[LJI 9-2: The Missing Stair] One! Two! (three!) FOUR!
“PUT IT BACK! PUT IT BACK!”
Billy’s mom opens the front door, causing the screams to double in volume. She sighs and shakes her head when she sees Billy standing at the top of the front steps, his sister Susie squealing and stomping her feet at the bottom with tears trailing down her cheeks.
“What are doing to her now?”
He spins around with a little hop, just fast enough that she sees the gleam of trouble in his eyes before he has the common decency to replace it with the wide-eyed look of innocent shock.
“Nuttin! We were playin’ a game izzall!”
Susie lets out a low wail while shaking her head hard from side to side.
“Noooooooo! He! He took it away and now I can’t get in th, th, th, the HOUuuuuuuuuse!”
“What did he take away? The door’s right here.”
“THE STAIR! He has four and I have three an’ I can’t get to the door with three!”
Billy’s mom turns back to him and gives him The Look until he sighs and shrugs. He turns back to Susie and walks over to stand at the top of the steps.
“Ohhh kayyyy, I’ll put it back. You have to help me with the magic again though, ok?”
Susie brushes the tears away and nods at him.
“Alright then, each time I jump to a step and count it, you say three, got it?”
She nods again, staring at the steps without a blink.
“Ok, here we go!”
Billy jumps up as high as he can, landing on the first step from the top. “ONE!”
“Three!” Susie yells immediately after. He takes another leap, landing on the next step, one away from the bottom. “TWO!”
“Three!” she calls out again, jumping up and down while clapping her hands and grinning big. Billy hops down to the walkway next to Susie.
“FOUR!”
“It’s back! IT’S BACK!”
Susie quickly runs forward and hops up the stairs counting as she goes.
“ONE! TWO! THREE!”
Everything goes silent, Susie jerking to a stop while staring at the feet that just betrayed her, standing at the top of the stairs with no more to climb.
“NOOOOOOoooOoOooooo! IT’S GOOOOOONE!”
Billy’s mom closes her eyes and rubs her temples for a second.
“Susie you can go in just fine, see? The door’s right here and you’re at the top of the steps, just walk forward.”
“I CAN’T! Billy has four steps and I only have three, I can’t get there! I need four!”
“No you don’t, there’s…. there’s only three steps for you because your’e smaller. Billy’s taller so he gets four steps cause he can climb more.”
“Really?”
Billy runs up to the base of the steps and jumps up to the top in one giant leap. “Yup! But I don’t need no steps cause I’m Superman! ZOOOOOOM!”
He leaps off the steps and runs across the front yard, arms stretching in front of him like he’s flying.
“Well I don’t need steps either cause I’m Spiderman! Pew! Pew! Pew!”
Susie runs after him across the grass, giggling and laughing like nothing happened, pretending to swing from tree to tree. Billy’s mom cracks a small smile as she heads back inside, leaving them to their games.
Billy’s mom opens the front door, causing the screams to double in volume. She sighs and shakes her head when she sees Billy standing at the top of the front steps, his sister Susie squealing and stomping her feet at the bottom with tears trailing down her cheeks.
“What are doing to her now?”
He spins around with a little hop, just fast enough that she sees the gleam of trouble in his eyes before he has the common decency to replace it with the wide-eyed look of innocent shock.
“Nuttin! We were playin’ a game izzall!”
Susie lets out a low wail while shaking her head hard from side to side.
“Noooooooo! He! He took it away and now I can’t get in th, th, th, the HOUuuuuuuuuse!”
“What did he take away? The door’s right here.”
“THE STAIR! He has four and I have three an’ I can’t get to the door with three!”
Billy’s mom turns back to him and gives him The Look until he sighs and shrugs. He turns back to Susie and walks over to stand at the top of the steps.
“Ohhh kayyyy, I’ll put it back. You have to help me with the magic again though, ok?”
Susie brushes the tears away and nods at him.
“Alright then, each time I jump to a step and count it, you say three, got it?”
She nods again, staring at the steps without a blink.
“Ok, here we go!”
Billy jumps up as high as he can, landing on the first step from the top. “ONE!”
“Three!” Susie yells immediately after. He takes another leap, landing on the next step, one away from the bottom. “TWO!”
“Three!” she calls out again, jumping up and down while clapping her hands and grinning big. Billy hops down to the walkway next to Susie.
“FOUR!”
“It’s back! IT’S BACK!”
Susie quickly runs forward and hops up the stairs counting as she goes.
“ONE! TWO! THREE!”
Everything goes silent, Susie jerking to a stop while staring at the feet that just betrayed her, standing at the top of the stairs with no more to climb.
“NOOOOOOoooOoOooooo! IT’S GOOOOOONE!”
Billy’s mom closes her eyes and rubs her temples for a second.
“Susie you can go in just fine, see? The door’s right here and you’re at the top of the steps, just walk forward.”
“I CAN’T! Billy has four steps and I only have three, I can’t get there! I need four!”
“No you don’t, there’s…. there’s only three steps for you because your’e smaller. Billy’s taller so he gets four steps cause he can climb more.”
“Really?”
Billy runs up to the base of the steps and jumps up to the top in one giant leap. “Yup! But I don’t need no steps cause I’m Superman! ZOOOOOOM!”
He leaps off the steps and runs across the front yard, arms stretching in front of him like he’s flying.
“Well I don’t need steps either cause I’m Spiderman! Pew! Pew! Pew!”
Susie runs after him across the grass, giggling and laughing like nothing happened, pretending to swing from tree to tree. Billy’s mom cracks a small smile as she heads back inside, leaving them to their games.