After church, Clara ran outside to play with the other kids while Martha and
Jon spoke with the Pastor. When they went to look for Clara a couple minutes
later, she was gone. They asked some children who were skipping rope if they
had seen her. One little boy pointed down the road and said, “She went
that-a-way!”
Jon convinced Martha that everything would be okay and that Clara would
probably be waiting for them at home. She wasn’t. An hour passed, then two.
Finally Clara came in the back door. The skirt of her Sunday dress was now
noticeably shorter and charred around the edges. Her face was bright red and
contorted in anger. She shouted, “THEY SHOULDN’T OUGHTTA LIE LIKE THAT! They
didn’t even leave the church yard before they started lying! They’re just a
bunch of CHICKEN LITTLES, that’s what they are! I went all that way … and it
wasn’t … it WASN’T!!”
Jon asked, “What wasn’t?
Clara said, “The bridge wasn’t!”
With grave concern, Martha asked, “The bridge wasn’t
what?”
Clara said, “Falling down!
Martha quickly covered her mouth and turned away.
THE END