A floor plan was sketched out in purple chalk near the edge of the concrete under the carport. Below that and in the same chalk were mixed upper and lower case letters spelling the words, "Liberdad de Elyse!" Next to that was a Patriarchal cross that the boys had seen in an old movie–Casa-something or other.
David shut off the faucet before the second bucket overflowed. He then strutted back to the floor plan with bucket in hand. That’s why everybody called him Rooster, because he walked like one. He set the bucket next to the first one, which was strategically placed near the plan.
"Okay, one more time," he said, dropping to one knee. Rooster’s voice was a child-like version of Lee Marvin’s, complete with inflection. But his glare was more like a mini Clint Eastwood.
Rooster made a circular motion with his finger over a rectangle near the corner of the drawing. "This is her bedroom– I figger it’s about a hundred feet up to the window, so we won’t have very long for you to get up there and hook her to the rope and get her down."
"More like two hundred," said Billy Blue-Eyes as he plopped down his Spiderman backpack and the climbing rope he swiped from his dad’s camping stuff, as well as a plastic rake.
He was Rooster’s younger brother, but they looked nothing alike. Billy had blond hair and big blue eyes that every mom fawned over. His other alias was The White Knight because Billy was the kid who’d fight anyone who was mean to sumbody. Sometimes he also went by "Bull," but that was cuz Mom said he was like one in a China closet.
Still, his real talent was climbing. Billy Blue-Eyes was always in trouble for climbing on a shelf or on the stall partition in the boy’s bathroom at school, or anything he wasn’t supposed to be on.
Billy tied the rake to one end of the rope as he talked. "Our only problem is gittin her to open the window– she’s gotta open the window or the whole thing’s off."
"She’ll open it," Rooster said. "B’sides, it’s getting back I’m worried about."
That’s when Wheels came up the driveway rolling two more bikes as if he were leading ponies by their bridals. His real name was Charles. They called him Wheels cuz he was the speed demon of Oakdale Street. This kid was big, like his dad. He was only five but he could probly beat up a third-grader. And best of all, he was as loyal as a dog. So his job was transportation and muscle.
"You all set?" said Rooster.
"Yes," Wheels said with his usual grin and squinty eyes. "Her bike is over by the tree so we can use it to climb up on it." Each word was individually pronounced; and he always ennunciated his R’s as if they were W’s.
They heard the kitchen door to the garage open, and all three turned in a panic to see who it was. No one came out at first. Then Tricky Rick came into sight as he pulled the door shut. Rooster and Billy let out a breath as they turned back to the floor plan.
Their little brother ambled toward them more focused on the candy bar he snuck from the pantry than where he was going. He tripped over the handle of the wagon, though he never lost his grip on the treat he carried. Finally, he made it to where his brothers were and crouched down between them, oblivious to what they were looking at or talking about.
But Tricky Rick had his value, too. First, he was as easy to bribe as Shaggy and Scooby. And second, he knew how to play his eyes to melt Elyse’s mommy. Not to mention he was kinda sweet on Elyse. Well, all of them were sweet on her–which is why this mission was so impordant.
Using his nicest voice, high pitched and soft, Rooster repeated what Ricky was supposed to do. "Remember, Ricky, you walk in the back door and hug Miss Rachel."
"Hug Miss Rachel," Ricky shouted in a tone that was, for a three-year old, incredulous. "No way!"
"Oh come on, Ricky," Rooster said. "If you do, I’ll give you my M & M’s from lunch."
Ricky took a big bite from the half-melted candy bar, smearing chocolate all over his face. His mouth was so full he could barely say, "okay."
Across the street and sitting on the curb was Grinch–Wheels’s little brother–almost looking like Rodan’s Thinker. He scratched in the gravel with a stick while mumbling to himself. The Grinch only smiled when he had a cookie or was playing the games he wanted to play. When he looked down the street to the corner in between grumbles, Rooster’s dad’s car turned the corner.
"Comeng!" he screamed.
The boys under the carport looked at each other. Rooster grabbed one of the buckets and splashed water over the floor plan, washing the chalk into the grass. Billy Blue-Eyes shoved the rope into his backpack, but the rake kept him from closing it. So he tossed the whole load into the bushes along the fence. Wheels ran into the garage and pulled a tennis ball from the wagon.
Driving slowly up the street, the dad knew one of the kids might dart out from behind a car parked along the curb. Charles was the one who he expected to see first, pedaling like a mad man up and down the block and jumping curbs.
The only one he could see was Chris who sat across the street fiddling with a stick. Charles and the boys were likely nearby, but where?
Something wasn’t right–Chris stood up as the dad drove up to the driveway. Turning in, he saw the others. There were five bicycles blocking the way, so he stopped short of the carport. He got out and heard each bounce as Charles’s ball hit the concrete and then the wall of the house. He chuckled because the sound and sight reminded him of Steve McQueen in The Great Escape. Not to mention Charles looked just as sneaky.
"Hi Mister Michael," Charles said with that perennial grin.
"Hey Charles," Mr. Michael said. He spoke again as he passed his middle son who was doodling on the cement with chalk. "Hey, Will."
"Hey Dad," the boy answered.
Richard sat against the wall hardly acknowledging his father’s existence. Pausing to look at his baby son, Mr. Michael put his hands on his hips and grinned. Rick looked up and smiled, showing the chocolate caked on his teeth behind similar smudges around his lips.
Mister Micheal watched his older son pull a soaking rag from a bucket and wipe down the frame of his bike.
"Hey Dad," David said as he pointed to the bike. "Does this look super clean?"
Mister Michael nodded and smiled–with reservation. He turned to look at the scene around him. This was way too innocent. "Where’s Elyse?"
"Miss Rachel said she was grounded," Will said, never looking up from his artwork.
"Oh, bummer," the dad said as he looked back over his shoulder one last time before he went into the house.
Rooster kept cleaning his bike. When he heard the door open, he casually moved around to the other side of his ride. The door had a window and Rooster wanted to make sure his dad was out of sight before they made their move. His dad grabbed the mail off a kitchen counter, checked the message count on the answering machine, and then walked out of site.
The other boys all looked to Rooster for their cue. "Mount up," he said as he dropped the rag into the bucket.
Billy Blue-Eyes snatched his backpack from the bushes, slinging it over his shoulder as he ran to his bike.
Wheels was already rolling the bikes for him and his brother down the driveway as Grinch met him halfway.
Rooster made a running mount onto his bike like a cowboy in a western. Billy Blue-Eyes followed by making sort of a skip mount onto his.
"Wait for me," hollered Tricky Rick who used a training wheel to climb onto his bike while never letting go of the candy bar.
The whole group formed up as they rode out to the street. They pedaled hard and looked like a posse in hot pursuit. They mimicked dramatic music from parts of movies they’d seen–at least the parts their moms and dads would let them watch. It was combination of Mission Impossible, The Magnificent Seven, and The Great Escape.
Rooster signaled his wild bunch as they approached the cul-de-sac. He and Billy Blue-Eyes broke right to hide behind Mister Evans’s van.
Wheels, Grinch, and Tricky Rick broke left and stopped at the Tallow tree at the bottom of Elyse’s driveway. The Grinch climbed onto Elyse’s bike, using the seat as a step to reach the crotch of the tree. Ricky tried to run up the driveway but Wheels grabbed his arm. "Not yet, baby Richard," Wheels said, sweetly. The two ducked behind the tree trunk.
Rooster peeked around the front of the van with his SpyKids "beenoculers." He could see Elyse’s window but not Elyse. He just hoped she was in there…
"It’s not fair, Mommy," Elyse said, sniffing and wiping her cheek.
"I know it seems that way," her mother said, brushing Elyse's wet hair as they sat on the edge of the little girl’s bed. "But this is what happens when you don’t do what Daddy and I tell you."
Elyse was the perfect blend of her mom and dad. She had her mom’s hair and nose, her dad’s eyes and smile–but her expressions might belong to either depending on a variety of factors. Pouting, she looked like her mommy.
Elyse's mom leaned in and whispered into her child's ear. "But I bet if you’re sweet to Daddy, he’ll let you play with your friends in the morning."
"But that’s all the way to tomorrow," she protested.
"Elyse!" her mommy said with a stern look, pausing in mid-brush stroke.
"Okay," Elyse said, making her disappointment dramatic and obvious. She got up and went over to her window, peeking out of the blind. That’s when she saw Chris in the tree; and little Ricky was standing against the tree. Her heart jumped when David peeked out from behind the van across the street.
David was funny. He always made her laugh and he never made fun of her for playing with girly stuff–at least not much. And one time when she fell off her bike, David rode over to help her. She also liked it that his name was the same as her daddy’s, which was kind of funny also since there were three Davids on the street.
"Elyse?"
"Yes, Mommy!’ she said with sudden cheer and the largest smile she could manage, hoping that would make her leave.
"I’m gonna go make dinner, so you finish your homework."
"Okay, Mommy."
Her mother closed the door behind her as she left. Elyse raised the blind to wave at the boys. They were all moving their hands like they wanted her to lift something.
"Come on!" Rooster said as he motioned his arms for Elyse to raise the window.
"She’s not getting it," Billy Blue-Eyes whispered.
"Just get going."
Rooster watched his brother sneak around to the other side of the van, look both ways before crossing the street, and bolt over to the tree.
"And send in Ricky!" Rooster ordered in a loud whisper.
Billy made it across the street, crushing the backpack between him and tree. The sound made Ricky say, "Ouch! That hurt."
"Okay, Ricky, it’s your turn," Billy said. He peeked once more around the tree. "Go see Miss Rachel, and hurry."
Ricky hesitated, which made all the boys growl. Rooster whistled as he tossed something to Billy. Billy no where near caught it and it bounced off the tree. Wheels picked up the pack of M & M’s, gave it to Ricky and said, "Go on, Baby Richard."
Tricky Rick bolted up the driveway heading for the familiar back door.
Billy Blue-Eyes made his move and ran to the front of the house below Elyse’s window. That’s when Rooster crossed the street to meet up with Wheels.
"Sneak up to the corner and stop before you get to the door," Rooster said. "Make sure Ricky does his job and signal Chris if there’s a problem."
Wheels nodded and hugged the side of the house as he sneaked to the back corner.
Tricky Rick didn’t bother knocking. He opened the door and walked in like he owned the place. Miss Rachel met him as she stepped off the bottom step of the stairs just off the kitchen. She giggled as she said, "Hi Richard."
"Juice?" Tricky Rick asked with puppy-dog eyes, actually they were kitten-like eyes of Puss N Boots from Shrek 2. Miss Rachel’s reaction went as planned–until…
"David…we have a visitor!" she called out to her husband.
Wheels heard the call to Elyse’s daddy and realized his car was in the garage. He ran back down the driveway yelling that Elyse’s daddy was home.
"Shut up," whispered Rooster who was now next to Billy. He was helping his brother uncoil the rope. Rooster stepped back and made a lifting motion one more time. That’s when Elyse finally opened the window.
"It’s about time!" Rooster whispered.
"What are you doing?" Elyse said louder than Rooster wanted.
"Shh!" Then he told Wheels to get back to his spot–and Wheels did.
Elyse heard a creak outside her door and saw a shadow coming in from underneath. "It’s Daddy!" she whispered to Rooster.
He shushed her.
The shadow from under the door was there forever. Then she heard another creak and the shadow disappeared. Hearing her dad step down the stairs, she told the liberators he was gone.
"Stand back from the window," Rooster said.
"We’re all set," Billy Blues-Eyes said, offering the rake to his brother. "Except you better throw it cuz I’d prolly break a window or somethin."
Rooster learned how to throw a rope at Cub Scout camp last year. He was pretty good, too. It only took him one toss to get the rake right through Elyse’s window. Although it barely missed her head cuz she never moved out of the way.
"Elyse?"
"What?’
"Tie the rope to your bed," Rooster whispered.
"Why?"
"Just do it," he ordered. And she did.
Billy gave the rope a tug and started climbing. Rooster put his weight on the bottom end to steady it. Billy scurried up to the porch roof like a squirrel, then into to Elyse’s window.
"What are you doing?"
"We’re rescuing you," Billy said to Elyse, puffing out his chest with super hero pride and a grin.
"Aren’t you a little small to be a Storm-trooper," she said with her hand on her hip.
"Well, who were you expecting–Luke Skywalker?’ He held up a harness and said. "Now put this on."
They fumbled with the harness before getting it on her right. Billy clipped her onto the rope and helped her climb out the window. She crawled backwards down the roof of the porch and looked down at Rooster standing at the bottom of the rope.
"I’m scared," Elyse whimpered.
"It’s okay," Rooster said, waving her down. "You can’t fall–you’re on the rope, so just hang off and you’ll slide down."
Elyse dangled her legs over the edge and inched down until only her arms were above the rain gutter. She glanced down at Rooster, then let go.
Rooster let out a grunt as he broke her fall. She rolled off of him and he shook off the impact. He stood first before helping Elyse.
"That worked perfectly," said Billy as he slid down the rope.
"For you," Rooster said, holding up Elyse’s harness. "She dropped like a rock–on me."
"Sorry," Billy said sheepishly.
"Did you hear something?’ said Elyse’s dad as he took a step back up the stairs.
"Um, um, Elyse’s d-a-d?" Tricky Rick said with the Puss n Boots eyes, which stopped the man cold in his tracks. "Will you play with me?"
Miss Rachel looked at her husband with that "awww" look that wives get. Elyse’s dad got a big grin and led Rick to the family room where a couple of Elyse’s toys were left on the floor.
Elyse got her helmet on while the boys got Chris out of the tree. Wheels snuck back down the driveway and mounted his bike. In perfect unison, all five were on their rides and pedaling back to Roosters house–Rooster and Billy high-fived each other, hearing the fanfare music in their heads.
"What about Ricky," the Grinch asked.
"Ah, they can keep him," Rooster said.
"That’s not very nice," Wheels said.
"They’ll give him back," Billy said, adding, "besides, they got food and it’s not like they have a dungeon or anything."
With Rooster in the lead and closely followed by Elyse, they all leaned into the turn, rolling single file into the driveway. None noticed that the garage door was closed as they dismounted.
Wheels hopped off, letting his bike roll and fall. Rooster hit the brakes, skidding to a stop. Elyse copied him. Billy slowed until he made a falling dismount. Grinch coasted to a halt and calmly got off.
"Thanks," Elyse said, following with a kiss on Rooster’s cheek. That made him blush and scrunch up his face, which made her giggle. Billy and Wheels rolled their eyes, and the Grinch just grimaced.
They all started laughing and suggesting different games or toys to play with. Shoes were flung off and landed everywhere under the carport. When Rooster opened the door and all five crowded into the house, his dad was standing with the phone to his ear, glaring at them with a very red face. Rooster thought he heard the heavy machine breathing of Darth Vader and the dreadful music to match.
Only Billy spoke. "We're dead."
Copyright 2004 by David Falloure
