Convolution

It won’t take long to tape it together, I thought. Then I’ll get a ladder from the Maintenance’s closet, and we’ll hang it back up. We stepped out into the hall and I stopped. Kids were arriving for the dance, hurrying to the gym. “We don’t have time to fix the banner!” I told Benjamin. “We’ll hurry,” he said. “No problem.”

“But but the art room is way up on the third floor!” I sputtered. “By the time we get all the way back down to the gym…”

“Relax,” Benjamin said. “It won’t take that long if you’d stop complaining. Come on. Let’s go!”

Benjamin was right. I started running down the hall. Kids were pouring into the auditorium. I

knew we had to hurry. “Hey not that way!” I heard him calling. “You’re going the wrong way, James!”

“I know where I’m going!” I called back. “I went this way last time!” I ran to the end of the hall and turned a corner. “James stop!” Benjamin called. “It’s up this way!” I called back to him. “This way is faster. I know it.”

But I was wrong. I should have listened to Benjamin. A few seconds later, the hall ended at a boarded-up wall.

“See?” Benjamin cried breathlessly. “What is your problem? The stairs are back there.”

“Okay. I made a mistake,” I told him. “I wanted to hurry, that’s all.”

“But you don’t know where you’re going!” he said angrily. “Remember, James? You need a road map to find your toes!” “Very funny,” I muttered. I gazed around. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know! I can’t believe I followed you!” Benjamin was annoyed. He banged both fists against the boarded-up wall. “Hey !” We both cried out as the rotted, old boards broke away. Startled, Benjamin stumbled forward and crashed right through the boards. They splintered and fell to the floor. And he fell on top of them. “Oh, wow.” I bent to help him up. “Check this out!” I said, peering down a dark hall. “This must be the old school building. The building they closed off.” “Thrills and chills,” Benjamin muttered. He groaned and rubbed his knee. “I scraped my knee on those boards. I think it’s bleeding.” I took a few steps into the dark hall. “This school has been closed off for many years,” I told him. “We’re probably the first kids in here since then!” “Remind me to write that in my diary,” Benjamin growled, still rubbing his knee. “Are we going to the art room or what?”

I didn’t answer him. Something on the wall across from us caught my eye. I walked over to it. “Hey, Benjamin. Look. An elevator.” “Huh?” He hobbled across the hall to me. “Do you believe it?” I asked. “They had an elevator in the old school.”

“Those kids were lucky,” Benjamin replied. I pressed the button on the wall. To my surprise, the doors slid open. “Whoa !” I peered inside. A dusty ceiling lamp clicked on, sending pale white light down

through the metal car. “It’s on!” Benjamin cried. “It’s working!” “Let’s take it to the third floor,” I urged. “Come on. Why should we walk up all

those stairs?” “But but ” Benjamin held back. But I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him inside

the elevator. And followed him in. “This is great!” I exclaimed. “I told you I knew how to get there.”

Benjamin’s eyes darted nervously around the narrow gray elevator car. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” he murmured. “What could happen?” I replied. The doors closed silently.

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