bicycles like they do in the cowboy and Indian movies.”  The plan was put into action with Lester volunteering to go inside the building while the rest of the boys would circle around until Lester came out.  They would all rendezvous again at Norwood Elementary School and share their observations.  Allan spoke first. “I circled the parking lot and the building three times, and I did not see anything unusual.”  The only one who saw something unusual was Robert.  He saw a delivery truck pull up and a delivery man unload several small boxes through the front door of the building.  “I believe he made several trips inside the building, because the back door of the delivery truck was left open while he was inside the building. And Lester, what did you see?” asked Robert. “Well, it was kind of spooky inside the building. There weren’t many lights on, and most of the building was sort of dark. Once my eyes got adjusted to the darkness, I could see several objects of interest. There was a small printing press, about 50 boxes stacked neatly on a shelf, and some kind of strange machine, like the one in the little old Lady’s house in the Cypress Swamp.” “What did the boxes say on them?” asked Butch.  “They had names and addresses on them like they were waiting to be delivered in the mail,” Lester replied. “Did you recognize any of the names in the neighborhood?” Butch asked.  “Funny you should ask that! I did recognize the addresses for Freddie, Ronald, and Mrs. Strawn. But before I could look around anymore, a man yelled at me, ‘We’re not open for business, so scram!’ – kind of strange.”  “Why is that strange?” asked Allan.  “Mrs. Strawn’s name was the only adult name you saw,” replied Butch.  “Why is that so unusual?” asked Ronald. “Well,” said Robert, “for starters, my dad owns that building!”  “Great!” said Lester.  “Then you might be able to get the renter’s name and phone number from your dad.”  “I’ll ask my Mom tonight,” said Robert.

The next day, the boys all got together at the tree Fort.

(Part Two of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

To read the whole story, order your copy of A Big Surprise for Easter, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.

A Big Surprise for Easter, Part 1

The whole town was talking about it!  The children were crying, their parents were upset and angry.  “It’s a travesty!” exclaimed Mrs. Townsend. “Why, I never heard of such a thing!” said Mrs. Webster.  The ladies garden club had called a special meeting to discuss the problems that had suddenly been thrust upon their community.  “It is our responsibility to make sure this doesn’t happen again, and to come up with a plan to resolve this problem.” said the president of the garden club.  Miss Crystal was a thin, elderly lady who was born and raised in the community when it was just a little town.  She was known as the town gossip, and she had a history of knowing everybody’s business.  She would sit in a rocking chair on her front porch and observe everybody that passed down the road in front of her house, either coming or going.  If anybody in the neighborhood saw or heard somebody, she would be the one to call.  She was like the town’s newspaper.  “I bet it’s those Craighead boys,” she said with a disgusted sound in her voice.  “They would steal anything that is not nailed down!” she continued.  “Now, now, let’s not jump to any conclusions,” replied Mrs. Strawn, who was probably the most loved person in the community.  “Let’s give them a chance,” she pleaded to the committee.” “It was true that whenever anything came up missing in the neighborhood, it was often traced back to the Craighead garage.  Of course, Richard and his brother Paul had no earthly idea who put the stolen property in their garage.  “I really don’t believe that the Craigheads would do such a thing,” said Mrs. Grant, who lived next door.  “Why, they haven’t missed a Sunday going to Church in almost a year now!” she replied with a confident sound in her voice.  “Well, facts are facts,” replied Miss Crystal.  “Somebody has stolen from this community on a large scale. It had to be several people to have done this hideous crime! I think we should have someone search the Craighead garage,” she said, looking around the room for approval from the other members.  “We can’t just accuse people without any proof,” continued Mrs. Strawn as she addressed the committee.  “Maybe Mr. Ward can put together something from his store to make everyone happy.” she continued with a smile on her face and encouragement in her voice.  “It would be almost impossible for Mr. Ward to fill such a large order in such a short time.” replied Mrs. Zay.  “We’ve got to come up with a plan,” said Mrs. Strawn in a gentle voice.  “Let’s take it one step at a time. How many baskets were stolen from the neighborhood?” Mrs. Strawn asked.  “In this neighborhood there are at least fifty kids of all ages who didn’t get an Easter basket.” replied Mrs. Humphrey.  The social committee worked late into the evening trying to develop a plan to solve the dilemma.

Meanwhile, the boys were back in their tree Fort for a special meeting concerning the stolen Easter baskets.  The mulberry tree was beginning to bud out as spring was just around the corner.  Allan was the first to speak.  “We have to scout around the neighborhood and see what the little old Lady is up to,” Allan replied.  So the boys walked all over the neighborhood looking for clues.  They ran into Harry, a little five-year-old holding a piece of paper in his hand.  “What you got there, Harry?” asked Robert.  “I don’t know,” said little Harry.  “I can’t read it.”  “Let me take a look at it,” said Butch.  “Butch took the leaflet from Harry’s hand and glanced over it.  “Where did you get this leaflet Harry?” said Butch in an excited voice.  “I found it on the ground,” Harry replied.  “Where was it?” asked Butch.  “They’re all over the neighborhood,” replied Harry.  “They fell from the sky,” he continued, pointing his finger up in the air.”  Sure enough, the ground was littered with leaflets just about everywhere the boys look.  Lester picked up one of the leaflets from the ground and began to read it out loud.  “If you want your Easter baskets back, tell me where to find those little varmints that broke into my house when I was not at home. Once I find out where them little varmints live, I’ll tell you where your Easter baskets are hidden. – Signed, the little old Lady.”  Of course, none of the neighborhood children knew whom the little old Lady was talking about, let alone where all the boys lived in the neighborhood!  “The little old lady must be scouting the neighborhood,” said Allan.  “Yeah,” said Ronald, “and I bet she flew all over the neighborhood on her Hal-lo-Ween, throwing  leaflets in the air, hoping someone would tell on us,” Ronald exclaimed.  “Grab a few more of those leaflets.” shouted Butch.  “Let’s go back to the tree Fort and see if we can come up with a plan.”

When the boys arrived safely in the tree Fort, Butch handed out leaflets for them to read.  “Somewhere on this leaflet there is a hidden clue, a secret message or a secret code! We’ve got to find out what the little old Lady is up to.” said Butch.  “The first thing we have to find out,” said Lester, “is where the little old Lady hid the Easter baskets!”  After a moment, Ronald spoke up. “I don’t think she hid them anywhere,” he said.  “What do you mean?” asked Robert.  “I think she made them disappear, or she shrunk them the same way she did to Robert and Butch in the Cypress Swamp,” replied Allan.  “Good thinking!” said Butch.  “Then all we’d have to do is find out where in the swamp she hid them.”  “I’ve got an idea,” said Allan.  “Let’s go talk to Freddie – he knows all about radios, crystal sets, and radio frequencies.” “Yeah, and he’s a good friend of Gary,” replied Allan.”  “What does Gary have to do with solving our problem?” asked Lester.  “Well,” said Allan,” Gary’s father has one of the tallest radio towers ever made. I believe it’s over 150 feet tall!” he emphasized.”  “We all know that Mr. Chapin is a radio ham who talks to people all over the world when he broadcasts.  “How do we know that?” asked Butch.  “Because I’ve been to his house next to the garage where he operates his ham radio,” said Robert.  “Mr. Chapin has postcards pinned up all over his garage from people he’s contacted all over the world! And I’ve heard him broadcast when he’s looking for other people to respond to.”  “How do you know he’s broadcasting?” asked Butch.  “Because he always starts off with, ‘Seek you, seek you,’ and when he makes contact with someone, say in Japan, Mr. Chapin asks them to send him a postcard with their call letters so that he can pin it up and talk with them again someday.”  “Fantastic!” said Lester.  “Let’s go have a talk with Gary.”  

So, off the boys went to Gary’s house.  When Gary came to the door, Robert was spokesman for the group.  “Hey, Gary, I was telling my buddies about your father’s ham broadcasting abilities, and they would like to take a look at it, if it’s okay with you.”  “I don’t know,” said Gary.  “Dad’s at work, and he doesn’t like anybody in his garage if he’s not home to supervise.”  “We can understand that,” said Robert.  “My father is the same way. Do you think we could come back when he’s home, and watch him work at broadcasting?” asked Robert.  “What time does your dad get home?”  “He usually gets home around five o’clock and starts broadcasting after supper,” replied Gary.  “Why don’t you give him a call around six and talk to him yourself?”  “Great idea,” agreed Robert.  So the boys said goodbye to Gary and started walking down the street.  “Why don’t we go by and pay Freddie a friendly visit?” said Allan.  “Freddie!” exclaimed Lester.  “You mean the guy in our class at Norwood … who’s a little weird, doesn’t participate in sports, and stays by himself all the time?”  “Yeah, I know Freddie acts a little weird sometimes, but he’s really a nice guy and is super smart when it comes to making crystal sets and repairing radios,” said Robert.  Freddie’s parents lived by the lake, which was only two blocks away from Gary’s house.

The boys found Freddie working on a radio in the garage.  “Hello, Freddie, could we talk to you for a few minutes?” asked Allan.  “Sure,” said Freddie as he put down the burned-out tube he was replacing in a radio he was working on.  “What can I do for you?”  Lester had an idea.  “Freddie, could you build a shortwave radio set for us – one that can pick up conversations in our tree Fort?”  “Well, it depends on the distance,” replied Freddie.  “We want to monitor a weird transmission that’s coming from the Cypress Swamp,” said Lester.  “Sure, I could build you a small shortwave radio, but it would have to run on dry- cell batteries if you don’t have electricity to power the set.”  “That would be great!” exclaimed Butch.  “How much do you think it would cost to build for us?” Butch inquired.  Freddie took out a pencil and paper and began to write down some numbers on the pad.  “About $15,” Freddie replied. “Could you help set it up in our tree Fort?” asked Butch.  “I would have to look over the location first and see if you need an antenna to pick up a signal.” Freddie explained.  The boys still had a few dollars left over from the winnings of their Christmas tree contests, and if they all chipped in a few dollars, they would have enough to pay Freddie to make their shortwave set. The boys agreed on the price and asked Freddie how long it would take to make the set.  Freddie said he would call Allan when the set was finished, and they could pay him then.

     After the boys left, Freddie began to cannibalize parts from broken radios he had in his garage.  He found a tube from one radio, a transformer from another, and a few radio dials from an old shortwave set he had made a couple years ago.  It only took him a day to complete the shortwave set.  He called Allan and told him the set was ready, and he would go with him to the tree Fort to hook it up.

(Part One of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

To read the rest of the story, order your copy of A Big Surprise for Easter, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.

Easter Memories

For many young children, waking up to find a big colored Easter egg basket on the kitchen table (or hidden somewhere) was a delight beyond words! The first thing you did was look for the basket with your name on it. In a large family there were several baskets, designed with a different color for each child. When you found your own personal basket, it was a thing of beauty. The wicker basket came in all different colors and sizes. There was usually a colorful cellophane wrapping that covered all the candy and goodies inside the basket. When the colorful wrapping was torn free from the basket, it exposed the contents inside the basket to praying hands and hungry mouths. The Easter egg basket always reminded me of a giant bird’s nest. The inside of the basket was covered with bright green cellophane that made it look like grass. Inside this green nest was a variety of objects of various sizes; they were hidden underneath and on top of the grass.

On the surface of the basket was usually found a large milk chocolate rabbit, like it was guarding the nest. Next to the rabbit was a smaller yellow marshmallow chicken. Throughout the nest there could be found chocolate Easter eggs wrapped in colorful foil. Surrounding all of these hidden objects throughout the grass were multiple layers of colorful jellybeans that matched every color of the rainbow. Candy corn, gumdrops, orange peanuts, and other delightful treats were discovered wrapped in various colors like a box of chocolates. Multiple colors of hard boiled Easter eggs were also found throughout the basket. All of the contents of the basket were for the child whose name was written on the tag. It usually took about a week for the owner of the basket to consume most of the contents and maybe share some of it with friends.

From a child's point of view, it must be a nightmare to wake up on Easter morning and find no trace of an Easter basket in the house or throughout the community! If you had grown up with this fun tradition, can you imagine your thoughts as a young child if it had failed to happen one year? Imagine your fears and disappointments! How on earth could anyone even think of the idea of stealing an Easter basket from a little child? Well it happened in one neighborhood! And guess who is going to solve the mystery!

(To read the mystery story by George, order A Big Surprise for Easter, a novella published for Kindle e-readers and paperback, available on Amazon.com.

Search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn)